Friday, March 11, 2011

大地震

earthquake 004

I just wanted to let everyone know I’m ok. We are still having aftershocks, but I have electricity, so my heater works. The water is fine, but I have some bottles just in case. I also have blankets, a flashlight and food just in case things get worse. Hopefully they will not.

earthquake 008 earthquake 006

We evacuated school today sometime around 3. Things started shaking, and just didn’t stop, so we went outside to the soccer field/schoolyard where nothing can hit you on the head, and waited for things to stop shaking. It was scary.  Some of the concrete fell from the ceiling, and there are some big cracks in the walls. I got a ride home, because all of the train lines have completely stopped running.

There is an oil refinery in Chiba that has been on fire since the quake first hit. People are stranded all over Tokyo. Some of my friends are sleeping in their offices tonight. The videos on the news are really really scary. The tsunami have reached six meters high (or probably more) and are strong enough to sweep away a moving vehicle. Buildings are collapsed. Landslides are happening. The power is out in some places. People have no food, water, or candles. Miyagi prefecture, the hardest hit, has 34 people dead and 90 found injured so far.

Please pray for Japan.

We are having an aftershock right now. I’m scared, even though Tochigi is relatively safe as far as earthquakes go. I hope this ends soon.

for more information:

Tsunami Warnings (Yahoo.co.jp)

Rail Service Delay Notifications (JR)

U.S. Geological Survey - Earthquake Information

Up-to-date Earthquake information from the Japan Meteorological Agency

ALSO!

My friend Masa made this really wonderful page full of earthquake safety information, and it is in English, so please be sure to read it and get things together for yourselves if you are in Japan!!

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