Earthquake near Japan

[Bill in Buena Park]

Just now being reported - 7.9, 24km depth - tsunami warning, which appears to be reaching shores of Japan right now - much destruction; reported as 800km/hr (?). Marianas, Russia, Indonesia, Hawaii under warning. My prayers are with all those in the region.

[Bill in Buena Park]

CNN just now reporting upgrade to magnitude 8.8. Cars and boats being swept away by tsunami; Tsunami wave forecast at 6 meters.

[Bill in Buena Park]

Quake now called 8.9 by CNN; link to tsunami page (NOAA) with arrival times.
http://www.weather.gov/ptwc/?region=....11.064306&msg

[leehljp]

We have friends and co-workers in Sendai. We have heard from one family but I haven't heard from a Japanese friend who recently moved back there from Nagoya.

[jussi]

We have friends and co-workers in Sendai. We have heard from one family but I haven't heard from a Japanese friend who recently moved back there from Nagoya.

Was this close to where you were?

[dbhost]

I have family in Hawaii, and coastal Oregon, I am a bit concerned, certainly praying for all those in the path of the destruction...

[Mr__Bill]

Here on the Oregon coast a 6 foot surge is forecast for about now through about 10 am PST. That sounds like a lot but at 2 am the high tide was about 6 foot too. Had the tsunami arrived at high tide it would have devastated many areas. Here the low areas are being evacuated as a precaution. If I get some pictures that show anything I'll post them. The port has a web cam but unfortunately it's been off line for several months

While I am about a city block from the shore we are about 100+ feet up with lots of expensive houses in front of us to break the wave should it come to that.

If one were to believe the local TV the end of the world is coming to the coast while the real devastation has happened in Japan and we should be thinking of how we can help.

Bill
on the left coast

[BobSch]

I'm watching CNN live and some fools are still strolling on California beaches. Looks like the sharks will be having a party.

[Mr__Bill]

Bob is correct, here several people were on the beach and got swept out. Luckily they were recovered. The only fatality was not tsunami related beyond the stress of the situation. Further south it seems that one or two lost their lives.

A good deal of damage in the harbor both here and in Crescent City, CA. They got hit hard in 64 and have done a lot to mitigate damage. Initial report is that a number of boats and docks in the harbor got trashed but not the town it's self. Most of the damage seems to be to boats. Most of the owners were there early and got out of the harbor before the wave arrived. Those that were left in the harbor got damaged and some of the businesses reported damage.

Here are some links, the first shows the drawback and then the wave. It's not what most people think. The tsunami surge has waves and swells that are normal, on top, what you see breaking and crashing is the norm, the tsunami just lifts it up higher. The second clip is of the mouth of the Chetco River and the channel to Brookings Harbor.

Tsunami surge in Brookings, Oregon

3/11/2011 Tsunami Brookings Oregon

Neither of the clips are mine.

Here is a link to the local paper for the early write-up.

To get an idea of what Japan is going through here is a link to a listing of all the earthquakes that have happened there in the last day, must be at least a hundred there.

Bill
on the left coast

[JR]

It was pretty much a non-event here in SoCal. At surfer's point in Ventura a few dudes were out on their long-boards, but when the ebb flow went out so rapidly they came in just as quick.

The marina in Santa Cruz got hit pretty hard. I'm guessing here, but it looks like when the flow went out the boats bottomed, perhaps breaking their moorings. In any event, when the flow came in a number of boats floated free and caused started baning around the marina.

I heard the harbor master at Crescent City on the radio earlier. He said the pretty much all the boats that stayed in got hammered.

FWIW - 8.9 is just about as much earthquake as I'd ever want feel. That's a serious shaker. They say it lasted for several minutes. Yikes!

JR

[leehljp]

Was this close to where you were?

The quake was not close to where we were (Toyota City/Nagoya). It was several hundred kilometers north of Nagoya. But in Nagoya, it was felt as a 4.
The brother to my Japanese friend (Tai) is in Tokyo, and he let me know that Tai and his family are OK. But lots of people are still missing. Another problem is that at least one nuclear plant has had some leakage.

Several of my co-workers in Japan were stranded away from family overnight as the subway/train systems shut down and did not allow them to return home. One friend walked for 7 hours to get home from work.

[jking]

The quake was not close to where we were (Toyota City/Nagoya). It was several hundred kilometers north of Nagoya. But in Nagoya, it was felt as a 4.
The brother to my Japanese friend (Tai) is in Tokyo, and he let me know that Tai and his family are OK. But lots of people are still missing. Another problem is that at least one nuclear plant has had some leakage.

Several of my co-workers in Japan were stranded away from family overnight as the subway/train systems shut down and did not allow them to return home. One friend walked for 7 hours to get home from work.

I am glad to hear your friend is ok.

I will still keep praying for the many who are still missing.

[Stytooner]

Anyone heard from Norm in Fugino?

[leehljp]

Anyone heard from Norm in Fugino?

I know where he lives; about 20 miles west of the western most area of Tokyo. Still, the quake did a lot of spot damage in the Tokyo area in spite of being so far away. On of my friends that lives between Tokyo and the Narita airport had pictures of the liquifaction of the road in front of his house.

[SHADOWFOX]

I cannot even imagine what these families are going through in every way. Everything you have, a family member, a love one, and lifetime worth of stuff gone in an instant.