Atwater family desperately searches for loved ones in Japan

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A north valley family is still desperately trying to get in touch with loved ones to know that they've survived the quake and tsunami.

Tokiko Harper from Atwater hasn't heard from her sister in Japan since the disaster. Her granddaughter tells Action News after three agonizing days they're still having trouble getting in touch with her.

Nicole Isozaki and her daughter are still worried about an elderly relative living in Sendai Japan. The area is considered to be the epicenter of the disaster and Isozaki has been frantically trying to find out if she's okay.

"I've been trying to look on every avenue. Twitter. Facebook. Anything. People Finder -- I did file with the People Finder. Anything so we're just hoping and waiting," said Nicole Isozaki.

Another challenge is that her 84-year-old Japanese relative doesn't use a computer. That's making things harder for Isozaki and Tokiko Harper to pinpoint her location.

Action News caught up with Tokiko at her Atwater home Friday. Isozaki says her grandmother's attempts to call her sister in Japan have ended in frustration -- leaving Tokiko without any kind of sleep since disaster struck.

"She even tried calling this week to a Japanese operator and they said that no services in Sendai are available. And so she's just waiting it out. And she's just a wreck. It's her only sister and that's all that she has left in her family," said Isozaki.

Isozaki says her relatives lived on higher ground, giving them a good chance of surviving the tsunami. The longer it takes to hear from them, the more agonizing the wait becomes.

"It's scary because you don't know if they're safe. If they're not you know and if they're waiting to be rescued," said Isozki, "This is my family that's over there. And we don't have any answers so it's really scary and nerve racking."

Nicole and her grandmother have been able to get in contact with the Japanese Red Cross but have yet to hear back from them about their relatives in Sendai.

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atwater, merced county, japan, earthquake, tsunami, local, tommy tran

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