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A WSU Alum living and working in Japan is thankful that聽聽that rocked the country did not put him in danger.

But he experienced the shaking firsthand 鈥� and as a paraplegic, also dealt with some major issues while the quake was going on. He says living through it on New Year鈥檚 Day was still a harrowing experience even after dealing with earthquakes his whole life.

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Tom Haig dubs himself a Global Nomad, and travels the world cataloguing stories of people living with disabilities all over the world. His latest stop is in Nishinomiya Japan, which is between Kobe and Osaka.

He鈥檚 been working at a disability center and teaching English, and was in his apartment above the center the day the quake hit.

鈥淚t was really disconcerting, it was New Year鈥檚 Day so everything here was pretty much closed,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淭he building started to shake about 4 p.m. — I have been in earthquake鈥檚 before, but I was like, 鈥榳hoa here is an earthquake.鈥欌��

鈥淚t slowly came as a wave and I was like, 鈥榦h this must be a smaller earthquake,鈥� and it just didn鈥檛 stop!鈥� he added.

The WSU alum proudly sported his Cougars sweatshirt during our early morning interview in the 5 a.m. hour this past Friday, Jan. 5. He admits that he was fortunate that the epicenter of the massive quake was not near where he鈥檚 staying, but he still had some major concerns when the shaking started.

He is a paraplegic and uses a wheelchair, so getting out of his shaking apartment and apartment building proved a bit difficult when stairs were clearly not an option. The elevator proved to be too much of a risk, so he toughed it out in his third floor apartment.

鈥淚 was afraid to go downstairs because I didn鈥檛 want to get stuck in the elevator in case the power went out,鈥� he said. 鈥淎fter about half an hour I went downstairs.鈥�

He was able to make it out and get outside on the ground floor where he met some of the people he鈥檚 been working with. The quake鈥檚 epicenter was nearly 200 miles from Nishinomiya, but Haig says the Jan. 1 earthquake is still the longest quake he鈥檚 been through of the four he鈥檚 experienced.

鈥淢ost of the earthquake鈥檚 I鈥檝e been in it鈥檚 pretty abrupt and aggressive, maybe 15-20 seconds,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his went on for four or five minutes.鈥�

The quake struck western Japan鈥檚 Noto peninsula in the afternoon on New Year鈥檚 Day — flattening homes and triggering a tsunami warning.

Adding more tragedy, on Jan. 2 a Japanese Coast Guard plane collided with a passenger jet sparking a huge fire, prompting a plane evacuation and killing the Coast Guard crew.

Haig watched in horror, but also talked to his hosts about the incident.

鈥�(They said) 鈥榦ur country鈥檚 cursed!鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淭hat is what the conversation was around here.鈥�

Haig is not leaving Japan, but admits he won鈥檛 forget New Year鈥檚 Day 2024, and hopes next year to ring in the new year without shaking.

鈥淚鈥檝e never experienced anything like it, and I hope I don鈥檛 experience it ever again,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was actually getting seasick.鈥�

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