Nocere – Earth Disasters

A massive earthquake in Japan, the strongest one that has hit Japan for the last 100 years, hit at 2:46 pm local time.

There have been at least 50 countries that have released tsunami alerts due to the earthquake.

Across the area there were walls of water forcing their way over rice fields, swallowing up towns, and pulling dwellings out into highways. Cars and boats were swept away and thrown around like they were mere toys.

There were automobiles on bridges that plunged  into the raging waters below. Boats were being tossed around into the bridges and other boats.

Fires were started at 80 or more places.

The death toll will continue to rise. Many are missing and the exact numbers at this time are unknown.

A nuclear plant in the area of the quake and has been vacated and shut down the best they could.  At this time there is no problem with it. They are only taking precautions.

The starting point of the quake was found to be off the shore line about 231 miles from Tokyo.

After shocks continue to strike fear into the people living there. At this time there have been over 30 of them. The worst was a 7.1.

There were close to 4 million dwelling having no electrical power in Tokyo and the outskirt areas at the time of this report.

The size of this earthquake was bigger then anyone ever expected to hit Japan.

Due to the size, tsunami warnings had to be sent out to other coastal areas that were near where the quake began.

Philippines was suppose to be hit in the early morning hours. Alerts had been sent to prepare them.

Other nations alerted were Russia, Indonesia, Central America, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Hawaii. Sirens were set off in Hawaii in the early morning hours. Alerts have also been issued for the western coasts of the US and Canada.

This earthquake is the 5th most powerful quake to hit since 1900 and the strongest one since then for Japan.

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The Prime Minister Of New Zealand, John Key has announced that there are 10,000 dwellings in Christchurch that will not be able to be built again following the February 22nd earthquake. There were 100,000 that were damaged.
He also proclaimed a national remembrance day on March 18th, with gatherings planned for Christchurch’s Hagley Park.
The Treasury department announced on Sunday that the rebuilding cost of the earthquake would cost New Zealand $15bn.

There was a sigh or relief when members of the rescue team searching through the debris from the tower of the Cathedral in Christchurch, found no victims.
At this time the total who perished in the quake is at 166 but could go as high as 200.
The bodies found are being identified by fingerprints, DNA and dental x-rays. Sometimes personal things can help identify a person, such as a watch, or a necklace they are known to wear.
Identifying all the bodies could take a long time. The relatives waiting to hear the news of a loved one are troubled as they wait. Dealing with the emotions that will surface once the dreaded news has been given them.
A lot of precautions are being taken to be sure that the right body is returned to the right family. This happened in a previous disaster and there is no desire of a repeat situation.
Many historic buildings and dwellings will have to be torn down.
The soil in parts of Christchurch has deteriorated because of the increase silt and water that has been started by the earthquake. This has resulted in the soil not being stable enough to build on.
A privately owned building material company has started doing emergency repairs to homes as their part of helping out with the earthquake relief efforts.
The people who live in the central zone areal of Christchurch has just now been permitted access back to their homes to view the damages to their homes.
It is planned to have the power back on at 99% of the homes in the city by Monday late night.

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In New Zealand, rescue teams continue to search through the rubble for survivors from the earthquake that ripped through Christchurch. Some buildings crumbled to the ground while others lost large parts falling on the streets and sidewalks next to them.

The death toll has risen to 75 now with only 55 being identified. Hundreds of people have still not been found.

Included in the missing are 10 Japanese students that are thought to trapped beneath the debris at the King’s Education College.

Rescue operations are going on continuously with the workers using floodlights during the night. They found a number of people trapped in buildings and pulled them out.

There were 22 rescued from the PPG building, 2 of them suffering serious injuries. 22 others are believed to be still trapped in the debris.

Another 8 were rescued out of the CTV building.

Even with these rescues, there are yet many still missing.

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The earth shook and one resident said it was like trying to walk on jelly when he went out into the streets as the 6.3 quake ripped through Christchurch, New Zealand.

At this time, there are 66 known to have died in the quake. It is possible that there could be many more as people search through the rubble.

The quake hit on Tuesday afternoon right before 1pm. That is 7pm on Monday EST. Close to 15 minutes after the quake shook the area, an after shock of 5.6 struck. Yet another after shock of 5.5 hit close to 3pm local time.

