More Video and Other Updates on Japanese Quake and Tsunami

The country's broadcasting arm, NHK; as well as several other outlets, have posted several videos showing the destructive power of this morning's seismic event.

We'll be following the insurance fallout from this morning's major earthquake in Japan over the next few weeks, but following are some links to information about the event. (Update: We've posted an interview from Reuters with Aflac CEO Daniel Amos outlining his company's exposure.)

Our editorial director Kathy Burger touched on the power of technology to aid in predicting, mitigating damage, and spreading news about these types of disasters this morning.

NHK, Japan's public broadcasting agency, has an English-language site with an article and video. They've also posted some videos (in Japanese) on YouTube.

Earth is moved.

Water pushes everything in its path out of its way. Cars and homes tossed and dragged about like seaweed.

The aftermath.

An amazing picture of a highway turned on its side.

Coverage from NPR. One interesting aspect of this is that unlke what happened in Haiti, the modern and strict building codes in the wealthier nation of Japan could help preserve more infrastructure:

Buildings shook violently and workers poured into the street for safety as the temblor hit, but there were few reports so far of collapsed buildings — a sign that stringent building codes may have averted a far greater disaster.

However, the force of the following tsunamis appears even more destructive; hopefully the codes took damage from such an event into account as well.

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio