(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); CNN Article Tokyo (CNN) -- The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in at least 100 years struck offshore the island nation on Friday, collapsing buildings, touching off widespread fires and unleashing walls of water up to 30 feet high.
The waves swept across rice fields, engulfed towns, dragged houses onto highways, tossed cars and boats like toys -- reaching as far about six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture on Japan's east coast.
Hundreds of people were dead and hundreds more missing, Japanese media reported, citing local and national police. Tens of thousands of people were displaced, according to Japan's Kyodo News agency.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the "enormously powerful" earthquake had caused "tremendous damage over a wide area."
The 8.9-magnitude quake prompted the U.S. National Weather Service to issue tsunami warnings for at least 50 countries and territories, although initial reports as the waves reached locations outside of Japan indicated no damage.
The epicenter was offshore, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) from Tokyo, the United States Geological Survey said.
Residents there continued to feel aftershocks hours after the quake. More than 30 aftershocks followed, with the strongest measuring 7.1.
Gallery: Massive quake hits Japan
Witness deals with quake terror Buildings, windows damaged in Japan
Japanese broadcasters reported collapsed buildings, power outages and transportation disruptions throughout Japan.
Video aired by Japanese broadcaster NHK showed widespread fires in the port city of Hakodate, in the southern part of Hokkaido island in northern Japan. An oil refinery was burning in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo, according to NHK, and firefighters could not get close enough to fight it because of the heat. And Kyodo News said fires could be seen in extensive areas of Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture.
Also in Miyagi, officials reported that a train had derailed and authorities had lost contact with another train, Kyodo reported.
And a dam in Fukushima Prefecture failed, washing away homes, Kyodo reported. There was no immediate word of casualties.
It appeared that concerns about a cooling failure at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, however, had eased. The government had ordered the evacuation of residents nearest the plant, but a senior cabinet official later said it appeared that efforts to pump water into the reactor to keep it cool had succeeded. No radiation leakage was reported, according to the government.
The official death toll stood at 137, with 539 injured and 351 missing, according to Kyodo, citing police, but that death toll seemed almost certain to rise -- from 200 to 300 bodies have been found in the coastal city of Sendai alone, Kyodo News reported.
Kyodo, citing Japan's defense forces, said 60,000 to 70,000 people were being evacuated to shelters in the Sendai area of Miyagi Prefecture.
The prime minister said an emergency task force had been activated, and appealed for calm. The government dispatched 8,000 troops to assist in the recovery effort and asked for U.S. military assistance, according to Kyodo.
A spokesman for the U.S. military bases in Japan said all service members were accounted for and there were no reports of damage to installations or ships.
President Barack Obama offered his condolences and said the United States is standing by to help "in this time of great trial."
Images from Japanese media and CNN iReporters showed smoke pouring from buildings and water rushing across fields, carrying away entire structures.
Tsunami waters engulf town Disaster response to Japan quake Witness: Japan quake unlike any before Refinery ablaze after quake
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"I wasn't scared when it started ... but it just kept going and going," said Michelle Roberts, who lives in central Tokyo. "I won't lie, it was quite scary. But we are all OK. We live on the third floor, so most everything shook and shifted."
The quake toppled cars off bridges and into waters underneath. Waves of debris flowed like lava across farmland, pushing boats, houses and trailers. About 4 million homes had no power in Tokyo and surrounding areas.
The quake also disrupted rail service, which was halted for a time following the quake, and affected air travel. Hundreds of flights were canceled, Kyodo said. Some 13,000 people were stranded at the Narita airport, and 10,000 were stuck at the Haneda airport, Kyodo said.
At Tokyo Station, one of Japan's busiest subway terminals, shaken commuters grabbed one another to stay steady as the ground shook. Dazed residents poured into the streets after offices and schools were closed. Children cried.
Residents said though earthquakes are common in Japan, Friday's stunned most people.
"This was larger than anyone expected and went on longer than anyone expected," said Matt Alt, who lives in Tokyo.
"My wife was the calm one. ... She told us to get down and put your back on something, and leave the windows and doors open in case a building shifts so you don't get trapped."
Richard Lloyd Parry said he looked through a window and saw buildings shaking from side to side.
"Central Tokyo is fine from what we see, people are calm ... and not going inside buildings," he said.
Such a large earthquake at such a shallow depth -- 15.2 miles (24.4 kilometers) -- creates a lot of energy, said Shenza Chen of the U.S. Geological Survey.
As Japan grappled with the devastation, a tsunami generated by the quake swept across the Pacific Ocean.
An earthquake of that size can send a dangerous tsunami to coasts outside the source region, the National Weather Service said in a warning to 50 countries and territories it said could be affected.
But in places where the waves had reached outside Japan, including Guam and Hawaii, officials reported no damage or injuries.
The tsunami brought waves of nearly 7 feet to a harbor in Maui, authorities said, but other areas reported lower levels.
The U.S. mainland, meanwhile, was bracing for waves to come onshore, from Washington to California.
Humanitarian agencies were working with rescue crews to reach the people affected by the earthquake and tsunami.
"When such an earthquake impacts a developed country like Japan, our concern also turns to countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, which might not have the same resources," said Rachel Wolff, a spokeswoman for World Vision.
Wolff said her agency is helping people in Japan and teaming up to help others in countries along the path of the tsunami.
The tsunami could cause damage "along coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii," warned the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property."
Tsunamis are a series of long ocean waves that can last five to 15 minutes and cause extensive flooding in coastal areas. A succession of waves can hit -- often the highest not being the first, said CNN meteorologist Ivan Cabrera.
The quake was the latest in a series around Japan this week.
Early Thursday, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 struck off the coast of Honshu. A day earlier, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the same coast, the country's meteorological agency said.
The world's largest recorded quake took place in Chile on May 22, 1960, with a magnitude of 9.5, the USGS said.
The quake Friday was the fifth-strongest in the world since 1900, the agency said and the most powerful to hit Japan since then. Source: CNN.com
CNN UPDATED BLOG An 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan today, triggering tsunamis that sent a wave filled with boats and houses toward land. Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast are under a tsunami warning. Are you in an affected area? Send an iReport. Read the full report on how the quake hit Japan and generated a Pacific-wide tsunami.

