The earthquake in Japan brings so much more heartache, disaster and despair than we can imagine.  The nuclear threat seems more horrifying than the earthquake and the  tsunami even. While I can understand the fear and horror of experiencing the shakes I cannot imagine the horror those poor people are now living through.  The aftershocks will continue to come, adding to their stress.

My sympathies to everyone living in the zone.

The tsunami was witnessed as far away as New Zealand.  A friend was in the Bay of Islands and this is his description of the tsunami in the North Island:

"I saw what at tsunami can be like today, I have never seen water mass move so fast like I saw today. I was at a property right on the edge of the water, demonstrating machines, when the first, second,and 3 more hit over a nearly 6hr period, the noise of the water coming in and the speed it came on and out, along with the silt that came with it, amazing, when I came back on the ferry the colour of the water is something I have not seen before, it was a darker brown than when we get floods and run off, wish I had a video camera, as it is hard to describe. Those poor buggers in Japan would have had no show with those big waves, such is the power of nature."