Thanks for letting us know. I though about her and was hoping that she and the rest of the folks on the islands had enough time to get to safe locations.

.....Kelly :)

2:30am and finally made it back home from work. All major transportation systems and highways in Tokyo were/are down, 2km long line for taxis and buses, 1 to 2 mph average speed on packed local roads. Most people just walked home roughly following the railway tracks for hours. Looked like a scene out of a disaster movie. No hotel rooms left. Convenience stores sold out of all food.

Was on the 6th floor. Wild ride. Started small and just got steadily stronger. Never seen people so scared. Some just dropped to the floor not knowing what to do. Went down the stairwell in record time in the midst of snapping sounds and screeching metal and bits of plaster and whatnot falling on my head. 2 inch wide cracks in the foundation of the building I was in, but fortunately it didn't fall down. Just happy to be back home, even though I found all my possessions thrown all over the floor.

Some photos
In Focus

Link to the Photo

I've seen awful photos of fires all around the area from which we adopted BlazerCheer. We think that gas mains must have burst--anyway, we pray for her birth family, wherever they may be.

Last year's Japanese exchange student is safe as well. We still have to hear from the one from the year before but she lives in south central Japan so is probably okay.

ETA: our current student just found out that her grandparents' house in Sendai was flattened. Thank God they're alive.

Wow... just wow.

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in the affected areas.

holy shit buddy. Glad you are ok. I just got word that my brother that was near Tokyo area (I think) is safe and sound. I was watching the live feed on the news last night. Incredible and very scary.

Nature is a powerful thing...it can make us its bitch anytime.

My last 2 FB status updates?

"Earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, tornadoes, volcanoes, super storms, hurricanes and blizzards. Let us never underestimate the power of Mother Nature. We will never destroy this Earth - only ourselves."

Followed by (after hearing about the nuclear plant issues):
"God bless the people in Japan, but especially those working at the nuclear power plants right now. They are being exposed to radiation that could cause acute illness, if not death. It is a good idea to keep a stock of iodine pills in your house, work, emergency pack, whatever. In the event of a nearby nuclear core meltdown, the "safe" iodine in the pills will saturate your thyroid so that the radioiodine that is released won't be absorbed."

That's good advice people! ABP!

I live in a nuclear power plant evacuation area and we get free iodine pills every 5 years for everybody in the household.

1. Aunt's family is safe but she can't find her friends.
2. Godfather's family and friends are safe.
3. Friend is safe but she can't find her friends and family.

I didn't realize how many loved ones (and friends of loved ones) I had in Japan until today when I started trying to track down everyone. :(

I didn't know until yesterday that Baby Berry's biological sister is working in Japan. She said that the big quake occurred when she was in the shower and she ran outside in a towel. (This would have been my younger sister's worst nightmare back in the day.)

Jenny's okay but terrified at the aftershocks. They slept with their shoes on last night in case they had to run out into the streets again.

I'm in the place where I can't tear myself away from the coverage of this disaster but I can't hardly comprehend how these people are functioning at all. Japan is, by all accounts, the MOST prepared country for disasters but the magnitude of this is just more than can be dealt with. The pictures of the wreckage, reports that 9500 people from one town alone are reported as missing, nuclear meltdown... it's just not even possible to meet people's needs in those circumstances.

They just announced that one may be in full meltdown now.

I am going to have to make myself stop watching it. I get so overwhelmed.. then when I stop watching, I feel guilty because these people living this can't just change the channel.

So much rioting and looting in the streets there in Japan. It's unbelievable. But it's understandable, that's what poor people do when their streets are flooded with water, right?