Tsunami
I feel like I should write about the tsunami.
The last time Chile had a major earthquake, in 1960, the area where I live was hardest hit by the tsunami. In fact, Shizugawa, which is about a 40-minute drive away, lost 41 people and was sent a statue from Chile in commiseration.
So when we all saw the earthquake on the news, everyone's first thought was tsunami.
On Sunday, they shut down all the train lines along the coast, including to Ishinomaki, and stopped a number of buses as well. The fishermen in Shizugawa took all their boats out to sea, where they can ride out a tsunami safely. Makoto and I had to go to Sendai anyway, so we got out of town before the estimated arrival time of 1:30 PM. (FWIW, our house isn't in a danger zone. But remember, Ishinomaki is a port city on the ocean with a major river. Tsunami are a serious, serious matter here.)
As it turned out, we got about a 3 and a half foot tsunami along the coasts here. The water was up on the roads in Shizugawa and Kesennuma, but Ishinomaki itself didn't get damaged. The tsunami warning was downgraded to a watch, and cancelled last night. I am so very thankful; that could have been an awful situation.
The last time Chile had a major earthquake, in 1960, the area where I live was hardest hit by the tsunami. In fact, Shizugawa, which is about a 40-minute drive away, lost 41 people and was sent a statue from Chile in commiseration.
So when we all saw the earthquake on the news, everyone's first thought was tsunami.
On Sunday, they shut down all the train lines along the coast, including to Ishinomaki, and stopped a number of buses as well. The fishermen in Shizugawa took all their boats out to sea, where they can ride out a tsunami safely. Makoto and I had to go to Sendai anyway, so we got out of town before the estimated arrival time of 1:30 PM. (FWIW, our house isn't in a danger zone. But remember, Ishinomaki is a port city on the ocean with a major river. Tsunami are a serious, serious matter here.)
As it turned out, we got about a 3 and a half foot tsunami along the coasts here. The water was up on the roads in Shizugawa and Kesennuma, but Ishinomaki itself didn't get damaged. The tsunami warning was downgraded to a watch, and cancelled last night. I am so very thankful; that could have been an awful situation.