8.9 Earthquake in Japan

[MTLDude]

A short while ago, a MAJOR earthquake has struck Japan (8.9 on the Richter moment magnitude). A gigantic tsunami is in progress on Japan soil and moving toward the Pacific Rim...

Every time I see image of a major catastrophe like this, I realize that despite all our posturing, we, puny human, are nothing against the forces of nature.

 

[NineOfClubs]

Huge Japanese Earthquake!

I'm watching unbelievable video on CNN via live satellite feed.

8.9 magnitude.

Totally horrific and the "aftershocks" are themselves huge quakes, 7.1 and more

 

[MTLDude]

The Airport of Sendai is completely flooded by the tsunami...

 

[hungrybrownbear]

This ranks number 7 in the history of the recorded world....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_earthquakes#Largest_earthquakes_by_magnitude

 

[NineOfClubs]

I started a thread on this major quake (2 minutes after MTLDude).

Maybe it can be deleted or merged with this one, Mods?

The video is so unbelievable! What devastation.

 

[Telstra]

That is huge.
No one is filming the tsunami? 10 meters high ...

 

[MTLDude]

Telstra, they were showing on CNN images of farm lands and roads being covered by the tsunami waves at an horrific speed...

And I was thinking Oh! The humanity just like when Herbert Morrison was describing the Hindenburg Disaster in 1937...

 

[Telstra]

^ Just saw the tsunami footage from the air. Horrific.
From the ground would be much much worst.

 

[Kester]

^ Just saw the tsunami footage from the air. Horrific.
From the ground would be much much worst.

I was watching the same thing. Seeing how fast the water was coming in and just wiping away everything in its path was horrific....

 

[CGHJ]

I have a friend in Christchurch (safe), one in Tokyo (safe), and here I am on the Southern San Andreas getting just a little bit nervous. I'm gonna start stockpiling shit again, it's not like we haven't been warned.

 

[Telstra]

I have a friend in Christchurch (safe), one in Tokyo (safe), and here I am on the Southern San Andreas getting just a little bit nervous. I'm gonna start stockpiling shit again, it's not like we haven't been warned.

San Andreas fault.
Hope people there is prepared just in case ...

 

[ozguy]

Just got home from work and all TV stations here are providing coverage. Incredible footage, especially of the tsunami .... absolutely unbelievable and terrifying!

 

[Scottyboi]

I live on the second floor of a rickety old house in SF...I might start stockpiling food as well...

crap! I just looked it up, I like 3 miles from the fault line and my school (where I spend half my day) is within 1 mile of the fault line!!!

 

[asadoyayunta]

The Red Cross is suggesting that the tsunami is currently higher than some entire Pacific islands. Tuvulu, for example could be totally engulfed.

 

[Telstra]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPFdGH-V1J8[/ame]

 

[hungrybrownbear]

Freakin La Jolla just got a tsunami warning.... they blasted that horn for like 3 minutes......

We're like 4 minutes away from the beach walking distance o.o

http://lajolla.patch.com/articles/tsunami-watch-issued-for-coastal-california-after-88-magnitude-japan-earthquake

The NWS estimated the tsunami's California arrival time at 8:41 a.m. Friday in La Jolla, 8:32 a.m. in San Pedro and 8:17 a.m. in Santa Barbara.

 

[RonR18]

Nuclear emergency now declared in Japan due to nuclear power plant not shutting down according to plan.

 

[Ninja108]

Truly is terrifying. One can only hope those in danger have taken precautions to be safe..

 

[giftart]

Keep Japan in our prayers. It was such a sad scene and so terrible.

 

[martyj]

I'm in Tokyo. The earthquake happened while I was at work. I ducked under a table and waited for the furious shaking to subside, all the while seeing electric poles sway from the window and the walls creak as the building shook. After what seemed an eternity, the shaking stopped and I had hoped that was that - but aftershocks came every twenty minutes or so, some quite powerful. The big quake was around 2:30 this afternoon; as I write this, it's 9:00 PM and we're still feeling aftershocks. The trains were stopped and the buses had queues of over 100 people (at least). You would've been lucky to find a cab there, too. I work near one of Tokyo's major stations, and it was thrice as packed as it usually is. I walked home from work - an hour of dodging people in the cold, crowds everywhere. The supermarkets were closed, and the 24-hour convenience stores completely sold out of food. Now I'm home, and can still feel the tremors.