<Begin Segment 33>

JA: Okay. You mentioned about having, being only allowed to bring one bag.

MH: Uh-huh, that's right.

JA: Can you describe the preparations that you did for the evacuation?

MH: We would lay out the preplans. I guess it was kind of suggested by the committee as to just about what you should bring, what type of thing, or what to bring. I think they suggested like one blanket to bring and a pair of shoes and your pajamas and probably couple sets of clothes of some sort that you would wear and your toothpaste and all those necessity things you need to bring. And that's all they suggested for us to bring. But I heard some people brought pots and pans, but I don't know how true that story is, but that was not suggested at all on the list.

JA: And how long were you... what timeframe were you given to prepare?

MH: We were given, I think, two-week notice. When we were going, when we're going. Ready to be down to the Kirkland railroad station.

JA: But Bainbridge having been evacuated and Seattle having evacuated...

MH: That's right.

JA: ...were people in Bellevue already in preparation?

MH: Yes, in preparation. We were kind of ready. We know that if they're going, our turn is coming very close. They didn't say the date, but they, we knew it was very close because that set was all going and my in-laws and all have gone.

JA: So your family were one of fortunate ones to be able to own their farm.

MH: Yes. There were five, about five people in a row that owned it in Midlake, that owned the property. There were others. There was about twelve people in Bellevue that owned the property all around so they were able to come back to their property as long as they had paid their taxes and took care of it, so they can come back to it.

JA: So in preparation for the evacuation, what was done to keep the farm?

MH: The Western Farm Incorporated came into the scenery, and said they were going to run our farm for us. And they said they will harvest everything and take care of it for us and will send us the money when they get it all harvested and all this, things that go with it. And I think the government must have stepped in later because I heard that's all they did was harvest just the strawberries and peas out of the field and whatever they did with it... they did must have sold it or whatever they did. After that nothing was done to the field. They did not touch it again or do anything out there, and they ransacked all the houses. Like we stored all our things in my house in the back and boarded the windows and everything and left everything there, our wedding presents and everything, what we thought we didn't need and that was all we can do. And the rest we had in Mom's house, just left it there, boarded it. But I understand my Caucasian friends told me the night we, day we left, that night the trucks rolled in to all the Japanese families and just raided everything they can find and took it with them, is what it was.

<End Segment 33> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.