{"id":3517,"date":"2011-03-12T11:00:05","date_gmt":"2011-03-12T18:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/?p=3517"},"modified":"2011-03-12T11:01:08","modified_gmt":"2011-03-12T18:01:08","slug":"japan-devastated-by-earthquake-and-tsunami-untold-thousands-missing-or-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/natural-disasters\/japan-devastated-by-earthquake-and-tsunami-untold-thousands-missing-or-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan devastated by earthquake and tsunami; Untold thousands missing or dead"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Slideshow:<\/a>
Recovery efforts begin amongst the devastation from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Click the image to view a slideshow of images on Examiner.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The massive magnitude earthquake that struck Japan on Friday has brought incredible devastation to the nation.\u00a0 The death toll continues to climb and there are reports of thousands of people missing even as a nuclear power plant threatens to release dangerous radiation.<\/p>\n

Commercial buildings and homes were reduced to rubble in the magnitude 8.9 earthquake – the fifth largest seen globally since 1900<\/a>.\u00a0 Along the cost of Japan’s main island of Honshu, a monstrous tsunami 23 feet high pushed ashore wiping away everything in its path.\u00a0The devastation was so massive it was easily spotted by NASA satellites<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The death toll has now climbed over 600 people with at least 1,000 missing.\u00a0 The\u00a0Kyodo News Service is reporting that according to city officials, 9,500 people in the town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture\u00a0are missing.\u00a0 The town normally has a population of 17,000.<\/p>\n

An explosion at a damaged nuclear power facility increased concerns that a deadly radiation leak may be imminent.\u00a0 The blast at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1\u00a0nuclear plant sent smoke billowing into the air and is reported to have injured four workers.<\/p>\n

Government officials insist no dangerous levels of radiation have been released.\u00a0 Nevertheless, they have increased the evacuation radius around the damaged plant from 6 miles (10 km) to 12 miles (20km).\u00a0 A 6 mile (10 km) evacuation zone around the Fukushima No. 2 plant to the south remains in place.\u00a0 As many as 300,000 will be evacuated due to the danger.<\/p>\n

With the concern of a nuclear disaster possibly being in the offing, rescuers continued to comb through the rubble in search of possible survivors.\u00a0 Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said more than 3,000 people had been rescued but an untold number likely remain buried.<\/p>\n

International aid began streaming into the nation including search and rescue teams and supplies from dozens of nations.<\/p>\n

The U.S. military in Japan leapt into action and immediately began delivering relief supplies to stricken areas.\u00a0 The Marine Corps and the Navy will have extensive resources in the area, particularly once the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and its strike group arrives tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Aftershocks continue to rumble in the ocean near the epicenter of yesterday’s quake<\/a>.\u00a0 More than 100 significant temblors have occurred, some onshore on the island of Honshu.<\/p>\n

\"Slideshow:<\/a>
Slideshow: Before and after - NASA satellite images show devastation in Japan. Click to view the slideshow on Examiner.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More stories from the Natural Disasters Examiner:<\/strong><\/p>\n