Japanese earthquake, tsunami causes incredible damage; effects felt in U.S.
An earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, with an epicenter just off the Japanese coastline near the city of Sendai, has triggered a massive tsunami causing devastating damage and loss of life.
The quake, which struck in the middle of the afternoon Japanese time (overnight here in America), is the strongest in the recorded history of Japan. It has also triggered scores of aftershocks, some measuring more than 7.0.
The resulting tsunami, as high as 10 meters (33 feet), wiped out everything in its path along the Japanese coast, surging several kilometers inland and carrying tons of all manner of debris. Live television footage from a NHK Television helipcopter showed the tsunami moving inland into agricultural areas, then carrying debris back out to sea as it receded. Buildings were set ablaze, their fires carried along the massive waves.
The news agency Reuters reports that ships in the harbor of Sendai, a city of a million people roughly 180 miles north of Tokyo, had been carried onto shore.
The official Kyodo news agency reports more than 88,000 people missing. So far, more than 1,000 fatalities are reported, a number which is expected to increase greatly.
The British Broadcasting Corporation’s World Service said Friday afternoon that four entire passeger trains were reported as missing by Japan Railways.
A nuclear power plant is also in danger of a meltdown, after electricity which pumps coolant to the reactor core was shut off. The cooling system is running on battery power at present, and the operator was evacuating residents within a 3 km (1.9 mile) radius. Later in the day, that radius was increased to 10 km (6.2 miles).
The earthquake and tsunami caused the United States Geological Survey to issue a tsunami warning for virtually the entire Pacific Rim, all the way to Antartica. However, the tsunami had largely dissapated by the time waves reached the North American coast.
Here in the United States, at least one death has been attributed to tsunami waves, when four people were swept out to sea in Crescent City, California, near the Oregon border. One was killed, two were rescued, and the fourth remains missing. The city’s harbor was destroyed, and the 101 Freeway through the area was closed for a time. This area appears to have been the only significant damage on this side of the Pacific.
A United States Navy task force of at least six ships has been sent to the area to assist with relief efforts. That is in addition to roughly 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan.