Earthquake, Tsunami and some lessons from Japan

Look at Japan coping with its worst disaster in 100 years. It has been a saga of restraint, discipline and sacrifice. Think. Survivors still search for their near and dear ones. There has been no public display of grief. In the tsunami ravaged areas, Japan’s societal mores are as intact as ever.

Severe shortages of power, food and water continue. But no one is complaining. There have been no riots, protests or even looting. If the power in a super market goes off, shoppers put back the stuff back and leave. Outside stores, there are long lines, but no one is jumping the queue. People just buy what they need to survive and don’t hoard.

Some restaurants offered free meals. People ate with dignity, thanked and left. At Sendai, a small restaurant offered free hot soup. No one took an extra cup though they were very hungry. Restaurants cut prices. Many grabbed the opportunity to reach out to the needy.

The strong looked after the weak. No one made a drama of their sacrifice. It was as if that was the natural thing to do. Everyone from the young to the aged knew exactly what to do as there was training. Every September 1, there is an earthquake drill. Jeffrey Kingston from Temple University says that it is all about Japan’s national character as from a young age children are socialised to put the country’s interest above their own. That is why at the nuclear plant that is now threatening to spread radiation, workers decided to stay back voluntarily so that the country is safe.

The coverage was so dignified. Look at Japan’s media. The coverage was so dignified. No blood and gore. No screaming anchors and reporters wallowing in melodrama.

India could learn some lessons from Japan. It is redundant to say that India could learn some lessons from Japan. For we have yet to start building character. I covered the Gujarat earthquake over 10 years ago and still remember the chaos, intolerance towards communities other than their own, hoarding, stealing and looting.

Many made a fast buck. Rents of ground floor houses shot up. Prices of essentials spiralled. Many made a fast buck. Beggars moved from Rajasthan to corner relief supplies. I even saw someone trying to break a good wall so that insurance could be claimed!

It is values that have steeled Japan. It is values that have steeled Japan. They will survive. And prosper again.

Ramesh Menon in DNA. More Here

Some shocking photos of Japan Tsunami and some after thoughts

 

These are some of the breathtaking photos of mind boggling damages inflicted by the deadly earthquake and tsunami which stuck Japan last week. They are available Here 

The Japanese are most disciplined people on the earth. Look at the third photograph. It depicts a traffic jam. Even in traffic jam the vehicles stand one after another. 

Immediately after this tragedy I received SMSs from many friends known and unknown describing the devastation caused by the tsunami as divine punishment. It said that Japan is the first to ban Hijab (It is not true). It also said that Japanese were against Islam (It is also not true.). And there were some similar absurd generalisations. In a nutshell the SMSs tried to say that Japanese DESERVE it. Similar sentiments were rampant among Americans too. PZ Myers, better known in the science blogging world as Pharyngula has compiled several Facebook messages of people saying that the Japan earthquake was due to revenge of Pearl Harbour.

I could not understand the thinking behind such SMSs. This world is Dar-ul-Amal ie a place for action. This is not Darul Jaza or Saza ie a place where judgement is delivered.

What happened in Japan is very tragic. It is not divine retribution. Calamity or Prosperity; Tragedy or Gaiety; Adversity or Felicity everything are tests for us. We are in examination hall. What we get is just a question paper. It may be in the form of blessings. It may be in the form of calamities. How do we cope with them is the REAL TEST. 

The Prophet of Islam has said : "The believer is in such a strange state. When calamity strikes him, he observes patience and gains reward from God. And when prosperity engulfs him, he shows gratitude and gains reward from God. It is indeed wonderful" In modern parlance this could be said as Win-Win situation. 

So we cannot declare anybody as pious or vicious on the basis of prosperity or calamity. A man may live perpetual poverty and misery, yet, he may be the best in the eyes of God. A man may live with all the comforts and good things in life, yet, he may be the worst in the eyes of God. 

We see so many tyrants, mass-murderers and wicked people roaming free. That does not mean that God is pleased with them. Similarly we see so many good, noble and pious people suffering all types of tragedies. That does not mean that God is angry with them.

Let us not make hasty conclusions about others. In our haste we tend to forget ourselves. It may lead us to far greater calamity than the thousands tsunamis put together. 

May God save us from such calamities. Aameen

Why was Japan's earthquake so big?

Why was Japan's March 11 earthquake so big? One answer is the large size of the fault rupture as well as the speed at which the Pacific Plate is continuously thrusting beneath Japan, U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) scientist Tom Brocher told KQED News. People felt shaking in cities all over Honshu, Japan's main island.

Below are some more facts and figures relating to the causes and consequences of the world's fifth-largest earthquake since 1900.

Magnitude, according to USGS: 9.0

Speed at which the Pacific Plate is smashing into the Japanese island arc: 6 centimeters (3.5 inches) per year

Speed at which the San Andreas Fault in California is slipping: about 4 centimeters per year

Size of the rupture along the boundary between the Pacific and North America plates: 290 kilometers ( 180 miles) long, 80 kilometers (50 miles) across

Approximate length of Honshu island: 1,300 kilometers

Years since an earthquake of this magnitude has hit the plate boundary of Japan: 1,200

Duration of strong shaking reported from Japan: 3 to 5 minutes

Greatest distance from epicenter that visitors to the USGS Web site reported feeling the quake: About 2,000 kilometers

Distance that the island of Honshu appears to have moved after the quake: 2.4 meters

Change in length of a day caused by the earthquake's redistribution of Earth's mass: 1.8 microseconds shorter

Normal seasonal variation in a day's length: 1,000 microseconds

Depth of the quake: 24.4 kilometers

Range of depths at which earthquakes occur in Earth's crust: 0 – 700 kilometers

Top speed of tsunami waves over the open ocean: About 800 kilometers per hour
Normal cruising speed of a jetliner: 800 kilometers per hour

Length of warning time Sendai residents had before tsunami hit: 8 to 10 minutes

Number of confirmed foreshocks to the main shock: 4

Magnitudes of the confirmed foreshocks: 6.0, 6.1, 6.1 and 7.2

Number of confirmed aftershocks: 401

Worldwide average annual number of earthquakes over 6.0 in magnitude: 150

From Scientific American. More Here.