It's been just a few days since Japan was rocked by an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami that pretty decimated part of the country's shoreline. It seems like we're experiencing earthquakes with greater frequency these days and I have to admit that when I first heard news of the earthquake, my reaction was, "oh an earthquake". Not ever having experienced the earth shaking around me, I have no idea what an 8.9 magnitude quake feels like, I have nothing to compare it to - it's just a number to me. When I then heard of the tsunami, my reaction was, "oh a tsunami". I have no concept of a 23 foot wall of water hitting land. It wasn't until I heard that the tsunami was going to hit the shores of Hawaii which such force as to cause damage that I realized we had a major disaster on our hands. That's a long way for any wall of water to travel!
Strong aftershocks still shake the country to its core, keeping survivors in a constant state of fear, wondering will the next tremor be even worse than 8.9? I can only imagine how tiring it must be to always be on edge.
Apparently, the Japanese military had helicopters in the air as soon as the tsunami alert was sounded and they were able to capture many of the surreal images that we now see, including this one which is of a wall of water heading towards the shore. It's not a tall wave of water.....it's a solid wall of water that's approaching land with such speed that it will continue to storm inland, engulfing everything in its path. MSNBC.com also posted up a compilation video of tsunami devastation. It's unbelievable to watch.
As prepared as the Japanese are to handle earthquakes and tsunamis, the force of a powerful earthquake followed by a tsunami of historic scale was more than human built structures could bear - even ones that are specifically built to withstand such things. The images of the damage left behind by both disasters are just so surreal, truly devastation beyond comprehension.
The tsunami pretty much wiped out a series of seaside towns on Japan's northeast coast. Estimates of lives lost seems to still be unknown. I've seen numbers ranging from a couple thousand to 10,000. I am sure many people are hoping and praying that lost loved ones will be found alive......perhaps buried under rubble, but alive. I saw a gruesome headline today that there's a shortage of coffins in Japan.
The earthquake also did damage to several the country's nuclear reactors. Earlier today, there was an explosion at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactor which is located 274 kilometers (170 miles) northeast of Tokyo. The explosion appeared to be a consequence of steps taken to prevent a meltdown after the quake and tsunami knocked out power to the plant, crippling the system used to cool fuel rods there. The blast destroyed the building housing the reactor, but not the reactor itself, which is enveloped by stainless steel 15 centimeters ( 6 inches) thick. Inside that superheated steel vessel, water being poured over the fuel rods to cool them formed hydrogen. When officials released some of the hydrogen gas to relieve pressure inside the reactor, the hydrogen apparently reacted with oxygen, either in the air or the cooling water, and caused the explosion. Towns within I believe a 120 mile radius of the reactor have been evacuated as fears of more explosions and radiation poisoning mount.
As I write this blog posting, I'm watching a breaking news of a third explosion at Fukushima Dai-ichi at 6:10am local time on Tuesday. A spike in radiation levels was detected and residents within a 30 mile radius of the reactor have been told to remain indoors. The Japanese are in struggle against time.....time before another explosion. I hope they win the battle and prevent a complete meltdown from happening.
Radiation poisoning is scary and if there is anything that will deter me from going on this trip, it's that. So, for now, I am keeping a close watch on the nuclear reactor situation in Japan.
I have also been struck today by the outpouring of aid and support that countries have shown Japan. As of today, more than 90 countries and 9 international organizations have pledged some kind of aid and support for Japan. Even the poorest of poor countries like Bolivia and Pakistan are coming to Japan's rescue. I was surprised to read about the tiny country of Maldives contributing cans of tuna. Granted, the individual contributions of these countries may not amount to much given the scope and scale of the recovery effort that is needed but collectively, 90+ countries can do a lot. In richer times, Japan was a huge donor to lesser developed countries and now, when Japan is in need, those countries are returning the good deed. That's the way the world should be.
It's going to take a very long time for Japan to recover. Rebuilding the towns, the houses and cars and other material things that us human beings need will be the easy part. The difficult part will be for the Japanese to heal from the emotional pain and trauma of this horrific event - lives taken too soon, families broken apart. My heart is heavy with sadness for the personal losses that the people of Japan have suffered.
Interspersed with all the bad news and painful images of human suffering and towns that have been reduced to rubble, there would be a picture of hope. Like this one of the baby girl being carried out in the arms of a Japanese soldier. Every life saved is a reason to smile.
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| A Japan self-defence force member smiles at a four-month-old baby girl in Ishinomaki, northern Japan / AP |
Not surprisingly, my friends who know about my upcoming trip to Japan have asked if I still plan on going. My answer to them was that for now, my plans were still on. But, it's not just me travelling on this trip. My brother is also coming so I couldn't just assume he would not want to cancel out. Tonight we chatted and without any hesitation or second thought, he basically told me that he's not bowing out.....like me, at least not for now. That's my brother! We're both going to watch the developing news coming out of Japan. Somehow, there's a part of me that feels we should go to show our support for this amazing country.
