Why Earthquake and Tsunami Prophecies Seem To Come True (Magugunaw na ba ang mundo?)

Because there is always a 100 percent chance of earthquake everyday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), you can say that there will be an earthquake tomorrow and it could happen. Kung nabasa ninyo ang comment ko sa isa ko pang blog, sa tecrispeak, na nanaginip ako ng rumaragasang tubig at pagkalunod ng mga kamaganak, masasabi niyo kaya na nahulaan ko ang tsunami sa Japan bago pa nangyari? Ang totoo, we can expect an earthquake to happen any day like we can expect a red car to pass the street any time. Japan knows this. Though Japan is now facing enormous devastation brought by the 8.9-magnitude earthquake, it could have fared worse if not for the country's disaster preparedness which has saved the lives of thousands of its people. (Click here for the English version of this post)

 Mahigit sa isang libong lindol ang inaasahan araw-araw. Sabi ng USGS sa kanilang website:

"It may be so light that only sensitive instruments will perceive its motion; it may shake houses, rattle windows, and displace small objects; or it may be sufficiently strong to cause property damage, death, and injury. It is estimated that about 700 shocks each year have this capability when centered in a populated area. But fortunately, most of these potentially destructive earthquakes center in unpopulated areas far from civilization. Since a major portion of the world's earthquakes each year center around the rim of the Pacific Ocean (Ring of Fire), referred to by seismologists as the circum-Pacific belt, this is the most probable location for today's earthquake. But it could hit any location, because no region is entirely free of earthquakes."

It's not surprising that the occurrence of three very destructive earthquakes in the past two weeks can make so many people wonder if we're experiencing what they call "the end of times" or movie scenes coming true (if you watched "2012"). My mother, for instance, was asking why we are having all these disasters plus the Middle East conflict. Sabi niya, in Cebuano: "Kakulba ba sad kaayo. Nganong daghan man kaayo atong katalagman karon dinhi karon sa kalibutan?"

Dahil lumaki ako sa Norte kung saan parang di na nakaka-shock ang mga super-bagyo, mas kinikilabutan ako sa lindol dahil wala talagang nakakaalam kung kailan, saan mangyayari at sino ang susunod na mabibiktima. While I can cope with storms, I find earthquakes and the resulting tsunamis so much more unsettling. Obviously, the furious shaking of the ground and the movement of the ocean or sea in one definite direction are monstrous sights to behold.

Mas marami o mas madalas ba ang matitinding lindol o destructive earthquakes ngayon? Hindi, sabi ng USGS. Dr. Daniel McNamara, a USGS seismologist told the "Huffington Post" that:

"The 1960s were more active than now," he said. "One of the issues is that we have much better technology than decades past, so we can report on earthquakes more than ever before."

The frequency of strong earthquakes has not changed. Because we have all the means to communicate and receive news from all over the world, we are more aware of what is happening around us. Kahapon, ilang milyong tao kaya sa mundo ang nakatutok sa TV or Internet para makibalita? In the past, there were earthquakes around the world that we didn't even know. Now, we are also able to record more tremors because we have more seismograph stations in different locations.

For a day, it was scary to consider having sort of "predicted" the onslaught of water engulfing Sendai and then I thought it was just one bad dream that I remember too well because it was very frightening. I may have been afraid of something else when I slept but my brain fancied staging a tsunami-like disaster so I had a dream of a huge water pipe bursting with torrents of water. Earthquakes happen everyday and tsunamis are always possible. It's just a coincidence and too bad that I had a double dose of fear all in one day.

Hindi na siguro kailangang isalin pa sa Tagalog o English ang mararamdaman mo sa gitna ng isang malakas na lindol (kung "Jishin" sa salitang Hapon, "linog" sa Cebuano, "gigined" sa Ilokano, "ayun" sa Kapampangan, "lunik" sa Ibanag, ano naman "lindol" sa wika mo?) dahil malamang sa mata pa lang makikita na ang magkahalong sindak, pagkamangha at pagtanggap na sa isang iglap maaring magbago ang mundong ginagalawan mo.

Sa madaling salita, wala tayong magagawa kundi tumulong, magdasal (kung naniniwala ka pa sa dasal) para sa mga nasalanta ng lindol at maghanda sa ano mang sakuna na maaring idudulot ng bagsik ng kalikasan.

Question: Philippines, like Japan, lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Is the country prepared for big earthquakes?

Our prayers and thoughts are with the people of Japan, China and New Zealand.