AMY SALISBURY
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Just weeks after New Zealand experienced a magnitude 6.3 quake, an even larger natural disaster happened off the north coast of Japan, an 8.9 earthquake, last Friday at 2:46 p.m. local time, causing widespread damage and a devastating tsunami.

Japanese media reports thousands dead and even more missing, with the toll expected to rise as days pass.

The sheer power of the earthquake moved the Japanese island eight feet and shifted the Earth’s axis by four inches as shown by a GPS station’s and the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) data.

Geologists worldwide agreed upon classifying the quake a “megathrust earthquake,” indicating extreme tectonic plate movement.

The duration of the earthquake was a startling five full minutes and caused damage throughout the country, according to CNN’s Japanese syndicate.

Since the epicenter of the earthquake, now referred to as the Sendai Earthquake, was underwater, The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center immediately issued tsunami warnings and advisories up and down the coast of Japan, throughout the Pacific Islands, and on the U.S. west coast.

On Japan’s East Coast, the waves reached up to 30 feet in height, and the flooding caused by the massive influx of seawater ocurred as far as six miles inland in the area of the Miyagi Prefecture.

Initial information feared the waves’ intensity would be so great that they would wash over entire islands in the Pacific Ocean, CNN reported soon after the event.

Although the tsunami warnings expired, hundreds of aftershocks continue to shake the area around the epicenter of the initial quake, ranging in intensity from 4.6 to 7.1, as shown by usgs.gov.

Japanese authorities evacuated 170,000 people due to the risk of nuclear meltdown of several power plants in the country. The priority is to keep reactor temperatures down, since there is speculation that high temperatures caused one steam explosion. The Japanese government confirms that the amount of radioactivity released into the environment is low, the Associated Press reported.

On Sunday, March 13, a volcano resumed eruptions in southwestern Japan after remaining silent for close to two weeks. The Shinmoedake volcano in the Kirishima range threw ash, gases and rocks up to a half mile into the air. Its first major eruption after 52 years occurred in January as reported by the Associated Foreign Press.

The United States swiftly responded in the early hours of Friday morning, with President Obama sending his condolences to Japanese citizens worldwide. The president stated in a press conference, “The friendship and alliance between our two nations is unshakable and only strengthens our resolve to stand with the people of Japan as they overcome this tragedy.”

Cal State San Marcos hosts 30 – 40 traditional Japanese exchange students, according to Danielle McMartin, International Student Advisor for CSUSM.

Approximately 80 percent of Japanese citizens are online and using sites like Twitter and Facebook to contact loved ones, CNN reported.

Google’s Person Finder Tool, which uses data from social networking sites, is currently tracking more than 60,000 records as of Saturday, March 12, Google said.

Relief efforts are currently underway, and many American organizations prepare to send food, money, water, and medical supplies to those affected by the quake.

The International Committee of the Red Cross deployed around 400 doctors, nurses and other medical personnel to Japan as of Sunday, March 13.

Cell phone users can text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation to help support disaster relief efforts following the Sendai earthquake and tsunami in the Pacific. Find more information at redcross.org.

World Vision, a child sponsorship organization, offers online donations on their donations website, donate.worldvision.org.

“World Vision plans to distribute relief supplies to meet the daily needs of quake and tsunami survivors. We will also focus our efforts on responding to the emotional needs of children, who are the most impacted after such a traumatic event,” World Vision said on the donations page.

Global Giving enacted the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Funds almost immediately following the disaster, and collected over $30,000 that the organization will send directly to Japanese relief funds, according to NBC.

Apple has also posted a donations page in iTunes. iTunes store credit may not be used for donations.

Photos courtesy of denverpost.com and crs-blog.
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