Quake shifted Japan; towns now flood at high tide

Source: AP

ISHINOMAKI, Japan (AP) -- When water begins to trickle down the streets of her coastal neighborhood, Yoshiko Takahashi knows it is time to hurry home.

Twice a day, the flow steadily increases until it is knee-deep, carrying fish and debris by her front door and trapping people in their homes. Those still on the streets slosh through the sea water in rubber boots or on bicycle.

"I look out the window, and it's like our houses are in the middle of the ocean," says Takahashi, who moved in three years ago.

The March 11 earthquake that hit eastern Japan was so powerful it pulled the entire country out and down into the sea. The mostly devastated coastal communities now face regular flooding, because of their lower elevation and damage to sea walls from the massive tsunamis triggered by the quake.

Read more: http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_EARTHQUAKE_CHANGING_TERRAIN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-05-09-05-46-09

thanks for the info.

> The March 11 earthquake that hit eastern Japan was so powerful
> it pulled the entire country out and down into the sea.

> The rising edge of plate caused the sea floor off Japan's eastern coast
> to bulge up - one measuring station run by Tohoku University reported
> an underwater rise of 16 feet (5 meters) - creating the tsunami that
> devastated the coast. The portion of the plate under Japan was pulled
> lower as it slid toward the ocean, which caused a corresponding plunge
> in elevation under the country. Some areas in Ishinomaki moved southeast
> 17 feet (5.3 meters) and sank 4 feet (1.2 meters) lower.

> Imakiire says the quake was powerful enough to move the entire country,
> the first time this has been recorded since measurements began in the
> late 19th century. In Tokyo, 210 miles (340 kilometers) from Ishinomaki,
> parts of the city moved 9 inches (24 centimeters) seaward.

:wow: