If you haven't heard about it already, let me break the news: an 8.9 magnitude earth quake hit Japan. Not sure how big that is? Any earthquake above 8.0 is considered a huge one, able to completely destroy communities. It's estimated that one of these happens every five to ten years. 2011 was one of those years.
Not only did the Japanese have to suffer from the earthquake, but the quake set into motion a tsunami. A thirty-three foot tsunami, that is.
One hundred and thirty-seven have been confirmed dead, however, officials fear that the body count will rise much higher. Bodies are found floating in the wreckage frequently.
Not much has been done yet, the disaster having been so recent. People are dazed and searching for loved ones; or looking at their homes that are now nothing but rubble. Thousands of homes have been shaken to the ground, or swept away by the massive waves.
Fifty-three countries have been warned and are now bracing for a tsunami - even ones as far as Columbia and Peru. And over nineteen aftershocks have followed.
Author's Note: Sources: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-japan-quake-20110311,0,1950058.story
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Major-Earthquake-Tsunami-Hit-Japan-117785138.html
