一緒に車で山に避難しようとしたそうだ。
When my Papa called my Aunt to check if she was she OK, my uncle wasn't there.
He got back after my Papa had called my Aunt. They then tried to escape up the mountain.
だけど近くにいた人が、
山でなく水道局が津波の避難所だから
水道局に避難するように言って山に行かせてくれなかったそうだ。
However somebody stopped them going to the mountain and lead them to escape to the waterworks department building.
The government had designated this building for evacuation.
水道局では、地震後伯母の様子を見に来てくれていた役場の人や、
隣の家の人たちも一緒に何人かがそこにいた。
There were some other people in the building; women who were neighbors,
the town officer who checked on my aunty after earthquake and
people who worked in the building.
伯父は、伯母があまりにも薄着で寒そうだった事に気づき、
伯母のために家に上着や毛布等を取りに戻った。
My uncle noticed that my Aunt was only wearing thin clothes and seemed cold,
so he tried to go back home and bring some warm clothes for her.
隣の家の男性も、車を移動させておくと言って一緒に出たそうだ。
The neighbor also left the building to go and move his car up the mountain.
津波が来たのはその直後だった。
The Tsunami came soon after they left.
真っ黒の水があっという間に押し寄せて、
伯父は家の敷地内に入ったところで津波に飲まれてしまった。
Black dark tsunami waves covered my uncle when he just arrived at his garden.
２、３回ほど水を飲んでしまい、
水中から上をみると水面はがれきに埋もれて、
頭を出す空間がなかったそうだ。
He swallowed water 2 or 3 times.
He tried to raise his head above the water but the rubble covering
the water surface prevented him form doing so.
それでもすぐにがれきが動いてぼんやり空が見えたので、
伯父はそこに手を出してがれきをかき分け顔を出した。
Finally he could see light between the rubble and he tried to clear some space
and raise his head above the water.
冬で厚着だったために、水にぬれた服が体を締め付けるので、
近くに流れて来た金属片で服の胸元を切って呼吸を楽にしたそうだ。
His clothes got wet and wrapped around his neck very tightly
so he tried to cut the tight clothes around his neck
with something metal he found in the water.
自分が来た道を見ると何もなくなっていた。
伯父は丁度家の裏にある山の方に流されていた。
He saw the way he had come and by then there was already nothing left there.
The tsunami pushed him up towards the mountain behind his house.
今は押水だから、引水になる前に逃げなければと思った伯父は、
山の方へ木を伝って泳いで行った。
My uncle thought, "Now the wave is pushing, I have to escape before it becomes a pull wave "
and he tried to climb the mountain hand over hand grabbing onto plants and trees
途中で木が根っこから抜けたので、
また違う木に捕まって山にたどり着いた。
He tried many times to grab onto trees and grass
to pull himself out of the water but each time it would slip.
He tried many times and finally he got out the water.
なんとか山に上がった叔父は、
寒くて寒くてがたがた震えてしまった。
その日はとても寒くて吹雪になったほどだった。
水の中の方が温かかったそうだ。
Outside of the water the weather was freezing
because the weather was blowing snow in north of japan.
He told me that it was warmer inside the water.
それで、隣の人が移動させた車の中でコートを見つけ
それにくるまっていたところ隣の男性が来たので、
一緒に山伝いの近所の家に行って避難したそうだ。
He found the car the neighbor had moved up the mountain.
So he got into the car and found s coat in there to warm himself.
The man then found my uncle and they went to the neighbor's house on the mountain.
伯父はその後で伯母の死を知って、
「かぁちゃん、俺の事待ってたべなぁ」
といって、泣いたそうだ。
My uncle cried when he found out his wife died
in waterworks department building and said
'Ah,,, how much my wife waited for me,,,,'
津波の避難指定所だった水道局でさえ、
二階の天井まで破壊されていた。
誰もがこんなところにまで津波が来るなんて思ってなかった。
Even waterworks department building designated this for evacuation
was damaged and the water destroyed up to second floor.
Nobody expect the tsunami to reach the point.
水道局に避難していた人達は、
伯母をのぞいてみんな行方不明になった。
people who took shelter in the waterworks department building
are missing except my Aunt.
伯父と伯母は喧嘩もした事ないくらい仲良しで、
兄弟の憧れの夫婦だった。
My Uncle and Aunt never argued and were such a harmonious couple.
Every one of his brothers long for them.
だけど伯父があんなに危険な状況でも伯母を気遣ったから、
その愛情が伯父を救ったのだなあとも思う。
He really cared about her even in that dangerous situation,
so I thought the caring love from my Uncle for Aunt saved his life.
伯父は何かに守られたように奇跡的に無傷で、
会った時も誰よりも顔色が良く、気もしっかりしていて、
よく食べていた。
He was miraculously unhurt.
And had a high complexion, cheerful and energetic,
and was eating a lot when i visited him.
そんな伯父を見て、私が勇気づけられてしまった。
恐ろしい事に直面したら伯父を思い出し、
冷静に生きる道を探そうと、心強くなった。
この貴重な体験がいつまでも生き続けるよう、
私はみんなに伝えて行きたいと思う。
I visited him to help but I found his existence like that cheer me up so much.
If I have a scary experience, I will remember him and his behavior
and be calm and look out the best way to live.
His experience has made my mind stronger.
I want to tell this story to everyone to keep this memory alive.
