Japanese Tsunami & Earthquake Brings Us Back To Reality

Widespread destruction from Japan earthquake, tsunamis: An 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan today, triggering tsunamis that sent a wave filled with boats and houses toward land. Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast were under a tsunami warning as well.

Using Air Force planes, the U.S. government has sent over coolant for the Fukushima nuclear plant, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday. Japan's officials say a small radiation leak could occur at the plant after Friday's earthquake and tsunami. According to the official count by Japan's National Police, at least 151 people have been killed, 722 have been injured and 530 are missing after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan on Friday. Additionally, between 200 and 300 bodies have been found in the coastal city of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture following the subsequent tsunami that struck that area. The official death toll is likely to rise. 

The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history struck off the island nation's shore on Friday, collapsing buildings, touching off widespread fires and unleashing walls of water up to 30 feet high. The waves swept across rice fields, engulfed towns, dragged houses onto highways, tossed cars and boats like toys - reaching as far about six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture on Japan's east coast.

A local university professor was in Tokyo when a magnitude 8.9 earthquake slammed the island nation. Dr. William M. Tsutsui, Dean of Dedman College at Southern Methodist University, said he was on a bus outside a major hotel at about 2:45 p.m. when the ground began to violently shake. Buildings swayed and people ran out into the streets, he said. In fact, he watched as a window-washing team on a platform hanging from a skyscraper was repeatedly slammed into the side of the building. "It seemed like it went on forever," Tsutsui said. "It was really pretty scary." Despite having weathered several earthquakes while living in Japan in the past, he said he had never felt such a strong one.

Tsunami warning: Ventura residents turn out to catch a glimpse of currents - In Ventura, dozens of onlookers were gathered on the oceanfront promenade and nearby parking garage, hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the unusual currents or surge in waves. Shortly after 9 a.m., water started receding along the coast by as much as 40 yards, exposing tidepools, rocks and mud. Experts say that this is typical of tsunamis; first the water is sucked out and then comes roaring back. David Rashi, a window washer at Eric Ericsson’s seafood restaurant on the closed Ventura Pier, took it all in stride. “Tsunami or not, life goes on and bills must get paid.”

Japan earthquake: from 26 floors up inside a swaying skyscraper: There were a few gasps around the office and the nervous smiles were replaced with expressions of real shock. The movement in the floors continued to grow in strength and people started holding on to desks and walls in order to steady themselves.
I was walking towards the windows as people were remarking that the tall buildings opposite were swaying noticeably. Even worse, on the outside of one of these towers was a window-cleaning crew in a cradle suspended by cables, swinging quite dramatically. It later emerged that both workers were unharmed, and that one of the building residents had opened a window so they were able to steady themselves by clinging to the window-frame.
As I made my way over, I noticed that the huge floor-to-ceiling windows in our office were flexing in and out, and looked like they could explode at any moment. As the waves of movement became increasingly violent, it was getting harder to walk in a straight line. Earthquake alarms began to go off all over the building, announcing in English and Japanese that we should crawl underneath our desks, which some people began to do.

The earthquake affected people as far away from Japan as Cherokee County, where two local families are relieved to know that their loved ones are safe. Rita Ballard of Jacksonville and her daughter, Tiffany, were scheduled to leave Sunday for Tokyo to see Tiffany’s husband, professional baseball player Micah Hoffpauir. Mr. Hoffpauir is an infielder with the Hokkaido Nippon- Ham Fighters, who were in Tokyo training for the upcoming Nippon Professional Baseball season. Mr. Hoffpauir and the rest of the Fighters were staying in a hotel in Tokyo when the earthquake hit, with the epicenter near Sendai, 232 miles away. “Micah had been told that there would be window washers at the hotel that day,” Mrs. Ballard said. “When he heard the early rumbling of the quake, his first thought was the window washers. “Then, the building began to sway as the ground shook. At that moment, he knew it was an earthquake.”