The magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on Friday, March 11, 2011 has affected me in such a way that I want to write an experience essay on it. This essay will examine some of the images and video of the devastation and my reactions to them.
This first video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt_G3VOnlas, was shown on CNN early Friday morning Eastern Time. I have a feeling of shock, sadness and pure awe when seeing this video. Shock because it was hard to register what I was seeing: The ships and boats being pushed underneath the bridge; destroying them. I also felt very sad because of the realization that thousands of people have just lost their lives as I watch this video. Finally, I had a feeling of awe at watching the pure power of nature at work and how small and vulnerable we really are in comparison to the force of Mother Nature.
The second video, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12769741, shows numerous vehicles being carried away by the torrents of water being created by the tsunami. At about 41 seconds into this video, my blood ran cold hearing the screams of a woman, possibly in the house being carried away likely to her death; that just brings me to tears. At 65 seconds, power lines and poles are brought down as they are undermined by the water current.
The third video, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12709850, you see the rush of water associated with the tsunami overtaking everything. That water is not clean either, it's filled with debris, hazardous materials and some of it is on fire due to gas lines being ruptured.
The reason you see so much debris in the water is because the way a tsunami works is that the water rushes in and is then pulled back out carrying all of the debris with it. When that water is pushed back in, it pushes all that debris with it, which acts like battering rams.
I find the current technology as a double edged sword. News of disasters are transmitted more quickly today than ever. Most of the news that I have received about the Japan earthquake has been through Twitter http://www.twitter.com and Facebook http://www.facebook.com . On the other end of the scale, it may not be good psychologically and socially to see constant news of a disaster as it seems to desensitize us to pain, suffering and carnage.
The earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 have affected me in such a way that I am strongly considering changing my career goals and thus the direction of my college career. I have been interested in the field of Meteorology since the age of 6. It is and always will be my "first love". I even have a website dedicated to this at http://www.crownweather.com . I have been strongly questioning whether I want to pursue the field of meteorology, even before March 11. Why? Because the meteorology field has been severely oversaturated and the supply far outweighs the demand and there are those with Masters and Doctorates that are "flipping burgers" for a living.
So, the events, images, photos, and education that I have received in the past week have made me want to look to changing my career path towards Geophysics with an eventual concentration in Seismology. I am already majoring in Environmental Science with a self-designed concentration at UM Presque Isle; so, it isn't too far of a stretch to start steering myself in that direction.
I can't think of another natural disaster that can have worldwide effects like earthquakes and tsunamis. An earthquake can take the lives of tens of thousands of people in the blink of an eye. I will admit it has been and is still a challenge to figure out how best to steer my college career in the direction of Geophysics with a seismology concentration. There is very little on the internet, in comparison to meteorology, regarding the field of Geophysics with a seismology concentration; so, it is something that I am still investigating.
Finally, the experience of witnessing a catastrophic disaster in nearly real-time through media outlets has changed me a little personally and professionally. It reminds us not to take things for granted and don't sweat the small stuff. One of my favorite sayings is "Laugh like no one is listening, dance like nobody is watching, love like you can't be hurt and live life like it's heaven on earth".
Crown Weather Services
http://www.crownweather.com
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