8.9 Earthquake in Japan

[Phenomenal1]

A monster 8.9 earthquake hit Japan at 2:46 p.m. Tokyo time on Friday about 80 miles off the eastern coast at a depth of six miles triggering a massive 13-foot tsunami, reports the USGS. Television footage showed colossal, fast-moving waves moving inland washing away buildings, ships, cars and land. Reportedly, air and ground transportation is disrupted and limited, reports CNN.
A tsunami warning was issued for the entire Pacific coast of Japan, reports the AP, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii put a tsunami warning into effect for Japan, Russia, Marcus Island and the Northern Marianas.
A tsunami watch was initially issued for Guam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and the U.S. state of Hawaii. Hawaii has reportedly been upgraded to a tsunami warning with the first wave is estimated to hit at 2:59 a.m., reports the National Weather Service.
[UPDATE]

12:34 p.m.​

- Tsunami Advisory continues in effect for the coastal areas of Alaska from Chignik Bay, Alaska to Attu, Alaska.
- Tsunami Watch continues in effect for the coastal areas of California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska from the California-Mexico border to Chignik Bay, Alaska.
- A first wave arrival time does not indicate a wave is imminent.Estimated local:
Santa Barbara, California - 8:24 a.m.
San Pedro, California - 8:39 a.m.
Santa Monica, California - 8:39 a.m.

1:00 a.m.​

- 18 people confirmed dead in Japan (via CNN TV)
- Tsunami Watch in Southern California continues (via NOAA)
- SoCal beaches may be cleared on Friday morning (via LA Now)
- Tsunami warning sirens sounded in Honolulu (via KFI)

1:30 a.m.​

- Tsunami to hit Taiwan in approximately 10 minutes (via CNN TV)
- West Coast Tsunami Watch upgraded to Tsunami Warning. Coastal areas may need to prepare for possible evacuation. (via NOAA)

1:35 a.m.​

- Tsunami Warning in effect for coastal California and Oregon from Point Concepcion, CA to the Oregon/Washington border. (via NOAA)
- Tsunami Advisory continues for coastal California from the CA/Mexico border to Point Conception, CA.
- Tsunami Advisory continues for coastal Washington from British Columbia and Alaska from the Oregon-Washington border to Amchitka Pass, AK.
-Tsunami Warning for coastal Alaska from Amchitka Pass, AK to Attu, AK.
- Tsunami expected to hit the Philippines 10 to 11 GMT

Crazy fucked up shit. I had a weird feeling something terrible was gonna happen tonight as my stomach had felt fucked up all day long.


As of right now, 2:14 am PST it is confirmed that 15 have died.


For all the crazy wrestling fans that worry about wrestlers over in Japan's safety.


Albert aka A-Train aka Giant Bernard and MVP have tweeted that they are both fine. Albert is stuck in Shibuya while MVP is at the hotel he is staying at in the lobby with everybody staying there as nobody is allowed upstairs.


The 15 dead have not been identified.


Thoughts and Prayers go to everybody in Japan.

 

[Kylie]

Just devastating right now. My prayers are with everyone affected.

Here's another report on it:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8222891/japan-devastated-by-8-9-earthquake

The death toll is expected to rise significantly following the devastating tsunamis sweeping through Japan tonight.

The magnitude 8.9 offshore earthquake spawned massive waves up to 10m high that slammed into the eastern coast, sweeping away boats, cars, homes and people as widespread fires burned out of control.

The monster quake — reportedly 160 times stronger than what struck Christchurch and the biggest in Japan's recorded history — struck at 2.46pm local time (4.46pm AEDT) on Friday.

It was followed by at least 19 aftershocks, measuring up to 7.1 magnitude, which shook dozens of cities and villages along a 2100km stretch of the country's eastern shore.

Further tsunamis are expected to wash ashore overnight, the US Geological Survey says.

The death toll currently stands at 60.

