26/03/2025
A Somber Drive Through Imabari 🚨🌸🔥
While traveling through Imabari during what should have been a joyful cherry blossom season, we were met with a deep sense of sadness. Just two days before our trip, we received an emergency alert on our phone—a forest fire warning in the area. We almost canceled the trip after checking Google Maps and seeing the extent of the affected zone, but during cherry blossom high season, finding another hotel last-minute was nearly impossible.
As we drove along the quiet local roads, the beauty of spring collided with the reality of the crisis. Small incident command posts were set up along the way, and we saw fire trucks from nearby cities, their crews likely working nonstop behind the scenes. It was a surreal contrast—gentle pink blossoms overhead and emergency response unfolding quietly below.
We couldn’t help but think about our upcoming Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program launching in June. Moments like this remind us that emergency messages, no matter how abrupt or alarming, truly save lives.
With heavy hearts and deep respect, we offered a quiet prayer for the brave firefighters, responders, and everyone affected by the fires—for their safety, strength, and the hope that the damage will soon be behind them.
Nature can be both beautiful and unforgiving, and in that moment, we were reminded of just how closely those two realities live side by side.
