日本地震-英语版

• I'm on the 36F of Izumi Garden Tower in Tokyo. Earlier I saw a massive fire from behind Tokyo Tower and the Rainbow Bridge. The way this building swayed was surreal. Internet is up, cell lines are down, land lines working, trains and subways are stopped. My office window overlooks the embassy of Sweeden and Spain, and I see scores of diplomats gathered outside. I can only imagine what if felt like for those closer to the epicenter. Everyone stay safe!
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Thousands of homes were destroyed, many roads were impassible, trains and buses were not running, and power and cellphones remained down in the region. Japanese officials on Saturday issued broad evacuation orders for people living in the vicinity of two separate nuclear power plants that had experienced breakdowns in their cooling systems as a result of the earthquake, and warned that small amounts of radiation could leak from both plants
Japan's earthquake
11/03/2011
Report from NYtimes
Quake and Tsunami Leave Wake of Destruction Across Northern Japan
• Rescuers struggled to reach survivors on Saturday morning as Japan reeled after an earthquake and a tsunami struck in deadly tandem. An 8.9-magnitude earthquake, the strongest ever recorded in Japan, set off a devastating tsunami that sent walls of water washing over coastal cities in the north. Concerns mounted over possible radiation leaks from two nuclear plants near the earthquake zone
• Here in Hawaii we have had tsunami warnings and sirens blowing. There are long lines at the gas stations and bottled water has flown out of the stores. We are tentatively expecting water rise over six feet around all islands and people are being evacuated out of potential flood zones. The phones are jammed and people are being asked to stay off the phone and leave the streets clear for emergency traffic as we prepare. Imagine the concerns of the hotels in Waikiki fortunately there are long standing plans and procedures and drill exercises have been done.
• I am an international student from NYC living in Tokyo. I am very nauseated because the ground keeps on shaking here. We are stranded in center Tokyo because all the trains have stopped working. My university cancelled afternoon classes but many students here can not get home. My cell phone is the only one I know that works, thank you softbank prepaid. Chiba is having big problems with fire because of an oil rig and north of here in Ibaraki there is massive flooding. Sendai's airport has been hit really badly. Narita internaional airport (Japan's biggest airport) has also been hit. There has been no tsunami in Tokyo though
• Rescuers found 870 people in one elementary school on Saturday morning and were trying to reach 1,200 people in the junior high school, closer to the water. There was no electricity and no water for people in shelters. According to a newspaper, the Mainichi Shimbun, about 600 people were on the roof of a public grade school, in Sendai City. By Saturday morning, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and firefighters had evacuated about 150 of them
• On Friday, at 2:46 p.m. Tokyo time, the quake struck. First came the roar and rumble of the temblor(earthquake), shaking skyscrapers, toppling furniture and buckling highways. Then waves as high as 30 feet rushed onto shore, whisking(removing) away cars and carrying blazing(burning) buildings toward factories, fields and highways. • By Saturday morning, Japan was filled with scenes of desperation, as stranded survivors called for help and rescuers searched for people buried in the rubble. Kazushige Itabashi, an official in Natori City, one of the areas hit hardest by the tsunami, said that several districts in an area near the Sendai airport had been annihilated(destroyed).
• While the loss of life and property may yet be considerable, many lives were certainly saved by Japan’s extensive disaster preparedness and strict construction codes. Japan’s economy was spared a more devastating blow because the earthquake hit far from its industrial heartland. • Japanese officials on Saturday issued broad evacuation orders for people living in the vicinity of (near) two separate nuclear power plants that had experienced breakdowns in their cooling systems as a result of the earthquake, and they warned that small amounts of radiation could leak from both plants.
• The death toll was in the hundreds, but Japanese media quoted government officials as saying that it would almost certainly rise to more than 1,000. About 200 to 300 bodies were found along the waterline in Sendai, a port city in the 百度文库ortheastern part of the country and the closest major city to the epicenter
Reader's comment
• I am only on 14F of a 17F building in Iidabashi. It is a fairly old building, but it swayed gracefully absorbing the tremors, although long enough to induce a certain queasy feeling - walking along the corridor was a bit like being on a boat. The main problem has been bookcases toppling, spilling their contents, and light fixtures coming adrift from ceilings. The maintainance team is already at work refixing the lights, even as the building continues to sway intermittently(unregularly). For most of the Japanese colleagues, this is about as severe and prolonged as they have ever experienced, but there is a calm, good-humour.