Sunday, March 13, 2011

The Earthquake in Sendai, Japan

I'm saddened that I must write this, but I remember when I was quite unfamiliar with geography in East Asia as well. The earthquake in Japan occurred nearly 800 miles from our home here in Seoul. 800 miles. I understand some of you are worried because of reports that the earthquake was felt in China, but I question the validity of such claims because I haven't seen any mention of verifiable sources backing them up.

How far away is 800 miles? And I'm not talking about 800 highway miles. I'm talking about flight miles; straight distance between Seoul and Sendai not accounting for elevation changes, roads, winds, or anything else. Here are some towns that are closer to Wichita, KS than Sendai is to Seoul.
  • Cody and Jackson, Wyoming
  • Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Flagstaff, Arizona
  • Mobile, Alabama
  • The entire state of New Mexico
  • A significant chunk of the northern part of Mexico
  • Atlanta, Georgia
  • Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Cincinnatti and Columbus, Ohio
  • Grand Rapids, Escanaba, and Marquette; Michigan
  • International Falls, Minnesota (it's so far north that their temps are below freezing more than half of the year)
  • Grand Forks and Bismarck, North Dakota
  • Billings, Montana
800 miles encompasses 14 of the 48 contiguous US and at least touches another 16 (including the Florida Panhandle and all but the southernmost 15 miles of Texas).

Here's an image for the visual learners (from gcmap.com)


So needless to say, we are safe and you have nothing to worry about. We didn't feel a thing, and I doubt that any Chinese person did either. As far as tsunamis go, Japan blocked them for us. We are certainly praying for the victims there in Sendai and the rescue efforts, but that is the extent of the earthquake's affect on us.

Thanks for your concern. Take time to pray for the Japanese instead.