Current Events

So far, I have not done any blogging about current events.  But I decided that since this is my "electronic diary" for my family, I would include some b/c I also want to remember what was happening here and around the world too.  Sometimes, these events may simply be interesting, but this one is devastating.

A 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan on Friday, March 11th.  It is the 5th largest earthquake in recorded history (since 1900 when record keeping began) and the largest ever in Japan.  It caused a tsunami that devastated parts of Japan.  The tsunami was 30 feet tall and ravaged the eastern coast of Japan near the town of Sendai.  That tsunami weakened as it traveled across the Pacific Ocean, but it still managed to do minor damage to parts of the U.S. West Coast and caused one US death when a man was pulled out to sea while trying to photograph it.  

Now, a week after the disaster, the death toll in Japan has reached over 6,500 and over 10,000 are missing.  One town, a fishing village right on the coast, was completely wiped out and more than half of its residents are dead or missing.  Rescue efforts are beyond difficult, but some survivors are being found.  One survivor was found floating on his roof nine miles out to sea.  However, the hope of finding survivors dwindles as time passes.  

The devastation is hard to comprehend.  I have watched so many videos and seen so many pictures, yet I know that I still cannot take in what the devastation is really like.

A nuclear power plant (the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant) near the coast was very hard hit during the earthquake and following tsunami.  It is currently the biggest fear (and in the forefront of the media coverage) because a partial meltdown has probably occurred and it is leaking radiation.  Its power supply and back-up power supply were both destroyed in the disaster and for days now, the Japanese have been trying all sorts of ways to keep the rods and core cool.  There have been explosions and fires at the sight.  They have been pumping in sea water to try to keep the reactors cool.  The latest report is that they are using helicopters to dump water on it...this is seen as almost a last ditch effort.  The power company is hoping to be able to restore power soon by running a very long power cable to the plant.  They are hoping to have power restored over the weekend, but still don't know if the pumps can/will even work once they have power b/c they may have been so damaged by the quake and tsunami.  The areas around the stricken plant are showing higher and higher levels of radiation and the evacuation radius continues to get larger.  There are workers at the sight who are trying to restore power and keep the reactors cool...they are seen as "Samurai Warriors" and are likely being exposed to very high levels of radiation...they are literally sacrificing themselves.  


This earthquake moved the island of Japan 8 (some reports say the shift may be as much as 13) feet.  It also shifted the Earth on its axis by about 6.5 inches...which has caused the Earth to rotate faster and shortened the day by 1.8 millionths of a second.  It is amazing and slightly unnerving to me.


I do not pretend to understand what all this may or may not mean according to scripture...but we as a human population are experiencing more natural disasters...tsunamis and earthquakes...at least it seems to me.  Maybe I'll do some research to see if the Earth's natural activity is really increasing.  What I do know and believe is that God is still in control and sovereign over all things...I do not understand the "why" of it all.  I do believe that these natural disasters, however, provide an opportunity for Christ to be seen by the world...through prayer and aid.  I pray that the Lord who controls the heavens and the earth will be clearly seen and will no longer be denied by this world that He loves so dearly.  Every day is a day closer to His return.


God bless~
Rach


Here's some quick info I found...interesting~

The tsunami in Indonesia in 2006 claimed over 200,000 lives.  Here are just some of the big natural disasters just since 2010...Haiti 7.0 quake (Jan), Chile 8.8 M (Feb), Turkey 6.1 M (March), China 6.9 (April), Indonesia 7.0 (June), Indonesia 7.7 (Oct)...there were 22 earthquakes 7.0M or higher recorded around the world in 2010 and 2010 ended with over 2,100 earthquakes 5.0M or higher.  By comparison, there were 1,505 quakes 5.0M or higher in 2000 and 1,844 in 2005.  In the past decade, 2007 ranks the highest in recorded quakes with 2,270 5.0M or higher earthquakes.  

There are have already been at least 6 quakes measuring 7.0M or higher around the world this year.  There was a 7.2 M quake about 100 miles of the coast of Sendai, Japan just 2 days before the devastating 9.0M quake.  The one in February in New Zealand measured 6.3M.  


Well, got off on a tangent there...I love researching statistics...I know I'm weird.  I am praying for Japan...my heart just feels heavy as I watch the situation unfold.