They are reporting 104 deaths from the quake plus 200 to 300 from the tsunami.
Thailand not affected, but already I’ve run into Thais predicting this literally heralds the imminent end of the world. And I know some Business reporters for local papers who tell me local auto execs are already rubbing their hands in anticipation of increased production to replace all those cars they saw washed away on the news; Thais don’t always rate very high on the compassion scale.
BBC is saying some waves have hit Hawaii but nothing bad.
Hope all the Japan Dopers are going to be okay.
There’s going to be thousands dead. Maybe tens of thousands.
Looking at the shocking video on the BBC’s front page at the moment, with entire towns being swept inland, there’s no way those towns could have been completely evacuated before the wave took them. And that was one little part of the coastline that was affected.
Local news is showing one city, Kesennuma is engulfed in flames.
I’m so glad all our Dopers in Japan seem to be okay and accounted for.
This is just a horrible tragedy. I have a brother in New Zealand and a sister in California who I hope won’t be affected too bad by the tsunami
I lived in Sendai, the city closest to epicenter, for 3 years (2000-2003), and still know a lot of folks there. I feel just sick watching this – and not only that, but (strange as it sounds) like I should be there – that I shouldn’t be so distant and disconnected from friends at a time like this.
I felt the same way sitting at my desk at work in Sendai, watching footage of 9/11. It’s such a helpless, wretched, complex feeling to watch a disaster unfold in a familiar and beloved place while you’re miles away. I am of course glad I’m safe, and I know that the people there probably wish with all their hearts that they were far away, but… gah, it’s hard to explain.
Needless to say, my thoughts and most fervent hopes are with the people of Japan right now.
This is horrifying. Glad to see people checking in (even third-hand; thanks for sharing that, Hal.) Prayers and good thoughts for everyone.
Germany’s ZDF is live-streaming NHK World as well (they’ve been switching from English to other languages and back, but the video is mesmerizing and horrifying). They’re currently reading a list of areas that are threatened by tsunamis. It sounds like a litany of every coastal area. Very sad.
jainsafel, I felt exactly the same way after Katrina, I’d lived just outside New Orleans for a couple of years. Pretty common thing, I think.
I just got up and saw the news. I have no words. I’ve been through a sizable quake myself but nothing like this.
Glad the Doper contingent sounds safe. TokyoPlayer, your daughter’s reaction cracked me right up.
BBC just reported 10,000 possibly missing.
Another aftershock. I’m not going to bed anytime soon.
My thoughts go out to everyone affected - I hope there was enough warning for people to get to safety.
I’m really pissed that half the articles that come up on a Google news search are about the possible effect of the quake on the insurance markets. Seriously? People are dead, FFS, can we wait a while to freak out about money?
And apparently there is an entire passenger train still missing. This is unreal.
No kidding. I woke up this morning and hit Google News from my phone and after a couple minutes of scrolling, finally gave up on trying to find actual news on the tsunami/earthquake, as it was all focused on stock market stuff and the effect on Japan’s economy. OK, sure, important, but can I get some news on the actual disaster, please?
one or more nuclear plants in the area did not automatically shut down as designed. there is an evacuation near one plant because of damage or continued malfunction.
Don’t know if this was mentioned here before, but BBC said there’s now concern the tsunami may be higher than some of the island nations in its path, such as Tuvalu.
And a ship/boat with 100 people on it.
Watching Fox News right now:
Giving estimates on estimated Tsunami times for various west coast cities: (miles from Tokyo)
Seattle 8:44 am pst (~4791 miles)
San Francisco 8:16 am pst (~5133 miles)
Santa Monica 8:39 am pst (~5451 miles)
I don’t understand why Frisco would be hit 23-28 minutes quicker than LA and Seattle.
Another aftershock again. Damn. This is getting old.
The 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time, U.S.) NPR hourly news said that there had been about 4 dozen aftershocks, with many of them hitting as high as 6 on the Richter scale. They also reported that there was an oil refinery burning (I think that must be part of what I was seeing on the NHK feed).
For those of you looking for celebrity- and stock-free (well, except for one of the AP links) coverage, NPR main story with lots of additional links on the page. One of their blogs contains live updates. They also have a page set up on their crisis wiki that already has lots of links to information and resources.
Another Doper in Japan checking in.
This was the biggest quake yet.
I got my food and water and stayed at the office, since my trains were not running.
There are aftershocks on and off since it started.
It was pretty bad seeing the big fire in Odaiba.
Glad to hear that the other dopers are ok too.
Damn, I dont know how much of my stuff would be lying all scattered back home.
You can watch the Japanese news on ustream here
That can go on for several weeks. A week after the 9.2 Alaska earthquake in 1964, we had a very strong aftershock that sent people running into the streets again.