Thousands of residents were evacuated from an area around a nuclear plant north of Tokyo after fears of a radiation leak, but officials said problems with the reactor's cooling system were not at a critical level. Other Japanese nuclear power plants and oil refineries were shut down and one refinery was ablaze.
Stunning TV footage showed a muddy torrent of water carrying cars and wrecked homes at high speed across farmland near the coastal city of Sendai, home to one million people and which lies 300 km (180 miles) northeast of Tokyo. Ships had been flung onto a harbour wharf, where they lay helplessly on their side. Domestic media said the death toll was expected to exceed 1,000, most of whom appeared to have drowned. Auto plants, electronics factories and refineries shut, roads buckled and power to millions of homes and businesses was knocked out. Several airports, including Tokyo's Narita, were closed and rail services halted. All ports were shut.
The earth-quake, the most powerful since Japan started keeping records 140 years ago, sparked at least 80 fires in cities and towns along the coast, Kyodo News Agency said. The 1995 Kobe quake caused $100 billion in damages and was the most expensive natural disaster in history. Economic damage from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was estimated at about $10 billion. It is mot a solace that earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas & the country accounts for about 20 per cent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
Google launched a crisis response page following the earthquake at google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html. It includes a "person finder" in English and Japanese which allows users to ask for information or provide information about individuals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YPOK_3r8Dc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPFdGH-V1J8
