Earthquake Plus Tsunami in Japan : Insights
74News Coverage
As extensive as it may be, in America the news coverage of the earthquake plus tsunami plus aftershocks hitting Japan seems somehow...inadequate. Perhaps it has to be that way. After all, there are other stories to cover. Or maybe the coverage is fine, but the vast number of dramatic photos streaming out of the Land of the Rising Sun simply present so much visual information that no mere media outlet could possibly do it justice.
Sensory overload.
That said, there appear to be a number of lessons to learn about this particular one-two punch style of natural disaster (earth shaking plus water rolling), lessons that may or may not have been underscored in the newscasts you've been watching or the print you've been reading.
Various Levels of Vulnerability
The first thing that leaps out from many of the available photos is the sheer power in the punch packed by a wall of water when it hits your house. In many cases, great swaths of stick built homes aren't just "busted"; they're shredded. No single piece of lumber appears to remain attached to any other stick of lumber.
Steel cargo containers, however, stand up quite well. True, they do get slammed together in great clumps, especially since these containers are just sitting there waiting to be clobbered by the tsunami--they're not fastened to the Earth in any way. But they don't even look dented. The condition of the contents of these big steel boxes is, of course, another matter entirely.
As for automobiles...can you spell fuhgeddaboudit? If your vehicle ever gets in the way of a tsunami, it's time for a new car.
Or a wheelbarrow.
Many Parts
Then there's the complexity of the thing when it comes to damage and damage control efforts. Authorities have to deal with the Alfred E. Neuman "What, me worry?" attitude of people who should know better, with direct water damage, broken gas and water mains, fires, nuclear plant radiation leaks, injury, death, people still alive yet trapped in rubble, coordinating rescue and recovery efforts...and more.
Even the very air becomes potentially toxic.
This is one time when KISS--keep it simple, stupid--is about as far from easy to manage as it gets.
World Response
Certainly there are more nations around the world who are responding to the earthquake/tsunami/aftershock conditions in Japan than have been well publicized to date. Australia's news coverage has been outstanding. Swiss and German search and rescue teams are on the scene. Two of America's massive warships, including the USS Ronald Reagan, are running hard for Japan on missions of mercy rather than combat.
Here in Arizona, what can my wife and I do to help? Nothing physical; Pam's health does not allow for trips over the sea. Nothing financial; we're pretty well strapped at the moment.
That leaves...this hub. We can invest a bit of time, possibly raise overall awareness of the situation another small notch.
Did I mention that British Petroleum is not alone when it comes to oil spills? The earthquake in Japan has produced at least one "splash" of oil on the ocean's surface. Nippon Oil Corporation says it's not significant.
Sound familiar?
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Back atcha, Darski. Going to head on over, see what you wrote on it.
Great hub Fred. It sure proves there are some things you just can't plan and prepare for, one being mother nature. I doubt many of these people woke up that morning knowing what the rest of their day would be like. It is a real sad thing to see this happen to anyone, and I also wish there was a way I could help.
I'm curious at the relatively low death estimates. We saw entire towns taken out by the tsunami, and the populations are listed as 'missing'. I hope they're right.
Not so long ago, we were trying to kill as many Japanese as possible. After that ceased, we immediately started trying to help them,and it has gone on all these years. It makes one wonder at the way of things.
Mike: No, I'm sure not many woke up knowing what was coming--a few did, of course; there are sensitives everywhere. But not many. One of the biggest Montana quakes in recent time, which killed 28 and formed what is now called Quake Lake, hit when I was 15. The epicentre was no more than 150 air miles from our ranch, and lots of people in our area felt the shake. Me? I slept through it, not a clue.
Will: You and me both. I can't imagine those death estimates aren't going to end up drastically higher than they've admitted to date--just the photos are enough to make anything else seem virtually impossible. But yeah, one can hope.
About the killing thing: Seems to me, helping folks after a war to the death isn't really any different from becoming friends with a guy you've just fought in the street--a matter of degree, certainly, but no more than that. Like you say, though, it can make a guy wonder a bit.
Thanks for you comment my friend, question? How come I am all of a sudden all these comments being made on all the hubs sent to my email address, if I make a comment on any hub then it comes back to me when anyone comments on that hub, any ideas how I can fix that? Love & peace darski
Really great hub and excellent pics Ghost 32. The clean up alone in Japan will be monumental. The floods here recently in Australia seem to pale in significance, however people are still trying to come to terms with it all and get back to living as usual. It will be much harder for those who have lost loved ones, lives cannot be replaced, only "stuff" can. Makes me worry what will be next. I too wish there was a way to help besides praying.
Darlene Sabella I think I know how to fix your problem. When you leave a comment don't tick the box beside "follow this Hub's comments.
Darski: Not a clue! Sounds like Christine does, though (below). If that doesn't work, posting it as a problem in the forums should get you an answer...?
Christine: Praying is good. Your country's print media really deserves recognition, too, for its excellent coverage of the Japan situation. I've yet to see one of our newspapers (in the U.S.) blow out the entire front page of an issue with a graphic color photo of the earthquake/tsunami damage like your folks have done. Probably somebody's done it here, but....
... sir, my family is in the middle of that. thank you for posting this. it lets people know that there are others suffering and that the world doesn't revolve around them.
As of this morning clearly things are far worse than originally thought. Ten thousand people missing, trains that simply disappeared. It is impossible to fathom.
Thanks for this hub. I watched news coverage last evening in tears because the devastation is so heartbreaking. This planet seems to be demonstrating the same destructive and frightening shifts as it has throughout the millenniums. The Japanese have benefited and gained so much from the sea over the centuries, and earthquakes like the one that happened recently to send those towering walls of water onto their northeastern shores are terrifying. Nature simply IS, yet shows us how everything within it exists in relationship…it is that omnipotent and resolute. Nature takes as it gives, absolutely, and without compromise. I think of this as I think of the Haiti 2010 earthquake death toll in the hundreds of thousands.
