uncertaingrace:

The death toll climbed inexorably. By Wednesday night, more than 4,300 people had been confirmed killed and more than 7,800 remained unaccounted for; the authorities say the final tally of the dead is likely to exceed 10,000.

Aftershocks kept people across northern Japan on edge Wednesday. The United States Geological Survey recorded 54 earthquakes by midafternoon, four of them with magnitudes higher than 6.0. A strong morning shock caused buildings to sway in central Tokyo for about 30 seconds.

An estimated 440,000 people are living in makeshift shelters or evacuation centers, officials said. Bitterly cold and windy weather compounded the misery as survivors endured shortages of food, fuel and water.

(Source: uncertaingrace)