8.9 Magnitude quake hits offshore Japan - Page 17 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Kybosh · 03-12-2011, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheCommodoreAfro

Japan's prep prevented a lot of the collapsing - the quake was 7.9 here in Tokyo and outside of old buildings and reclaimed land, the damage was not as bad as initially thought. Sad thing though is that the death toll will likely rise in terms of multiples in the north. Entire towns and villages were wiped out and the media is just getting a hold of this.

This is from a little fishing town (with a nuclear reactor that shut down safely) called Onagawa. Nothing about this in the news yet, but destruction is massive.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/0...n-i-once-knew/

The town of Minamisanriku is also missing 9500 people - half the population. This is going to get incredibly scary over the next few days as rescue teams reach destroyed areas.

I think most of us realize that the true casualty count won't be known for weeks. I didn't want to sound callous in my last post or give the impression that the tsunami isn't such a big deal. From a purely academic standpoint, comparing this event to the tsunami of 2004 (230,000 dead) or the Haiti earthquake (316,000 dead), I feel that Japanese ingenuity and preparedness made all the difference.

HPLovecraft · 03-12-2011, 04:51 PM

CNN has been going steadily downhill for quite awhile now. I used to use it almost exclusively for my news, but I find I am drifting to a number of different sources much more these days. I think their "coverage" of the WikiLeaks story really did it for me, when Wolf Blitzer, the news reporter, demanded to know what the government was doing to keep whistle blowers and news sources from getting access to anything like that ever again. That and them agreeing to censor certain stories tat the government requested them to. That bothered me.

TheCommodoreAfro · 03-12-2011, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by giver99

I recommend filling up every readily available container you have on hand with water. Good luck.

I recommend you STFU. Seriously.

TheCommodoreAfro · 03-12-2011, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kybosh

I think most of us realize that the true casualty count won't be known for weeks. I didn't want to sound callous in my last post or give the impression that the tsunami isn't such a big deal. From a purely academic standpoint, comparing this event to the tsunami of 2004 (230,000 dead) or the Haiti earthquake (316,000 dead), I feel that Japanese ingenuity and preparedness made all the difference.

True. Unfortunately there was really nothing that could have been done about the Tsunami. Very glad that the amount of collapse in major centres was controlled, but I don't think anyone was prepped for a 7-10meter tsunami. The scale of the initial quake was also much bigger than anyone even predicted here.

SOMBRI2 · 03-12-2011, 04:56 PM

CNN is biased. But it is essential to watch this story from a multiple perspectives.

Things that bother me is that, CNN tries to justify this breaking news with all kinds of negative coverage. I know it is a disaster, how about having a story about how educated the Japanese are in terms of reacting to it. Instead, the Ambassador was almost forced into acknowledging the word 'meltdown' of the nuclear plant...

TheCommodoreAfro · 03-12-2011, 05:01 PM

Here's a surreal video of the flooding in Minamisanriku - where 9500 people are missing. I can't imagine they had more than a handful of minutes to get out of there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZMqVTPhHzI

03-12-2011, 05:08 PM

Was there only one road out of that valley? Looks like that bus was the last vehicle that was able to make it up the hill.

Also: I'm eagerly waiting for Cowperson's video of a dog surfing on the tsunami.

Displaced Flames fan · 03-12-2011, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheCommodoreAfro

Here's a surreal video of the flooding in Minamisanriku - where 9500 people are missing. I can't imagine they had more than a handful of minutes to get out of there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZMqVTPhHzI

You know, I've posted some tornado damage pictures before from areas that were hit close to where I live. They were powerful images.

What I just watched....there aren't words. The devastation is exponentially more severe on multiple levels.

It breaks my heart.

sergei_makarov · 03-12-2011, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

You know, I've posted some tornado damage pictures before from areas that were hit close to where I live. They were powerful images.

What I just watched....there aren't words. The devestation is exponentially more severe on multiple levels.

It breaks my heart.

Yeah, it is incredibly heartbreaking to imagine the number of families in those homes who weren't connected to the TV, internet or radio at the time evacuating only when they heard the noise approach and likely being too late.

