Saturday, March 12, 2011

Today

So much to talk about today.  It has been a while.  Not because I haven't had anything to say.  More because I haven't had the time to say it. 

Yesterday I woke up to images from the 8.9 earthquake that was centered in Sendai.  Honestly, I don't know what to say about the earthquake and following tsunami.  They are saying that the numbers lost may rise above 10000.  That is so amazing for a country who is probably the most prepared in the world for earthquakes.  Even with all of their systems in place, they couldn't save everyone from the tsunami.  It just came too quickly. 

I woke up to an email from an old friend of mine.  I had just gotten back in touch with him a few days ago.  He said, "There was a big earthquake in Tokyo.  And by the way, I come to the States on a regular basis.  I would love to see you."  I have a feeling that he didn't realize the extent of the damage when he wrote that.  Earthquakes are such a normal occurrence in Japan.  I think that they hoped that this would be another of the same.  But it is not. 

I was very upset by the scenes yesterday morning and I was glued to the computer until I was almost late for work.  It wasn't until I was able to find a Japanese television station that I could watch live over the web that I was finally able to settle into my work day.  Several of my co-workers came in to see me with this question or that and they were surprised to hear me listening to Japanese TV while I was working.  I often forget that they do not know that part of me. 

Here is a link that a friend of mine sent me.  It shows all of the earthquakes that have happened in that past month or so.  Wow.  Take a look:

http://mapserver.gis.ttu.edu/japanquake/

I talked to my friend on the Japan Sea side of the island this morning.  He said that they had a big and long earthquake last Wednesday.  He had a feeling that there was something bigger coming. 

He also said that they were without power for quite a few hours after the major earthquake and they are a good distance from the epicenter.  I thought it was interesting that they said that the 8.9 earthquake was 150% stronger than the earthquake that happened in Kobe, Japan some years back when I was living in Tokyo.  There were a lot of deaths in that earthquake, but I don't think that they had the tsunamis. 

My friend in Tokyo reported that they are being asked to shut their power off when they leave their homes in the morning.  They said that there is just not enough electricity to go around. 

My other friend who works downtown Tokyo was unable to get home on Friday and had to sleep at her company building.  I was so glad she checked in with me to tell me she was ok.  We haven't heard from her since then though.  But she did say her family was ok.  Her home is nearer the epicenter than where she works. 

Well, I will stop here for now.  I almost wish that I were over there so I could do something...help in some way.  Entertain or...just give comfort.  But for now I have to be at peace with knowing that they are calling all the experts together and after all Japan is the most prepared country in the world for earthquakes.  May God bless them.

1 comment:

  1. A magnitude 7.2 quake in Kobe killed 6,400 people in 1995.

    I found this about the Kobe earthquake. The news said that the 8.9 means that it was 150% stronger than the Kobe earthquake level of 7.2.

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