Time for some slow waves
The news of the Japan earthquake and resulting tsunami has been riveting, and it's kept us up half the night. Not only is the video footage stunning, but it's been fun watching the local TV news anchors tough through an unexpected five-hour, commercial-free telecast before the morning crews show up.
But alas, the human body requires sleep, and so we'll be in slumberland as the tidal waves hit Hawaii and Oregon. At last report, there was about an eight-foot wave at Midway Island. It's not clear what it will look like when it lands here.
Posting about any other topic seems a bit pointless until the tsunami event is past, and so we'll sign off here for a while, and wish the best of luck to everybody in the Aloha State and at the Oregon beaches. And of course, we extend our sympathies to the people of Japan, for whom the story won't be over in a few days, or even in a few months.
| Posted at 3:46 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (18)
Yeah, this coverage has been interesting. Feel terrible for the residents of Japan - the quake was the biggest in recorded history for those folks and the footage of the tsunami there was just unreal.
Last I've heard in Hawaii, it has been fairly uneventful; waves are definitely a bit bigger but now we're about 20 - 30 mins past the expected tsunami times there and doesn't appear to be any kind of damaging waves.
The local news coverage has been a little much. I understand it's something to get excited about (potential tsunami on the Oregon coast?! REPORT REPORT) but now we're seeing a correspondant on KGW in Banks and she reports, "Usually we see a car or two at this time but I'm seeing a lot more cars this morning" and not one car passed while she was reporting.
Posted by Christian | March 11, 2011 5:57 AM
Another day of school closings in Oregon with no reason but the unlikely event of a 3 foot wave at 7:20 AM. Why not have just a late start?
Sound the sirens of fear, a Code Red day in America.
Posted by Hubris B. Gone | March 11, 2011 6:58 AM
Just make sure you Vote Yes on the next request from the Fire Department for more money. I expect they will now need to hire a Chief of Tsunami preparedness.
Ride the trolley before the tracks shatter.
Posted by Abe | March 11, 2011 7:34 AM
Kids in Oregon coastal towns never get to skip school on snow days. False tsunami warnings are the best they can hope for.
Posted by PanchoPDX | March 11, 2011 8:17 AM
"Not only is the video footage stunning, but it's been fun"
"Fun"? Very poor choice of words. Many thousands of people are likely dead or going to die from this.
Posted by Daniel K | March 11, 2011 8:24 AM
Here's a shot of new-old Oregon cool:
http://photos.oregonlive.com/photo-essay/2011/03/oregon_coast_tsunami.html
Posted by Mojo | March 11, 2011 9:01 AM
Dran good thing Commodore Leonard got that new boat.
Posted by Allan L. | March 11, 2011 9:07 AM
Jack in view of your post about "moon" watching on the 19th....we might be in for a bit of "quaking" ourselves. Feeling motion sick already this AM.
Watching the footage last night, "fun" is a poor choice of words. My heart is really heavy this morning for the suffering that is occuring. Get ready to break out the check book for the Red Cross/Mercy Corps or ????
Posted by teresa | March 11, 2011 9:13 AM
Daniel: Admire your instincts and your reflexes, but please read the whole sentence, which continues on to say " ... fun watching the local TV news anchors tough through an unexpected five-hour ... telecast."
Posted by Roger | March 11, 2011 9:28 AM
While the warnings go out down the Oregon Coast this from the Tsunami Warning Center:
http://ptwc.weather.gov/ptwc/text.php?id=pacific.2011.03.11.173210
" 000
WEPA40 PHEB 111732
TSUPAC
TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 013
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 1732Z 11 MAR 2011
THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC
OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...
WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.
... A WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT ...
A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR
JAPAN / TAIWAN / PHILIPPINES / BELAU /
POHNPEI / CHUUK / KOSRAE / INDONESIA / PAPUA NEW GUINEA /
NAURU / SOLOMON IS. / KIRIBATI / HOWLAND-BAKER /
TUVALU / PALMYRA IS. / VANUATU / TOKELAU / JARVIS IS. /
WALLIS-FUTUNA / SAMOA / AMERICAN SAMOA / COOK ISLANDS / NIUE /
FIJI / NEW CALEDONIA / TONGA / MEXICO /
KERMADEC IS / FR. POLYNESIA / PITCAIRN /
GUATEMALA / EL SALVADOR / COSTA RICA / NICARAGUA / ANTARCTICA /
PANAMA / HONDURAS / CHILE / ECUADOR / COLOMBIA / PERU
THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE."
Posted by Lawrence Hudetz | March 11, 2011 9:39 AM
"Another day of school closings in Oregon with no reason but the unlikely event of a 3 foot wave at 7:20 AM. Why not have just a late start?"
- Why close the schools? Because if your house is near sea level you have to evacuate. The largest waves come hours later, probably around noon. And if you live along a harbor, the water level is a heck of a lot more than three feet.
Posted by Robert | March 11, 2011 9:43 AM
"false tsunami warnings"...One doesn't really know what will happen till the wave gets to a land mass. Mighty mother ocean is not always predictable, and she is rarely kind to those who ignore her. I know. I have sailed about 50,000 open ocean miles over the last 20+ years.
The unexpected CAN happen. Check out the marina and boat damage in Santa Cruz, CA as a result of what was a relatively small rise in the water.
Better safe than sorry. I would hate to see the headline of children killed because the schools were open.
And those people who were walking the beach at Seaside at 7:30 this morning are idiots!
Posted by portland native | March 11, 2011 9:43 AM
The local angle of this story is as blown out of proportion (as is, there really isn't a local angle) as the snow storm of a few weeks back.
And yes Hubris, its another day of with pay for Oregon school teachers.
Posted by pom mom of LO | March 11, 2011 10:07 AM
Daniel K, et al:
Breaking news is frequently "fun" and amazing, and shocking, or (frequently) bizarre. No matter what the news event is.
The web allows a drill-down capability and real time distribution of information that wasn't available even 15 years ago.
I believe that is the "fun" which he referred to: gathering information is fun.
You would have to be an idiot to think Bojack is delighting in the suffering of the earthquake victims. Or you're using a strawman to harsh on our host.
Posted by Mister Tee | March 11, 2011 12:05 PM
Well written Mister Tee. Well written.
Posted by Brendan | March 11, 2011 12:15 PM
I will repeat what I wrote for those who cannot read. It was fun watching the local television news anchors have to work an unexpected five-hour telecast. It was not fun watching people die. Even less fun than dealing with trolls on the internet.
Posted by Jack Bog | March 11, 2011 1:00 PM
"I will repeat what I wrote for those who cannot read..."
Sad that you had to clarify that.
Posted by Brendan | March 11, 2011 1:34 PM
pom mom of LO...
Would you take chances with YOUR kids?
You have obviously never seen what the ocean can do, or you would not write such drivel.
Posted by portland native | March 11, 2011 4:44 PM