http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704399804576193650432765520.html?mod=WSJ_World_LeadStory
All the news carriers have this. Waves have carried away boats a ship and a commuter train are missing etc. Very sad.
Magnitude-8.9 Quake
"The strongest earthquake to hit Japan in at least 300 years rocked the country's eastern coast on Friday, triggering a 30-foot tsunami that violently engulfed cars and buildings in its path in northern Japan."
My best good vibe's go out to all in Japan.
Been watching the carnage unfold all day here. Truly awful. I hope all our forum members are safe, and that the American west coast doesn't get hit too hard. Seems like it might be dying down faster than feared.
My wife and kids are flying into Tokyo on Monday. It's the first time they'll have been back since we moved to Canada 5 years ago.
My fingers and toes are crossed :?
John
I've sent a PM to member Sneaky who lives in Japan. Hopefully he and his family are OK.
If I hear something outside this thread, I'll let everyone know.
We have several members in Japan.
Quote from: Randy_R on March 11, 2011, 04:33:28 PM
I've sent a PM to member Sneaky who lives in Japan. Hopefully he and his family are OK.
If I hear something outside this thread, I'll let everyone know.
We have several members in Japan.
I think Sneaky is down in Kyushu, and probably didn't feel a thing. Hopefully he'll chime in soon and let us know.
I lived in Japan for 8 years and have been through all kinds of earthquakes, but this one is huge even by Japan's standards. The internet is still up northeast of Tokyo, but still a lot of small damage. My friend just posted me a few pictures of a place near where we lived and a wall in front of a store had collapsed. He's a potter and had a couple of shelves of pottery come down. He said that "just everything kind of stopped". His daughter couldn't get home from school last night because the trains had shut down and had to sleep in the school's gym. They've been knocked down, but they're already starting to get up. Best wishes to all who are there.
John
Seems the concern is growing regarding the nuclear plant with the damaged cooling system. Radiation within the reactor 1000 x normal, with the cooling system still out of action. Worst case scenario is being reported as a full reactor meltdown. Let's hope not. That could be catastrophic with the population densities!
Quote from: BenF on March 11, 2011, 05:18:59 PM
Seems the concern is growing regarding the nuclear plant with the damaged cooling system. Radiation within the reactor 1000 x normal, with the cooling system still out of action. Worst case scenario is being reported as a full reactor meltdown. Let's hope not. That could be catastrophic with the population densities!
My prayers are with them. We had some folks in our home from Japan staying with us for a week or two and they are from Tokyo also. I do hope they can find a way to prevent this reactor from a meltdown. We have a young man from Austin that we've known for over 20 years who lives their now as well. Everyone has to be concerned for loved ones at this time.
I also thought of Sneaky when I posted this thread. It will be good to hear he is doing well.
Quote from: Johnny M on March 11, 2011, 04:48:21 PM
I think Sneaky is down in Kyushu, and probably didn't feel a thing. Hopefully he'll chime in soon and let us know.
John
Miyagi in fact...Sendai in particular. I felt every little bump and grind believe me, still feeling after shocks and they seem to be petering out...they were coming every few minutes for 24 hours ... and I`m so freaked out that I`m feeling after shocks when they aren`t even happening...oops...theres another, and I know that one happened `cause my wife said..."shaking"...looks like another one eye opened sleep tonight.
big after shock this time...
good luck to you.
Good luck to you.
Prayers are with you.
Same here. What an awful deal.
It's hard to imagine the devastation even with the videos on tv and the net. It's going to be a hard road back. My thoughts go out to them.
Quote from: Denis on March 12, 2011, 03:21:42 PM
It's hard to imagine the devastation even with the videos on tv and the net. It's going to be a hard road back. My thoughts go out to them.
The video looks more like a disaster movie. When you think about all the disasters that have been happening in the world it makes you wonder if there isn't something to all that 2012 talk.
