I feel so horrible for all the victims of the 8.9 earthquake that hit Japan. The videos of the tsunami that hit afterwards are so surreal. Houses, cars, big rigs, and trees were just being toppled over like they were toys. I'm sorry to know that there are a lot of people and animals being washed away in those waves. I cannot even imagine the fear that all those people felt. What is worse is that this is not over. Having grown up in Southern California, I know that aftershocks follow earthquakes for days. I pray for the best for everyone over there.
The latest reports say that the tsunami has passed Hawaii. However, the people there need to still be careful. As I write this, all the residents of California, Oregon, and Washington are waiting for the tsunami to hit. It is supposed to hit the west coast a few minutes past 8 this morning. Tsunamis usually gain energy as they travel over the ocean. I hope that it will only be a couple of feet high by the time it hits.
WOW! I just saw this on CNN.
ReplyDelete(CNN) -- The powerful earthquake that unleashed a devastating tsunami Friday appears to have moved the main island of Japan by 8 feet (2.4 meters) and shifted the Earth on its axis.
"At this point, we know that one GPS station moved (8 feet), and we have seen a map from GSI (Geospatial Information Authority) in Japan showing the pattern of shift over a large area is consistent with about that much shift of the land mass," said Kenneth Hudnut, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Reports from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Italy estimated the 8.9-magnitude quake shifted the planet on its axis by nearly 4 inches (10 centimeters).
The temblor, which struck Friday afternoon near the east coast of Japan, killed hundreds of people, caused the formation of 30-foot walls of water that swept across rice fields, engulfed entire towns, dragged houses onto highways, and tossed cars and boats like toys. Some waves reached six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture on Japan's east coast.