Tsunami In Japan

[ARCHINSTL]

I was wondering - how are the big ships that washed way ashore moved? I can't imagine they are hauled away. I presume just cut up where they sit? I imagine similar situations were encountered in the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.

The photos of the suffering and devastation are simply - mind-boggling.
None of us have ever seen anything approaching this.

Mattel - did you feel any of this on Hokkaido?
Tom M.

[takza]

Pictures worth 1000 words....?

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Huge-Japa ... 535258.jpg

[Mattel]

Hi all, thanks for your concern Tom. The area that I am in is apart from some fissures in the shear ice on some of the mountainside fortunately untouched by the earthquake and resultant Tsunami, we all felt the quake around us and my monitor and light fittings were swaying and we evacuated for a bit but 10minutes later we were back at work as the aftershocks kept going all night. Being 500kms away and on the the otherside of the northernmost main island. We have been lucky that non of our staff have been immediately affected.

I have been talking to the management team about putting some fundraising together for the Japanese Red Cross. we are also sending down all our end of season instructors clothing outer wear and fleeces as it is still bitterly cold in the affected areas. with snow on the ground - I was meant to be in Sendai in a month. If I can organise some volunteer work for while I'm there I still may go.

Japan is an amazing, resilient and highly organised culture. It can seem cold and bureaucratic from outside. But the people are polite and law abiding without being whipped into place. Take care, Matt

[keith]

CBS Sunday Morning did a piece on earthquakes this morning (imagine that). In one clip about one of the recent earthquakes in California, there was a (wait for it)........ Tercel wagon. The clip didn't last long enough for me to tell if it was 4WD or FWD.

[Petros]

I have seen that clip, it was a yellow 4wd SR5 just like mine. If it was the same clip, it was sitting on a short section of collapsed freeway bridge, look no worse for wear, on a large pile of rubble. IT was from the San Fernando earthquake from about 20 years ago now. I saw it in on a TV add about earthquake preparedness, I wanted so bad to save a still of that image.

[Petros]

I was wondering - how are the big ships that washed way ashore moved? I can't imagine they are hauled away. I presume just cut up where they sit?

if the ships are not too badly damaged they can be hauled back to the water, even very large ones. They are usually only a few miles from the harbor, and all of the powerlines and other overhead obstacles will be cleared away. If they are badly damaged and not salvageable, they cut them up in place.