[1:42 p.m. ET, 3:42 a.m. Tokyo] Using Air Force planes, the U.S. government has sent over coolant for the Fukushima nuclear plant, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday. Japan's officials say a small radiation leak could occur at the plant after Friday's earthquake and tsunami.

[1:34 p.m. ET, 3:34 a.m. Tokyo] According to the official count by Japan's National Police, at least 151 people have been killed, 722 have been injured and 530 are missing after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan on Friday. Additionally, between 200 and 300 bodies have been found in the coastal city of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture following the subsequent tsunami that struck that area. The official death toll is likely to rise.

[1:24 p.m. ET, 3:24 a.m. Tokyo] Japan's trade minister, Banri Kaieda, says a small radiation leak could occur at the Fukushima nuclear plant, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported Saturday. Prime Minister Naoto Kan is planning to inspect the plant, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano.

[1:12 p.m. ET, 3:12 a.m. Tokyo] Tsunami of more than 8 feet recorded in Crescent City, California.

[1:08 p.m. ET, 3:08 a.m. Tokyo] Sailing vessels were knocked loose from their moorings at a marina in Santa Cruz, California. Several were swamped.

[1:05 p.m. ET, 3:05 a.m. Tokyo] President Obama said that Japan's prime minister told him there was no evidence so far of radiation leaks from nuclear reactors due to the earthquake and tsunami.


[12:45 p.m. ET, 2:45 a.m. Tokyo] Gerard Fryer with The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii says they are lifting the evacuation orders for Hawaii.

"The shoreline is still hazardous so we're updating the warning to an advisory. What that means is you no longer have to remain evacuated, but stay off the beach and don't tend to the water," he said.

