8.9 Earthquake Hits Japan Followed By Tsunami



Cars Were Buried Under Rubble

The world awakens today to face a horrifying reality that has become typical of modern times, but heightened by the sheer astounding nature of it all. Earlier today, at 1446 local time (0546 GMT), an earthquake, measuring 8.9 on the Richter magnitude scale, struck just of the coast of Honshu, Japan. What followed served to only intensify the chaos as a 33ft tsunami blitzed the Japanese seaboard.

Japan is renowned for its seismic activity, and has encountered several tremors measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale since in the past. The pure power of this great nation's latest tremor, however, will surely go down as the worst natural disaster in the country's history.

Today is most certainly a day that sees all of our own problems pale into insignificance.

The story of the megaquake began in the early afternoon, rupturing just off the north-east coast of Japan. Although initial damage seemed to be minimal, a further 19 aftershocks, that were felt as far to the west as Beijing, China, were the consequence of nature's opening foray. The greatest, in magnitude, of the aftershocks measured, an astonishing, 7.1 on the Richter scale, registering it as even more lethal than last month's earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand.  


The Epicentre Of The Earthquake

The tsunami that followed, waded into the port of Sendai city bereft of any mercy as it tossed ships and cars aside as if they were nothing before reducing the city's buildings to driftwood. Current reports register the death toll at 44, but with much of the nation isolated and out of contact, this figure is sure to rise.

Evacuations are currently taking place throughout the Pacific and even on the west coast of North America in fear that more tsunamis may hit elsewhere around the globe.

While the world can only wait with bated breath, the vast torrent of destruction this latest natural disaster has yielded has caused untold amounts of damage throughout the Japanese coastline and the outlook is definitely grim. In times of need, however, is when our planet seems to be at its strongest and a recovery over time is indefinite.