Tsunami that hit Japan
Last night i watched a programme about the tsunami that hit Japan in 2011. The programme included live video and still photographs taken by survivors at the time and I must say, it was horrendous and terrifying.
When i think of a tsunami, i think of a huge wave thundering towards the shore at great speed and this vision is probably due to Hollywood ad in particular a terrible film which i seem to recall was called Deep Impact. There is a scene on the beach where a father and daughter are holding each other as the visible wave approaches. For the tsunami that hit Japan, this is miles from the truth.
THe interveiwed survivors told of hearing the warnings of a major tsunami and evacuation requests, which they on the most part adhered to and from high ground they watched and waited and filmed. From the filming, the huge surfable wave did not approach, it was a swell and it wasnt immediately visible to the naked eye, unless seen against something in the background. So this meant that those who were slow to evacuate and were looking for the wave, saw nothing and so took more thime than they should. Then all of sudden, they were engulfed. One particularly impressive sight was of a harbour which had numerous very large vessels moored and seamen and port workers looking out to sea. Again, seeing nothing. Then, it became obvious that these large vessels were rising against the background and up they continued to go. It was a matter of seconds before they broke free from their moorings and started towards those watching, with no time to run, they were engulfed. That harbour ended up under around 18 meters of water. It was a sight to see huge sea-going vessels moving past terminal buildings and office blocks, riding on a sea of debris.
Another horrific scene was filmed by a man in a car who was stuck in traffic. There were cars and trucks in front and behind and one could hear the warnings but those in the cars did not make any move. All of a sudden, water started to flow in the street and passersby looked a little surprised, but not alarmed in any way. Then the swell struck and the in about 5 seconds, cars were floating and those people on the street who were glimpsed now holding desperately to fences and in those seconds, they were gone. The guy in the car stayed there and filmed and it was terrifying as the viewer could really feel the car moving and the terror at buildings nearing the car and the endless rise in water levels. Then a passing building hit the car and the filming was no more. the survivor from the car said he was then in deep water and not knowing which way was up or down... Horrible.
So although the filming and view of the tsunami were impressive, it was the personal side of it that really took the breath away and showed the real power of nature and the helplessness of humanity in the face of her.