[12:39 p.m. ET, 2:39 a.m. Tokyo] Friday's quake is the strongest earthquake in recorded history to hit Japan, according to U.S. Geological Survey records. The previous record was an 8.6 magnitude earthquake that struck near the Chubu region near southwestern Honshu on October 28, 1707, that may have killed 5,000 people, said CNN meteorologist Sean Morris.

That quake generated a 33-foot (10-meter) tsunami, and some scientists believe the quake may have triggered the eruption of Mount Fuji 49 days later, Morris said.

The world's largest recorded quake took place in Chile on May 22, 1960, with a magnitude of 9.5, the USGS said.


[12:20 p.m. ET, 2:20 a.m. Tokyo] Damaging waves reported at Kailua-Kona on Hawaii's Big Island, Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency reports on its website. Maui police have reports of a 9-foot wave hitting Lahaina Harbor, Maui County Civil Defense Agency reports.

[12:06 p.m. ET, 2:06 a.m. Tokyo] Radiation level rising in Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant turbine building, Kyodo News Agency reports.

[12:02 p.m. ET, 2:02 a.m. Tokyo] The death toll from the massive earthquake in Japan will likely surpass 1,000, the Kyodo News Agency reported.

[11:57 a.m. ET, 1:57 a.m. Tokyo] The U.S. Navy has announced the following ship movements in reaction to the earthquake in Japan:

– USS Essex, with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (about 2,000 Marines) aboard, is preparing to leave Malaysia for Japan.

– USS Blue Ridge is in Singapore loading up with humanitarian supplies and then heading to Japan.

– USS Tortuga is at a base in Sasebo, in the far south of Japan ready to assist where needed.

– USS Harpers Ferry and USS Germantown are in the region and steaming towards Japan.

– USS Ronald Reagan was in the region for a long-planned exercise off Korea, but now steaming towards Japan to help.

– USS George Washington was docked at a maintenance pier in Japan when quake struck. Unclear what help, if any, it could provide.

– USS Dubuque put to sea from Seal Beach, California.

[11:54 a.m. ET, 1:54 a.m. Tokyo] A dam has broken in Fukushima prefecture, washing away scores of homes in the area, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported early Saturday. The Defense Ministry says 1,800 homes have been destroyed in Fukushima.

[11:39 a.m. ET, 1:39 a.m. Tokyo] At least 133 people were killed, 722 were injured and 530 were missing after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan on Friday, Japan's National Police said. Additionally, between 200 and 300 bodies have been found in the coastal city of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture following the subsequent tsunami that struck that area. The death toll is likely to rise.

[11:31 a.m. ET, 1:31 a.m. Tokyo] Delta canceled 29 flights into and out of Tokyo on Friday. American Airlines canceled six flights en route to Tokyo on Friday, with some of the planes diverted to Anchorage, Alaska, and others to the Sapporo and Osaka airports in Japan. American Airlines, Delta and United have issued travel waivers for passengers flying to, from or through Japan in the next several days. The waivers will allow travelers to change their plans without a fee.


[11:07 a.m. ET, 1:07 a.m. Tokyo] At least 137 people were killed, 539 were injured and 351 were missing after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan on Friday, according to the Kyodo News Agency, citing police. Additionally, between 200 and 300 bodies have been found in the coastal city of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture following the subsequent tsunami that struck that area. The death toll is likely to rise as there are few casualty counts yet from the worst-hit areas.


[10:59 a.m. ET, 12:59 a.m. Tokyo] About 4 million homes had no power in Tokyo and surrounding areas.

[10:53 a.m. ET, 12:53 a.m. Tokyo] As the first light of dawn broke Friday in Hawaii, officials reported no significant damage from a series of tsunami waves that struck the islands after Japan's earthquake. Tsunami brought waves of nearly 7 feet to a harbor in Maui, authorities said, but other areas reported lower levels.

