Japanese Quake/Tsunami and current Tsunami warnings...
A magnitude 8.9 earthquake has hit Japan, generating a massive tsunami along its north coast, which looked like it caused significant damage. The force of the wave was... astonishing. According to the USGS, there are widespread tsunami warnings for numerous countries.
For me personally, the USGS indicates that there is a tsunami watch in effect for the coastal areas of California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska from the California-Mexico border to Chignik Bay, Alaska. I suppose this information will be updated once the wave is assessed as it crosses the Pacific. I live on the coast of California. If a tsunami hits California, it will hit here. In fact, where I currently live is known to be one of the worst places to be in Los Angeles if an tsunami hits.
I guess I'm not getting much sleep tonight in case I have to evacuate.
But most importantly, my thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Japan.
In other life updates, I'm likely moving from here at the end of the month due to having lost my job at the end of last year. I'm not entirely sure where I'm going (I'm waiting to find out about a job in central California. If that doesn't work out... I really don't know what I'm doing. Why yes, I'm stressed (which is why I haven't updated at all in quite some time). However, I'm definitely moving inland away from the coast (maybe way inland like to the Washington DC area -- hey, there's much less likelihood of a tsunami hitting there).
:)
Ah... it's going to be a long night.
ETA: According to the Los Angeles Times, California could see small waves on Friday morning (local time) which could cause some unusually high tides but not major inundations. That's a relief, although I'll keep checking on that to make sure there's no change. My thoughts and well wishes definitely go out to everyone impacted.
ETA2: California has actually been upgraded to a tsunami warning, which means "significant widespread inundation is imminent or expected". However, sea levels are only expected to rise off the coast of California by less than a foot and people are being told to stay away from the ocean on Friday morning (local time). No evacuation order has been issued for coastal residents (at this point).
ETA3: 8:42am PST: We're expecting tsunami surges of around 2-4 feet throughout this morning and the beaches are closed, but there's no evacuation. Cannot believe the damage caused in Japan. Just... wow. I've only slept sporadically throughout the night. I think I'm going to try and get some sleep now.
For me personally, the USGS indicates that there is a tsunami watch in effect for the coastal areas of California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska from the California-Mexico border to Chignik Bay, Alaska. I suppose this information will be updated once the wave is assessed as it crosses the Pacific. I live on the coast of California. If a tsunami hits California, it will hit here. In fact, where I currently live is known to be one of the worst places to be in Los Angeles if an tsunami hits.
I guess I'm not getting much sleep tonight in case I have to evacuate.
But most importantly, my thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Japan.
In other life updates, I'm likely moving from here at the end of the month due to having lost my job at the end of last year. I'm not entirely sure where I'm going (I'm waiting to find out about a job in central California. If that doesn't work out... I really don't know what I'm doing. Why yes, I'm stressed (which is why I haven't updated at all in quite some time). However, I'm definitely moving inland away from the coast (maybe way inland like to the Washington DC area -- hey, there's much less likelihood of a tsunami hitting there).
:)
Ah... it's going to be a long night.
ETA: According to the Los Angeles Times, California could see small waves on Friday morning (local time) which could cause some unusually high tides but not major inundations. That's a relief, although I'll keep checking on that to make sure there's no change. My thoughts and well wishes definitely go out to everyone impacted.
ETA2: California has actually been upgraded to a tsunami warning, which means "significant widespread inundation is imminent or expected". However, sea levels are only expected to rise off the coast of California by less than a foot and people are being told to stay away from the ocean on Friday morning (local time). No evacuation order has been issued for coastal residents (at this point).
ETA3: 8:42am PST: We're expecting tsunami surges of around 2-4 feet throughout this morning and the beaches are closed, but there's no evacuation. Cannot believe the damage caused in Japan. Just... wow. I've only slept sporadically throughout the night. I think I'm going to try and get some sleep now.