UPDATE: 4:00 pm MST Friday: The devastation in Japan is massive as is loss of life. Watching the great black debris-tsunami wave of water speed overland like the 1950’s movie, The Blob, which portrayed a huge rolling mass that ate everything in its path… that was this. No one in its path could survive long without higher ground. The farm plains of Japan where the waves hit are flat. Flat flat. There will be need for food as this would be like polluting a significant heart of ‘the breadbasket’/ ‘ricebasket’ of a nation.
UPDATE 8:56 am, MST, it is said the first wave from the tsunami generated across the pacific touched across Oregon. There are amazing pictures of the brave brave souls on coast guard cutters all along the western coast of the US. The cutters are bucking and riding– as we said on the Great Lakes- “the towers and the troughs.” Winds are high on the ocean on the west coast, the cutters’ American flags are flying starched out straight. May all sailors be kept safe also.
UPDATE At 7:05 am, Mountain Standard Time, CNN is reporting that waves passed the port of Pearl Harbor without significant damage. (Hawai’i) If true, this bodes well for the waves to be running out of ‘breath’ so to speak, which hopefully means all the islands and the west coast of the US and also the coasts in the other direction, including New Zealand, will not suffer significant damage.
The death toll in Japan is rising. At sunrise. mountain standard time, the death toll in Japan was over 400 persons, and expected to go much higher. In earthquakes most injuries and also death are from ‘crushing’ injuries. However, floods roll very fast and are a like a land tornado of water, un-mooring everything, including people clinging to structures half in and half out of the water.
May as many souls as possible be kept safe. Those who are lost, found. Those injured, helped. Those sorrowing, be comforted deeply.
Update 5:02 am, MST: There are coastal evacuations along coasts from the western US, Hawaii, New Zealand, and other Islands. Tokyo and other parts of Japan are geared up and moving to deal.
The floods from the ‘afterwaves’ that have come over the farmlands, 60+ miles inland now have destroyed ships and fishing boats along the coast of Japan as well as dwellings and buildings in the farmlands.
UPDATE: Watch this incredible video of the terrifying wall of water, posted on Fox News:
There has been significant loss of life. The Red Cross and others are there and many many more are coming. US ships in the area are steaming fast as they can to Japan to bring aid.
Military bases in Japan are allowing commercial jets to land as the commercial airports cannot handle all incoming air traffic.
All nuclear reactors are said to be shut down safely
the enormous flotsam and jetsam carried by the waves of water far inland over the beautiful farmlands… example above
Red Cross. Doctors without Borders. Others already duffle packed and gone toward the west or east, depending on debarkation. You can donate Red Cross. Also Animal Rescue. Funds for medical supplies, food and sheltering are most needed initially.
Last week many across the world were suddenly New Zealanders, before that many from every nation were all Brazilians, and also Chileans, and residents of Baton Rouge and NOLA. Today, many of us are Japanese in the heart. So it goes. We will do what we can to help.
Prayer is currency of another kind: greatly appreciated. Thank you. dr. e
ALSO READ: THIS POST on the Pacific Rim being under tsunami warning and THIS POST written as the news first hit that put it into initial perespective.
EDITOR’S NOTE:TMV will be adding some additional links, videos and quotes from various news stories and websites throughout the day. Other TMV writers also may do posts on this event — so keep checking TMV often. JG
ADDITIONAL UPDATES OF NEWS, VIDEOS AND WEB REACTION:
—A live video feed on the situation on Japan:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Check this regularly.
–Bloomberg video report:
–AP raw video as seen from above.
—The Australian:
ONE of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded has caused catastrophic damage across Japan, with entire cities engulfed by tsunamis and nations around the Pacific Rim last night bracing for monster waves set off by the 8.9 megaquake.
Aftershocks continued to strike Japan last night as the nation grappled with the scale of the disaster, which brought down buildings in balls of fire across the country and left an unknown number of people killed by the giant waves that swept 5km inland through coastal areas north of Tokyo, tearing up houses, farms and factories.
Following what was immediately deemed the biggest quake to hit the country – and almost certainly its greatest natural disaster – Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan last night addressed his people as live television coverage presented an unfolding vision of the catastrophe.
He warned of “major damage in broad areas in northern Japan” and asked people “to act calmly while listening carefully to information from radio and TV”.
After convening an emergency cabinet meeting, the Japanese government said it was acting on the presumption the quake was the largest the country had seen, and despatched warships and army personnel to assist in the rescue effort, while jet fighters were scrambled to assess the damage.
“Our initial assessments indicate that there has already been enormous damage,” chief government spokesman Yukio Edano said. “We will make maximum relief efforts based on that assessment.”
Flames were last night still roaring out of an oil refinery north of Tokyo.
A fire erupted in a turbine building at the Onagawa nuclear plant, although its operator, Tohoku Electric Power, said last night it had detected no radiation leaks.
A total of 11 reactors at four nuclear plants were automatically shut down by the quake.
