Images from Tokyo, Immediately Post-quake
We’re still getting aftershocks every 5-10 minutes. The last one just hit now, and several are recorded as being as strong as 6 on the Richter scale. Another big one could hit, so we have to be careful. The original quake was brought back up to an 8.8.
The images on television are rather shocking; not the quake, but the tsunamis that are rolling in. Buildings along the coast submerged up to the second floor. Fires in places, including Daiba in Tokyo. Right now the death toll is at 19.
As I mentioned before, we were on the 6th floor of LCJ when it hit, and it progressed in stages. Everyone ducked for cover, getting under desks and in doorways, as papers and books and drinks spilled onto the floor. In the library, the bookshelf braces held, more or less, though books littered the floor. Thankfully, the elevator was open on the 1st floor at the time, so no one at the school was trapped nor had to experience the quake while locked in the car.
People moved out to the street, though not as quickly as they should have, perhaps. After milling around on the street for a while, we all went to the local school grounds, where we could wait for things to settle away from overhanging power lines.
Here are some images from the school; click on each for larger versions. The first is what my office looked like afterwards:
Here are a few images of the library:
On the way to the evacuation area, a local school’s sports field, we could see some structural damage from a building or two:
But a little farther north, one street was blocked because a retaining wall for earth in a local temple’s graveyard gave way:
The death toll went up to 20 while I was writing this, but seeing the films of tsunami, I would be amazed if the toll does not go into the hundreds. It’s still just four hours since the quake hit.
Luis: My niece/godchild is there. She’s far from the danger however. I pray for the people of Japan. We’re worried for all of you. Be safe.
Megan: Thanks. I’m sure she’s safe. A few hundred miles out, it’s scary, but not too dangerous.
Prof. Poza: Glad to hear you, your family, and everyone at LCJ are safe!! The place is really a mess though!