Japan's turn

kennas said:

This one looks pretty untidy.


Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

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Whiskers said:

Pity those poor souls on the highway when the wall of water hits them.

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It was so huge that I could not stand even in Tokyo. Still small quakes are occurring every 15 minutes. There will be a severe damage in Miyagi due to tsunami. It has swallowed a local airport, many houses and many moving cars. All transportation has stopped and may not be able to go home today.

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skc said:

I didn't used to feel disasters on a personal level as much as I do now.. probably after experiencing the QLD floods my empathy has really increased. ..

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By Takashi Mochizuki and Megumi Fujikawa
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

TOKYO (Dow Jones) A massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan Friday afternoon, causing damage in Tokyo and many injuries in the north where the quake was centered, and sending a tsunami crashing into the country's northeastern coast.

The quake hit at 0546 GMT and originally was reported at a magnitude of 7.9, but later was upgraded to 8.9. That makes it the fifth largest recorded worldwide since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Service, larger than the 7.9-magnitude Great Kanto Earthquake that devastated Tokyo in 1923 or the 6.8 magnitude quake that hit Kobe in 1995.

The yen fell sharply but recouped most of its decline several hours later. Tokyo stocks fell, while Japanese government bond futures gained.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who convened an emergency Cabinet meeting, urged the nation to be calm and said the government will do its utmost to minimize damage from the quake. He told a news conference a large amount of damage had occurred in the northern Tohoku region.

An analyst for Moody's Investors Service, Tom Byrne, said it was "very unlikely" the quake would have big consequences for Japan's sovereign debt rating.

Local television showed smoke rising from a Tokyo port building, fire in the capital's waterfront Odaiba district and an oil refinery ablaze in Ichihara, near Tokyo.

A tsunami measured at anywhere from one meter to 7.3 meters hit at various places along the coast, while a 10-meter tsunami was seen at the port in Sendai, near the epicenter, Kyodo reported.

A tsunami warning extended to at least 50 nations and territories, as far away as South America.

A Meteorological Agency official appeared on TV urging those affected by the quake not to return home because of possible tsunamis.

"In some areas we have issued a warning of tsunamis of higher than 10 meters and we expect these areas will experience the high water levels soon," said the official. "Please stay on high alert."

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110311-702929.html

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Waves may reach the Philippines at 9:55 a.m. Greenwich Meantime, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin, advising authorities to “take appropriate action.”

The center issued warnings for Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia, among other countries.

A tsunami warning is in effect in Indonesia for the provinces of Papua, northern Sulawesi and Maluku, the country’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said in an e- mailed statement. Affected areas are “expected to pay attention to this warning and immediately guide their communities for evacuation,” the statement said.

The waves may reach parts of eastern Indonesia about 6 p.m. Jakarta time today, the agency said in a mobile-phone text message. The tsunami may reach different areas at different times, and the first wave may not be the strongest.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...laced-on-tsunami-alert-after-japan-quake.html

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