Tokyo (CNN) -- The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in at least 100 years unleashed walls of water Friday that swept across rice fields, engulfing towns, dragging houses onto highways and tossing cars and boats like toys, apparently killing hundreds and forcing the evaucations of tens of thousands.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the "enormously powerful" earthquake has caused "tremendous damage over a wide area."
The quake, which struck at 2:46 pm local time, sparked fires in at least 80 locations, Japan's Kyodo News Service reported, and prompted the U.S. National Weather Service to issue tsunami warnings for at least 50 countries and territories.
Police in Miyagi Prefecture say between 200-300 have been found in the coastal city of Sendai alone, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported late Friday. The death toll is likely to rise as there are few casualty counts yet from the worst-hit areas.
I have someone's Facebook update to thank for finding out about this, ironically. Prayers go to the country of Japan. We know their buildings are better-suited to withstand quakes, but the water seems to be the real danger.|||The water is indeed the danger.
Quote:
According to Kyodo news agency, a 10-meter-high tsunami was observed flooding Sendai Airport, which is located near the coast of Miyagi prefecture, with waves sweeping aside cars and flooding various buildings as they traveled inland.
The tsunami went westward as well, but by the time it struck Hawaii it was apparently reduced to "only" three feet in height.
I don't pray, but I am concerned
|||Wow, this is terrible. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Japanese people. And here I wanted to go there someday! But yeah, this is bad, and they haven't even gotten to the worst-hit areas yet. There may be thousands dead for all we know. And now they're saying it could hit the west coast of the US.|||Quote:
And now they're saying it could hit the west coast of the US.
It's already begun.
Also some raw footage of various aspects of the quake and tsunami.|||We felt the quakes in Osaka as well. The building I was in was shaking for a few minutes. Pretty scary stuff...|||I read that, thankfully, there have not been a great many deaths or injuries (under 500 so far). Thankfully, it seems that the building codes in Japan are such that many people were kept safe so far. Let's hope it continues.
I did read that radiation levels are rising because of flooding in a nuclear plant, though...
Standard: Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 is in effect.|||My aunts, uncles, and grandma are okay. I haven't heard about my cousins, but I think all of them are either in or west of Tokyo so they should be safe as well. I'm just hoping many other people will find their family and loved ones in Japan safe and sound as well.|||Quote:
It's already begun.
To bring some levity to the situation, if possible... It's gonna be like Point Break out there.
On the way down to Bolivia, we met a Japanese guy who was going to be staying there for a month. (his Spanish was actually pretty good) I wonder what part of Japan he's from.|||http://plixi.com/p/83160918
http://plixi.com/p/83159120
The online shops are obviously taking a break.
Japan (Mostly Tokyo area I think) is pretty much prepared for Earthquakes.
Buildings are made to resist them and there's organized evacuation to safety shelters and stuff.
And everybody is throwing info to twitter/fb because the phones dead everywhere.
Guess those social networks do have a use at times.
Though this morning on the radio at work it still sounded pretty light, but when I got home I heard about all these tsunami's and increasing earthquakes.|||Here's another breathtaking, and horrifying clip that was in the "Featured Video" header today, didn't see it in MV's link above.
The scope of this disaster is astounding.
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