The Climate
17,876 evacuees from the Pacific Coast states and Arizona arrived
from May through August 1942. Most of the evacuees were from
California. The relentless summer sun scorched the earth and
the frequent winds whipped the sands into blinding dust storms.
In the winter chilling winds easily penetrated the walls of the
flimsily built tar paper barracks and through the wide cracks
in the flooring. The infrequent but torrential rains quickly
turned the parcked walkways and roads into a slippery,
treacherous and muddy quagmire. The extreme environmental
conditions added to the hardships of internment.
Poto courtesy
Stone Ishimaru
National Archives
We Cannot Always Fail
When tears are wrung in worlds of strife;
When lifes are wrecked by wanton greed;
A weary throng, bent, disillusioned,
Turned to dull black barracks in the dust as home.
Then they faced the world anew,
And here, they started life afresh.
We are the outcast, making life—
With dreams ahead—and dreams behind;
Confronting trials with small relief;
But we've gained much with more to find—
And now we live, and make of life,
The best we ever can.
We have left—some homes behind,
Crushed—broken in the wind that passed
But we have others there—ahead.
We come to trails and ruts in life.
We tackle them.
We often fail - but on we go
For well we know
by faith,
We cannot always fail.
By Lloyd Fujimoto
From Through Innocent Eyes
Published by Keiro Services 1990
