i guess we don't need to wait for a super moon
Hundreds dead after massive quake slams Japan
8.9-magnitude temblor triggers 'enormous damage,' Japanese official says
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42023385/ns/world_news-asiapacific/?gt1=43001and there was a big one in china yesterday....
i feel we are beginning to see the taking out of the old so that the new can come in
sadly lots of loss of life..many changes in many places
please join me in your own words to help our world siblings of the human race and all other life
i ask for as pain-less transition as possible now and in the days to come 
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from link above
updated 10 minutes ago 2011-03-11T14:15:57
•Police say 200 to 300 bodies found in northeastern coastal area•'Nuclear emergency' declared after problems at Japanese plant
•Evacuation order issued to thousands near different nuclear plant •Japanese PM cites 'major damage'; calls for 'spirit of fraternity'
•First tsunami waves hit Hawaii, sweep though islands
•California emergency agency spokesman says evacuations 'very possible'
TOKYO — A magnitude 8.9 earthquake — the biggest in modern Japanese history — slammed the island nation's eastern coast Friday, unleashing a 23-foot tsunami that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland and prompting a "nuclear emergency."
According to police, 200 to 300 bodies were found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai. The death toll was likely to continue climbing given the scale of Friday's disaster.
The government ordered thousands of residents near a nuclear power plant in Onahama city to evacuate because the plant's system was unable to cool the reactor. The reactor was not leaking radiation but its core remained hot even after a shutdown. The plant is 170 miles northeast of Tokyo.
Dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles from the epicenter.
"The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a news conference.
According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, Kauai was the first island hit early Friday by the tsunami, which was quickly sweeping through the Hawaiian Island chain. Officials predicted Hawaii would experience waves up to 6 feet.
Video: Live coverage of quake's aftermath (on this page)
A ship carrying 100 people was swept away by the tsunami, Kyodo news agency reported.
Video: Japan declares 'nuclear emergency' at plant (on this page)
Fires triggered by the quake burned out of control up and down the coast.
Officials were still trying to assess the extent of destruction. The government's top spokesman, Yukio Edano, said that the country was sending troops to the quake-hit area to join relief efforts.
A tsunami warning was also issued for Hawaii and the coasts of Oregon and northern and central California and parts of Alaska. A tsunami advisory was in effect for southern California.
Japan earthquake Live Blog: Latest updates on aftermath of Japan quake
Updated 34 minutes ago 3/11/2011 1:52:27 PM +00:00 Evacuation ordered after Japan nuke plant rocked
Updated 31 minutes ago 3/11/2011 1:55:07 PM +00:00 Tsunami hits Hawaii, barrels to US West Coast
Massive earthquake hits Japan
.."A tsunami has been generated that could cause damage along the coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center's bulletin said. "Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property."
Among the other countries for which a tsunami warning was in effect are: Russia, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.
The tsunami is higher than some of the Pacific islands it could wash over, the Red Cross in Geneva said, warning that developing countries in the Asia Pacific region were particularly vulnerable to tsunami damage.
Horror in Japan
Even for a country used to earthquakes, this one was of horrific proportions.
Live Blog: Latest updates on aftermath of Japan quake
Large fishing boats and other sea vessels rode high waves into the cities, slamming against overpasses. Upturned and partially submerged vehicles were seen bobbing in the water.
Waves of muddy waters swept over farmland near the city of Sendai, carrying buildings, some on fire, inland as cars attempted to drive away. Sendai airport, north of Tokyo, was inundated with cars, trucks, buses and thick mud deposited over its runways. Fires spread through a section of the city, public broadcaster NHK reported.
A large fire erupted at the Cosmo oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo and was burning out of control.
The tsunami roared over embankments, washing cars, houses and farm equipment inland before reversing directions and carrying them out to sea. Flames shot from some of the houses, probably because of burst gas pipes.
"Our initial assessment indicate that there has already been enormous damage," Edano added. "We will make maximum relief effort based on that assessment."
Slideshow: Massive earthquake hits Japan (on this page)
Tremors were felt as far away as Beijing, China, about 1,300 miles west of Tokyo.
The quake struck at 2:46 p.m. local time (12:46 a.m. ET) and was followed by five powerful aftershocks within about an hour, the strongest measuring 7.1. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) upgraded the strength of the first quake to a magnitude 8.9, while Japan's meteorological agency measured it at 8.4.
Citing USGS data, NBC News reported that if the 8.9 reading is verified, it would be the fifth-strongest earthquake since 1900.
The quake struck at a depth of six miles, about 80 miles off the eastern coast. The area is 240 miles northeast of Tokyo.
Get updates on Japan quake at breakingnews.com In downtown Tokyo, large buildings shook violently and workers poured into the streets for safety. TV footage showed a large building on fire and bellowing smoke in the Odaiba district of Tokyo.
Trains were stopped and passengers walked along the tracks to platforms. NHK said more than 4 million buildings without power in Tokyo and its suburbs.
The temblor brought the capital's train system to a halt, paralyzing the daily commuter flow of more than 10 million people.
Akira Tanaka, 54, a restaurant worker, was among those who just gave up and decided to walk home — to suburban Saitama, 12 miles north of Tokyo, an endeavor he has never tackled before.
"I've been walking an hour and 10 minutes, still have about three hours to go," he said. "This is the kind of earthquake that hits once every 100 years."
The ceiling of Kudan Kaikan, a large hall in Tokyo, collapsed, injuring an unknown number of people, NHK said.
ChoicesOsamu Akiya, 46, was working in Tokyo at his office in a trading company when the quake hit.
It sent bookshelves and computers crashing to the floor, and cracks appeared in the walls.
"I've been through many earthquakes, but I've never felt anything like this," he said.
Video: 'Tsunami waves travel as fast as a jet engine' (on this page) Footage on NHK from their Sendai office showed employees stumbling around and books and papers crashing from desks.
Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday.
Thirty minutes after the quake, tall buildings were still swaying in Tokyo and mobile phone networks were not working.
Video: Officials trying to assess damage (on this page) Tokyo's main airport was closed. A large section of the ceiling at the 1-year-old airport at Ibaraki, about 50 miles northeast of Tokyo, fell to the floor with a powerful crash.
Japan's northeast Pacific coast, called Sanriku, has suffered from quakes and tsunamis in the past. In 1933, a magnitude 8.1 quake in the area killed more than 3,000 people. Last year fishing facilities were damaged after by a tsunami caused by a strong tremor in Chile.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
NBC News, msnbc.com staff, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:46 pm
kermie bear. I dont think that is gonna keep him safe down the track.