–The LA Times reports that seismologists are surprised by the size of the quake:
The magnitude 8.9 earthquake that struck Friday off the coast of Japan “is going to be among the top 10 earthquakes recorded since we have had seismographs,” said seismologist Susan Hough of the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena. “It’s bigger than any known historic earthquake in Japan, and bigger than expectations for that area.”
Geologists had expected the portion of the Ring of Fire that produced this quake to yield a temblor on the order of magnitude 8 or perhaps 8.5, she said. “Something as big as an 8.9 is a bit of a surprise.”
A quake that big usually requires a long, relatively straight fault line that can rupture, such as those found in Peru and along the eastern coast of South America. Thursday’s quake occurred in the Japan Trench, where the Pacific tectonic plate slides under the Japan plate.
Photos: Scenes from the earthquake
Scientists did not expect such a big quake in the area because the plate boundary is not straight, but is fairly irregular. According to Lucile Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey, producing a quake of that size would require rupturing a zone at least 300 miles long.
The region had a magnitude 7.2 temblor Wednesday in almost exactly the same area. Typically, with any large earthquake, there is about a 5% chance that such a quake is a precursor of a larger quake. This appears to have been that 1-in-20 chance.
—Hawaii started bracing itself:
Hawaiians were bracing for tsunami wave heights of up to 6 feet high Friday morning after the devastating 8.9 earthquake near Japan.
The possible tsunami was expected to hit Hawaii at about 3 a.m. local time, or 5 a.m. Pacific time. Maximum wave heights of up to 6 feet could approach Hilo, on the northern edge of the island of Hawaii, and Haleiwa Harbor, on the northern edge of the island of Oahu, officials said.
Waikiki, the tourist hub in Honolulu, however, is protected by a barrier reef, so wave heights there were expected to be lower.
–The Huffington Post’s Mindy Pennbacker writes from Hawaii:
It’s 11 p.m. HST, and Hawaii has been on tsunami alert for about an hour following the tragic earthquake and tsunamis in Japan. A truck is circling our neighborhood, with a man giving an emergency management message over a loudspeaker. “Extremely dangerous waves are expected at 3 a.m. Occupants of high-rise buildings are advised to go to the third floor or above without delay.”
We won’t be evacuating our two-story house this year, having done the full drill last February when the Chilean earthquake struck and a 30-foot wave was predicted to hit Hawaiian shores (it turned out to be six inches). We live in a no man’s land on the tsunami evacuation map — on the far side of the evacuation line that follows Diamond Head Road, but only two short blocks from the water’s edge. Do we trust the authorities and their maps? No. We’re hedging our bets and ready to walk up the hill if we see the sea start to recede. Although, come to think of it, we probably won’t see it, since it’ll be dark at 3:07 a.m., estimated arrival time for the first wave.
It’s a clear night, a quarter moon and scattering of stars. Through my window I can hear the couple next door, the one with the young toddler, packing supplies in their kitchen. Our new neighbor, the Hawaii 5-0 star, roars off in his pickup truck. At least our area “tidal wave” siren — in Waikiki — is working this year. And the TV news isn’t telling us to go shopping, so roads will hopefully not be blocked with unnecessary traffic should emergency vehicles need to get through.
—Andrew Sullivan has an excellent MUST READ post with lots of quotes and videos.
–The tsunami from the quake has already hit Russia:
—More live coverage from Al Jazeera:
–Another video report:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
–Tsunami waves travel as fast as a jet engine:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
–More pix of damages:
–If you do a search on “Japan” Twitter takes a long time due to overcapcity. But here are a few recent Tweets on Japan that come up in the main column as of this writing:
Tom Lucier
phogtom Tom Lucier
Japan’s situation is scary. A train went MISSING. A TRAIN. Yikes. Hoping rescue efforts equal the 8.9 magnitude earthquake.
24 seconds ago Favorite Retweet ReplyKyle Bunch
BUNCH Kyle Bunch
by danhavlik
This video of the #tsunami hitting a Japanese airport is insane. http://youtu.be/HeJinkzoU5U
14 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
»Andy Carvin
acarvin Andy Carvin
RT @katiecouric: In a press conf today, scientist Lucy Jones said this earthquake in #Japan is 5th largest quake in the world since 1900.
31 seconds ago Favorite Retweet ReplyEddie Carrillo
edwardcarrillo Eddie Carrillo
RT @DianaStancil: RT @DougandJaci: Prayers for Japan http://fb.me/Efni4xab
42 seconds ago Favorite Retweet Reply
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Jennifer Mathieson
omgitsjen Jennifer Mathieson
Fire at Nuclear Plant on CNN. HOLY JESUS!! No words… at all
59 seconds ago Favorite Retweet Reply
»Joe Vance
AboveAverageJoe Joe Vance
Huh, Google has a Tsunami Alert message on their homepage – google.com
1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply
»
Cynthia Yildirim ?
CynthiaY29 Cynthia Yildirim ?
Wave of destruction: Giant fireballs rise from an oil refinery in Ichihara, Chiba, that was shaken by the tremors http://twitpic.com/48gv9h
1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply
»
sjvn
sjvn sjvn
RT @TravelGov: Those concerned about U.S. citizens affected by the #Japan #earthquake #tsunami can contact us @ [email protected]
1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply
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Jozy Altidore
JozyAltidore17 Jozy Altidore
by danhavlik
RT @SteveNash: #mothernature @DigitalRoyalty: Unbelievable photo of actual break in the earth in Japan: http://twitpic.com/48dazv #Tsunami
8 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
»Korina K Kuster
nenelilly Korina K Kuster
30 International Rescue Teams Mobilized for ‘Terrified’ Japan aol.it/eDAwbH
1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply
»
s
JessicaHusseinObama
vdaze JessicaHusseinObama
by jazgar
BBC is doing excellent coverage of the Japan quake: http://bbc.in/e29Rho #p2
3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
»
i
Cynthia Yildirim ?
CynthiaY29 Cynthia Yildirim ?
Closed: Sendia Airport in north-east Japan was one of the first places to be swamped by the tsunami that raced inl http://twitpic.com/48gv15
1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply
»Cynthia Yildirim ?
CynthiaY29 Cynthia Yildirim ?
Washed away: These cars were about to be shipped from Hitachinaka City but instead were washed away by the flood http://twitpic.com/48gutu
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
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»
Alan Bedenko
buffalopundit Alan Bedenko
Shorter local media: earthquake hits Japan, thousands of casualties. WNYer shaken, but OK!
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
»Cynthia Yildirim ?
CynthiaY29 Cynthia Yildirim ?
Cataclysmic: A small fishing vessel is dragged towards the vortex of a whirlpool formed by tsunami waves at a port http://twitpic.com/48gukg
3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
»
Rodrigo Javier
RodrigoEBR Rodrigo Javier
by sharpsteve
Photo: Disturbing pictures on NHK showing entire neighborhoods on fire in Japan following the magnitude 8.9… http://tumblr.com/xie1ql6b16
4 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
»
Wayne Hurlbert
WayneHurlbert Wayne Hurlbert
@
@BarbaraDuke @daniellemmiller @alyciaedgar @latenightparent @MagneticSilvia @NitemareNibbler #TL2U <--Thanks & for you too 3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » » Scott Leadingham scottleadingham Scott Leadingham by acarvin Just spoke with friends in Seaside, Ore. who live one block from ocean. They evacuated at 2 am PT. #tsunami 5 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » Lynn jetts424 Lynn RT @AlertNet: Large waterfront area near Japan's Sendai city on fire - TV #tsunami #jpquake #eqjp 4 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » » Cynthia Yildirim ? CynthiaY29 Cynthia Yildirim ? Chaos: Stunned office workers look on as smoke engulfs buildings in Tokyo following the tremors and aftershocks fr http://twitpic.com/48gubv 4 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » Ed Henry edhenrycnn Ed Henry by Luvpolitics1 what a photo RT @DaynaRoselli: Amazing picture from Japan. Just awful. http://www.twitpic.com/48ffrf #Japan #Tsunami 11 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » » James Field UUJames James Field by acarvin @ @acarvin crazy to see giant red tsunami banner on our weather forecast http://www.wrh.NOAA.gov/eka Crescent City in 1hr Mendo coast in. 1.5 7 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » C Keith Yaskin keithyaskin Keith Yaskin by darrell My brother-in-law: "Equipped with bottled water and a flashlight just in case, I am starting my 5 hour walk home." #Japan 10 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » Reuters Top News Reuters Reuters Top News by darrell FLASH: Oregon emergency management says has advised coastal residents to evacuate before 7am PT due to tsunami risk 7 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » Cynthia Yildirim ? CynthiaY29 Cynthia Yildirim ? Buildings rocked in China's capital Beijing, 1,500 miles away. #Japan #Earthquake 8 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » Melissa Clouthier MelissaTweets Melissa Clouthier RT @allahpundit: Video: Giant whirlpool off Japanese coast http://bit.ly/f4IrNw 8 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » RobTornoe Rob Tornoe by IndyOtt Headline you won't see: "Millions saved in Japan by good engineering and government building codes". But it's the truth / RT @daveewing 51 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » Cynthia Yildirim ? CynthiaY29 Cynthia Yildirim ? Ship carrying 100 passengers swept away by tsunami. #Japan #Earthquake 8 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » l Pete Ashton peteashton Pete Ashton Stoner dude eyewitness report of Japanese earthquake: http://youtu.be/WM3RAn1-4rs 8 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » R Cynthia Yildirim ? CynthiaY29 Cynthia Yildirim ? State of emergency at nuclear plant after cooling systems fail. #Japan #Earthquake 8 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » Models International MIMmodels Models International by GemStar11 #FF Follow the awesome MIM Team @JeStyleJeFil @Steffi_Nicole @GemStar11 @Dana_Pizzolato 29 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » PeruFotos PeruFotos PeruFotos RT @misabelg: Emergency declared at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant BBC News - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698 9 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply » P Cynthia Yildirim ? CynthiaY29 Cynthia Yildirim ? 300 people reported dead and several people buried in landslide. #Japan #Earthquake 9 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply »