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Oceanographer says beachcombers on West Coast may find bones in tsunami debris

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@Farmboy, better make that "in knee high rubber boots"--and after reading this creepy article, there's no way you'd get me to reach into the bottom of a boot to confirm Ebbesmeyer's claim!

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Come on, guys. They're just telling people to be on the lookout and treat the issue with respect. I have no doubt they'll find a lot of gruesome stuff over the next little while, but since they really have little or no connection to the disasters here they need to be asked and informed as to what they should do, since they are not so emotionally invested. They need to know to expect such things, and not run to the media so that people here will have expectations that they might confirm a missing person has been 'found' or what have you.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

I would hope that more information is put out over the next coming months helping to educate people who may come across any debris on how to dispose of it.

I would also hope that the consulates in the area set up a system where people can either send or take what they find to the consulate for return to the families.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Acturally no surprise here. What, something like 3,000 people are still missing? Probably some bones, perhaps complete skeletens, somewhere in all that debris.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Farmboy

Feet, feet bones, and feet bones in sneakers have washed up on shore in Puget Sound for some years now. All that we're identified we're locals but they'd been in the water for months.

I can imagine someone finding a skull and using it as a paperweight. Ebbesmeyer is just saying, don't. Take it to the Japanese consulate. I just hope the consulate doesn't use it as a paperweight. See Yubaru's comment.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Yubaru: "I would also hope that the consulates in the area set up a system where people can either send or take what they find to the consulate for return to the families."

I'm assuming if this has not been done it is in the works, and would be surprised if not (and it should be!). The thing is, short of marker ink remaining on the shoe of a child with some bones in it I don't know how they could identify any remains unless an extensive DNA database were set up already in Japan (or after the disaster, if remaining family set something up for such purpose). Hence the need for a certain amount of subtlety if and when beachcombers find remains. One premature pronouncement of remains being found will have the survivors of the more than 3000 still missing jostling to find out if they are the remains of love ones, and the disappointment of more or less all of them would be fierce, EVERY time.

edojin: "Probably some bones, perhaps complete skeletens, somewhere in all that debris."

Without extraordinary circumstances (ie. trapped in some container or something) an entire skeleton would never survive a trip across the Pacific, if any bones did at all. The only reason they might find some remains would be if the bones were trapped in something somewhat buoyant, like some types of shoes.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Ebbesmeyer was very thoughtful in his comments. For family members of those in the tragedy, these relics would most likely be their final farewell to their loved ones. Acting humanely and with reason may bring a small amount of mitigation.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I'm assuming if this has not been done it is in the works, and would be surprised if not (and it should be!).

Not to knock your comment here, but having experienced first hand how Japanese bureaucrats work it would not surprise me in the least if they have not done anything yet and will wait until someone attempts to turn something in to them that they try to shut the barn door after the horses have left.

Proactive does not seem to be a part of the Japanese vocabulary.

I hope that more folks make the points that this gentlemen has made and that the consulate and foreign ministry types listen and DO something. It's a delicate topic that needs full attention.

Families need the closure and the government darn well better do it right.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Yubaru: I agree with you, but when I asked for proof the other day that the Japanese government is willing to help with cleanup on foreign shores I was given it, and I would think, as such, that this HAS to be one of the concerns. But yes, I only think, and don't know. My guess is, though, that while they government of Japan may not actively pursue remains they would quickly act on any reported to them through their embassies/consulates.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I hope that anyone finding any such thing on the shores of the US and Canada will treat it as the privilege it is that they have been tasked with the care of someone`s loved one and the responsibility of ensuring they are returned to their rightful resting place, and treat it with the seriousness it entails.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

He [Ebbesmeyer] urged beachcombers to be on the lookout—but urged them to contact police with any finds so the authorities can follow up through the proper channels, if necessary through Japanese consulates here.