[10:42 a.m. ET, 12:42 a.m. Tokyo] A dam has broken in Fukushima prefecture, washing away scores of homes in the area, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported early Saturday.

[10:39 a.m. ET, 12:39 a.m. Tokyo] Video aired by NHK showed widespread fires in Hakodate in the southern part of Hokkaido island in northern Japan. An oil refinery was burning in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, according to NHK, and firefighters could not get close enough to fight it because of the heat. And Kyodo said fires could be seen in extensive areas of Kesennuma in Miyagi prefecture.

[10:33 a.m. ET, 12:33 a.m. Tokyo] Forecasters say waves are expected on the Oregon coast after 7 a.m. local time (10 a.m. ET). The predicted heights of the waves are as follows: Astoria, less than a foot; Clatsop Spit, 4.7 feet; Cannon Beach, 3.9 feet; Oceanside, 3.5 feet; Neskowin, 2.8 feet; Siletz Bay, 7.5 feet; Newport, 3.6 feet; Yachats, 3.9 feet; and Siuslaw River-Florence, 3.2 feet.

[10:15 a.m. ET, 12:15 a.m. Tokyo] Tsunami waves resulting from Japan's earthquake rolled onto the Hawaiian Islands about every 15 minutes Friday morning, bringing waves of nearly 7 feet to a harbor in Maui, authorities said. No significant damage had been reported two hours after the first waves arrived, but officials said they will know more after sunrise.


[10:13 a.m. ET, 12:13 a.m. Tokyo] The Japanese Defense Ministry is readying 300 aircraft and 40 ships to help with relief efforts, the Kyodo News agency reported Friday.


[10:11 a.m. ET, 12:11 a.m. Tokyo] Expected tsunami heights in California: Morro Bay, 3.9 feet; Port San Luis Harbor, 7.1 feet; Pismo Beach, 2.4 feet; Santa Maria, 3.3 feet; Santa Barbara, 1.6 feet; Ventura, 2.9 feet; Malibu, 1.2 feet; Santa Monica, 2.8 feet; Redondo Beach, 2.1 feet; San Pedro Harbor, 1.3 feet; Huntington Beach, 2.3 feet.


[9:53 a.m. ET, 11:53 p.m. Tokyo] Fire crews have been able to extinguish a fire at Japan's Onagawa nuclear plant, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.


[9:40 a.m. ET, 11:40 p.m. Tokyo] The toll in the Japan 8.9 quake stands at least 93 dead, 539 injures and 351 missing, according to Japan's National Police. Additionally, in Miyagi Prefecture, between 200 and 300 bodies have been found following the tsunami that hit that area.

[9:38 a.m. ET, 11:38 p.m. Tokyo] Officials are reporting one train derailment and loss of contact with another train in Miyagi prefecture in northern Japan, according to the Kyodo News Agency.

[9:37 a.m. ET, 11:37 p.m. Tokyo] 60,000 to 70,000 people were being evacuated to shelters in the Sendai area of Japan, according to Kyodo.

[9:06 a.m. ET, 11:06 p.m. Tokyo] The tsunami waves that have hit Hawaii "are not going to be a major damaging event" but will cause scattered damage, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Waves of nearly 8 feet have been reported Friday on the island of Maui.


[9:02 a.m. ET, 11:02 p.m. Tokyo] Hawaii could see waves as high as 8 feet in some areas and some resulting damage, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says.


[8:48 a.m. ET, 10:48 p.m. Tokyo] Police in Miyagi prefecture say between 200 to 300 bodies have been found in the coastal city of Sendai alone, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported late Friday.

[8:39 a.m. ET, 10:39 p.m. Tokyo] The National Weather Service said the waves could hit Oregon and California between 7:15 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. PT (10:15-10:30 a.m. ET).

[8:37 a.m. ET, 10:37 p.m. Tokyo] The first tsunami waves have reached the Hawaiian Islands following a massive earthquake in Japan, local authorities say.

