Tsunami Anniversary

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 03/10/2016 at 16:21 • Filed to: None

5

35

Tomorrow is the 5th anniversary of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and the devastating tsunami that struck Japan following a magnitude 9.0 earthquake under the Pacific Ocean. It was the most powerful recorded earthquake to strike japan, and the ensuing tsunami killed nearly 16,000 people. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! has a powerful photo essay about the tsunami and ensuing devastation.

This particularly terrifying photo shows Toya Chiba, a reporter for a local newspaper, being swept away by the tsunami. He survived by grabbing a dangling rope and climbing onto a coal heap after being swept about 100 yards by the raging waters. He was one of the lucky ones.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Matt Nichelson > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 16:23

2

Hard to believe it has already been 5 years since that happened. I remember watching all the videos when it first occurred and couldn’t believe how bad it was.

ttyymmnn > Matt Nichelson 03/10/2016 at 16:25

3

What’s even more amazing is to see the after photos. The Japanese are a remarkably industrious people, and they got that place squared away in a hurry.

http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-ja…

Jcarr > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 16:26

3

This ship that got moved way inland has always blown my mind.

TheHondaBro > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 16:28

0

Terrible tragedy. I remember reading the news articles about it back in high school.

And if I’m not mistaken, this is the biggest reason why the NSX took so long.

ttyymmnn > Jcarr 03/10/2016 at 16:29

4

And this:

ttyymmnn > TheHondaBro 03/10/2016 at 16:30

1

There’s always a Jalop angle....

;)

TheHondaBro > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 16:32

1

Well it’s because most of the Japan-based corporations had to scramble to make up for their losses after the tsunami.

Nauraushaun > TheHondaBro 03/10/2016 at 16:38

1

I think focusing on the NSX isn’t showing the whole story. It seems this nearly destroyed Honda entirely, they’re still yet to make a full comeback from aging models they don’t have the resources to replace.

Nauraushaun > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 16:39

0

Without wishing to make too much light of this, that photo also shows a poor Liberty/Legacy turbo!

Shane MacGowan's Teeth > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 16:39

1

I’m not impressed it got moved that far. I’m impressed with whoever built that house.

TheHondaBro > Nauraushaun 03/10/2016 at 16:39

1

Oh yeah, I know it had a much larger impact on them, but the NSX is a relevant example, considering everyone likes to bitch about how it took a long time to make.

RallyWrench > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 16:41

2

Horrible, and they’re still fighting Fukushima tooth and nail. I live within the flood range of the Pacific and less than 10 miles from a nuclear plant, and this comes to mind regularly. If I could change one thing about my house it wouldn’t be garage size or remodeling anything. It’d be elevation, because this scares the shit out of me.

Steve in Manhattan > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 16:45

1

SigOther is on a plane to Tokyo ... I always worry when she’s there.

ttyymmnn > Steve in Manhattan 03/10/2016 at 16:49

0

I worry when my wife drives to work every day. I can only imagine.

ttyymmnn > RallyWrench 03/10/2016 at 16:50

1

I’m beginning to believe that the greatest threat to mankind isn’t the nuclear bomb it’s nuclear power. We dodged a bullet with Chernobyl, and Fukusihima is far from stable. It’s really only a matter time before one of these things gets completely unstoppable.

ttyymmnn > Nauraushaun 03/10/2016 at 16:51

1

As I said to somebody else who commented on the delay of the NSX, there’s always a Jalop angle to be found. But I get your point.

RallyWrench > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 17:05

0

Either that or climate change, which itself creates problems with existing nuclear power stations. We dodged a bullet with Three Mile Island too. I’m all for alternative energy sources, and I understand many in the environmental movement advocate nuclear because it’s basically carbon neutral, but I’m old enough to remember Chernobyl. Yes, it’s different technology than our reactors, and new reactors and controls are supposed to be safer and more efficient with their fuel, but I have a hard time with it. The spent-fuel pools at the nearby plant are nearly if not totally full, and above-ground storage casks are on site. There’s nowhere to put this stuff, so it just sits outside. Yucca Mountain didn’t work out, and the strategy for spent fuel just seems to be to sweep it under the rug. Also, there’s a fault a few miles offshore of the plant that was undiscovered or ignored before its construction in the 70's that has been determined capable of something like a 6.0 quake. Furthermore, its permits are expiring and PG&E has been found to falsify information towards getting them renewed. So I’m not too confident. Every other nuke plant on the West coast has been shut down.

ttyymmnn > RallyWrench 03/10/2016 at 17:09

2

I had forgotten about TMI, but I remember that well. I just don’t see how nuke power is sustainable in the long run, for all the reasons you mentioned. I’m a pretty green guy, and I get the arguments for, but it seems that the potential environmental catastrophe would far outweigh the potential benefits.

RallyWrench > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 17:12

1

This, exactly.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 17:19

0

I was in the Philippines when this earthquake hit. turns out by dumb luck that the very day of the event I was in a very remote location with no access to internet or phones. When I got back to the mainland I must of had 150 missed calls and hundreds of emails. Nothing was affected in the Cebu area but once I called my old man back he was crying like a madman. I was like I understand you were concerned but for godsake at least give it 24 hours before you presume me dead I wasn’t even in the same country as the tsunami for crying out loud.

Matt Nichelson > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 17:20

1

The one with the boat on top of the building always got to me. They’ve really come a long way since then.

ttyymmnn > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 03/10/2016 at 17:21

0

And they say that Americans are bad at geography....

Seriously, though, I’m sorry your old man had to go through that. Still...

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 17:22

0

I’ve said this quite a few times. IMO Tidal energy is where it’s at.

ttyymmnn > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 03/10/2016 at 17:26

0

Texas, and many other states, are selling out to wind. I routinely drive from Austin to Abilene, and there is already a wind farm west of Abilene with literally thousands of turbines spinning away, and more are popping up every time I go up that way. I’m not crazy about the way they look, and there are arguments that they are responsible for many bird deaths, but even as much of a bird fan as I am, I’d rather have wind turbines than spent fuel, radioactive water, and the real possibility of a catastrophic meltdown.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 17:27

0

That is absolutely fucking amazing! but a question is there a reason the big ship is still there?

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 17:29

0

in all fairness the Philippines was under a tsunami warning at the time. but nothing ever actually happened.

ttyymmnn > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 03/10/2016 at 17:30

0

Too hard to move? I don’t know. Those photos are also three years old. My question is, “Where did they put all the debris??”

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 17:33

1

No matter what there is a price to pay and something and/or someone will die.

The birds are not any safer with oil as a solution. This happened in just one city in Canada.

Syncrude, which operates one of the biggest oilsands sites north of Fort McMurray, was fined $3 million for the deaths of more than 1,600 ducks when they landed on its tailings pond in 2008.

In November 2014, about 30 birds died after landing on a tailings pond at Syncrude’s Mildred Lake facility. In total, 122 waterfowl died after landing on three sites, including the CNRL Horizon facility and Suncor Energy’s tailings pond.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 17:34

1

That is a good point as Japan is already very limited in space. I really do wonder what they did with all that stuff.

ttyymmnn > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 03/10/2016 at 17:36

0

Our way of life is, indeed, a trade off. Ever see the movie Koyaanisqatsi ?

ttyymmnn > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 03/10/2016 at 17:37

0

I think the west coast of North America was, too.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 03/10/2016 at 19:52

1

My brother-in-law says that nuclear isn’t the problem, but that it’s managed by humans. Who will allow greed to dictate decisions.

As far as Fukushima, I was surprised. I always assumed the Japanese were just squared away. Like they had a clue about stuff.

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/10/2016 at 20:01

1

Exactly. It’s easier to understand something like this happening in Russia, but not so much in Japan. But IIRC, there were allegations about problems with the clean up, so it’s possible that the operation was never that squared away in the first place.

Wheelerguy > ttyymmnn 03/11/2016 at 00:40

1

Ah, the life of those who live in the Ring of Fire. When I saw the news of that the video feed just stunned me. The rush of water and debris... frankly, the earthquake itself isn’t a whole lot to write home about—even a 9 is something Japan can deal with quickly, efficiently, and with next-to-no loss of life (they’ve learned from Kobe). But... look at how far the wave went, and how strong!

There’s a documentary I watched a year ago contrasting Japan’s brush with disaster to Philippines’ own, in the latter’s case, Typhoon Haiyan. As heart-rending as the stories are on the Japan chapter, I’m more stunned and worried at how the fucking hell can we Filipinos withstand another big-ass shitstorm.

It’s a good thing both countries get to experience this head-on. If there’s anyone who can buddy-up for this, it’s Japan and the Philippines.

NJAnon > ttyymmnn 03/11/2016 at 20:17

1

I remember that one and the one before it that hit Malaysia(?). The video back then helped for me because I would have never guessed water could rise that high and sweep people away.

That one clip of the guy holding onto a stair railing while people were trying to help him up and unable to was too real.