Massive tsunami strikes Japan.
link text Massive quake unleashes tsunami on Japan .
A massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit Japan on Friday, unleashing a monster 10-metre high tsunami that sent ships crashing into the shore and carried cars through the streets of coastal towns.
Many injuries were reported from Pacific coastal areas of the main Honshu island and the capital Tokyo, police said, while TV footage showed widespread flooding in the area. One person was confirmed dead.
A powerful 10-metre (33 feet) wall of water was reported in Sendai in northeastern Miyagi prefecture, media reported after a four-metre wave hit the coast earlier. Advertisement: Story continues below
Helicopter footage showed massive inundation in northern coastal towns, where floods of black water sent shipping containers, cars and debris crashing through towns.
Mud waves were shown racing upstream along the Natori river in Sendai city, blanketing farm fields.
In the capital, where millions evacuated strongly swaying buildings, multiple injuries were reported when the roof of a hall collapsed during a graduation ceremony, police said.
Plumes of smoke rose from at least 10 locations in city, where four million homes suffered power outages. Port areas were flooded, including the carpark of Tokyo Disneyland.
The first quake struck just under 400 kilometres (250 miles) northeast of Tokyo, the US Geological Survey said. It was followed by several aftershocks, one as strong as 7.1.
"We were shaken so strongly for a while that we needed to hold on to something in order not to fall," said an official at the local government of the hardest-hit city of Kurihara in Miyagi prefecture
40 Answers
I'm Japanese and live in Osaka, about 850km far from Sendai. I'm very worried about many people who are forced to be displaced for the earthquake and tsunami and who have to live in the freezing shelters because the temperature is about zero in Sendai now. The images of the children seeking for their missing parents are too tough to see. Now I have no way but to donate for their relief. Surely March 11 has become the worst day since World War II, but I believe that it is the day when Japan was reborn and took the first step to a new way. As one of the Japanese, I appreciate that you are deeply troubled by the devastation as if you were actually hurt. (I'm sorry for my badly-written message, but I couldn't help writing anything for non-Japanese.)
Fuerte explosión en el reactor de la central nuclear de Fukushima
dos-centrales-fukushima/415917.shtml
Canada: Tsunami advisory issued for north and central B.C. coast.
Canada: Tsunami advisory issued for north and central B.C. coast 2011/03/11 09:19:00
VANCOUVER—Residents in B.C.'s northern coast are bracing for a tsunami following a deadly earthquake in Japan.
Initial waves are expected to reach the north tip of Vancouver Island shortly after 8 a.m. PST. Waves hit began hitting Hawaii shortly before 5:30 a.m.
A magnitude-8.9 earthquake across northern Japan has killed at least 330 people early Friday. Ceilings swayed, buildings were damaged as structures were swept along by waves.
Aftershocks continued for hours afterward.
A tsunami advisory has been issued along the North American Pacific coast.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a warning that said sea level warnings confirm that a tsunami could generate widespread damage.
In B.C.'s west coast, Glen Plummer with the provincial emergency program advised immediate evacuation of marinas and shorelines that are below the normal high tide mark.
“I would advise anyone who is in these areas to not go down to the beaches,” Plummer said.
A statement issued on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper said government officials are “liaising with authorities in the west coast in order to carefully monitor tsunamis in the Pacific.”
It also offered condolences to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami and said “Canada will stand by the people of Japan during this difficult moment.”
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When the waves are expected to strike
Here is a listing of when the initial wave is expected to arrive. However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center cautions the first wave may not be the most danger and the risk of tsunami can last for hours.
The Alaska/British Columbia border: 5:38 a.m. PST
Langara Island, British Columbia: 5:43 a.m. PST
The north tip of Vancouver Island: 6:26 a.m. PST
Tofino, British Columbia: 7:06 a.m. PST
Prince Rupert, British Columbia: 7:11 a.m. PST
The Washington-British Columbia border: 7:12 a.m. PST
Bella Bella, British Columbia: 8:12 a.m. PST
With files from the Canadian Press
I hope that it won't be a serious disaster. Terremoto, earthquake and tsunami often occur in Japan due to its position in the Pacific Ring of Fire.
We have heard about the loss of people in the earthquake in Christchurch recently. Hopefully, all people in Japan (and our region) will be safe and blessed.
Geeeez, not again, these days we get out of one desaster and zas, another kick in the stomach.
I hope all our Japanese friends are ok. 
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All your nightmares have come to fruition , this is like watching a horror movie ,only it is being played out with real people whose lives are being forfeited .
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/asia_pacific/
The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre says there is no tsunami threat to Australia following the Japanese earthquake, despitea US warning to the contrary.
The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center extended their warning to cover most Pacific countries including Australia, Indonesia and as far away as Chile.
However in an alert issued at 7.07pm (AEDST), local authorities said there was no threat to Australian coast.
Earthquake strikes Japan
In this image made off Japan's NHK TV video footage, houses are washed away by tsunami in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture (state) eastern Japan, after Japan was struck by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake.
This is horrendous! Watching the tsunami rolling across the fields near Miyagi was sickening. All my friends in Tokyo are safe, thank Goodness. Hurray for Facebook !! But my thoughts are with all the people in the Pacific Rim waiting for the tsunami to hit, especially those on low lying islands.
I guess this is one of the downsides of living in a beachfront house. We have received a tsunami warning, the President has declared a state of emergency and may order an evacuation of the coast.
The mandastory evacuation has just been ordered. Talk to you later.
The Pacific Ocean seems enormous, but the tsunami shows that it is merely a pond !
Glad that friends in Japan are save. N ow we have to worry about friends and family in British Columbia and California !! Not to mention, those in Auckland.
That is so terrible that I have no words. Tragic.
Radiation level rises, Japan braces for more trouble
Japan's nuclear crisis veered towards a catastrophe on Tuesday after explosions at two more reactors and a fire rocked the quake-stricken nuclear power plant at Fukushima. Prime Minister Naoto Kan warned that radiation levels were now high enough to endanger humans.
The blast and fire have turned the nuclear plants 'critical', the country's chief spokesman announced as the melting reactors spewed large amounts of radioactive materials, triggering fear of widespread contamination.
Kan, in his address to the nation at 11 am local time, warned that the radiation had already spread from the crippled reactors and there was "a very high risk of further leakage".
The Japanese prime minister asked an estimated 1,40,000 people living within 30 kms of the facility north of the capital to remain indoors and to conserve power as threat loomed large of Japan's crisis turning into a Chernobyl-like disaster.
I pray that Japan will end up all right, though we all know that you cant recover over night. I feel sorry for all of the families of those who died. No one can ever be fully prepared for an earthquake. I hope that things will get better soon though.
Ray, the situation in Japan is looking worse every minute. With a nuclear disaster now appearing more eminent, I pray Japan can be spared further damage and loss of life, and will be given all the technical aid available to avert what appears to be a huge catastrophy that will have global effects.
I live in an area surrounded by six nuclear plants, each with multiple reactors. I'm sure engineers and operators from this area are in constant contact with personnel at the scene in Japan. Our local Red Cross unit has decided not to attempt an assistance mission to Japan.
My prayers are with the people and all the rescuers, engineers, advisors, and medical personnel involved in the disaster. I wish I were able to go there and help.