A tsunami warning was issued to a number of Pacific, South-east Asian and Latin American nations, including Indonesia, the Philippines, the US state of Hawaii, Russia and Chile.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the quake has caused "major damage in broad areas in northern Japan".

The prefectures of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima were hardest hit:

* • A 10m wave of muddy water swept over farmland near the city of Sendai, Miyagi, carrying buildings, some on fire, inland as cars attempted to drive away.

* • Sendai airport was inundated with cars, trucks, buses and thick mud deposited over its runways.

* • News footage showed a large ship being swept away and ramming directly into a breakwater in Kesennuma city in Miyagi prefecture.

* • Japanese officials said a tsunami hit the Fukushima coast. There were unconfirmed accounts the wave "was as high as buildings".

* • A 4m wave struck the small city of Kamaishai in Iwate, washing large fishing boats into the city, slamming against overpasses. Upturned and partially submerged vehicles were seen bobbing in the water.

* • Japanese television showed pictures of boats washed ashore at Hachinohe in Aomori.

* • A large fire erupted at the Cosmo oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo and was burning out of control with 30m-high flames whipping into the sky.

* • Several nuclear plants along the coast were partially shut down, but there were no reports of any radioactive leakage.

* • In downtown Tokyo, large buildings shook violently and workers poured into the street for safety. More than 4 million buildings were without power in Tokyo and its suburbs.

Japan's Defence Ministry has sent troops and helicopters to worst-hit areas.

The quake struck at a depth of 10km, about 125km off the eastern coast.

The US Geological Survey said the quake is the biggest to hit Japan since officials began keeping records in the late 1800s.

Japan's worst previous quake was in 1923 in Canto, an 8.3-magnitude tremor that killed 143,000 people.

There's another article stating that 200-300 bodies have been discovered on Japan's northeastern coast.

And:
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8222899

Tsunami from Japan quake hits Hawaii
The first waves to hit Hawaii from a tsunami triggered by a massive earthquake off Japan have washed up onshore at Waikiki, with no initial reports of any damage.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre reported wave changes at Waianae Harbour around 3.24am on Friday (0024 AEDT Saturday), shortly before the relatively small waves were seen at Waikiki.

The Tsunami Warning Centre in Palmer, Alaska, placed Hawaii and parts of the US West Coast under a warning following Japan's magnitude 8.9 earthquake, urging residents to stay tuned for more information on rising waves.

"It's not going to be a major damaging event," said Gerard Fryer with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre as the surge began to hit, although he added there might be scattered damage.

Waves were measured at 48cm at Nawiliwili on the island of Kauai, according to officials at an emergency centre in Honolulu.

The warnings also affected coastal areas through Central and South America as well as the western rim of the Pacific.

US President Barack Obama said he was monitoring the tsunami threat to his home state of Hawaii and the US West Coast after expressing condolences to those killed in the earthquake and offering to aid Japan.

"We are asking all our citizens in the affected region to listen to their state and local officials," he said in a statement.

"I have instructed FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) to be ready to assist Hawaii and the rest of the US states and territories that could be affected."

Hawaii is about 6500km east of the epicentre of Friday's earthquake.

Hawaii authorities were arranging buses to evacuate residents and opening evacuation centres.

"All residents in tsunami evacuation zones ... should evacuate immediately," the emergency department said.

Peter Carlisle, the mayor of the state capital Honolulu, told CNN authorities had ordered the evacuation based on the "worst-case scenario".

"One of the things about tsunamis is they're very, very unpredictable, and you can't tell how many waves there are going to be, which wave is going to be the one that is ... going to cause the greatest damage."

"It's a very, very difficult situation to confront."

The US Pacific Fleet command said, however, that it would not be evacuating any personnel or sailing ships out of Pearl Harbour, on the south-eastern side of Oahu island, near Honolulu.

"Projected wave assessments inside harbour indicate no need to sortie ships. Taking all measures to ensure ships secure in port," it said on the micro-blogging website Twitter.

