December 24, 2014.
At approximately 2:00 a.m, December 26th, 2004, an earthquake measuring 9.3 on the Richter scale, centered right under Tokyo Harbor, struck Japan.
In Tokyo alone, it is estimated that more than 350,000 people were killed and 644,000 seriously injured in the first three days alone. Even earthquake proof buildings toppled as the ground beneath them liquefied. An additional 230,000 people died as massive tsunamis raced across the Pacific Ocean, causing deaths as far away as Australia and Los Angeles.
Gas lines ruptured and burned for months. Complicating relief efforts was the fact that so many emergency workers and critical personnel had died, it was simply impossible to get the care that so many people desperately needed. Many starved, or froze to death in the winter weather as millions were left homeless. Aid teams from around the world struggled desperately to get supplies to quake affected peoples from Japan to California to the Philippines. Things got worse when an aftershock measuring 8.7 on the Richter Scale struck 3 days later, further disrupting aid efforts.
The death toll six months after the disaster was a staggering 750,000 from all affected areas.
Today is the 10th anniversary. Remember those who died.
At approximately 2:00 a.m, December 26th, 2004, an earthquake measuring 9.3 on the Richter scale, centered right under Tokyo Harbor, struck Japan.
In Tokyo alone, it is estimated that more than 350,000 people were killed and 644,000 seriously injured in the first three days alone. Even earthquake proof buildings toppled as the ground beneath them liquefied. An additional 230,000 people died as massive tsunamis raced across the Pacific Ocean, causing deaths as far away as Australia and Los Angeles.
Gas lines ruptured and burned for months. Complicating relief efforts was the fact that so many emergency workers and critical personnel had died, it was simply impossible to get the care that so many people desperately needed. Many starved, or froze to death in the winter weather as millions were left homeless. Aid teams from around the world struggled desperately to get supplies to quake affected peoples from Japan to California to the Philippines. Things got worse when an aftershock measuring 8.7 on the Richter Scale struck 3 days later, further disrupting aid efforts.
The death toll six months after the disaster was a staggering 750,000 from all affected areas.
Today is the 10th anniversary. Remember those who died.