Mohammed Sadek, a 27-year-old business executive working for a Saudi-based corporation, was visiting Japan on business when the tsunami struck the hotel he was staying in.
“I was preparing for a presentation that I was supposed to give the same day when I was suddenly thrown back and forth to each wall in my hotel room,” he said.
“It was hours until the hotel opened its doors for us to leave and find somewhere else safe to hide. I immediately headed to the airport looking for the first plane ticket out, leaving all my luggage and belongings behind. Then news reports revealed that the biggest tsunami in history would be coming in from northeast Japan soon.”
He said the airport was closed and there were no flights leaving Tokyo for safety reasons.
“Myself along with other people had to wait until the land was stable and not shaking anymore. I remember running to the counter asking about the first flight heading to Saudi Arabia, when the assistant told me that my flight will leave in two hours to Bahrain via Hong Kong,” he said.
“I immediately bought the ticket and called my family in the Kingdom to update them, when they told me that Bahrain was not safe and was witnessing a possible war.”
Throwing away the ticket and looking for another destination was the only sane thing to do, according to Sadek.
“I had to go to the same assistant, who was surprised when I asked for another ticket heading to the same destination but not through Bahrain,” he said.
“Of course, I had to explain to her why. She finally found a ticket that went through Singapore, then to Dubai, and then to Riyadh. I was extremely restless and couldn’t stand still until I left Tokyo airport.
“I was praying to God that my flight did not get canceled and it would be a smooth escape from the shaking land.”
Two hours later, Sadek was on board and flying to his next destination, emotionally stressed.
“When I was finally leaving, I felt like it was a bittersweet escape because I was leaving behind my Japanese colleagues who didn’t have the luxury to get away and they had to deal with this along with their family and loved ones,” he added.
“I was thankful for living in the Kingdom where we don’t witness such natural disasters that literally destroy homes and kill people.”
