On March 11th, 2011, at 2:46pm Japan time, an 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit northeastern Japan. The largest earthquake to ever hit this nation.
The reports are still rolling in but from what I have seen on TV and heard from friends here that the devastation is beyond words.
Sendai was struck with 10 meter (1 meter = 3 feet) high waves causing untold damage.
The entire coast was issued tsunami warnings as well as another 20 countries in the Pacific region.
It will be quite some time before the full extent of its effects are known.
It is a time of great sadness for many people so I ask that you pray for them.
Just 7 years ago my wife and I were caught in the tsunami that ravaged Thailand and if I close my eyes I can still see it unfold before me.
That day changed everything as you can read about in chapter one of my book, iSucceed: secrets for the average joe and jane.
Despite the horrors we faced, I learned some very valuable things that day among which were
- my appreciation for life
- how small my daily troubles really are
- how lucky I really am
- the goodness in people’s heart
In a nutshell, I learned the power of gratitude and it is one of the pillars that I talk about in iSucceed.
We all have those moments in our lives that shape who we become; the tsunami was mine.
Today’s events will no doubt shape Japan’s future but know that through great tragedies people unite and become stronger.
I am sure that will be the case here.
Please send your hopes and prayers to all those who were affected.
It may go down as a dark day in Japanese history but the sun will rise again in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Adrian Shepherd
Whenever I turn on the TV, my trembling doesn’t stop.
I was able to contact my friends who live in Tokyo, but I haven’t been able to contact another friend who lives in the Tohoku area.
I was impressed by people who live in other countries who helped in dealing with the emergency in New Zealand.
As you said, I am looking for what I can do.
Thanks for the comment…it’s hard to understand just what those people have been through in the tsunami and are now going through. It will be many months before we understand that true effect it will have on this country and the world.