The tsunami warning centre, based in Ewa Beach, west of Honolulu, issued a widespread warning extending across virtually the entire Pacific Ocean, including Antarctica and South America.

"A tsunami has been generated that could cause damage along coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii," the centre said.

"Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property."

Waves heights cannot be predicted, and the first wave may not be the largest, it said.

People scrambled to stock up on fuel, and arguments broke out as lines formed in front of service stations, the Star Advertiser reported.

The warning issued by the Alaska monitoring station extended to Hawaii, the northern and central California coast, the Oregon coast, and parts of Alaska. It urged residents to move inland and to higher ground.

An advisory, a lesser state of alert, was issued for southern California and the Washington coast, where residents were urged to clear beaches and stay out of marinas and harbours.

"With an earthquake of this size, we could definitely see some water on the West Coast," said Cindi Preller, a watcher at the centre.

In Japan, Foreign Minister Takeiaki Matsumoto asked Tokyo asked US Ambassador John Roos for US forces stationed in the country for help in quake and tsunami relief efforts.

The United States, which occupied Japan after World War II and is now the country's main security ally, has almost 50,000 forces stationed in the country.

Found these videos. Just a warning though, as these are frightening considering the sheer force and power of the tsunami. You can select the following on the right:

Huge waves devastate Japan
Tsunami hits Sendai
Tsunami inundates Japanese city

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/video.aspx?videoid=25D45255-8571-4F3B-B3AD-05B866DA1BD7

 

[PHX]

Pretty insane that a earthquake is having so much impact it can effect other places like that. Really hope no one else ends up being hurt or killed but this is crazy.

 

[LLCoolJoel]

UPDATE: 3:45 p.m. Eastern time (U.S.) -- new reports indicate that multiple reactors in Japan may still be experiencing cooling failures. ***


WASHINGTON--(ENEWSPF)--March 11 - Nuclear experts at Friends of the Earth U.S. are monitoring the ongoing nuclear reactor emergency in Japan, which has occurred in the wake of the massive earthquake and tsunami this morning.
Recent news reports indicate 11 Japanese commercial power reactors have shut down after the earthquake, and that at least one reactor continues to experience substantial problems.
The Associated Press reports that cooling systems aren’t working in the 460 megawatt Fukushima I-1 reactor, and that “plant workers are scrambling to restore cooling water supply at the plant but there is no prospect for immediate success.” News outlets have also reported that radiation may be released into the air in order to lower pressure levels within the reactor. The worst case scenario if a reactor core cannot be adequately cooled is a meltdown in which dangerous radiation is released into the environment.
A state of emergency has been declared, and thousands of people living near the reactors have been evacuated. National broadcaster NHK said it was the first time a nuclear emergency evacuation order had been issued in Japan.
The U.S. military has reportedly been working with the Japanese government to address the emergency at the Fukushima plant.
“This is a troubling situation and we are monitoring it closely,” said Damon Moglen, a nuclear power expert who directs the climate and energy project at Friends of the Earth.
Tom Clements, southeastern nuclear coordinator for Friends of the Earth, said, “This incident is likely to cause a sober reassessment of the construction of new nuclear reactors in the U.S., as nuclear technology can go from normal operation to an accident of frightening proportions in a manner of minutes.”

This is just getting to be too much. I have been waiting by the radio all day but they seem to just keep rehashing the same updates every hour. I hope this ends as positively as possible.

We had a 2 minute silence today at work for the fallen people that have died or the family that they left behind.

 

[Kairi]

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's northeastern coast has been rattled by a strong aftershock. The Japan meteorological agency has issued a tsunami warning for a wave of up to one meter. The warning was issued for a coastal area already ravaged by last month's tsunami.

Officials say the quake was a 7.4-magnitude and hit 25 miles (40 kilometers) under the water and off the coast of Miyagi prefecture. The quake that preceded last month's tsunami was a 9.0-magnitude.

Buildings as far away as Tokyo shook for about a minute.

----

hopefully this is the end of the aftershock and no more people are hurt