Earthquake and Tsunami

As most people are aware, on March 11 a 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit the country of Japan, followed by a tsunami that affected much of the coast. The aftermath of these natural disasters continues to trouble the country as nuclear reactors at a nuclear plant in the Tokyo area struggle to function. I have continuously been following the news to hear new developments as this situation progresses and am hoping for the best for my Japanese friends.

In light of this disaster, I am touched by the number of people who have contacted myself and my family with concerns and well wishes. THANK YOU EVERYONE! I am so grateful that so many people care and are concerned for my wellbeing. Just so everyone knows, I will be leaving for Japan on March 27th. I am still in Vermont until Friday and will then be leaving for the west coast. I hope that the situation in Japan improves as soon as possible, and I will only be traveling if it is absolutely safe. The town in which I am to live, Koka, is roughly 270 miles from Tokyo and outside of the affected area. It is much further south and not close to any of the disaster areas. I hope this information helps to ease your minds about my upcoming move.

Here are some maps to reference. By clicking on each picture you can see a larger version of the image.

This is a map that shows the areas affected by the earthquake. The RED pointer is the location of Koka, Shiga. The star enclosed in a circle is the epicenter of the quake.The blue pointers are stations that recorded reports of the quake in varying intensities.

This map shows the location of the nuclear plant and the area of the evacuation order in the surrounding area. Once again, the RED pointer is Koka.

This last map shows the affected areas as they have been reported so far.

Here are some links that provide us with news and tell us ways that we can help Japan:
Huffington Post
Help Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Victims
CNNs Live Quake Blog