3/11/2011

. BIG . earthquake

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earthquake night -
the stars are as silent
as ever


I just stepped out to say good night to the world ..






. So many Aftershocks .



nai no kami ないのかみ / なゐの神【地震神】
deity of earthquakes
nai jinja 名居神社(ないじんじゃ)shrine


He holds the shaking catfish down,
but maybe also the "earthquake bug"


jishin mushi 地震虫 earthquake bug


. Nai no kami 地震神 deity of earthquakes   


My Report continues here

. Japan - after the BIG earthquake  

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Next Morning



March 11, 2011 Earthquake in Japan

超巨大地震 choo kyodai jishin super strong earthquake

Look at the destruction
source : photos.mlive.com


quote
The devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan today is bound to affect financial markets around the globe, economists and analysts said.
source : abcnews.go.com/Business




Top of Tokyo Tower is bent

. . . . .


(Reuters) :
A devastating tsunami triggered by the biggest earthquake on record in Japan looked set to kill at least 1,000 people along the northeastern coast on Friday after a wall of water swept away everything in its path.

The government warned there could be a small radiation leak from a nuclear reactor whose cooling system was knocked out by the quake. About 3,000 residents in the area some 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo had been moved out of harm's way.

Underscoring grave concerns about the Fukushima plant, the U.S. air force delivered coolant to avert a rise in the temperature of its nuclear rods, but officials said a leak was still possible because pressure would have to be released.

The unfolding disaster in the wake of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and 10-meter (33-feet) high tsunami prompted offers of search and rescue help from 45 countries.

China said rescuers were ready to help with quake relief while President Barack Obama told Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan the United States would assist in any way.

"This is likely to be a humanitarian relief operation of epic proportions," Japan expert Sheila Smith of the U.S.-based Council on Foreign Relations wrote in a commentary.

Stunning TV footage showed a muddy torrent of water carrying cars and wrecked homes at high speed across farmland near the coastal city of Sendai, home to one million people and which lies 300 km (180 miles) northeast of Tokyo. Ships had been flung onto a harbor wharf, where they lay helplessly on their side.

Boats, cars and trucks were tossed around like toys in the water after a small tsunami hit the town of Kamaishi in northern Japan. The town of Kesennuma burned down. Kyodo news agency reported that contact had been lost with four trains in the coastal area.

Daylight, just an hour away, looked set to reveal further death and devastation, especially after two strong aftershocks that struck during the night in the northwest of Japan's main island. Japanese politicians pushed for an emergency budget to fund relief efforts after Kan asked them to "save the country," Kyodo news agency reported. Japan is already the most heavily indebted major economy in the world, meaning any funding efforts would be closely scrutinized by financial markets.

Domestic media said the death toll was expected to exceed 1,000, most of whom appeared to have drowned by churning waters after the mid-afternoon earthquake.

The extent of the destruction along a lengthy stretch of coastline suggested the death toll could rise significantly.

Even in a nation accustomed to earthquakes, the devastation was shocking.

MORE
source : www.reuters.com

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quote
The 2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami
東北地方太平洋沖地震, Tōhoku Chihō Taiheiyō-oki Jishin[literally "Tōhoku region Pacific Ocean offshore earthquake")
was an 8.9 to 9.1-magnitude megathrust earthquake that created tsunami waves of up to 10 meters (33 ft). It was measured at 7[6] on the Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale in the northern Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, with an initially reported magnitude of 7.9, while the JMA's tsunami warning listed the magnitude as 8.4,[7] later updated to 8.9.

Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) has confirmed at least 1000 dead and another 1000+ missing in six different prefectures.

Kesennuma, Miyagi
Major fires broke out in the city Kesennuma, Miyagi whose population is 73,403.

© More updates in the WIKIPEDIA !



. . . CLICK here for Photos : Kesennuma !


. . . CLICK here for Photos : Sendai !





. . . CLICK here for Photos : Chiba !

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lunchtime -
the increasing tales
of chaos


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Matsushima ya ...

