a devastating earthquake in northeastern Japan

Yesterday, when I was in my office, the building started to shake slowly, and soon the shake became intense. Thinking that the building might have some trouble I nearly panicked. Some files of brochures fell down from the bookshelf but the building itself seemed to have no trouble, thanks to the enforcement work completed last year. All of the subways and railways were out of operation during the whole afternoon. I ran and walked home. It took me two hours to arrive at my house in Ogikubo. Because the roads were crowded all the way, it seemed that walking was the fastest way to get back home.
Even with the severe shake, most of the houses and buildings I saw on the way home stayed intact, except for some facades of old houses that crumbled. The photo shows the biggest collapse I saw on my way home. It is a stone wall of a graveyard near Shinjuku. Most of the houses and buildings and even the construction sites in Tokyo had been well prepared for earthquakes. Up to the moment of writing, 4 people are reported dead in Tokyo. The casualties in the northeastern part of Japan, however, are reported to be very heavy. The death toll already reached 700, and it will perhaps exceed 1000. Most died because of the dreadful Tsunami.
Electricity and water supply remain normal in Tokyo. Many people have rushed to the stores to hoard food. It is necessary to stay calm at this moment.