Quake/Tsunami Thread

Above the post update [rdbrewer]: Video from YouTube. For those of you who have been up, you have probably seen most of these scenes already. The footage of the big wave starts at about 2:10.

I want to underscore what they've been saying all night, that the Japanese prepare and drill for this kind of thing. Also, even though the epicenter was only 100km off the coast, the first places hit had about 30 minutes warning. They know because--according to the report I saw--there was a "trial run" a couple of days ago after a 7.2 magnitude quake struck in the same spot. The reason why there was that much warning is because the high speed one hears about (700-800 mph) is the speed of the wave in the open ocean. Near the shore, the waves slow down and pile up. So, again, the people closest to the epicenter had about 30 minutes warning. That doesn't sound like much, but the Japanese know what they're doing. So it might not be as bad as it seems.

Just unbelievable.

As of 3:35am EST, there have been 7 quakes (5.8-6.2) in the last hour, the last HOUR alone. And those are just aftershocks.

In the US...

Hawaii is under a tsunami warning and sirens are going off in Honolulu.

Here's time information for Hawaii and Pacific rim.

Alaska and mainland US are under various advisories or watches.

Starting to see reports that west coast is being bumped up to a Tsunami Warning.

If you are out that way, keep up with your local news for information and potential instructions. This isn't a joke guys. The tsunami(s) may not be as large by the time they get across the Pacific, water is powerful stuff. It doesn't take 12-15 feet waves to ruin your day.

Time information here.

Right now, parts of Japan have simply been devastated. There's no real handle on casualties yet but it's pretty clear those will be significant.

I fear this is going to be a common story.

@AlBoeNEWS: Japan Meteorological Agency: Town of Kurihara has been completely destroyed

If this is the same town (and judging by the map it's in the right area), the population is in the neighborhood of 77,000.

God help them all.

Update [rdbrewer]: Genghis sent this comprehensive list of media outlets in Japan.

posted by DrewM. at 03:42 AM

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