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disaster (Page 3)

10-year-old letter arrives from daughter lost to tsunami (you might need tissues for this)

Cara Clegg
Mar 5, 2014
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‘I wonder if you’ll have a grandchild when you get this letter?’ These are the words written by a woman 10 years ago, before she lost her life in the March 2011 tsunami. Her mother and father were shocked to find the letter containing them arrive in the mail this January. While there was no Hollywood movie ending where their beloved daughter turned up alive and well, the letter has at least given them a chance to hear some of the things she never had the chance to tell them in life.

Japan
(2011 Tohoku Earthquake • disaster • Iwate • sad • tsunami)

Inmate of Tohoku prison within nuclear evacuation zone sues TEPCO for emotional distress

Mike
Nov 27, 2013

It’s been three years since the March 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster swallowed up whole cities and caused one of the worst nuclear power disasters in history. For much of the world the devastating event is a distant memory – except for people in California who, for some reason, to this day think swimming in the ocean is going to give them three eyes or four boobs or something.

But for many living near the crippled Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant, like the inmates at a Kagoshima City prison located within the nuclear evacuation zone, the Tohoku earthquake and the persistent effects of the subsequent nuclear disaster altered their lives forever; so says a former inmate who is formally suing TEPCO for emotional distress.

Japan
(crime • disaster • earthquake • TEPCO • Tohoku • tsunami • wtf)

We travel to Ormoc City, Philippines to talk to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Nov 21, 2013

Super Typhoon Haiyan left a trail of destruction as it made its way across the island nation of the Philippines on November 13, 2013. In the wake of the disaster, one of our reporters traveled to the Philippine island of Leyte to talk to the victims of this massive storm and give a firsthand description of the damage. Please enjoy his humble account of the situation in Ormoc City, Philippines.

SE Asia
(disaster • Philippines • relief • Super Typhoon • Typhoon Haiyan)

“King of psychics” Ron Bard warns of terrible danger for Japan

Philip Kendall
Oct 1, 2013

US psychic Ron Bard has spoken out once again via his official Twitter account, warning that the world – specifically Japan – is in great peril, prompting chatter online. This new warning comes after Mr. Bard claimed back in mid-July this year to have foreseen a natural disaster that would occur in Japan “in the next two or three months”, urging people in Japan to follow him on Twitter and prepare for difficult times.

Internet, Japan, USA
(disaster • prediction • psychic • ron bard)

Appalling string of thefts targets religious offerings in tsunami-damaged town

Casey Baseel
Sep 5, 2013

Living in Japan, it’s easy to take safety and honesty for granted. This is, after all, the country where public trains make ideal spots for a nap.

That said, with over 150 million people in the country, you’re bound to have a few bad apples, such as the lowlifes who’ve decided there’s no better place for a crime spree than the town of Yamamoto, which was hit hard by the massive earthquake and tsunami of 2011.

Japan
(crime • disaster • earthquake • religion • tsunami)

Japanese company creates emergency alert system vending machines

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Aug 10, 2013

Ah, Japan. Land of the world’s best vending machines. It’s hard to go anywhere in the country without finding one, including the summit of Mount Fuji. With over five million scattered around the country, someone should put those hunks of metal to work. Three organizations in Japan are doing just that, teaming up to turn the machines into a lifesaving tool in the event of a disaster, and we aren’t talking about the devices giving out free beverages.

Japan
(disaster • vending machine)

Self-styled ‘King of Psychics’ predicts major disaster for Japan, asks for new Twitter followers

Jessica
Jul 16, 2013

Japan’s Twitterverse is abuzz with the news that US-born psychic Ron Bard has predicted a huge natural disaster in Japan with major loss of life by the end of 2013. Bard, who calls his work “parapsychological consulting”, is well-known in Japan and counts major players at companies like Sega and Merrill Lynch Japan among his clients.

Bard took to Twitter yesterday with a series of translated messages for his fans in Japan including one that read: “I predicted March 11, but no one believed me. You can save lives this time by retweeting this!”

Internet, Japan, USA
(disaster • Japan • predictions • ron bard • wtf)

“Miracle Pine” Monument Honors Single Remaining Tree in Forest Ravaged By 2011 Tohoku Tsunami

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Mar 15, 2013

The town of Rikuzentakata was once famous for its picturesque shoreline painted with 70,000 pine trees. However, when the ocean waters finally receded after the tsunami of March 11, 2011, only one tree remained. Standing proud at over 80 feet, this single pine battled on for 18 months after the tsunami until finally perishing due to the overwhelming amount of salt that was introduced to the surrounding earth. Although no longer standing tall, the memory of “the miracle pine” will live on thanks to a newly erected monument in its honor.