It seems from a camp of the self defence force a flotilla of 28 airplains (helicopters? 18 or 25 ?) were washed away from the tsunami.
More than 300 people who worked there can not be reached ...
The tsunami reached up to the second floor of the buildings. The warplanes stationed there can not be used any more.

The Military airfield of Matsushima is located at 136km from the epicenter.
Other airports affected are: Sendai (167km), Kasuminome (163km), Matsushima (136km), Ojojibara (168km), Hanamaki (177km).



宮城県にある航空自衛隊松島基地に所属する航空機28機すべてが水没する、
という被害が出ています

ANN NEWS
防衛省によると、宮城県の松島基地が津波の被害を受け、F2戦闘機18機など合わせて25機が海水につかったということです。松島基地は建物の2階まで水没し、海水につかった戦闘機は今後使えない可能性が高いということです。


Sunday March 13
We saw a helicopter fly over the facilities, many airplanes were washed out of the hangar, some standing on the runway with debris on them, some rammed into the barracks at odd angles.
Soldiers were using brooms to clean the runway.

Still no coverage of the temples of Matsushima.

One note about Hiraizumi ... no major damage.


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Tsunami reaching the world


source : Wikipedia updates in Japanese

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But Japan’s “massive public education program” could in the end have saved the most lives, said Rich Eisner, a retired tsunami preparedness expert who was attending a conference on the topic at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Md., on Friday.

In one town, Ofunato, which was struck by a major tsunami in 1960, dozens of signs in Japanese and English mark escape routes, and emergency sirens are tested three times a day, Mr. Eisner said.

Initial reports from Ofunato on Friday suggested that hundreds of homes had been swept away; the death toll was not yet known. But Matthew Francis of URS Corporation and a member of the civil engineering society’s tsunami subcommittee, said that education may have been the critical factor.

MORE
source : www.nytimes.com

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(CNN) --
One person was reported dead and numerous boats and harbors suffered damage in the United States after the tsunami triggered by the massive earthquake off Japan swept across the Pacific Ocean at jet speed Friday.

source : edition.cnn.com


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quote
No major tourist spot seemed to have suffered major damage with the possible exception of Matsushima which was hit by both the earthquake and tsunami, but details are not known to us at this moment. Parts of central Hakodate, including the morning market area, were flooded with some damage caused. Central Sendai, did not suffer widespread major damage.

Aftershocks can be expected to continue for several days in the Tohoku Region with the possibility of more major tremors.
source : www.japan-guide.com/news


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. Please, light a candle for the victims !  

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Morning of March 13



Find a missing person
http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?small=no



quote LA Times
The death toll from the 8.9-magnitude quake and associated tsunami reached 680 Saturday and may reach 1,000, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. According to official figures, 642 people are missing and 1,426 injured.
Officials in Miyagi prefecture said 10,000 residents, more than half the population of the town of Minami-Sanriku, couldn't be located after the earthquake, NHK reported. They reported that an estimated 4,000 people were stranded at evacuation centers in the northern city of Sendai, about 193 miles north of Tokyo, without food, water or heat.
More than 215,000 people were living in 1,350 temporary shelters in five prefectures, the national police agency said.

Officials try to calm residents wary of a possible radiation leak -- or worse -- at the Fukushima power plant, which lost its cooling system in Friday's massive earthquake.
The outer walls of the Fukushima power plant's No. 1 reactor were blown off by a hydrogen explosion Saturday, leaving only a skeletal frame. Officials said four workers at the site received non-life-threatening injuries.
The inner container holding the reactor's fuel rods is not believed to be damaged, said Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, and workers were cooling the facilities with seawater.
"Tokyo Electric Power Co. has confirmed that the inner reactor is undamaged," he added. "There was no massive release of radiation."
source : www.latimes.com/news


