Earthquake in Japan
I have a few posts that I saved to publish on this blog in the near future, but I decided to postpone finishing those articles to write about a very serious disaster that has occurred in Japan.
An 8.8~9.1-magnitude earthquake hit Japan at 2:46PM local time on March 11 (Friday), reported to be the largest earthquake to ever hit Japan. The number of deaths from this earthquake is expected to exceed 1000 as the toll is still being counted. Tsunami waves with heights of about 10 meters were reported to have struck the eastern coast of the city of Sendai. Tsunami warnings have been issued in Taiwan, Guam, Philippines, Hawaii, and the western coast of mainland United States. Countries on the western coast of South America are also expected to be affected by the tsunamis.
This is an ongoing situation, with numerous aftershocks and tsunami waves still going on as of right now. I would like to write more about what is going on, but I believe that the situation will be quickly changed and updated according to the events in Japan and the national and international responses to the disaster. Please check news sources to be updated about the situation.
For those with friends and/or family in Japan, the American Red Cross reported on its website: "The best way to contact or locate US citizens living or traveling in Japan is to contact the US Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizen Services, at 1-888-407-4747 or (202) 647-5225."
You can also donate $10 to relief efforts in Japan by texting REDCROSS to 90999.
Red Cross Response to Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
CNN Live Blog Updates
CNN: How Tsunamis Happen