Japan: The disaster unfolds

21/03/2011 3:48 pm Wendy Marshall <omfSPAMFILTER@omf.org.uk>

At 2.26pm on Friday 11th March, 2011 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off the north-eastern coast of Japan. The earthquake was the largest in Japan’s recorded history, resulting in a series of tsunamis that caused widespread devastation.

The first tsunami hit land ten minutes after the quake and was estimated to be between three and ten metres high. In places the tsunami reached up to several kilometres inland. In some places the water went up narrow valleys into areas where no one expected a tsunami would ever affect.

Hardest hit was the Tohoku region in the coastal cities of Sendai and Fukushima, where thousands are confirmed dead, and thousands are still missing more than a week after the tragedy.

The people of Japan are well used to earthquakes and warnings were given, but the scale of the tsunami surpassed expectations. There was not enough time for many people to get to safety.

Devastation

OMFer Martin Ghent writes about one small village: ‘Omoto has a ' wave gate ' that is 13.3 metres high and the tsunami cleared it and swept part of the village away. Villagers are guessing over 20 metres.’

A missionary, after returning from a relief trip to the area said this, ‘There is devastation beyond anything I've ever even imagined.’ He added, ‘The situation is so much worse than the news is even showing. I can’t wrap my head around it. There are a few years of work to do here.’

Nuclear

The earthquake and tsunami also caused damage at some of Japan’s nuclear power plants. The authorities have worked hard to contain the damage, but many are alarmed at the risk. News reports assessing the danger are mixed.

Food and Travel

Food shortages and transport blockages are being experienced throughout the region, including in Tokyo. Highways have been shut, fuel rationed and in Tokyo, train schedules have been severely reduced.

Many people were unable to get to work for several days following the earthquake. To conserve energy, there have been rolling power outages in Tokyo, causing anxiety and panic buying. Coupled with bad news from the nuclear power plants, fear lies close to the surface for many people. Many are walking around in a state of shock.

Schools

Missionary families with students at International Schools in Tokyo were affected too. The earthquake occurred just before school finished, however all train service ceased until the next day so many students were stranded at school. It was a challenging afternoon and evening for many, though all students were eventually safely united with their parents by the next day. In the days following, power cuts and reduced train schedules led to all the international schools shutting for at least two to three weeks.

Pray:

  • Praise God for the generosity of believers in Japan and globally
  • Pray for the small churches in the most affected regions to show love and care to their communities.
  • Pray for relationships between Christians, their neighbours and local communities.
  • For the efforts of CRASH as they seek to reach ‘the last, the lost and the least.’

Read and pray on

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