Good details on how and why the US Embassy acted vis-a-vis dependents

Good Morning Everyone,

I've been spending a little time with the family over the three day weekend (in Tokyo), so the blog has been quiet...and largely because there hasn't been much to report.

Kudos to the US Embassy for detailed clarification on both (a) why families and dependents were allowed to leave and (b) that there are more people at the embassy working now than before the earthquake. My favorite quote:

Our employees remain in country, and we are absolutely open for business – in fact, the number of people working at the Embassy now is much larger than before the earthquake due to the number of experts who have arrived from the United States to augment our operations in these difficult times. We look forward to our dependents returning to Japan once the situation has eased.

A few other observations:

• Aftershocks really continue to rattle the nerves. Had two more this morning, and while it is kind of fun for our little one to play the "hide under the table" game, her Mom and I are both tired of it.
• If Dad happens to be retired military, and you ask for disaster recovery plans, plan to spend some thoughtful time sorting through the advice. It's great stuff, Dad, but will take us a little while to work into our earthquake bags.
• There are about 450,000 people homeless due to the earthquake. If you haven't made a donation to the charity of your choice, please donate for Japan disaster relief here.

Otherwise, for many of us, as one of my clients said, it is "Business as Unusual". We're open, doing what we can to make things as normal as possible for everyone. As always, if there is anything that we can do to help out, personally or professionally, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Buying a Security Blanket: More on the Embassy Announcement: I'm STILL NOT LEAVING

Good Evening Folks,

I'm a little bit too tired to do a good article on political game theory, but I will point out that politically, doing something is generally rewarded over "doing nothing", even when doing nothing would be better than doing something. But perhaps I digress. Here is the note:
http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-travel20110317.html
[additional conference call transcript that I found after returning home tonight tha tis much, much more clear than the original announcement: http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20110317-09.html]

In an earlier post, I mentioned that you do whatever keeps your family emotionally in the clear and happy first and foremost. I also said we were definitely staying. After the numerous emails received from non-working embassy dependents saying "we are being forced to evacuate" (inaccurate, at least according to the posts above), and the rumor mill going around about large companies relocating operations to Kansai (for indefinite time periods) and/or having no employees come to the office, we were facing some uncertainty at home.

So we bought a security blanket. Three tickets for Kansai, where my in-laws live, which are for my wife, my daughter (who is three) and my wife's sister, on Saturday March 19th. So, I guess in the big picture, we're not that scared, but continue to be nervous. For the record, though  I'M NOT LEAVING. I am stressed, no question. Somewhat ironically, I have probably done more damage to myself dealing with stress(have a look at how poor my diet has been) that way than I'm likely to have from Fukushima...

Now, these tickets are refundable, but in the same way those people who didn't buy groceries because they knew that the bulk of the logistics system was sound got hosed for a few days (because everyone else bought out the stores), we were acting using our animal, rather than our rational brains. Mea culpa on that....but between the well meaning notes, the incessant "lack of new information news", along with the calls from the people at the airport today offering to take our three year old out with them, we figured that time at the grandparents might be soothing. A security blanket doesn't do anything but (a) potentially keep you warm and (b) sooth the nerves. That's what we're buying.

By the way, I'm still going to work tomorrow. We're still open for business. I wish I could do more, but that's where things are at now. If/when we cancel them tomorrow/Saturday, I'll be sure to post.

Advance notice: I am planning to go to Australia for 10 days at the first part of Golden Week, booked it in February, so please don't hold that against me. I love the Hunter Valley wines...hmm, I wonder if this also qualifies as high risk behavior?

US Embassy Allows Voluntary Departure of eligible family members

Good Afternoon,

In the not really the news department, but in a pre-emptive strike on inaccurate headlines, 

US Embassy update: 

"[we have] authorized the voluntary departure from Japan of eligible family members of U.S. government personnel assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, the U.S. Consulate in Nagoya, and the Foreign Service Institute Field School in Yokohama."

http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-travel20110317.html

Now, if I were paid by the click, the headline would read "US Embassy Family Members Depart Tokyo".