The deadly earthquake took out buildings, some fell on to buses traveling on the street, roads broke up and churches were damaged.

There were people on two of the buses that were smashed by falling debris of buildings.

One witness described the windows bursting out, and bricks coming down as people were screaming.

The airport has been closed down to out going and incoming flights in Christchurch.

The hospital there is being evacuated.

The phone lines are down and water mains are spilling water into the streets.

The Christchurch’s 106 year old Cathedral received heavy damage. The tower collapsed and possibly half of the church itself collapsed.

People were trying to get out of the area as quickly as they could. Ones that were able to were trying to reach higher ground as fears of a tsunami set in.

Getting out of the area wasn’t easy as the roadways were buckled and full of debris from buildings.

Many were just getting things together after experiencing the 7.1 quake in September.

Two churches were still being repaired from the previous quake.

It’s a real nightmare for everyone.

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There were 200 dwellings damaged in the SW province of Pakistan. An earthquake ranking in the 7.2 range hit the area on Wednesday.

The homes  mostly made  up of mud bricks that were messed up, were the  ones nearest to the center  area of the earthquake.

The earthquake was 52 miles deep and the center of it was 200 miles on the southeastern side of Quetta close to Kharan, Balochistan.

There are hundreds of needed items such as blankets and meals that are ready to be eaten by residents have been sent to the area.

It happened around 1:23am on Wednesday while residents were in their beds sleeping.

At this time there have been no deaths reported.

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A stampede during a celebration killed 339 people and wounded 329.

The celebration was taking place in Cambodia’s capital city of Phnon Penh.

There were over 4 million visitors at the Water Festival at the time of the stampede.

At approximately 10 pm, a stampede started as an over loaded suspension bridge began to swing a bit from all the people on it. People got scared, a stampede started. There were even cases of people jumping off the bridge into the water below.

To keep people moving, the police had been firing a water cannon towards the bridge and an island in the middle of the river. This also contributed to the panic.

Some people may have fell into the water after becoming unsciousness. Others could have received electrical shocks from the lights on the bridge. Possibly some were electrocuted.

The government doesn’t believe anyone was actually electrocuted.

A doctor, who wants to remain anonymous, stated that the main cause most of them died was due to suffocation and being electrocuted.

It is a 3 day celebration where there are lots of activities. The people attending the celebration pray for a good rice crop, ample rainfall and they observe the full moon.

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The confirmed deaths from the Indonesian earthquake which triggered a tsunami and then an unrelated volcano eruption has reached 311. There are still 412 missing.

It is very possible that the death tolls could go higher as more victims are found.

Mount Merapi is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes.

The volcano spit out hot ash and lava which took the lives of possibly over 33 people.

The volcano erupted again this past Monday once again sending out it’s deadly ash and lava.

People living on the sides of the volcano had to flee for their lives once again.

The earthquake that preceded the volcano eruption last week triggered a deadly tsunami.

Pictures taken from the air are showing large areas of land under water and homes that are in bits and pieces from the tsunami’s wave.

The tsunami swept away entire villages leaving a wake of destruction and numerous deaths.

Rescue operations are now underway. The bad weather and roughness of the sea prevented any earlier rescue relief from getting to the people.

Much needed aide and supplies has been flown in to help the residents.

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An earthquake hit just off of Sumatra on Monday killing at least 112 people. It was a 7.7 magnitude. A tsunami was also triggered and there are 502 people still yet missing.

It is possible that after the tsunami was started that many of the still missing people could have ran for higher ground and will be found at a later time.

A witness in West Sumatra is reported as stating that they saw a wave nearly 20 feet in height and others are saying there were 10 foot waves.

A village of about 200 residents has been washed away according to Satoko the head of the Mentawai Islands parliament. Only about 40 residents have been located.

A tourist boat with 8 to 10 Australian tourists on board was a first missing but has now been found. All the Australian tourist are said to be alright.

Possibly the island that took the worst hit was the Mentawai Islands. It is well known for surfing.

Information is only coming in a bit at a time as the area hit was the remote areas of Indonesia and mainly islands.

The quake happened at 9:42pm on Monday night.

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