Earthquake Rocks Northern Japan

[alarcojon]

A powerful earthquake registering a magnitude of 6.8 has been felt in the Japanese capital Tokyo.

A tsunami alert has been issued for the country's Pacific coastal region, the meteorological agency has said.

Initial reports say there have been some casualties in the prefecture of Sendai, Kyoto News is quoted as saying.

Eyewitnesses have spoken of buildings swaying in the heart of Tokyo following the tremor, which struck around 1146 (02:46 GMT).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4155026.stm

[Andrushka]

1. Longest one I have felt

As I wrote on the Malloy thread in GD, the Japanese folks in my office said it was the longest they have felt. I still feel queazy (up in a tall building).

As far as the tsunami goes, I don't think there is any danger, from what I have seen on the tv we have here. Lot of damage with things falling off shelves etc. up in Sendai (near where the quake struck), you know, TVs and the like. Would expect a few injuries, if not deaths.

Tokyo has come to a bit of a halt. Some trains not running, elevators stuck etc. The usual!

[Fridays Child]

2. Stay safe!

:)

[alarcojon]

3. Thanks for the update

and stay safe!

[montana_hazeleyes]

4. Best hopes for safety to you all there.

The longer duration can make for more damage and casualties. Hope that's not the case there.

[Andrushka]

5. Thanks peeps

Luckily, there wasn't a lot of jolting, more a rolling, although, I swear it changed direction halfway!

Reports of injured now coming in. Pool roof collapsed in Miyagi Prefecture, injuring 10. Kids on summer holiday right now - in fact, this is the height of the summer holiday season (called o-bon). Hope the kids are ok up there. Total injured is 80. A testament to the building quality here, I'd say. Sendai and thereabouts is used to big ones like the one we just had.

Trains stopped and expressways north of Tokyo closed for now. What a way to spend your holiday - stuck on a hot highway.

[Art_from_Ark]

10. So you were in Tokyo, too?

I felt the quake on the 25th floor of my office building. As you said, it was more like a rolling sensation, kind of like being on a boat. Fortunately, the office building was built after the Kobe quake, so the builders paid special attention to seismic reinforcement.

[Terre]

6. Not to make light of this, considering the injuries

because I've been through earthquakes - no fun at all. The fact that there is a tsunami warning makes it even more stressful.

MSNBC has reported it (briefly) with the most info they can, but I think they need to check the facts on this one, or someone in the newsroom needs a bit of shut-eye:

A 4-inch tsunami reached the Japanese shore about 15 minutes after the quake struck, NHK said, with no major damage immediately reported. While a tsunami can rise to great heights when it arrives at the shore, such waves are often barely noticeable in the ocean.

:yoiks:
Maybe when they up-date the page?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8965567/

[Andrushka]

7. Huge waves....not

Yes, and we got the obligatory observation cam of a harbor somewhere near the epicenter waiting for the huge 10 cm waves to wash in...

Still, can't be complacent about these things.

[Art_from_Ark]

11. Of course, in Japan any seismically-induced sea wave is a "tsunami"

The last one in Japan that fit the classical Western image was the Tsunami that hit Okushiri Island off the Hokkaido coast in July 1993. That poor island got the worst of everything-- a M7.8 quake, raging fires that were started as a result, a landslide that buried a hotel, and finally a 100-foot tsunami that wiped out a significant part of what was remaining of the town of Okushiri.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. USGS says it was a 7.2

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/usbvae.htm

Glad you're ok, Andrushka! :hi:

[alarcojon]

9. The link is updated, with some personal accounts. n/t