Anyone in Japan? Tsunami alert - any more news ? PLEASE

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DH who gets these things has had a tsunami alert for Japan. Does anyone have any more info? Itsjust breaking news about the massive earthquake at the moment.

Every disaster that happens in the world- earthquakes, 7/7 etc- I seem to hear about on here first!

Sakura, Febes hope all is OK with you and those you love; and thinking of everyone else in Japan. Hopefully the nuclear stuff should be OK (raised in sight of a big English one, there were so many safety procedures and tablets and systems) but absolutely sending best wishes to everyone. It's pretty worthless but still....

surreal, I just rang my dad and he said 'I know your db is still all right because he's still posting on PoliticalBetting.com.'

Bloody hell , watching the news now , my thoughts are with all of you who have friends , relatives or you yourselves are there .

I would also like to know WTF is a nuclear emergency ?

Gaby Hinsliff on Twitter:

times asia corr @dicklp tweeting from tokyo (via @drosetimes). btw his advice if trying to get thru to anyone in tokyo - skype.

IAEA in Vienna have confined that 4 nuclear power plants in Japan have been safely shut down. I hope this means that an emergency has been averted.

The list of places under tsunami warning is growing, and now includes parts of US.

I am also in Chch, and live in on the coast. There has been a tsunami advisory here in NZ, which has frightened the shit out of me. I am quite frankly ready to pack a bag and go back to the UK. I have only just packed a small bag in case we do have to evacuate (unlikely).

Seeing pictures of Japan is so frightening, I hope that you are ok Sakura.

My brother is in namegawa just mangaed to get through to him, said he was ok but really really scared then the phone went dead. He's 60 miles away from the coast which scares me more as that don't seem that far. He's just put a messege on facebook to say he ok.

If you're out to sea, you might not even notice a tsunami. The water is deep, so the energy is spread over a large area. Once it gets to land the energy can no longer travel down, so pushes the water upwards. IYSWIM

thanks unruly and rillyrilly, I'm fine here in the south apart from the nuclear leakage concerns, but it's fucking horrible in the north

yes friend in Hawaii has had warning and they live right on the front so they are preparing to leave just in case .More a sprecaution rather than wait and see if it it does hit

Roxanne I don't know how well you know the area your brother is in but Japan is very mountainous. I don't think a tsunami will get anything like that far inland.

My friend is in Oz, is she ok? :(

Sakura :) :(

My friend in central Tokyo is fine, she was on the 36th floor of a building. Hope your brother is okay.

Totoros
Australian government are saying that notwithstanding the Tsunami Alert for Oz issued by the US, Australia is not at risk.

Thankgod, shes travelling the world and it seems every month or so we are asking 'shite wheres xxx, is she ok?' :(

'According to Kyodo news, the operator of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant in northeast Japan has reported an abnormality after today's earthquake, the industry ministry said. The system to cool reactor cores in case of emergency stopped at the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors of the plant, which is run by Tokyo Electric Power, Kyodo quoted the ministry as saying.'

That's from Guardian. They said it was worrying news.

Why do they have nuclear plants in a region that is prone to earthquakes? Seems madness.

Ummm what exactly could happen if something goes seriously wrong at one of these plants??

We just had a tsunami warning. Gonna hit in about 6 hours in San Diego with waves 3 feet high. I live on a mountain but dh lives downtown near the coast. Think it'll be more disruptive than dangerous if anything though.

This thread is doing nothing good for my anxiety :/

Just heard from my friend, she's fine and skiing (though the slopes are closed due to avalanche risk)

The pictures are just unbelievable.

I have never understood quite what they meant when the described a wall of water and debris. Watching those cars trying to escape and being picked up and swept away is just hideous.

I am so glad my db is old enough now to be bothered to keep in touch, he was rubbish about it when he was younger.

My thoughts are with everyone waiting for news - just heard my parents who are currently travelling round NZ are safe and on high ground.

Cannot bloody well wait for them to get home safely as it's been one bloody thing after another since they've been over there.