Misawa recovering from a historic earthquake

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Phillip Butterfield
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --   Misawa Air Base was shaken violently Mar. 11, 2011 by the earthquake in Myagi Prefecture, and the base sustained minor damage with no injuries or loss of life.

"Our focus is on the recovery of the base and assisting our Japanese allies. We will do whatever it takes to get us both on our feet again, and I believe we have the best people on the job for this task," Col. Michael Rothstein, 35th Fighter Wing commander, said.

Further aiding in base recovery was the quick thinking and fast actions of Airmen here in supporting and establishing command and control operations.

"Our Airmen and family members aided in recovery efforts almost immediately after the earthquake," said Lt. Col. Dwayne Robison, 35th Civil Engineer Squadron commander. "The earthquake struck the region when the base was in the middle of an operational readiness exercise. So we already had our Emergency Operations Center and our Unit Control Centers stood up. This enabled people to call in immediately with reports of damages, and we had no delay with responding to their needs."

Some of the calls that emergency responders and maintenance crews were dispatched on were in response to small fires, broken waterlines, steam lines, and a host of other issues.

The base was spared the brunt of what the earthquake had to offer, which was the tsunami that swept ashore afterwards.  The tsunami devastated large tracks of land in Myagi Prefecture, south of the base.

Now the base is concentrating on two missions: The first is to recover operations here, and the second is to act as a logistical hub for humanitarian relief and rescue workers.

Rescue teams from around the world have sent, and will continue to send, convoys to the locations most affected by the tsunami to start recovery operations.

"We hope to provide as much assistance as possible," said Alan Downes, U.K. Search and Rescue team member. "As soon as we complete the search and rescue portion of this operation, we will start turning our focus to the humanitarian relief side of the situation."