It was a gloomy Friday. The worst news of 2011 had just shocked the entire world. A small country, which thrived on the ocean, was slammed by one of the worst events of the decade.
One of the greatest earthquakes in the world – 8.9 on the Richter Scale, rocked Japan the aftermath of which triggered a massive tsunami that rose 4 meters and devastated the coast of the small country. The quake, recorded to be one of the worst in the history of Japan, even for a country famed for earthquakes, shook the world, split the ground through fissures, and evoked a tsunami which alerted 50 countries world-wide. Horrific pictures and videos of Japan were taken which included debris being swept away by the tsunami – light-planes, ships and cars being treated like garbage, waves crashing on the coast and sweeping the streets of Japan.
The imagery showed a massive whirlpool in the Pacific, with waves swirling into it, consuming a poor ship. Devastatingly, an oil refinery had burst due to the earthquake which triggered fires to add to the ongoing damage. Concerns over the nuclear reactor in Japan, over leaks, is also a thing to worry about. The quake, the worst since the boxing day quake and the tsunami, ranks fifth in the list of worst earthquakes in the world.
The quake also rocked the Parliament of Japan, with the ministers running for shelter. The quake was felt all over Japan, with the people anticipating the possibility of the tsunami, which, sure as intended, swept the coast. The damage, caused by the earthquake, is estimated to be over a billion dollars, with the oil refinery bursting and the nuclear facility being shut down.
Let us all pray for the people of Japan and that such disasters never happen again.
