I used to feel disasters in Japan for ten years and have lived there for ten. However, this day was one of the biggest or most significant experiences I’ve ever had.
I am on the seventh floors of a higher building, but it shook so fiercely that I had to cling on to the kitchen counter to keep myself afloat.
Things came off cabinets, flower pots were toppled, panels were opened, doorways were moved.
It was very violent quivering, even here in Taipei, properly over a 100km from the centre in Hualien.
A big building site behind my home was hit by some building tools that fell to the ground beneath.
Although it appears that no one was hurt, it is possible that someone was seriously hurt. Individuals were arriving at work during this time.
I’ve spoken with companions who have lived here for a while, both from the local community and from abroad, and they claim this is the biggest disaster they have experienced in at least 20 years, perhaps even longer.