Tsunami Reality Vs Tsunami Movies

One month ago, yesterday, a 15 metre high tsunami slammed into Japan's coastline, after a massive 9.1 magnitude earthquake. More than 30,000 people were killed, thousands of homes & business destroyed and 31 days later Japan is still battling to contain radioactivity spilling from a Fukushima nuclear plant.

The March 11 Japan tsunami was the first tsunami to be broadcast on live TV. But even though tsunamis have been depicted in movies for nearly 90 years, the reality of a series of giant waves sweeping through cities, towns and farming communities was vastly different from how they've been depicted in disaster movies.

A comparison.

Deep Impact :




2012 :



The Day After Tomorrow :




The terrifying reality, from Kesennuma, Japan, March 11, 2011.

Japan : Destruction So Vast, So Comprehensive, Your Brain Can Barely Register What You're Seeing

A shocking compilation of tsunami footage from Japan. In seconds, the lives, the dreams, the homes an entire city full of people are destroyed. Somewhere in this apocalyptic mess are thousands of people who couldn't escape the tsunami, who did not know it was coming. If you watch from 4.10, you will see the nightmare vision of the tsunami wave breaking over a row of beachfront homes, while cars race to escape, none would have.



At least 30,000 are dead, many of those who perished would have been dragged out to sea. There are horrific reports coming of waves churning with corpses hitting kilometres of devastated shoreline, but thousands of people who thought March 11 was just going to be another day will never be recovered.



More earthquakes and tsunamis are predicted to hit Japan in the next few days, at least two nuclear meltdowns are likely underway and a volcano in the south is erupting.

And this, so surreal, as the waters of Tokyo Bay tries to take back the land claimed by humans as their own :

The Tsunami Wave That Will Not Stop

A continuous shot of the 10 metre tsunami wave hitting the Miyagi coast, Japan. On a larger screen you can see cars trying to flee along roads, getting caught and washed away, other cars trying to escape across fields, people running and getting swept up. And of course one of the most remarkable images of the March 11 earthquake so far, houses and buildings on fire carried along in the debris.



The tsunami warning for this area has been reported at being issued less than 10 minutes before the first wave hit. Hundreds died in this area alone.

Some screengrabs from larger images in The Atlantic's stunning photo collection of the Japan quake aftermath :





A human figure grabbed from a larger shot :



The same figure is in the bottom left. Did they even know what was about to hit them?



See The Full Collection Here

Tsunamis Smash Japan



It's being called the biggest earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history, magnitude 8.8. In the footage below, cities, towns, entire farms and hundreds of people are swept away by tsunami waves plowing into the Miyagi coast, pushing debris kilometres inland. Impossible to believe footage, your brain doesn't want to recognise what it is seeing :

Tsunami Alert Issued For Entire Pacific

The 7th largest earthquake in recorded history has struck off Chile today, magnitude 8.8.

The entire Pacific is now under tsunami alert.

The official warnings being issued tonight (Sydney time) across dozens of countries demand everyone to stay away from coastlines and beaches. No sight-seeing, no surfing.

The tsunami alerts are extremely dramatic, and they may prove to have been too dramatic, but right now they're downright fucking terrifying.

The waves have not struck anywhere yet, but Easter Island is believed to be the first, in about half an hour from now (11.15pm Sydney time)

In Australia, thousands watching The Day After Tomorrow on TV have been jolted by real world tsunami warnings flashing and scrolling onto their screens during the movie.

And there's this stunning map, issued about 9pm Sydney time :



I'm updating on the massive flow of news and eyewitness reports about the Pacific Tsunami over at :

The Orstrahyun

Below is an excerpt from a weather bureau warning explaining how we can tell that the tsunami threat has passed :

"FOR ALL AREAS – WHEN NO MAJOR WAVES ARE OBSERVED FOR TWO HOURS AFTER THE ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL OR DAMAGING WAVES HAVE NOT OCCURRED FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS THEN LOCAL AUTHORITIES CAN ASSUME THE THREAT IS PASSED. DANGER TO BOATS AND COASTAL STRUCTURES CAN CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS DUE TO RAPID CURRENTS. "

Most countries and islands of the Pacific will likely get small to slightly damaging waves.

But right now, this feels very, very bad.