World News and Technology
Our world of global communication and almost instant access to anything you could imagine shows us once again how much has changes in the last 56 years since the earthquake in Alaska in 1964.
The news captured almost everything except an undersea camera of the earthquake itself. Within seconds there were videos of the shaking in many areas in Japan and shortly thereafter the incredible videos of the tsunami wave coming on shore and devouring everything in its path. The push of the wave with the debris swirling carrying vehicles, boats, buildings, and anything else in its path inland. One report said the wave went over six miles across the mainland before retreating back out into the ocean.
There were sixty to 80 foot ships being pushed on their side and hitting a bridge along with twenty or thirty vehicles which looked like a Hollywood disaster movie. This was real and the shot of all the houses and cars swept away with the water on fire from the natural gas breaks was like Armageddon had arrived.
Our hearts and prayers go out to all of those who lost family and everything they owned as with our technology the time when it was ‘somewhere else’ seems so long ago. It was real time and emotional to watch unfold before our eyes as the senses went on overload with the sights and sounds coming from our televisions across the world. Everything seemed to become smaller and personal as they tragedy moved from one shot to another and as the day turned into night the magnitude of Japan’s earthquake became clearer as news of the nuclear power plant’s cooling problems came to the headlines.
Alaska’s 9.2 magnitude earthquake in 1964 lasted nearly four minutes and turned a beautiful spring Good Friday afternoon into what looked like a war zone within the small city. There were many ground fissures and collapsing buildings all over the downtown area. The ground liquefied and sank in several places with many homes falling into Cook Inlet. The area around Ship Creek sank almost 70 feet and to hear first hand stories about watching a level area several miles long fall away as you ran outside your house is mind numbing to even comprehend.
The tsunamis created a 27 foot tidal wave across Prince William Sound and destroyed several villages. Tsunami damage was caused in Hawaii and Japan showing the world that the power from these events is real and may wreak havoc for those not prepared. Today’s event in Japan caused a 5 foot wave in Shemya out on the far end of the Aleutian Islands and major damage was caused in California.
Technology captured it all day long and I’m sure we will be seeing the aftermath for months to come. It is harder now for the world to bury its head in the sand isolating itself from the events happening around the world.
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