Living in the future: watching disasters unfold

[debgeisler]

Before benveniste left this morning, he told me there had been a horrible earthquake in Japan. That got me out of bed, even though I'd contemplated sleeping in on this, the first day of Spring Break.

You've seen the news. The pictures...the video...the USGS list of continuing "after-shocks" (nearly 100 now over 5.0). My hopes and prayers go to my acquaintances in Japan, my students and former students and their families and friends.

Here's what has impressed me the most so far:

The calm acceptance of things we have seen from people in Tokyo and elsewhere. Probably some of it is a kind of numbness that comes with a disaster too big in scope to grasp. Some of it is cultural, because that's how they interact with each other and the world. I was struck by the people at the end of their work week (the quake hit Tokyo ~3 p.m. Friday) who wanted to go home to their families. Trains aren't running? They walked, in their thousands, often many kilometers.

The rapid promises of help from around the world. President Obama was awakened at 4 a.m. He assured Japan of our support, then mobilized efforts to ensure that if a tsunami hit the U.S., we would be as ready as we could be. The UK, the UN, dozens of nations, all said, "We will help. Tell us how." China, the ancient enemy, offered help and words of condolence.

The internet has made it all so much closer. I streamed a Honolulu station, watching preparations for a possible tsunami. Phone systems were out all over Japan...so people hit the 'net. An estimate of 10,000 tweets a minute from Japan, and climbing, was reported.

One helicopter caught live, horrifying footage of the tsunami devastating Sendai. We watched a car trying to outrun the waters. We do not know if he won.

We'll all watch this over the next days and weeks and months. And we feel closer to the other side of the world than ever before.