Sendai Magnitude 8.9

Northern Japan was hit with an earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale.

Image courtesy of US Geological Survey.

Amid the general panic, fires broke out, glass shattered, and the Fukushima nuclear power plant was damaged, causing radiation levels to rise.  This prompted civil authorities to order an emergency evacuation of the nearby area and the US to dispatch technicians and coolant from its nearby military base.  As if that were not enough, the offshore quake (near Sendai) caused a massive tsunami.  Internet-savvy Japanese immediately started using google services, websites and social networks to communicate and coordinate their activities.  Many credit stringent Japanese building standards with reducing the effects of the quake and its aftershocks.

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, the anime series that predicted developments along these lines, had a lot to say about suffering through an earthquake in Japan.  Protagonist Mirai started out aloof and annoyed by the occurrences around her – a selfish soul – but was compelled to become sensitive to the needs of others.  The earthquake forced many people to realize that they were all in it together and to reflect upon what their true priorities should be.

So far over 300 people have been killed in the Sendai area, with updates coming every hour as aftershocks continue to be felt.  Dozens perished due to mudslides. For most readers, it is perhaps difficult to imagine living through such uncertainty.  Anime and manga give us some idea of how people face such events.

In the manga Worst, Tsukishima Hana tells Amachi Hisashi of his experience with a mudslide:

I was eight years old, and there was a mudslide where I lived.  I lost both my parents in an instant.  My home, my backpack, my cute dog Daifuku . . . I am the only one that survived, thanks to some miracle.  I was sad; I was hurt; I didn’t know what to do.  But this is how I live: for my mom, for my dad, and for Daifuku.  I live the best I can for the sake of three people and a dog!

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 showed us how a girl faced with the unimaginable drew strength from an idea – the idea that her brother was still alive.  It asked the Japanese people to do the same: to cherish their hopes, their dreams, their anime, in a time of great upheaval and crisis.  What Sendai Magnitude 8.9 shows us is that the Japanese draw their strength from each other.

To participate in relief efforts, give to Global Giving, donate or volunteer at International Medical Corps, text REDCROSS to 90999 (incurring a $10 charge), or visit the Red Cross donation page.

Author: moritheil

One might be forgiven for thinking that Moritheil is a postmodern literary critic who started reviewing video games in 2001, and spent the early 2000s learning at the right hand of con staff and fansubbers. However, those rumors are spurious: Moritheil is actually a distant relative of Genghis Khan who stands poised to conquer the world via the Internet. Follow along at http://twitter.com/moritheil.

6 thoughts on “Sendai Magnitude 8.9

  1. Yeah, I just heard about this from my mom of all people, I really hope this resolves quickly. This kind of natural disaster is always difficult to manage.

  2. Turns out my dad was at a business trip in Japan right as this happened!

    I do hope things are not too serious

  3. The images I’ve seen on tv are devastating. It’s a reminder that disasters can strike anytime with no notice.

  4. Thank you for the update and donation links.

    The Sendai tsunami also reached the west coasts of Americas, but largely unaffected. The major earthquake while back in Japan was Hanshin-awaji earthquake in 1995, I was in Tokyo, so I was unaffected, but it was really a disaster. Just like FEMA’s slow response to Katrina, the slow response of the government became a huge problem, and at that time we had a Socialist prime minister, and that partly contributed to the demise of the Socialist Party. I hope the government response has improved since then. 1923 was when Japan had a major quake in Tokyo. That was the 12th year of the Taisho era. And this year, 2011, is the 100th year of the Taisho era, the year Steel Angel Kurumi is going to be resurrected.

    Japan is probably most dangerous to live seismologically. Besides Pacific ring of fire being highly volcanic, there are four plate tectonics crashing. Little quake is daily. I thought Nagano was the most dangerous place, we had been hearing that Nagano would be next, that’s where the tectonic lines converge, Occult Academy was located there. But anywhere in Japan is highly dangerous, proven by the Touhoku quake. Quakes and typhoons, the nature is very awful in Japan.

Comments are closed.