I’m alive, safe, and comfortable

For those of you who haven’t been paying attention to world news, there was a disaster in Japan this weekend. What started it, was the fifth biggest earthquake in recorded history (magnitude 9.0). The epicenter was in the pacific ocean about 130 miles off the eastern coast of Japan. By the time it reached me, it was still in the low sixes. This earthquake prompted some huge tidal waves (up to 40 feet high).

The earthquakes caused some damage, but the tsunami was what caused most of the damage. There are many towns and cities on the eastern coast that have been completely destroyed. There are over 3,000 confirmed dead right now, and over 10,000 still missing.

That was the first part of this disaster.

Japan mostly uses nuclear power to supply the country with electricity. This is a very clean and efficient form of power… as long as nothing goes wrong. So, the giant tsunami crashed into the reactors, which had already been shut down because of the earthquakes, and broke some of the cooling systems. This was the beginning of the melt down process for at least two reactors and has caused two hydrogen explosions, so far. There is a third reactor that is currently having problems, and is likely to follow the same chain of events as the first two.

While, looking at a map, Koriyama looks very close to the Fukushima power plant (only about 70km), we are currently perfectly safe due to Japan’s geography and weather patterns. We have a mountain range between us and the busted reactors, and the wind constantly blows to the east.

While food and fresh water are in low supply right now, we currently have plenty of both. I currently don’t have any running water in my apartment, but a friend of mine does. I have been staying with him through all of this. I have also stopped by every vending machine that I see to buy more when it is available. We combined our food and now have about one or two weeks worth of food stockpiled. We are also going out everyday to see if there are any stores or supermarkets open, so that we can add to our stock.

I have had many friends and family members ask if there is anything they can do. Unfortunately, if you aren’t a nuclear physicist, there isn’t much that can be done but donate. There are a number of organizations that are accepting donations. To start, you can start at the Red Cross. If you really just want to donate to someone you know though, I’d happily accept any donations =)

I want to thank everyone for all your thoughts and prayers. I am safe, and constantly watching the news for updates.