This kind of story is out of the scope of stories that I normally cover on this blog, but it's too major to not at least mention.
An 8.9 earthquake shook Japan this morning at 2:46am local Japan time. The temblor is the largest quake to EVER strike Japan and the 7th largest ever recorded anywhere. The quake generated a tsunami that has hit the coast of the island nation with waves estimated to as high as 30 feet. the West Coast of the United States is under a Tsunami Warning with a wall of water ranging from a couple of feet in Southern California to mas high as 6 feet in the Pacific Northwest and in Hawaii.
US Military personnel in Okinawa are all safe and unaffected by the quake and they stand at the ready to assist in any sort of search and rescue or recovery operations in the quake ravaged zone. President Obama has also notified FEMA to be ready to assist the Japanese government as needed.
At least 51 people in Japan have died as a result of the massive earthquake with that death toll expected to skyrocket as the wave from the tsunami recedes and rescue personnel gain access to the affected areas. Nuclear power plants have been shut down leaving at least 4 million homes in Tokyo alone are without electricity. These nuke plants are reported to be completely safe with no radioactive material released as a result of the quake.
These story is changing by the minute and the information along with it is doing the same, so I'll leave you with the information I have as of 7:20 am EST.
I will update as events warrant. If you are so inclined, please say a prayer for the lost lives in this disaster and a prayer of strength for the survivors.
UPDATE: At least 200 bodies found by rescue workers in northeast Japan.
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