福島第一原子力発電所 TEPCO
explosion at the power plant
CLICK for more photos

quote
And a new threat emerged, as Japan's nuclear power safety agency said another reactor at the stricken plant had lost its cooling system and urgently needed water. The number of people exposed to radiation from the plant could reach 160, it said.
An official at the agency said it has rated the incident at Tokyo Electric Power Co's (TEPCO) nuclear plant a 4 according to the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES).
source : news.yahoo.com



quote
Officials ordered the evacuation of a 20-km (12-mile) radius zone around the plant and 10 km (6 miles) around another nuclear facility close by. Around 140,000 people had left the area, the IAEA said, while authorities prepared to distribute iodine to protect people from radioactive exposure.
"Crisis management is incoherent," blared a headline in the Asahi newspaper, charging that information disclosure and instructions to expand the evacuation area around the troubled plant were too slow.
In Europe, environmentalists seized upon the accident to press demands for an end to nuclear power. Up to 60,000 protesters formed a 45-km (27-mile) human chain in Germany to denounce the government's policy of extending the life of nuclear plants.
source : news.yahoo.com


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The quake also created problems for the manufacturing sector, with Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. all announcing they would idle all or most domestic production facilities Monday due to difficulty in procuring assembly line components.

The amazing power of the quake was made clear by the US Geological Survey (USGS), which said the main island had moved eight feet (2.4 meters) and shifted the Earth on its axis.

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quote
A municipal official in the town of Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture said, ''More than 90 percent of the houses in three coastal communities have been washed away by tsunami. Looking from the fourth floor of the town hall, I see no houses standing," Kyodo reported.

The quake also created problems for the manufacturing sector, with Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. all announcing they would idle all or most domestic production facilities Monday due to difficulty in procuring assembly line components.

The amazing power of the quake was made clear by the US Geological Survey (USGS), which said
the main island had moved eight feet (2.4 meters)
and shifted the Earth on its axis.
source : www.news.com.au/world



From the WKD Library

Footage on Japanese TV showed that the walls of the reactor's building had crumbled, leaving only a skeletal metal frame standing. Puffs of smoke were spewing out of the plant in Fukushima, 20 miles (30 kilometers) from Iwaki.

. Explosion at Japan nuke plant, disaster toll rises  


My Report continues here

. Japan - after the BIG earthquake  


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. WKD : Earthquake (jishin 地震)  


. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2011

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82 comments:

Anonymous said...

thinking of you, Gabi. Be safe.

Anonymous said...

Bonjour Gabi,
I hope you and your family are safe after the earthquake.

Anonymous said...

Dear friends,
Are you safe?
Best, S

Anonymous said...

Dear Gabi,
We are shocked by the scale of destruction of this particular earthquake.

Thinking of you and all those who are affected by this. We too have experienced some devastating earthquakes here and do understand a little about the terrible aftermath.
a friend from Bhutan

facebook said...

comments on my first report on facebook

Anonymous said...

Hoping you and all you know are faring well.

happy haiku forum said...

Gabi:

The contrasts in the poem are painfully poignant.

Glad you're safe.

I'll keep the people of Japan in my thoughts and prayers.

Thanks for sharing your poem.

Chen-ou

Anonymous said...

.

OUR planet--
night after night the stars
return to take a look

T.

facebook said...

Japan's disaster---
it makes your mind shut off
and your heart cry

Fred Masarani

facebook said...

thanks the kami you're ok, Gabi san...
hope the same for all my friends.

more comments from facebook

kigo hotline said...

We condole with the people of Japan who lost their loved ones in the devastation brought about by an 8.9 killer quake. We pray that Her people would recover and rise up the soonest time.
willie

facebook aftershocks update said...

I am shocked i feel so sad with this tragedy. I will pray especially for your nation.
C.

facebook said...

Dear Gabi and Bernd, please stay safe. I now have to get many many daruma dolls, collor one eye for the wish many will be OK. Go to your museum... please collor many eyes for the wishes!

Daruma wobbles ...
Giant Catfish dance!

CH

Anonymous said...

I am mute.

facebook Ch said...

For all quake victims... the magnitude matches our concerns.
A tsunami of well wishes washes your tears away.
Ch.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately or fortunately, I don't have a TV set.
Glad to know you as well as some other friends are alive and safe.
What happened to the people of Japan, to Japan is unheard of.
There is no words to express what I feel.
S

facebook first said...

first comments from friends

facebook night said...

comments on the night

facebook said...

first quarter moon
we hold dear to our hearts
your Daruma dolls

BT

anonymous said...

