Earthquakes and Tsunamis - Pacific Region

[cristeen]

We had a tiny little shaker here, that made a big noise about 3:45. So here i am awake, checking out FB and one of DS' aunties mentioned the quake/tsunami. I popped open my quake tracker to find not one but page after page of red quakes (over 4) have hit the region, just in the last 24 hrs. Dozens of them. The news story i read down-played the "after shocks" - most of which have been over 5.0, many over 6.0. But apparently we are now on tsunami watch.

The news is currently reporting over 30 dead, but w tsunamis hitting coastal regions into today, that number is likely to keep rising.
Edited by cristeen - 3/11/11 at 7:20am

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I have been up all night watching the tsunami footage and it is horrific. As high as 30ft in Japan the tsunami hit not long after the quake and I know there will be a lot of fatalities. I saw the wave heading toward a highway with dozens of cars they stopped the footage before it hit the road but I cant imagine those cars getting out of the way in time. It is going to be really bad I fear.

They just reported that the Japanese police have found 200-300 bodies along the coast

One of their nuclear reactors is overheating due to the power outages so they are having to evacuate.

[Purple Sage]

This is so sad.  Prayers for everyone affected by this horrible disaster.

[cristeen]

Well, i asked DH not to go to work today. His commute involves a train under the bay. Transit authority will announce in a few minutes whether they're shutting the trains down.

I think this is the first time i've ever seen the emergency broadcast system used to warn of an emergency... Flipped the tv on and immediate tsunami warnings popped up.

[talia rose]

those of us on the west coast also must be aware that nuclear fallout could travel here in the next 6-10 days. here is an excellent article on how to protect yourself.....

http://drdavidbrownstein.blogspot.com/

[lightheartedmom]

::bump:::

Now that we're almost a week into watching this nuclear disaster unfold, anyone else on the West Coast taking measures to protect themselves/their family from potential radioactive particles crossing the Pacific?

ETA: It's funny you posted that link from Dr. Brownstein - I went to the health food store the other night and dared to ask about potassium iodine-ish things (the Egyptian owner, who runs the place with his wife - they are totally great - he started in about how people are panicking over nothing and that the media keeps trying to make movies and not report the news, they're trying to hype everything up about "my country" and Ghaddafi and Japan, etc) - anyway. He said they were almost entirely sold out of every permutation of potassium iodide/iodine supplements, etc; but he DID have one bottle left of a 100% Kelp seasoning, recommended by none other than Dr. Brownstein. So I bought it - we're all probably deficient anyway. I've been putting it in the kids' juices (or mixing it into their jam and bread....they don't notice it that way - it causes a revolt otherwise).

At this point I am wavering between utter panic and being not that worried.

Edited by lightheartedmom - 3/17/11 at 2:39pm

[talia rose]

we are doing our sea veggies and other detox diet foods, storing as much water as we can (we are on a spring water system), buying extra bulk foods and as much butter as we can freeze...sealing up our greenhouse as best we can so we will have a less contaminated place to grow veggies, not letting our daughter out in the rain, limiting our outdoor time ourselves and watching the radiation maps carefully. so far what has hit southern california has not bumped up the radiation maps for the west coast....

http://www.radiationnetwork.com/