Japan earthquake and Tsunami

As you may or not have heard, a 8.8 earthquake has hit Japan which has caused a tsunami to form. This is one of the biggest earthquakes ever recorded.

The admin and moderation team would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to those affected or who may have loved ones in the area.

We ask that at this immediate time, if all posters could remain respectful of the people affected and refrain from making light during this still sensitive period.

Thanks

Yes indeed! I don't foresee any issues on the golf board, possibly on some of the other forums though.

Watching the live feed on BBC is pretty scary. The whole thing is a little bit eerie, almost 9/11 esqe.

We won't find out its true destruction and lives lost till tonight, so my thoughts are with them too, lets just pray the numbers won't match those of the indonesian tsunami disaster.

Natural disasters are almost always the worst, this is enhanced by the news that a nuclear power station is out of control.

You just have to feel for all those poor people.

I think the quake was 8.9 not 8.8.

Bobby Roode wrote:Watching the live feed on BBC is pretty scary. The whole thing is a little bit eerie, almost 9/11 esqe.

That's exactly what I was thinking when I watched it, you can hardly believe it's real when you see it.

My thoughts go out to everyone affected.

Those poor poor people !!!!

Said a little prayer for them this morning !

THAT IS OKAY - LETS TALK NO MORE OF IT

Links to photos of the devastation. I've nothing but sorrow for all those involved.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12709791

My heart goes out to everyone affected by this, such a terrible disaster.

my thoughts go out to anyone affected by this nasty natural disaster.

This brings it home just how powerless we humans are..........Mother Nature is in charge.

The scenes on the news are unreal........we're watching it.......they are living it........it's truly heartbreaking.

My heart goes out to the people of Japan

Solerina

Nagasaki - Hiroshima - now this !

Will they ever get a decent break from it all.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theenvoy/20110311/ts_yblog_theenvoy/watch-raw-footage-of-the-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami

Jubbahey wrote:Nagasaki - Hiroshima - now this !

Will they ever get a decent break from it all.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theenvoy/20110311/ts_yblog_theenvoy/watch-raw-footage-of-the-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami

It's horrendous, Jubbahey, to think yesterday was just a normal day in Japan and now this.......it's hell on earth.

How will they begin to recover from it?

Solerina

ill pray for them feel sorry for them hope everything will be sorted out for them soon

I was going to make some comment about Hiroshima/Nagasaki and the correlation (or lack of) with this natural disaster but this is neither the time nor the place.

It really is hard to comprehend what those poor people are going through right now. My thoughts go out to all those suffering right now.

I heard on the news this morning that should there be a meltdown in the reactors, that it wouldnt lead to an explosion - at least thats some good news for the people nearby.

Solerina wrote:This brings it home just how powerless we humans are..........Mother Nature is in charge.

The scenes on the news are unreal........we're watching it.......they are living it........it's truly heartbreaking.

My heart goes out to the people of Japan

Solerina

I agree Solerina watching it on tv was indeed like (as has been mentioned) 9/11.. it was surreal.. was this actually happening or a trailer from a movie... as mere mortals we can do nothing to prevent such terrible things happening but left only to watch in fear of what Nature can do. We need to be reminded at times that however clever the human race has become... in the end we are in the lap of the gods. All my heartfelt wishes go to the people of Japan... may your god be with you

Hobo wrote:I heard on the news this morning that should there be a meltdown in the reactors, that it wouldnt lead to an explosion - at least thats some good news for the people nearby.

It is true that a meltdown can't lead to a nuclear explosion. However there has been a non-nuclear explosion there this morning which has led to some release of radioactive material. As yet it is not clear how much, but it's certainly not good

I just can't get my head around what's happened in Japan.....I don't suppose any of us can.

It doesn't feel right that I'm going about my daily life as normal
while all that unimaginable human suffering is going on, right this minute, elsewhere

Solerina

Has anyone realised that if you add the dates of 9/11 and the earthquake together it gives the 'supposed' date for the end of the world?

11/9/01 + 10/3/11 = 21/12/12

Just thought I'd point it out - scary isn't it...

Our local newspaper even had this in, its that bad

Does anyone know if you add my birthday with the amount of years I've lived on this planet, it will show my age ??

And if you think of a number, any number, double it, add 1332, divide by two and take away the first number you thought of, the answer is always 666 ! the number of the beast!

Weird innit !

I've just been reading THIS.........there are some interesting comments.

THIS is the Burnham-on-Sea link that doesn't appear to be working on YA.

Really upsetting scenes on the news tonight of the aftermath of the tsunami........they were talking to one lady who was riding her horse when it struck......it didn't say what happened to her horse but she looked to be perfectly ok.

They showed some film footage of the moment when it was first apparent that something was about to happen.......it's horrible to see all the cars being washed away, knowing there were people inside them

I can't imagine the fear, shock and confusion going through the minds of the victims.

There's a warning of another quake, that they think is about to happen in the next 72 hours, measuring 7 (I think), this will probably cause another tsunami : (

Solerina

Sol,

I was led to believe that the expected 'quake' is actually just an aftershock which although will be large shouldn't cause another Tsunami?!

King Beer wrote:Sol,

I was led to believe that the expected 'quake' is actually just an aftershock which although will be large shouldn't cause another Tsunami?!

Hi KB......I hope you're right......I've got the TV on in the background and heard someone talking about it.

Solerina

It's soo upsetting


IS there a GOD out there? and if so WHY does he/it/she allow
these catastrophes to occur One of the most heart-wrending pics
was on the Web this am. It was a tiny girl lifting her hands above
her head whilst an official ran a geiger-counter over her !