How small we are in the big scheme of things... glad you are okay Gabi...

anonymous said...

fire, water, ice
each needed
yet each can be deadly

CB

Anonymous said...

tsunami night
the sea gobbles up
the moon's reflection

tsunami night
no eyes
on the moon

Manu

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you're not effected by this. It's a horrible thing to have
happened! My prayers are sent your way ... and to all those folks who have been so greatly hurt by it.
Unbelievable!
D.

facebook said...

news from Japan...
the lily in the window
opens the first blossom

A.

Anonymous said...

Hi Gabi
Are you OK? Have you been affected by the tsunami or the earthquake?
My blessings and prayers go out to you...and everyone those affected by this...
Mandala friends

Anonymous said...

Honestly, I think earthquakes are really scary things. In as many as I have been in, I still never quite get used to them! Unbelievable power: people completely helpless. What a mess! I feel bad for everyone there.
SH

Anonymous said...

the news on BBC is very scary
especially the explosion at the nuclear plant
WH

Anonymous said...

Dear Gabi, there are no words to describe the horror as we watch the tv reports. My thoughts and prayers are with you and everyone over there...
Lary

Anonymous said...

Oh, my goodness...how terrifying! I can't stop crying for Japan.
mf

Anonymous said...

Being spiritual means not taking things for granted.

Quite the opposite, you remember how everything that comes to you fits into an overall scheme.

You acknowledge the precious quality of everyday things.
And you maintain a gratitude for both the good and the bad in your life.

SQ

Anonymous said...

we are praying 4 u guys, Gabi sensei !
KS

Anonymous said...

The reactors really add to what was already terrible. . . stay safe!

facebook said...

It's frustrating; the government has been withholding what we should know. As you say, air contamination might have been making its way, for they spread the danger zone to 20kms in circle for not only one but at least for two radioactivators.

more comments from facebook friends

Anonymous said...

Gabi. My heart is full of sorrow as I watch the ongoing horror of the destruction, too.

anonymous said...

after a huge jolt
a towering wave gives
the killer sweep
BT

Anonymous said...

Quake hit north Japan
Tsunamis hit everywhere
Help unfortunate

Nobuko

Happy Haiku Forum said...

.
first ladybird
on the stony footpath --
Japan earthquake

a safe grey sky
in the late winter cold --
Japan earthquake

With thoughts and prayers reaching out to the people of Sendai and all others whose lives have been ended or affected forever.

Isabelle.

Anonymous said...

I wonder about the nuclear power plant?
Ki o tsukete kudasai.

Anonymous said...

Gabi, our sadness is overcome only in our love for you...

Anonymous said...

The stars are the old traitors.
Always the same indifference.

tom

Earthquake Watching said...

Earthquake - Magnitude 5.3 - TONGA - 2011 March 09, 13:51 UTC

A strong earthquake struck off the Pacific island nation of Tonga on early Saturday afternoon,

facebook said...

Our thoughts are with all of you, those who were lost and those who survived, Bless you all. We were also amazed at the strength and designs of your skyscrapers, the whole world should build the way you do.

Anonymous said...

I am hoping the tsunami has not left you stranded or worse! Without electricity you may not get this, but know we are concerned for your safety.

Our thoughts and good wishes are with you and all around you.
aha

a friend said...

I imagine your terrible situation. I stand by you and I pray for you and Japanese people.
Much love. Take care! Bless you!
M. I.

haiku friends said...

Gabi, thank you for taking the time to write to us and give us updates. I am so relieved that you are well.

fred said...

Japan has survived
many disasters---
our dropping of atom bombs

Anonymous said...

Be strong, Gabi-san.
At moment like this we all stay united for you there.
john

Kenya Saijiki Forum said...

first ladybird
on the stony footpath --
Japan earthquake

Isabelle

facebook s said...

My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan!

facebook z said...

My heart aches for Japan people.
Z.

facebook, nuclear plants said...

Thank you, Gabi san.
Hope and pray that the worse scenario does not happen...

Anonymous said...