[8:35 a.m. ET, 10:35 p.m. Tokyo] The toll following the major earthquake that hit Japan Friday stands at 64 dead and 57 missing, according to Japan's National Police.

[8:29 a.m. ET, 10:29 p.m. Tokyo] Some cooling functions at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant are not working and authorities are "bracing for the worst," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Friday. There is no danger to the environment, but authorities have ordered the evacuation of a few thousand people who live closest to the plant, the Kyodo News agency reported. Others who live nearby have been urged to stay indoors, Edano said.

[8:28 a.m. ET, 10:28 p.m. Tokyo] Watch a live stream from Hawaii.

[8:24 a.m. ET, 10:24 p.m. Tokyo] The Japan Meteorological Agency said it cannot rule out the possibility of more tsunamis hitting coastal areas in Japan.

[8:19 a.m. ET, 10:19 p.m. Tokyo] Indonesia's Bureau of Meteorology, Geophysics and Climatology has lifted its tsunami warning. Only 10 centimeter waves were reported in Bitung, Manado, North Sulawesi and Halmahera, Maluku, according to the bureau.

[8:15 a.m. ET, 10:15 p.m. Tokyo] Tsunami warning lifted for Guam; no damage reported.

[8:10 a.m. ET, 10:10 p.m. Tokyo] Japan's Chief Cabinet
Secretary Yukio Edano ordered the evacuation of a three-kilometer area
around the Fukushima nuclear reactor Friday.

[7:56 a.m. ET, 9:56 p.m. Tokyo] Live webcam on Kauai, where first wave expected at 8:07 ET. Waves could be as high as 10 feet in some areas of Hawaii.

[7:51 a.m. ET, 9:51 p.m. Tokyo] First tsunami could hit Kauai, Hawaii's westernmost main island at 8:07 ET, Coast Guard says.

[7:42 a.m. ET, 9:42 p.m. Tokyo] Japan has asked U.S. forces to help with relief efforts, the Kyodo News agency reported.

[7:35 a.m. ET, 9:35 p.m. Tokyo] Four Japanese nuclear power plants closest to the quake were safely shut down, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said. About 2,000 residents near the Fukushima nuclear power plant were being told to evacuate, Kyodo news service said.


[7:35 a.m. ET, 9:35 p.m. Tokyo] The U.S. State Department issues a travel alert for Japan, saying U.S. citizens should avoid travel there. The alert expires on April 1.

[7:28 a.m. ET, 9:28 p.m. Tokyo] The U.S. ambassador to Japan, John Roos, has moved a U.S. Embassy command center in Japan to an alternate location as a result of numerous aftershocks following a major earthquake in Japan, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said on Twitter.

[7:27 a.m. ET, 9:27 p.m. Tokyo] The death toll from the earthquake in Japan has risen to 59, the Kyodo News agency reported.

[7:23 a.m. ET, 9:23 p.m. Tokyo] The city of Honolulu says residents who are not ill are going to hospitals seeking shelter. It is asking them to go to hospitals only if they are ill as hospital do not have facilities for them. CNN affiliate KHON reports.

[7:15 a.m. ET, 9:15 p.m. Tokyo] From Matt Alt, a Tokyo resident, reporting on CNNGo: "Parts of both downtown and in the suburbs are without power. Aftershocks, smaller but still unsettling, continue to rock the area from time to time. As darkness falls over the city, only one thing is for sure. It's going to be a long night."

[7:12 a.m. ET, 9:12 p.m. Tokyo] Fires were burning at more than 80 locations in Japan after a massive earthquake, the country's Kyodo News agency reported.

[7:05 a.m. ET, 9:05 p.m. Tokyo] The death toll from an earthquake in Japan has risen to more than 50, the Kyodo News agency reported.

[7:01 a.m. ET, 9:01 p.m. Tokyo] Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington docked in Yokosuka, Japan, tell Stars and Stripes the force of the quake moved the 60,000-ton ship away from the pier.