I applaud what Ebbesmeyer is doing. He has the expertise to advise. Also, it is fact that numerous bones inside shoes--always sneakers which float--have washed ashore on beaches and in tidal rivers in the Pacific Northwest for several years now. Some have been identified. Even though Farmboy points out that sneakers are likely not the footwear of choice when the disaster occurred, it is possible that students leaving a school gymnasium or people using an exercise club may have been wearing sneakers.

The problem now-a-days is that people often go to the media with their finds. They want their 15-minutes of fame on the local news and hits on YouTube. With recent stories of motorcycles and children's balls making mainstream news, more of the idly curious may try their hand at beach combing. (The seasoned professional beach combers don't need an education in what to do.)

The public also needs to be reminded that not all discoveries will be happy-ending stories. Going to the news is a completely inappropriate way of dealing with a find of human remains. Thankfully, Ebbesmeyer has taken it upon himself to be proactive. As he alerts and educates the public, they will more likely choose the correct channels for such sensitive finds. As well, there have also been stories that there will likely be highly toxic material coming ashore. As people become aware that what they might find could be sensitive or even dangerous, they may choose not to go looking. And that's a good thing.

I believe I have read that numerous victims of the tsunami had to be identified by DNA and that there is some (though I don't know how extensive) kind of data base in Japan. Some matches might be found. If not, it would at least be possible to determine that the bones were Japanese and properly repatriated for the correct ceremonies with other unclaimed remains.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

A few months ago I stopped for lunch in a small coastal town in the U.S. State of Oregon. The local paper had an article about preparation training that local residents have had in preparation for tsunami debris. A Federal agency has helped but the local effort is being run by a civic group, the Lions Club. I was impressed by the strong attention paid to ensuring that human remains are treated delicately to maximize any possibility that they can lead to an identification of the deceased. A lot of preparation is also bing made to collecting all debris to ensure anything of value, either financial or sentimental, is catalogued and communicated to the Japanese consulate in hopes of getting back to an owner or heir. Local residents who read Japanese have been recruited to help in this effort. These types of trainings are being conducted all along the West Coast. People from seaside towns know what it is like to lose loved ones to the ocean and tsunamis. They want to help their counterparts in Japan.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

This is a good thing to warn people about the possibility. There are still 4,000 people missing and no doubt some of them are part of the debris floating across the Pacific.

Who is the loser giving thumbs down to every sentimental post in this thread?
2 ( +2 / -0 )

Looks like the West Coast beaches maybe come rather interesting places. I think a lot of people may decide to wait a few years before their next trip to the beach. I would not want to own a tourist related business in a beach town either. Has anyone figured what the cost of all this is going to be to clean up millions of tons of debris likely to be coming in for months or years?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Speaking as a local, a good number of the public West Coast beaches--especially in cities--are groomed by parks officials, locals and volunteers who do their bit picking up the plastics and other junk that regularly lands on their shores. I doubt that resorts are going to turn into junk piles or have dozens of shoes with bones inside landing on their shores. Beaches & resorts will continue to be pleasant places. Perhaps people kayaking and boating in more remote areas might be more likely to find debris that cannot be accessed to clean it up.

That said, the volume and the unknown aspects of what is coming will likely be problematic for a long time. We can only hope no one is foolish enough to stupidly open drums of toxic components used in manufacturing "to see what's inside." Any warnings in Japanese are not going to be helpful. Municipalities with shorelines and provincial/state governments are well aware that there will be challenges and costs. Those stories have been in the news for some months since the disaster and surface now-and-again on slow news days.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I didn't think bones floated, anyway, unless they are attached to something else.

@Farmboy: bones float because they are porous

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Sneakers are worn all year round.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If a motorcycle can make the trip in a container, then bones could make the trip too. If found, treat them with the care you would want someone treating YOUR bones.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Suzu thank you for that update! It's heartwarming to know that at least the authorities on the US side of the house are preparing the location population on what to expect and what to do in case they come across any remains or debris!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I remember watching a movie about an autistic girl. When a cow was killed she would look at it and say, "Where did it go, where did it go?" speaking of the life force within it. Yes, the bones were once animated by a sacred being. Where is that life force now?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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