Since last night many of us have been glued to CNN watching the devastation that is taking place in Japan.  Many of the images shown throughout blogs and media outlets world brought a reminder to the Indian Ocean Tsunami that happened in 2004.  Despite oil refinery explosions, houses being carried away by the ocean, debris and so much destruction, many of the buildings in Japan were built to withstand earthquakes and it is said that the all the people are coping and dealing with it all in an orderly manner.  Perhaps it's due to the character and culture of the Japanese people that even in a devastating crisis, preparations have allowed for evacuations and procedures to be seamlessly executed.

Even here in California, we've been on Tsunami watch for the past 12 hours and while San Diegans watched with anti climactic results, residents in Northern California coast areas had many boats and properties damaged due to the waves. It's hard to wrap my head around the magnitude of this disaster and how many people are looking for their family members, wondering what has happened to their homes and are still awaiting aid or a place to go to.

Visit the Big Picture for an amazing set of photographs from earthquake in Japan. http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/03/massive_earthquake_hits_japan.html