Japan tsunami propagation video and graphic

From the NOAA Center for Tsunami Research — Honshu Tsunami Propagation Animation showing the spread of the March 11 tsunami:

Note how the waves reflect and refract, just like you learned about in high school physics.

Also from NOAA, a plot of the maximum amplitude of the tsunami:

Note the faint gray contours; they represent travel times. It takes over 21 hours for a tsunami to travel from Japan to Chile. The colors represent the maximum amplitudes of the tsunami, showing that the intensity of a tsunami can concentrate in narrow bands, and can vary over fairly short distances.

What can we do?

• Pray — Ask God to show mercy to the people of Japan, that rescuers would have success in locating those in need, that supplies would quickly reach those who need them most, and that the church in Japan and around the world would know how to respond best to the short- and long-term needs of those who are suffering.
• Give — Governments can and will do much to help, but non-government organizations also can play a key role in crises like this. Many Christian organizations are prepared to respond quickly, such as TouchGlobal (a ministry of the Evangelical Free Church of America) and World Vision.

Grace and Peace