Ghost, Thanks for this hub and the telling photos. It is still so hard for me to comprehend the extent of the damage. This is the first time that a quake of this magnitude has ever been documented. I don't thnk I'll ever forget those tsunami images! In addition to the obvious, the people there will still have the unnerving aftershocks for weeks to come. My prayers are with them as they struggle with the aftermath.
Nature will always keep man humble.
I've noted that the news seems to be carefully avoiding mentioning the actual populations of the cities, towns and villages that have been hit. So I did a quick check on google. Sendai has a population over 1 million people, maybe even close to two million. Japan's island of Honshu is one of the most densely populated areas of the world. Initial Japanese government day-after news reports by FOX news showed a government official being translated as saying 88000 missing, and saying there were whole townships that had not yet been reached. One can only hope that the numbers remain as low as our news has been reporting, but ... I for one would not be surprised if they reach numbers comparable to last decades disasters in Haiti or Indonesia.
Thisismylife9123: You're welcome. I'll be posting updates as part of the basic hub from time to time--starting tonight, as soon as I can get back from a couple of inescapable errands I've got to run.
Breakfastpop: It's not impossible for me to fathom, but then I'm a science fiction writer, and we tend to think in terms of national--or even cosmic--disasters. For most people, yes, I strongly suspect it's tough to grasp at all.
Genna: Yes, Haiti immediately came to mind for me, too.
Cat on a soapbox: From the beginning, as hundreds after hundreds of dramatic photos began flowing from Japan, I had to be grateful for that sterotype of the Japanese tourists carrying oodles of cameras...and I'm thankful for their familiarity with the photographic process in this ongoing documentation. Most likely no other nation could have presented the world with such a record.
Jim: The death toll estimate this morning is now above 10,000, and news reports are admitting the Prime Minister has been holding down the casualty figures to avoid panic. The final tally is, I suspect, going to be beyond staggering.
I am speechless after reading this, and this is hard to do to me. As far as several comments above concerning the lack of news. Well, that was all figured out this am. They were blocking it from getting here. Sad, but true. After looking at all these pics, all I am able to say to all is to pray. Pray for all of the people there and also here who suffered damages and loss. Great hub!!
Thanks, WMH. The news--at least on Yahoo, where I first saw it--is now reporting that people in northeastern Japan are once again being warned to seek higher ground in expectation of a possible second tsunami. There are conflicting reports, though....
I cannot begin to imagine such disaster and loss of life. Your timely hub and the photos and videos are almost unbelieveable. I feel so bad and wish I could do something to help. I would gladly donate my own clothes, blankets, whatever I have. I am unable to send money. Thank you so much for writing this article. Blessings!
One good thing: Looks like the "2nd tsunami" report was a false alarm. Certainly can't blame the authorities or the residents) for being jumpy, though.
We know what you mean about being unable to send money. As for clothing (and such), it may cost less new in Japan than it would cost to ship from the U.S. Maybe a yard sale, donate the proceeds to the Red Cross??
Whatever any of us do in that regard, we'll want to be on the lookout for the scammers that seem to literally breed in the fertilizer of any disaster.
Anildutt, I deleted/ denied your comment. Your text was fine, but the link to your own hub (which was unrelated to this topic) was a clear violation of HubPages policy which states, "Comments are not for promoting your Hubs...." (see below).
Please do feel free to comment again without the promotional link.
Your hub conveys the entire scenario which indeed is sad. Great effort and it again proves your immense interest in the global welfare. We all felt sad about it but none of us thought of writing about it. That is the difference between a thoughtful writer and an impulsive one.
It sure is a shock to see our fellow humans in so much distress. Mother Nature sure has ways of uniting us in terms of compassion but, I wish she would have shown some subtle ways to unite us :(
I liked the way you assembled all the happenings around Japan in a nutshell.
Soal: Thanks. Your comment got me to thinking, so I did an inhouse (HP) search for "Earthquake Japan" and came up with 257 results. Which means some of us (besides me) have been writing about this, all right. A lot of the 257 appear to be pretty brief, though. One hub does point out something I didn't know: Apparently some writers have actually used fake photos and videos which are not even true footage and/or film of this disaster.
Why, when there is more photography from this actual event (or rather, series of events) than I've ever seen of any other disaster, EVER?
Go figure.
Ruchira: Your observation is appreciated. The "nutshell" concept was the reason I didn't put an article out there on the first day; that is, I simply didn't know enough to feel capable of comprehending the situation in any meaningful way.
As for those "subtle ways", it's quite possible Mother Nature has been trying to use those since the dawn of history--or prehistory, for that matter. But We Her Children can be pretty stubborn characters, not much prone to listening to Mother until she speaks with a voice that literally cannot be ignored.
Sad stuff brother, thanks for keeping us up to date.
You're welcome.
Let us help Japan as much as we can. Donations, prayers and even writing an article to encourage the Japanese are some of the help we all can do.
Right on. Thanks for commenting.
i agree
Thanks for weighing in.
I couldn't believe how tsunami affects us.
It's literally overwhelming; that's for sure.
Darlene Sabella 14 months ago
Bless you my friend, this is an awesome hub, and I feel just like you, I covered it a few hours after it first happened and so much has changes since my hub that evening. What can I do, I say to myself. I wish I was strong, wealthy enought to help, and healthy. I am doing what I can, and your shots tell the full story now days after this event, and I am sad to say it is going to be worse. The unfolding event is asternomical I fear for them and for the world. Love & peace darski rate up