Here is my summary of the Japan disaster so far
Dear readers
(and you are dear)
Sorry about the silence. I just haven't been able to bring myself to post since Friday.
I'm still shocked and upset, but I guess it's time to keep moving on. If twitter is anything to go by, that's what the Japanese have been doing, because we can't hold on to sadness or it will hold on to us.
I was very lucky in that most of my friends live in the south of Japan and weren't affected at all, and I've heard back from everyone I know in Tokyo - all safe and sound. It seems the earthquake, which has been bumped up to a 9.0, really didn't do much damage and life returned to normal very quickly for those who experienced the quake.
But every time I see pictures of the tsunami I just want to burst in to tears.
I hate that the news reporters' commentary on that footage focuses on the buildings being completely destroyed and washed away, which is just amazing, but each building had a person inside. A person who has most likely died one of the most terrifying deaths, of being drowned and crushed with no escape and only ten minutes warning between the earthquake and the wave arriving.
The last death toll I heard was 800 and still expected to rise, and 10,000 people missing around the Miyagi prefecture - I don't know if they are expecting to actually find any of those people alive.
On top of that, hundreds of thousands of homes have been destroyed, and that number of people again are displaced, even in places with minor quake damage (while buildings' structural integrity is being assessed), not to mention everyone who has been evacuated near the failing nuclear power plants.
Because there wasn't enough going on here already.
The plant at Fukushima is still venting radio-active steam above legal levels and is suspected to have had at least one core melt-down with the possibility of still actually exploding, in which case it would affect more than just the 15km or so radius of already evacuated people, and reach as far as Tokyo. There are another one or two plants also experiencing meltdowns and minor explosions and fires, too.
Japan is enforcing rolling blackouts (where areas basically take turns having no power) to conserve power, and are also now having to grapple with the stock market to ensure they aren't completely economically pummelled too.
So yeah, no cheery lj posts for a while.
But Kaya has been chirping about his concerts and new releases, and Calico Cat Cafe has been posting photos of cute kitties, so I guess I have no excuse, other than I lost my saved draft.
(Miyavi, the champion, has been retweeting all the helpful information he can, and is planning to actively do something to help with his company.)
For now, if you want to keep up with Japan,
Breaking News has a website dedicated to their tweets about Japan, or you can follow their unfiltered (i.e. not just about Japan, but also the horrible troubles happening in Libya, etc) tweets @BreakingNews. Al Jazeera also has similar news reporting going on - I've forgotten their dedicated page, google it (or ask narcolepticnemu), but their English twitter is @AJEnglish.
Anyway,
Stay safe everyone.
*hugs*
Oh, I forgot to add, here is a very short link explaining that the money you are donating to Japan right now isn't actually going to them yet since they haven't asked for aid. It is either going into funds preparing for when they do ask for it, or is going to help whichever other causes in need your chosen non-profit organisation is aiding. Not necessarily good or bad, just good to know.
(and you are dear)
Sorry about the silence. I just haven't been able to bring myself to post since Friday.
I'm still shocked and upset, but I guess it's time to keep moving on. If twitter is anything to go by, that's what the Japanese have been doing, because we can't hold on to sadness or it will hold on to us.
I was very lucky in that most of my friends live in the south of Japan and weren't affected at all, and I've heard back from everyone I know in Tokyo - all safe and sound. It seems the earthquake, which has been bumped up to a 9.0, really didn't do much damage and life returned to normal very quickly for those who experienced the quake.
But every time I see pictures of the tsunami I just want to burst in to tears.
I hate that the news reporters' commentary on that footage focuses on the buildings being completely destroyed and washed away, which is just amazing, but each building had a person inside. A person who has most likely died one of the most terrifying deaths, of being drowned and crushed with no escape and only ten minutes warning between the earthquake and the wave arriving.
The last death toll I heard was 800 and still expected to rise, and 10,000 people missing around the Miyagi prefecture - I don't know if they are expecting to actually find any of those people alive.
On top of that, hundreds of thousands of homes have been destroyed, and that number of people again are displaced, even in places with minor quake damage (while buildings' structural integrity is being assessed), not to mention everyone who has been evacuated near the failing nuclear power plants.
Because there wasn't enough going on here already.
The plant at Fukushima is still venting radio-active steam above legal levels and is suspected to have had at least one core melt-down with the possibility of still actually exploding, in which case it would affect more than just the 15km or so radius of already evacuated people, and reach as far as Tokyo. There are another one or two plants also experiencing meltdowns and minor explosions and fires, too.
Japan is enforcing rolling blackouts (where areas basically take turns having no power) to conserve power, and are also now having to grapple with the stock market to ensure they aren't completely economically pummelled too.
So yeah, no cheery lj posts for a while.
But Kaya has been chirping about his concerts and new releases, and Calico Cat Cafe has been posting photos of cute kitties, so I guess I have no excuse, other than I lost my saved draft.
(Miyavi, the champion, has been retweeting all the helpful information he can, and is planning to actively do something to help with his company.)
For now, if you want to keep up with Japan,
Breaking News has a website dedicated to their tweets about Japan, or you can follow their unfiltered (i.e. not just about Japan, but also the horrible troubles happening in Libya, etc) tweets @BreakingNews. Al Jazeera also has similar news reporting going on - I've forgotten their dedicated page, google it (or ask narcolepticnemu), but their English twitter is @AJEnglish.
Anyway,
Stay safe everyone.
*hugs*
Oh, I forgot to add, here is a very short link explaining that the money you are donating to Japan right now isn't actually going to them yet since they haven't asked for aid. It is either going into funds preparing for when they do ask for it, or is going to help whichever other causes in need your chosen non-profit organisation is aiding. Not necessarily good or bad, just good to know.