Here's a view from Ann Arbor of the Japanese earthquake. A magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck off the coast of Honshu, Japan at 5:46 UTC, 2:46 pm Japan time, and 12:46 a.m. Eastern Time, about 6200 miles from Ann Arbor. Damage is extensive, with the city of Sendai hit hard, and concern for the Fukushima Nuclear Plant. The effects of the tsunami stretched across the Pacific.
This post was last updated Friday, March 11 2011 at 11:50 a.m. EST
Ann Arbor resident David Fry is in Hawaii and was evacuated from his hotel, according to a Twitter message. He writes: "Safe but uncomfortable. Trying to sleep on a concrete floor in an open air building with several hundred other people. Sounds like our hotel in the Kona area in the Big Island may have some damage."
There are certain to be more local people with ties to the area affected, but news has a way of trickling in.
Seek official sources for current information. These maps may have been updated since they were collected.
The Pacific Tsunami Information Center is a good source, as is the Japan Meteorological Agency. The USGS earthquake report is for an 8.9 magnitude quake off the east coast of Honshu.
Wikipedia is characteristically thorough: 2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami.
The National Data Buoy Center has real time water levels across the Pacific.
Live blogs: Alertnet, Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami; CNN, Japan earthquake live blog; Guardian, Japan earthquake live updates.
Live television: NHK-TV via USTREAM; Waikiki beach cam (30 second preroll ad).
Photo essays: The Atlantic's In Focus: Earthquake in Japan.
Tsunami travel times, from NOAA.
Dr. Jeff Masters from Weather Underground: Great quake rocks Japan, generating dangerous Pacific tsunami.
NOAA MOST model, plus observed; from NCTR visualization. This is at 2h 28m into the tsunami:
Japan tsunami map
Did you feel it? Shake maps from USGS.
Predicted tsunami surge heights, from http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/
US West Coast alert status, from http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/
Shelters in Tokyo, a Google map
View 東京都内避難場所 in a larger map
National Data Buoy Center for a buoy off the coast of Hawaii, 140 NM SE of Honolulu.
here's a slightly later closeup of just the 3/11 data
A map of Japanese nuclear power plants, from the International Nuclear Safety Center.
Multiple quakes in Japan, via USGS:
10-degree Map Centered at 40°N,140°E
