UPDATE: The tsunami alert has been lifted, and Japan is reporting no further damage to nuclear plants.
A strong earthquake just hit off Japan’s northeastern coast, in the Miyagi prefecture. This is the same coast that was already flattened by the last earthquake, and nuclear plants are once again at risk of compromise. So far, no further damage is being reported at nuclear plants. However, there is a tsunami warning in place and inhabitants are being asked to evacuate to higher ground, and that includes the workers at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
For perspective, the earthquake which devastated Haiti had a magnitude of 7.0; Japan has now been suffered through an earthquake stronger than Haiti’s less than a month after the 9.0 quake on March 11th. Reports are coming in slowly on the impact of this new quake, but the impact was felt as far away as Tokyo.
Japan has shown remarkable resilience in the face of disaster caused by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami, even taking into account the desperate struggle to contain its damaged nuclear reactors. Let’s hope that this isn’t the blow that overwhelms that resilience.