I put no faith in the 2012 talk. Reminds me too much of the Y2K thing, and all through history there are theories of this sort (Europe in the year 999 was in a panic). And as far as I know the world has been here a long time and disasters are nothing new. The thing that's somewhat new is that we pay attention to them and record them now.
seems the IAEA is on it`s way, then we`ll get real info on whats going on with the reactors...I don`t believe what the Japanese gov`t says, they are more concerned with saving their own political skin than the people, anyways, this will probably spell the end for the current PM so they`ll change again...and the next one will resign after a few months...it`s been a revolving door of Prime Ministers in Japan over the past decade, evidently there is nobody who can do the job...no man I mean, maybe they should let a woman have a crack at it...what am I saying...this is Japan, women just make and serve the tea.
its hard to know what to believe about the reactors.
our thoughts are still with you. Japan will recover.
Sneaky, you sound angered, and I don't blame you. I am very concerned about the level of truth coming through the press. The BBC here inthe UK are posting live updates every 10 minutes or so. It is worrying to read a post about reports of no increase in radiation, no risk of exposure or further damage, and the next post announcing that the French gvt are recommending all French people in the Tokyo region leave the country due to risk of further major quakes and nuclear catastrophe. Something isn't adding up here.
Sincerely, I hope things start improving for you and your family sir.
do I? Nah...business as usual...BS is really thick here, especially when it comes to what the gov`t says even in the best of times and that opinion has been formed after many years in country. I am now watching NHK World, at least I`m getting Japanese news in English though I wonder how much of the truth they are reporting since they are after all in Japan, freedom of the press ain`t what it is in other countries.
We have received reports of the folks we know in Japan and all are safe so far. I did send an email to a very dear gentleman "Kenichiro" (spelling?) today. I call him Ken. His wife and daughter spent time with us in our home and I truly loved this family from the first time we met. Ken can't speak English and I don't speak Japanese, but "everybody, everywhere smiles in the same language". When Ken smiled it lit up the room and you felt the warmth from his big heart.
His daughter Mieko speaks English well and currently lives in the U.S. Ken and his wife are separated by the space between the town he lives in (near the refinery on fire) and where she is with another daughter in West Tokyo. so Ken is left alone to clean up the mess in their home. If I was younger and physically capable I truly would like to go to Japan and help Ken out, as well as others.
We have our own set of hard circumstances in our family at this time, but my heart aches for the suffering people in Japan.
I pray for the smiles to return soon.
I haven't heard from my wife and kids in a couple of days, so I am hoping that they are on their way down to Hiroshima. I spoke to them early Tuesday morning and they had already felt some aftershocks northeast of Tokyo. Even though they called them aftershocks, they felt like pretty big earthquakes to them. Hopefully I hear some good news from them later today ...
John
the fire at the refinery was in Tagajo...parts of which were hard hit other parts were not too bad...my wife has friends there and has been in touch.
so your wife and kids were in Tokyo?...they have had some quakes but nothing that the people who live there would consider scary I would guess...I have seen reports of hoarding and empty shops, most people in japan have been surprised by the damage up here in the quake and tsunamis last week so are perhaps over reacting but I can`t say I blame them...transportation in Tokyo has been affected by the rolling black outs, but people who want to leave the city seem to be able to do so, communications may be over loaded which could explain why they`re not in touch and/or they simply are in transit.
There are lots of sad stories coming out...saw a guy last night on Japanese TV say he lost his son, daughter in law, wife and 4 grandchildren...all gone...so don`t worry, I`m sure yours in Tokyo are fine...many people up north are really facing the challenge of their lives and I don`t think that is over stating it.
Latest...some busses are running between Sendai and Tokyo, some trains are running, Sendai airport has been open to cargo planes and the port is partially open so goods will be coming, probably as I type this. Saw the US military unloading 20,000 bottles of water yesterday on the news. People coming up here have to go around Fukushima now due to the reactor problems so it takes longer to get here. Wife is at work today though my classes are cancelled. If the reactors get worse we may just head south ourselves...maybe grab my brother in laws daughters and go to Okinawa or something...I need a re-entry visa to keep my current visa status if I leave Japan but no problem for Okinawa...and hey...sitting on a beach with a cold one sounds pretty dang good to me right now. We still have no gas so no hot water, I put a facecloth into the micro wave for 40 seconds and get a hot wash that way, but I hope to get a hot shower at my father in laws tomorrow...had one Tuesday so I may be due...still no food in stores but a couple of local restaurants are open so we can get take out. We should be OK for several more days, I believe by next week things will begin to be delivered and we will be able to get back to semi-normal.