[6:51 a.m. ET, 8:51 p.m. Tokyo] Hawaii's first tsunami impact may be felt at 3:07 a.m. local time (8:07 a.m. ET), according to Hawaii State Civil Defense, which issued a tsunami warning. Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle told CNN the city is planning for several contingencies, because it is not certain how large the waves could be and where they may rush inland.

[6:45 a.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. Tokyo] Hotel fire, building collapses reported by Japan's NHK TV.

[6:41 a.m. ET, 8:41 p.m. Tokyo] CNN International, citing Reuters news service, is reporting a ship with 100 people aboard has been swept away by the tsunami off Japan.

[6:23 a.m. ET, 8:23 p.m. Tokyo] All major commercial airports in the state of Hawaii have been closed, CNN affiliate KHON reports.

[6:17 a.m. ET, 8:17 p.m. Tokyo] The U.S. Navy air facility in Atsugi, Japan, is allowing commercial flights to land there in an effort to help commercial airports in Japan, military officials said.

[6:15 a.m. ET, 8:15 p.m. Tokyo] Japan government issues emergency declaration for nuclear power plant near Sendai. Plant having troubles with electrical system, CNN's Kyung Lah reports.

[6:11 a.m. ET, 8:11 p.m. Tokyo] President Obama sends condolences to people of Japan, says U.S. is ready to help in recovery.

[6:09 a.m. ET, 8:09 p.m. Tokyo] Officials fear that waves from a tsunami caused by the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan could be so high that they wash over entire islands in the Pacific, a spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said Friday.



[5:59 a.m. ET, 7:59 p.m. Tokyo] Gerard Fryer of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says a five-foot tsunami is being indicated by buoys at Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. A higher tsunami is expected in Hawaii, he tells CNN.

[5:54 a.m. ET, 7:54 p.m. Tokyo] The U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet says via Twitter that its ships at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, will remain in port.

[5:39 a.m. ET, 7:39 p.m. Tokyo] At least 32 people have been killed and numerous others injured, Japan's Kyodo news service reported.



50+ tsunami advisories icluding the east coast and hawaii

Hawaii tsunami waves


UPDATE: Tsunami waves expected at San Francisco any time now...
Tsunamy wave chart:
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UPDATE 2: 137+ death confirmed and bodies are still appearing.... :$
UPDATE 3: Japan declared NUCLEAR State of emergency bcuz of an affected reactor...


UPDATE 4: Nuclear reactor wont cool down and risk of a meltdown is possible...
UPDATE 5:Vid of a refinery that exploded this morning..

UPDATE 6: Dam near the Fukushima area bursted 1,000+ homes destroyed..
UPDATE 7: Sea levels on California very low expect tsunami waves soon...

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* Epic Images from Japan *if u want another image added pm me it and I will post it.
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UPDATE 8: Sea getting very rought on San francisco,expect tsunami waves...
UPDATE 9: Obama said that he is "confident" that Japan will be rebuilt...

***Tsunami warnings chart:
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UPDATE 10: Nuclear reactor on Fukushima not cooling down risk of radiation leak very inminent....
UPDATE 11: 80,000+ people lost & 250+ deaths confirmed.....

thats would be scary if it was 1000 x infact even having a little quake would be scary

This is terrible

There was an earthquake in iceland like 2-3 weeks ago but only at 4.1 so i am lucky

ur right m8! on dec. 24 2010 a 4.3 quake shook my home at Puerto Rico. It was a bit scary and I did not slept the whole night bcuz I was waiting aftershoks lol!!

if i was in the earthquake i would probs i was gonna die

think thats what everyone thought at first

president Obama is going to hold a press conference about the quake now.. tune in to CNN if u want to see it

oh man that would've been scary, did your house get destroyed :O?

Isn't this like nearly what happened in the movie 2012?

Each number on the Richter scale is 10 times bigger than the last. So a 5 is 10 times bigger than a 4. So the guy who has a 4.3 earth quake, it's about fifty times the size of what you had...