Friday, March 11, 2011
Tokyo (CNN) - The strongest earthquake to hit Japan in at least 100 years unleashed walls of water that devastated the rice fields, involving the cities, roads and houses dragging launch vehicles and boats like toys.
Local media reported at least 32 deaths, with more casualties feared. And the 8.9 magnitude quake, occurred at 14:46, asked the U.S. National Weather Service to issue a tsunami warning at least 20 countries.
The quake's epicenter was 373 kilometers (231 miles) away from Tokyo, the United States Geological Survey said.
But residents still feeling aftershocks hours after the quake. More than 30 aftershocks followed, with more on the 7.1.
"I had no fear when it started ... but I kept going and going," said Michelle Gates, who lives in central Tokyo.
"I will not lie, it was pretty scary. But we are all well. We live on the third floor, so almost everything shook and changed. "
A spokesman for U.S. military bases in Japan, said that all service members were taken into account and there were no reports of damage to facilities or vessels.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan appealed for calm and said he reported leaks of radioactive material from power plants.
Four nuclear power plants closest to the earthquake were safely shut down the agency, the UN nuclear watchdog said.
In Tokyo Station, one of the busiest subway stations in Japan, shaken passengers grabbed each other to stand firm as the earth shook. Stunned residents took to the streets after offices and schools were closed. The children were crying.
The quake toppled bridges and cars in the waters below. The waves of waste as the lava flowed through farmland, pushing the boats, houses and trailers. About 4 million homes had no power in Tokyo and its surroundings.
Firefighters battled a blaze of fire at an oil refinery in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo.
Residents said that although earthquakes are common in Japan, on Friday surprised most people.
"This was bigger than anyone expected and went longer than anyone expected," said Matt Alt, who lives in Tokyo.
"My wife was quiet ... she told us off and put back on something, and keep windows and doors open in the event of a building turns to not get caught."
Richard Lloyd Parry said he peered through a window and saw the buildings swaying from side to side.
"The core of Tokyo is very good of what we see, people are calm ... and not go inside buildings," he said.
An earthquake as large as shallow creates a lot of energy, Chen said Shenz U.S. Geological Survey.
As the city grappled with the devastation, a massive tsunami swept across the Pacific Ocean.
An earthquake of this magnitude can generate a dangerous tsunami off the coast region of origin, the National Weather Service said.
In Mexico alone, the tsunami is expected to arrive in the morning and the government has evacuated 20 provinces along the coast.
The authorities in at least 20 countries and many Pacific islands issued tsunami warnings, the National Weather Service said.
The extensive list includes Russia and Indonesia, the Central American countries like Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica and the U.S. the state of Hawaii, where sirens sounded in the morning. A tsunami warning was also issued in areas along the U.S. and the west coasts of Canada
Humanitarian agencies are working with rescue teams to reach the people affected.
"When such effects of an earthquake in a developed country like Japan, also becomes our concern in countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, which does not have the same resources," said Rachel Wolff, a spokeswoman for World Vision.
Wolff said his agency is helping people on the ground in Japan and have come together to help other countries along the path of the tsunami.
The tsunami may damage "along the coasts of all islands in the state of Hawaii," said U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Urgent action is needed to protect lives and property."
Tsunamis are a series of long waves that can last from five to 15 minutes, causing severe flooding in coastal areas. A succession of waves can hit - often the highest not the first, said CNN meteorologist Ivan Cabrera.
The earthquake was the latest in a series in the region this week.
Early Thursday, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 struck the coast of Honshu. A day earlier, an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude had struck off the same coast, the country's meteorological agency said.
The largest recorded earthquake occurred in Chile on May 22, 1960, with a magnitude of 9.5, the USGS said.
The quake on Friday was the fifth strongest in the world since 1900, said the agency and more powerful than Japan has beaten since.
