Today is the 8th anniversary of the horrific Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

[catbyte]

Last edited Mon Mar 11, 2019, 11:27 PM - Edit history (2)

R.I.P. to all of those lost in that disaster, and I wish the survivors peace.

On edit: This has to be one of the most terrifying 3:47 of video I've ever seen.

[Leghorn21]

1. This thing just...yeah

[lapfog_1]

2. It's not over yet...

We have decades of after affects to deal with from Fukushima. Maybe
centuries.

[malaise]

3. Time sure flies

I remember phoning the dad of one of a former student/colleague - she was OK.

[BigmanPigman]

4. Depending on the shape of the land and altitude of the various cities

on the coast, some waves were over 30 meters high (100') and went inland for miles. Imagine one wave returning to sea while the next one is coming in. It is like being in a washing machine that is filled with concrete, timber, twisted metal, and salt water. Nature is amazing.

[catbyte]

6. At 13:11 on this video, it shows the town of Omoe being smashed by a wave of 39 meters (128 ft)

It also shows at least two people trying to run from it who didn't make it. The power is absolutely stunning.

[BigmanPigman]

8. I watched most of the videos posted on You Tube

and it is amazing so many survived. It seems like the water is coming in slowly but that is because of the size of the area effected viewed from above. It is so sad seeing the people trying to out run it or drive out of it when you can see what is actually coming and the speed it is moving...you know they aren't going to make it.

[catbyte]

9. I still can't believe the woman in black running at 34:42 survived.

I saw an interview with her and that huge roof coming at her just picked her up and swept her to safety. She didn't have a scratch on her. There were also a couple of really lucky guys who survived at about 11:13 who managed to get into the building before it was hit. I'd always thought tsunamis were more like the waves breaking at Noda, but they're really more like an overflowing bath tub--especially where there were tsunami barriers. It is just stunning.

[catbyte]

10. Did you see this CCTV footage?

It's only 1:53 long, but YIKES.

[BigmanPigman]

11. I saw two of those before.

People had cell phones so we were able to see so many first hand experiences that we haven't seen after past disasters. Some videos are about 20 min long so it is sort of like slow motion. Some areas were effected gradually but if you find a building or sign to focus on you can compare it to see how quickly the water was rising. It really is like filling up a gigantic bathtub. Thank goodness the Japanese are so prepared for these catastrophes. If this happened almost any place else more than 18, 000 people would have died.

[catbyte]

12. It's also fortunate that it happpened during daylight. I can't imagine the toll if it had

occurred in the middle of the night. I also remember seeing a clip of a woman and a couple of rescue workers running across a brick footbridge that looked to be 3-4 stories above the street. The tsunami came along, covered the bridge, and was gone when the water receded. The building they ran into looked to be about 3 stories higher, so I've always hoped they made it before the tsunami swept in. So many individual stories.

[MustLoveBeagles]

5. ...

[roamer65]

7. 8 years since Fukushima Dai'ichi.

Ugh.

[akraven]

13. I remember it.

People just don't understand the power of a tsunami. One took out Valdez and Homer in 1964. And the quake took out most of Anchorage. We still have a lot of quakes per year. The power is frightening.

[smirkymonkey]

14. That just looks like hell on earth. I can't imagine what it was like for those people.

It must have been sheer terror, especially for the people who were trying to out run it and knowing they had no chance. So tragic. I wish there was a better way to predict these things earlier in order to give people a better chance at surviving them.