Japan Earthquake & Tsunami - March 11, 2011

Note:  Videos are located primarily at bottom of page...

Massive 9.1 Earthquake in Japan – Epicenter located 231 miles northeast of Tokyo…more than 50 aftershocks...tsunami hits coast only 9 minutes later

Official death toll at 7,000....Estimates of much higher, with entire cities wiped out...Fears grown in Town with 10,000 people missing

Japan earthquake latest: Cruise ship and bullet train go missing…

NUCLEAR PLANTS Update:

(VIDEO) Hydrogen explosion at Fukushima nuclear reactor after Japan quake-tsunami

How serious was this explosion?  According to the Wall Street Journal, radiation levels just after this explosion (and as measured right outside the reactor) rose to 1,015 microsievert.  This is the equivalent of being exposed to the maximum allowable radiation level for a full year....but in a single day.  The WSJ article notes that the level has since come down sharply.  A visual depiction of this is included below, including the additional cancer risk that such radiation exposure might cause:

depiction from dailymail article

How many reactors does Japan have?  56 nuclear reactors, providing about 20% of the nation's energy.  11 of these 56 reactors were shut down as a result of the earthquake.  From WSJ article

photo from dailymail article

(Interactive)  How a nuclear reactor shuts down and what happens in a nuclear meltdown

Just hours to prevent possible nuclear meltdown…several Japanese nuclear reactors at high risk due to power loss from earthquake…

PICTURES AND VIDEO 

Large PICTURES & IMAGES of the tsunami and resulting damage from Japan Earthquake

Video from Japanese news helicopter of tsunami wave as it hits shore (Youtube, NHK Japanese news)

Port town of Kamaishi struck by huge tsunami waves

Residents of Kamaishi watched in horror as the huge tsunami waves sweep away cars, buildings, and homes in their home town. 

 Video #2 of Japanese Earthquake – from CNN

Video #3 of Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami – from Reuters and The Guardian

NOAA Map Showing Path of Tsunami Wave across the Pacific Ocean

Map Showing Epicenter of Earthquake (from NPR news)

Epicenter located approximately 231 miles northeast of Tokyo, Japan