9-magnitude natural disaster strikes off the coast of Japan: USGS

A tsunami warning is in effect for Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture after a 7.3-magnitude natural disaster struck off Honshu at 5:59 a.m. Tuesday (3:59 p.m. Monday ET), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Residents were told to leave low-lying areas in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, but the natural disaster only produced tsunami waves of 4.6 feet shortly after 8 a.m.

#Japan #Tsunami Warning- Those in regions under Tsunami Warning should evacuate to safer place such as high ground. “Flee!” in white lettering over a bright red band on the screen.

The main government spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, said in a televised briefing that there was no imminent danger to the cooling system for spent fuel.

Now, a massive 7.4 quake hit Fukushima around 6 a.m. local time, and tsunami warnings and advisories are in effect.

A tsunami advisory for waves of up to 1 meter (3 feet) remained in effect along the coast.

The tremor brought back bad memories of the 2011 natural disaster and tsunami that killed more than 20,000 people, reported CNN. Authorities warned landslides may occur in some areas and people are urged not to return to their houses until all the warnings are lifted. The agency reports, however, that we have no threat of a tsunami on the U.S. West Coast. No deaths or major damage were reported, but transportation was disrupted and residents of low-lying areas were advised to evacuate.

There is no further report on the nuclear power plant that was knocked out in 2011.

“A tsunami happens, run away, tell your neighbors”, said a commentator on the public channel that has a mission of general interest. The ground shaking happened at about 5:59 am on November 22.

“I felt again that we should not have nuclear power”, he said. The U.S. Geological Survey measured Tuesday’s quake at a lower magnitude 6.9.

Tremors from the quake could be felt as far away as Tokyo, about 150 miles south of the epicenter.

The tremors hit at 6 a.m. local time and were 160 miles away in Tokyo.

Shinkansen bullet train services were temporarily suspended in the region and Sendai airport closed. In the Higashi-Matsushima port, some fishing boats could not withstand the waves and were overturned.

As Tsunami warning signals were downgraded, television footage showed ships moving out to sea from harbours.

Some evacuees took to Twitter to express their fears.

Staying in a traditional Japanese inn on the coast in the city of Ofunato with a dozen global high school students on a study tour, teacher Kathy Krauth said the shaking began just seconds after a quake alarm on her phone went off.

However, in April two strong quakes hit Kumamoto prefecture, leaving at least 50 dead and causing widespread damage.