Got a call last night from my wife in Hiroshima Prefecture :smile: They left Ibaraki on Wednesday and have been in transit, which I was hoping what they would be doing. I think the kids are experiencing a little culture shock right now. My boys, 8 and 5 were born in Japan but have lived here in Canada for the last 4 and a half years. We now live on a small island with about 1,000 population. We saw the videoclips on the news before they left and knew that plans might change and getting down to Hiroshima quickly was the card to be played. I'm happy they are safe ... it's been a real ride. :bowdown:
Okinawa sounds really nice right about now!!! I'd consider it a great time to get away from it all and see what happens. I have no doubt the Japanese will recover from this, but with a few scars. What worries me is what is going on in Fukushima and the nuclear power plants. Japan just raised their nuclear alert level. There's definitely a problem to be dealt with there :? I wish you and your loved ones all the best in these fuc... ah, surreal times. I'm mainly getting the information from the news/internet, and that isn't like being on the ground and being part of the shared experience, but man, Japan has my heart at this time.
John
This thread has turned into something of a discussion between sneaky and John. Please, many of us are reading your comments, and our thoughts are with you. It's just hard to know what to say.
thats good news...hope they will be safe and sound.
We continue to have after shocks up here, was warm for the last couple of days but cooling off for the next couple...folks up north will be feeling it for sure. We were not able to see the family this week end, they don`t have enough gas to get to their grandpa`s place, but I`m sure they have food and electricity, probably itching to get out though. I heard some shops opened yesterday...my wife`s company has them working 2 days on 1 day off so folks can get out to try and buy food so she`s not working tomorrow...we will go out and see whats available...so for us it`s food now, we have some, enough for several days at least plus we have running water and so far have not been hit by rolling blackouts, which has surprised me. Still concerned about the reactor situation but news today seems to say not getting worse...not much better but not worse however hard to say how much they are really telling everyone.
So for new we hang in, not much to do but wait...we have hot food and a warm-ish place so can`t really complaint, after some of the images and footage we`ve seen over the past week, we are much better off than many.
We have heard more regarding our friends in Japan. Not all is so great, some were in Sendia and other hard hit areas. If you go online to the 60 minutes report on March 20th, the young man named "David" that is interviewed is someone we spent time with and was part of the church here in Austin while he was at U.T. It is a an amazing and a sad story at the same time. He was a teacher at an elementary school which was hit by the Tsunami when the Gym was full of people.
God with the people and our friends in Japan. I hope for them to be well. And the earthquakes stop to complete their life. These people really are very professional. They saved their things with their souls. During the earthquake, i saw a girl in her work, she tries to save the computers and the paper of her work instead of get out of the building.
Really Chapeau for them :smile:
Dashquid (http://dashquid.com)
fatlossprofessional.co.uk (http://fatlossprofessional.co.uk)
fatlossprofessional (http://fatlossprofessional.co.uk/how-to-lose-weight-fast/)
mobilehelper (http://mobilehelper.co.uk)
securetrip (http://securetrip.co.uk)
whichpetcover (http://whichpetcover.com)
google (http://google.com)
abc (http://abc.com)
facebook (http://facebook.com)
craigslist (http://craigslist.com)
My wife and kids will be coming back on Monday ~ after spending 7 weeks there. They mainly spent their time down in Hiroshima Prefecture where things were pretty much normal. They headed back up to the kanto region this past week and haven't heard very much from them. Although it's not in the news as much these days, I'm still worried about the radiation. They moved the exclusion zone to 30kms from the nuclear power plant and the last I heard levels were still too high for the workers to get in the plant safely. They were using robots. It's on the same level as Chernobyl!!!
I'll be happy when they arrive on Monday :nanadance
:donut :donut2 :coffee
John