8.9-Magnitude Earthquake in Japan Triggers Tsunami

Alliance workers are safe after one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history struck Japan on Friday, March 11, 2011, triggering a devastating tsunami. Hundreds of deaths have been confirmed; according to msnbc.com, the waves swept away boats, cars, buildings, and tons of debris, prompting a “nuclear emergency.” The following update was adapted from a communication sent by Harry and Jane Landaw, field leaders in Japan.

Dear Friends,

By now you have probably seen much coverage of the strongest earthquake in the history of Japan, plus the powerful tsunamis that are following. It is really terrible around Sendai and Miyaki-about 200 miles from Tokyo. The destruction is beyond imagination. After the 8.9 earthquake, 25-foot waves of mud came rolling in from the ocean and just cleared away houses and huge buildings, plus of course, many cars and people. Many are still missing.

Sendai Airport has 1,300 people stranded there. The huge tsunami waves came through the airport and totally annihilated everything except the main terminal.  Oh, how sad! As of this writing, 60 people have been reported dead, but the number will increase rapidly, we know, as so many were swept away.

A ship had 100 people on it-maybe a ferry or fishing boat-and it was swept away.  The earthquake in Tokyo measured 7.9.  We thought the building where we live would fall apart. We could see it shake as well as our car.

God protected us all.  Harry called all our C&MA workers, and all are fine. We haven’t heard of any C&MA churches destroyed. Pray that God will keep us all through the night, as more tsunamis are expected. We continue to have major tremors here since the initial quake at 2:40 in the afternoon; ours are minor compared to those in the north. A huge refinery in Chiba City is on fire. We had driven by it many times when we lived there. Trains are shut down in Tokyo, so people are stranded downtown by the thousands.

Thank you for your prayers. We thank God that we still have electricity and e-mail connections. We will keep you posted. God is our shelter in the storm and the comforter for the thousands who are suffering.

Grateful for your prayers,
Harry and Jane

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