The tsunami

I'm sure almost everyone has heard about the magnitude 8.9 earthquake that occurred on March 9th in Japan as well as the massive tsunami that happened as a result.

Hawaiʻi is pretty close to Japan, so with the news of the earthquake, a tsunami warning was issued, and places close to the water were even evacuated. The water in the Diamond Head area receded about 100 feet back, exposing the reef and sand below. The tsunami was scheduled to arrive around 3 in the morning on friday, Hawaiʻi time. No destructive tsunami came even though all the signs were there. In Waikiki, the water level and shorebreak rose high enough to reach the streets.

Initially, we all thought that the earthquake was another usual small one that Japan frequently experienced, but when we heard it was a magnitude 8.9 with some reports saying 9.0, everyone tuned into the news to see what was up. Almost every institution was closed, classes were cancelled on friday, and the destruction still continues in Japan, with the failure of nuclear reactors and tens of thousands of people missing or dead.

Our newspaper reported that the whole country of Japan moved about 12 inches as a result of the earthquake.

Of course, there will be a major impact on the world because of the earthquake, with Engadget reporting that the supply of gadgets will be affected on a global scale. Seeing as Japan is probably the most technologically advanced country, the earthquake will affect global economies and supplies of gadgets and technology.

In other happenings, here in Kalihi, just up the street from our house, someone crashed into and took out a telephone pole. On saturday, the 12th, we were watching the news around dinner time when the TV screen suddenly went blue. First, we thought the TV broke, but we found out the cable was out and some neighbors lost power. We later discovered that just up the street, someone had knocked down a telephone pole. I went up the street to check it out and I got some pictures. The whole street was closed and crews worked into Sunday to get a new pole up. The driver had to have been going pretty fast to do that much damage to the telephone pole.

Here's the accident



A closer view