Not to mention people who are not as able-bodied as adults trying to escape to higher ground.

Codes · 03-12-2011, 05:35 PM

That video is tremendously heartbreaking. I hope I never see anything like it again.

HOOT · 03-12-2011, 05:39 PM

are there any before and after pictures of these small towns

TheCommodoreAfro · 03-12-2011, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HOOT

are there any before and after pictures of these small towns

I've seen stuff on TV only, but yet to find anything on YouTube. As expected, they are ugly.

Codes · 03-12-2011, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HOOT

are there any before and after pictures of these small towns

Hoot, try this:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapc...ex.html?hpt=C2

Truly devastating.

puckluck · 03-12-2011, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cowperson

Ran a ten km race in Kona, Hawaii this am. Apparently the pier for cruise ships has been condemned by damage from the tsunami and local hotels and stores in the downtown were damaged plus six houses were destroyed. Didn't see all that on the run, even though we were running alongside the seashore at one point and the beer was free afterwards at 8:30 in the morning as promised. Heard the Four Seasons on Maui was taken out by the tsunami waves.

Have some good video of our little bay here emptying and filling with water every few minutes yesterday after the tsunami threat passed. About two or three foot height oscillation and remarkable to see for a normally placid place. A natural koi pond near the beach was overrun and the fish died. The sea is still doing it to a lesser extent now but the beach is open so that's where I'm going.

Cowperson

Were you and your wife the couple that they talked about in the Calgary Sun? They mention a couple staying in Kona sleeping in their cars.

GirlySports · 03-12-2011, 05:48 PM

CNN does seem bored now. Why run this story 24/7 on the 3rd day? It's important but you can still run some normal programming. We've seen all the footage by now.

CBC News and BBC News are back to scheduled programming and will break in if there are new developments.

Mazrim · 03-12-2011, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GirlySports

CNN does seem bored now. Why run this story 24/7 on the 3rd day? It's important but you can still run some normal programming. We've seen all the footage by now.

They probably get more viewers with their 24/7 coverage even now than anything else they usually show.

Delthefunky · 03-12-2011, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GirlySports

CNN does seem bored now. Why run this story 24/7 on the 3rd day? It's important but you can still run some normal programming. We've seen all the footage by now.

CBC News and BBC News are back to scheduled programming and will break in if there are new developments.

Libya is sooo last week... Yawn.

browna · 03-12-2011, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GirlySports

CNN does seem bored now. Why run this story 24/7 on the 3rd day? It's important but you can still run some normal programming. We've seen all the footage by now.

The Elian Gonzalez saga was carried by CNN for longer than this 10 years ago, and this is about 7000x more newsworthy.

GirlySports · 03-12-2011, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by browna

The Elian Gonzalez saga was carried by CNN for longer than this 10 years ago, and this is about 7000x more newsworthy.

That's fine but they keep 'breaking news'. It's the same story.
13 people buried under something is not 'breaking news'. We expect deaths, lots of them unfortunately.

Cowperson · 03-12-2011, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by puckluck

Were you and your wife the couple that they talked about in the Calgary Sun? They mention a couple staying in Kona sleeping in their cars.

No.

There were thousands on the move, camping in their cars along mountainous, lava field highways on higher ground or bussed to shelters. The entire coastline was cleared of people, including hotels, to a depth of at least half a mile, all with only a few hours notice. Tsunami warning sirens were sounding with increasing frequency and emergency workers were going through communities with loudspeakers telling people to get out. Radio stations pooled their broadcasts to the effort.

Basically the full warning was issued at 10:30 at night with the tsunami strike predicted on this island at 3:37 am, the first notice of unusual activity in Kona at 3:32 am and the most destructive surge that went about 600 feet into the town at 5 am.

It was an impressively executed disaster plan. Our small part was to stay out of the way and stay self sufficient. And, with the knowledge of Japan in hand, it was actually kind of fun, although that is because it generally ended well.

Hawaii was fortunate.

Cowperson