Hi Gabi,
Thanks for giving us this information.
I assume that you're okay--thank the fates.
G.

whc said...

earthquakes
in distant places
dear friends

Bill

Anonymous said...

> la terra trema
> al posto dei narcisi
> un mare d'acqua

> earth quakes
> in the daffodils' place
> a sea of water
>
> Moussia

facebook updates said...

Gabi. I pray that the earth calms down soon and that most of the missing will be found.
D.

Anonymous said...

Stay strong my friend!!
C.

whc said...

the nuclear sitution looks more terrifying every report i hear.
god save us

Anonymous said...

Gabi
I have been watching the news and I am still at a loss for what to say. My heart grieves for Japan and the Japanese people. Such an enormous tragedy. I am so glad you are ok and in a safe spot.
So much clean up and work to do over there, it will be such a struggle for all. I hope your earthquake god has a good long sleep now and leaves everyone alone.

mother earth
with each sigh
a new tear

p.

Anonymous said...

sea rises
japan quakes -
a headline screams

sunil

Anonymous said...

im gladto hear you are ok ...
you were the first person i thought of when i heard the news aboutjapan ♥
MMM

Anonymous said...

troubled ocean -
search path
for people

deep wave
on the roof -
tsunami

alex

Anonymous said...

I have been thinking of you Gabi and leah, hoping that you are okay. I am so pleased that you have been spared the horror that has engulfed part of your country. Stay safe.
B.

SH said...

We are committed here to uplifting Japan. Let us know how we can help.
RW

Anonymous said...

the last time a 9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan is reckoned to have been in the 9th century
I

facebook said...

Giant Catfish moves!
a BIG wobble shakes
even Daruma

Chibi

Anonymous said...

Gabi, you have become our opened window to Japan now. Gabi stay cool.
I can host a family of survivors, who lost their house in that disaster, in case of. I just bought a new house in Ohio. Let me know. After Katrina a lot of American families shared their houses with the survivors. This time I am ready to share the roof.
N.

Anonymous said...

Tristemente fermoso, Mar. Ata a traxedia pode ser cantada para paliar a dor.
Helena

Anonymous said...

We are praying in NH. yes, I will light a candle.
Joyce

Anonymous said...

God bless Japan! God save Japan!
Nat

Anonymous said...

Destruction all around and yet the moment of the plum blossom knows only perfection
Di

Anonymous said...

Gabi, my daughter was going to collect baby clothes to send. Is that a good idea?

Gabi Greve said...

Dear Gabi,
I would also like to offer my help. Is there anything specific that they need? Medications? clothes? Do you happen to know where to send? Please share if you have any information.
Thank you very much.
O.

facebook said...

terrible earthquake-
spring takes
many dreams away

Mar on facebook, with a haiga

Anonymous said...

I got chills just reading your haiku!
It captures so much in this terrible time.
E.

comments from THF said...

comments from THF

Gabi said...

Gabi: quite poignant..can feel the anguish..Mother Nature can be cruel at times..but Japan will survive and be stronger in the end.
Friend of aha

Anonymous said...

I like your picture and haiku poem...
I've been reading it (earthquake) astrologically myself...
and that IS a mandala :-)

Anonymous said...

So glad you're OK Gabi. So much destruction in other parts though. My prayers are active in this..
Thanks D. for the reminder of mandalas as prayer...

Blessings one and all....

Anonymous said...

It's very difficult not to get caught up in the fear and worry. Aside from helping out in donations, I think it helps when we keep our spirits on a higher spiritual plan and mandalas do that for me.

Massih Talebian said...

cherry blossoms
fall as always,some soon
some late

cherry blossoms
falled myriad lives
even kami of earthquakes

cherry blossoms
falled myriad lives
even Kashima kanameishi

you two
little lamb and yellow daffodil
mourn in japan

Massih Talebian said...

cherry blossoms
falled myriad lives
even kami of earthquakes

cherry blossoms
falled myriad lives
even Kashima kanameishi

cherry blossoms
fall as always,some soon
some late

you two
little lamb and yellow daffodil
mourn in japan

Gabi Greve said...

Thank you, Massih, much appreciated.

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