Japan Tsunami Caught on CCTV cameras

Ladies and gentlemen, I may not be standing on a podium today in behalf of an NGO or a government, but I declare that at this moment, I will air my admiration to the people of Japan.

It was March 11, 2011, at about 05:46 UTC, Friday, when Higashi Nihon Daishinsai (East Japan Earthquake) occurred with its 9.0-magnitude. It was a mega thrust earthquake undersea that propelled a 37.9 meters-length waves that travelled up to 6 miles in the inland of Japan. As a result, 12,787 people died, at least 125,000 infrastructures were damaged, more than 4 million homes have no electrical supply and more than a million of them have no water. Not to mention the damaged roads, dams and fires that broke out after the quake and the explosions of 3 nuclear reactors.

For someone who does not know the origin of tsunami, I shall give you an overview.

Tsunami which came from two Japanese words, "tsu" and "nami", meaning "harbor wave", is principally generated by the dislodgement of a significant water volume due to various causes including earthquakes that propel the huge formation of the waves through gravity. If an earthquake is one that is related to the crystal deformation of the earth, meaning it is tectonic in nature, it results to the displacement of the water above the crust deformed. These deformed crusts otherwise termed as "thrust faults" quickly move due to the movement's vertical component and this speedy move results to tsunami.

When I saw the video, I was numbed by scenes of horror that I never thought I would witness that day. But amidst the startling grumbles of the falling buildings and the floating cars, I saw one thing that I would never forget in my life. There was a man walking on the main road. His pace is steady since the earthquake began until the ship reached the city. I was captured by the steady character of the Japanese people in the midst of chaos and atrocities. The pacing was stable. Although some people ran, I could even say, that their running was not frantic. It was a sturdy, calculated move which was not a product of adrenaline surge but of a conscious mind after contemplation of the situation. Many people lost their loved ones and you could see the pain in their faces as they cry out their hearts. But it was not a cry of desperation, but of loneliness after the acceptance of the fact that these people are resting in the presence of the Creator.

After a few days, I saw how people reacted to the catastrophe. Houses are opened so that anyone who is hungry and homeless may take shelter in the house of the one with provisions that they may gather together to relish the hot soup and sparse provisions to satisfy their hunger. No burglars take the things out of anybody's house even if it is open 24 hours in a day, 7 days a week. I saw poor families, feasting on the soup they cooked near the sea shore and I could see their smiles as they inhale the aroma of the broth. They never hated the sea for the tragedy rather I heard someone appreciating the aroma of the soup and said, "I could smell the sea in this soup" and he delightfully finished his bowl.

Currently, even the commercial zones are suffering from slow production especially the transportation sector and many of the foreign companies decided to leave the areas. The estimated cost of the damage in the recent tsunami and earthquake in Japan was estimated to be $235 Billion by the World Bank, an amount that could be up to 4% of the country's GDP. This is one of the causes of the slow growth of the gross domestic product of Japan. Nonetheless Japanese government shows itself to be optimistic in its zealous efforts to reconstruct the economy.

No one is on the street declaring how irresponsible the government is. Nobody shouts against the prime minister or the prominent people in the area. You wouldn't see packs of noodles with the faces of the politicians imprinted on them. All you can hear is optimism and nothing more. Japan has taught the world a lesson. It has shown hope in the midst of chaos because people saw the future beyond the rubble and the hunger they feel.



Japan Tsunami Caught on CCTV cameras by arynews