Massive earthquake and tsunamis hit Japan

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Holy crap. Anyone know how hard tokyo has been hit? I can't seem straight news answer here (though I am in a slight panic)

 

[Kanda]

Holy crap. Anyone know how hard tokyo has been hit? I can't seem straight news answer here (though I am in a slight panic)

Live coverage on Skynews.com

 

[Echo Base]

Holy crap. Anyone know how hard tokyo has been hit? I can't seem straight news answer here (though I am in a slight panic)

I heard 2 people on Radio 5 in Tokyo this morning saying it hit them and they sounded very distressed, but it seemed nothing like as bad as the pictures of the north east of Japan. I hope that gives you some comfort.

 

[ChrisFilter]

My brother's girlfriend lives on the north island. Anyone know how badly hit it is up there? He's at work and won't have heard the news

 

[Kanda]

Updating summary here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/11/japan-earthquake

 

[Tankus]

jeasus ......its like a nuke ...tanks going up ...the fire crews are still there !

 

[Echo Base]

My brother's girlfriend lives on the north island. Anyone know how badly hit it is up there? He's at work and won't have heard the news

From what I gather the north east of the north island has had it worst so far.

 

[xes]

Big quake, and the aftershocks have been massive too. They've had a 7.4, a bunch of 6s and some 5s. Hopefully the fear of the tsunami hitting Hawaii and even further afeild are going to fizzle out and weaken as the day pans out.

Super Moon? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...Supermoon-cause-weather-chaos-Earth-week.html

Crap Daily mail link but Indonesia tsunami and Darwin cyclone were a week before the super moon event... /conspiraloon

Not crazy at all, I think the last time we had a close encounter with the moon was around the time of the Boxing day tsunami. If you want outside theories, then look to the sun too. We've just had an X class solar flare a few days ago, and i think there's another on its way. Again, you only have to look back a few weeks to the NZ earthquake, there was a large flare and CME a few days before that too. Combine the 2, and we could be in for a bumpy ride over the next few weeks. Obviously I hope this isn't right.

 

[Kanda]

Reuters summary:

• At least two people reported dead, one hit by a collapsing wall at a Honda factory. Several people buried in landslide.

• Quake triggers tsunami up to 10 metres (30 feet), waves sweep across farmland, sweeping away homes, crops, vehicles, triggering fires. Tsunami of 7 metres later hits northern Japan. Inn collapses in Sendai city, many are feared buried in rubble.

• Strong aftershocks hit northern Japan.

• Tsunami warnings issued for eastern Indonesia, Taiwan's north and east coasts.

• Power cut to four million homes in and around Tokyo. Fourteen fires blaze in Tokyo.

• Many sections of Tohoku expressway serving northern Japan damaged. Major fire at Chiba refinery near Tokyo.

• Bullet trains to the north of the country stopped.

• The government was to dispatch 900 rescue workers to stricken regions.

• Narita airport closed, flights halted, passengers evacuated. Tokyo underground, suburban trains halted. Sendai airport in the north flooded.

• Eight military planes scrambled to survey damage. Prime Minister Naoto Kan asks people to remain calm and orders the military to do their utmost to act. Cabinet to meet.

• The government says more tsunami possible.

• Central bank vows to do utmost to ensure financial market stability

• Several nuclear power plants shut down automatically. Tepco's Fukushimi No. 1 plant had an equipment problem after the quake, but safety is ensured, officials say. At least one nuclear power station operating normally. Oil refineries have shut down and a major steel plant was ablaze.

 

[Balbi]

I hear the silver surfer was picked up by Mr Fantastic's deep space detection equipment too. Galactus cometh

 

[pk]

Sendai/Miyagi province utterly devastated. Terrible news.

 

[T & P]

Fucking hell... just saw aereal images of massive successive tsunami waves travelling through the ocean. They looked fast and massive- far more so than the Boxing Day tsunami waves captured on camera.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

I have been in contact with some friends in Tokyo and they seem to think it is roughly ok. Phew. Still worried about some family in the north (farmers), no word there yet.

 

[pk]

NHK seem to be playing it down, or recycling limited picture files.

Worried sick, my brother is out there. Not really near the epicentre but near enough.

 

[Barking_Mad]

Strongest Japanese earthquake for 140 years.

Tsunami alerts have been extended to the following countries among others:

Russia
Papua New Guinea
Australia
New Zealand
Fiji
Mexico
Guatemala
El Salvador
Costa Rica
Nicaragua
Panama
Honduras
Chile
Ecuador
Colombia
Peru

 

[Barking_Mad]

 

[Barking_Mad]

...

Robert Cessaro, from the PTWC, tells the BBC World Service that "the depth of the quake is about 10km, in other words it's a very shallow event, and also it's in the water. So right away we know that it's going to produce a tsunami. This one is pretty big."

Red Cross warning Tsunami is higher than some pacific islands

 

[ferrelhadley]

Strongest earthquake for 140 years.

Alaska 64 was 9.2

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

I think it was just the strongest in Japan in 140 years

 

[Captain Hurrah]

The aerial footage of one of the waves was pretty shocking, seeing the cars trying to get away, with some caught up as it swept through.

 

[Kanda]

I think it was just the strongest in Japan in 140 years

Aye, 5th strongest recorded.

 

[Barking_Mad]

I think it was just the strongest in Japan in 140 years

Sorry, i knew that, but put something entirely different - edited to correct.

Ta

 

[FoxyRed]

Hawaii waiting for tsunami

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

90% of my twitter friends are Japanese, the feed makes for some quite interesting reading. One minute they are talking about cakes then . . . .

 

[Barking_Mad]

tsunami travel times

 

[Captain Hurrah]

Thanks for that. Was wondering when it would be smashing into other coasts.

 

[ferrelhadley]

BOM has reportedly taken Oz of tsunami alert but NZ is still on it, though will hit a lowish tide

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Japan is well prepared for earthquakes, but nothing can prepare for a tsunami such as that


Philippines, 7000 islands right in the way. Hope they've heard the warnings and moved to high ground

 

[ferrelhadley]

People in the states are probably going to try to do daft things when this arrives there. Id be willing to bet people try to surf it.

 

[xes]

just been 4 small earthquakes in Hawaii aswell. ONly small ones, but could be a knock on effect from the 8.9. (make that 5, another 2.7 just rumbled my screen.