Japan
(2011 Tohoku Earthquake • disaster • memorial • Rikuzentakata • tsunami)

Students Collect More Than 40 Bags of 3/11 Tsunami Debris in Vancouver

Jessica
Mar 13, 2013

To mark the second anniversary of the March 11 disaster, student volunteers in Vancouver spent two days dealing with the lingering effects. They collected more than 40 large trash bags of tsunami debris that has been littering beaches on Vancouver Island’s Pacific Rim National Park. Read More

Canada, Japan
(disaster • march 11 • society)

Flashlight Automatically Turns on in Earthquake

John Stuart Translations
Jan 9, 2013

Living in an earthquake-prone country like Japan means constant vigilance in terms of disaster preparedness. Though the Great East Japan Earthquake of 11 March 2011 struck during daylight hours, there’s no guarantee that a disaster of similar magnitude won’t strike at night. Most people keep a flashlight or two at home, however, if power is cut as a result of an earthquake, as groping your way around in the dark while in a panicked state might not be as easy as you think.

Thankfully, Tokyo’s Force Media group has come up with an ingenius solution to this problem. And it’s much more than just a regular-old flashlight…
Read More

Japan
(disaster • earthquake • emergency preparedness • flashlight • LED • Mt. Fuji • Tokyo)

“Mt. Fuji Should Erupt by 2015”: Ryuku University Professor Emeritus

Master Blaster
Jan 8, 2013

Since the Great Tohoku Earthquake of March 2011, scientists have been anxiously watching the massive volcano known as Mt. Fuji for signs of activity. In September of last year, a report was released stating that Mt. Fuji’s magma chamber pressure had risen to a worrisome 1.6 megapascals, which is estimated to be higher than when it last erupted.

According to retired professor Masaki Kimura of Ryukyu University, this and other recent phenomena indicate an eruption of Mt. Fuji should have taken place in 2011 with a four-year margin of error ending in 2015.

Japan
(disaster • eruption • geology • Mt. Fuji • prediction • volcano)

Panasonic Develops Emergency Flashlight That Works on Any Size of Battery

Master Blaster
Dec 20, 2012

With only a few more days until the end of the world as we know it, surely everyone has their survival gear all packed and ready to go. But for those lazy-bones last minute disaster preparers Panasonic feels they have developed the “ultimate disaster survival flashlight”, called Any Battery Light.

As the name suggests, this flashlight can run on any common battery you find lying around, regardless of its size, from AAA to D.

Japan
(battery • disaster • flashlight)

Outbreak of Rare Phantom Squid in Pacific Coast of Japan May Herald Imminent Earthquake

Master Blaster
Nov 30, 2012

Deep below the ocean lives the squid Chiroteuthis, known in Japan by the name Yurei Ika (Phantom Squid). The Japanese name comes from its ghost-like fluttering and floating movement.

It’s a squid seldom seen by people who don’t have access to a submarine and can visit their habitat 200 to 600 meters beneath the ocean. So when they started turning up in unprecedented numbers around the southeastern coast of Japan, experts became understandably alarmed.

Japan
(animals • Chirteuthis • disaster • earthquake • Sagami Bay • squid)

Capcom Ōkami Collaboration Helping Restore Tsunami-Struck Town, and So Can You

Philip Kendall
Nov 30, 2012

Playstation 2 and Wii owners will likely be familiar with Ōkami, the adventure game set in ancient Japan that features an absolutely gorgeous wood-cut, cell-shaded graphic design.

The game puts players in control of the wolf incarnation of Shintō goddess Amaterasu, and quests them with using a magical, life-giving paintbrush to transform a dark, cursed world into one of plants, trees and flowers, as well as battling a few demons and evil spirits along the way.

On the same theme of restoration, a local website based in Rikuzentakata, a coastal town in Iwate prefecture severely damaged by the March 11 tsunami, has launched a special range of products officially backed by Capcom, the makers of Ōkami, with profits from their sale going to towards rebuilding the town and, much like the game, “restoring nature to its once beautiful state.”