I know yummy.....it's all just so sad

I've just heard that there hasn't been one bit of looting........this says an awful lot about the Japanese people.

Solerina

Not good news.

A 2nd explosion has hit the Nuclear Plant in Fukushima and a 3rd reactor has lost it's cooling system. This could be horrendous.

The Japanese are handling this superbly though. As prepared as could possibly be and not a hint of self pity from them

I can only wonder at the differences if this had hit California...

Davie wrote:The Japanese are handling this superbly though. As prepared as could possibly be and not a hint of self pity from them

I can only wonder at the differences if this had hit California...

Agreed.

You have to admire the mental strength of these people to pick themselves up and carry on when they are surrounded by complete devestation.

Can't agree more with you davie! For being well and truly destroyed I've not heard one desperate plea from any Japanese politician and they've just got on with it as best as they can.

Heard there is a 70% of a aftershock measuring 7 on the richter scale. Seriously scary stuff!

A few updates...

• Amid heightened fears about the possibility of a nuclear melt-down at Fukushima, the grim relief effort continues apace. About 2,000 bodies have been found washed ashore on beaches in the Miyagi region in north-east Japan. A thousand were found on the Ojika peninsula and another 1,000 in the town of Minamisanriku, which was flattened by the tsunami. Tens of thousands are still unaccounted for. Many remote towns and villages remain cut off and have had no help since Friday's earthquake.
  
  
• The operators of the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant say it's possible that cooling water at one of the reactors has evaporated, Reuters reports. The company says it can't rule out the possibility that the nuclear fuel rods in Number 2 reactor were now exposed and could be at risk of meltdown.
  
  
• More than 500,000 people have been displaced by the quake, tsunami and nuclear emergency, Japan's Kyodo news agency reports, while millions have spent three nights without water, food or heat in near-freezing winter weather.

The shocking thing is that only about 20 people were injured or killed by the quake, all the damage is from the Tsunami.

It's utterly horrendous.......I haven't had much chance to look at the papers till now.

I've just been looking at THESE pictures.......I'm beginning to feel guilty now, that I'm safe in my cosy little life and these poor folks have lost everything......they must be in terrible state of shock as to what's happened.

Like others have said.....there is no self pity....they're just getting on with it......amazing people.

We get lots of Japanese tourists here on Button Moon......they are always lovely and so very gracious.......my heart is bleeding for them.

Solerina

I wonder... Has anyone actually been to Japan?

I have been to Osaka and Yokohama. Great places.

Visited or spent time living there? and how much interaction have you had with these people?

I was only there for a few days but I have met quite a lot of Japanese over the years - incredibly respectful and warm people.

I am not just saying that because of the circumstances either.

For example I dont like the Irish or Turkish, should anything happen to them!

I'm just a bit shocked at the outpouring of love and support for such a racist group of people. And a group which has such a high tolerance for human rights abuses towards anyone they consider not one of their own.

They don't deserver this... but I can't be sympathetic towards them at all.

where is the backing out of a controversial conversation smilie when you need it?

no controversy. Just a view that all of the overdone sympathy is a bit sickly when you consider the things these people have done over the years with no real apology.

(And I am very disgusted at likening this to WW2 when they refused to surrender and continued experimentation on PoW's, including one of my family members, and still don't provide a true apology for their sickening behaviour.)

You may well be right LJ, but it's perhaps not the best time to express it though you are of course welcome to your opinions - I've no doubt others share them too.

Much of what you say is down to the government of Japan. I wasn't a particular fan of Dubbya Bush (or Slick Willy before him) but would never have wished 9/11 on the USA. I guess the support being shown is for the average Japanese man in the street and not the memory of the likes of Hirohito

Davie I wasn't going to say anything... but when you start reading how nice these people are... And likening this to a war in which they killed people in a similar manner to the Nazi's with no regret it angers me.

Particularly since those performing the acts weren't people like Hirohito but average japanese men on the streets doing what they were told was their right as a superior race.

London Jonnyo

I think most nations have history that they wished never happen.

But this is well in the past now and I for one hope that Japan
recover from this quickly as I have friends that have visited japan and
they are treated with utmost respect for visitors to their country.

Davie wrote:I guess the support being shown is for the average Japanese man in the street and not the memory of the likes of Hirohito

Exactly Davie.......I think we should keep politics out of the equation here.
What we're seeing is human suffering on a monumental scale.......the like of which most of us here has never seen before.......right now these people deserve our sympathy.

Solerina

I see where LJO is coming from, but i wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

My support is for the normal everyday people who will walk out into what used to be their town and try and get back to some sort of normal life.

I agree. Hence my statement that they don't deserve it.

But I am annoyed, particuarly by you Solerina, when they are described as such a lovely people who are charming.

They aren't. They are some of the worst abusers of human rights on the planet, they are racist, and they experimented on PoW's including vivisection without anasthetics.

I have no sympathy for them even if it is tragic.

LJO,

I think it's important to remember that everone is entitled to their opinion, whether it be about race, religion, history or anything.

I understand your viewpoint and why you feel that way, but lets not resort to disputing other peoples opinions, people have different experiences in life and won't always share the same views.

Cheers,

KB

I have no problem with that.

Although I do think that most people don't bother thinking about the things that they say other than to offer this sympathy out on a public forum. Considering the nightmares that the japanese committed during the second world war for many millions to put a statement like that up is wrong. Grossly so.

Also... For anyone who thinks the japanese are such a wonderful people. Read this.

http://www.bayefsky.com/pdf/japan_t4_cerd_76.pdf
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4671687.stm

and here's wiki on the whole thing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_issues_in_Japan