On Friday when the severest temblor (8.9 on the Rector Scale) to hit Japan during the past 140 years since it began keeping record of tremors struck, even the country most technologically prepared against these shocks could not stave off damage. As the images of the scenes of devastation right in the process of being wrought, with a 10-meter (33-feet) high wall of water rushing at the speed of a Jumbo Jet and sweeping away anything that came its way ships, houses, vehicles, and you name it appeared on TV screens worldwide, the viewers stood dumbfounded, seeing hell let loose in front of their eyes. There was, though, many a saving grace, thanks not only owing to the precautionary attitude of the Japanese nation to expected dangers, but also to its highly disciplined nature. Within minutes of the sounding of sirens, most of the hardest hit coastal town of Sendai of one million had been evacuated; yet those who were overtaken by the tsunami on account of illness, old age or whatever suffered. A helicopter flying overhead detected at least 80 fires. The latest figures put fatalities at well over 1,000 and more than 215,000 survivors living in temporary shelters. Over one million do not have water to drink and 4.4 million were without power. A ship carrying 100 passengers capsized, and a railway train derailed. But the hardy nation soon set itself to work and the train service began on Saturday afternoon. Around 50,000 Japanese troops have been involved in the rescue operation, and the world as well as the UN stood alert to respond to any call for help. There have been nearly 125 tremors of varying magnitude since the temblor. However, the waves stood dissipated as they moved beyond, relieving other countries as far as Hawii, Venezuela and the US of an impending disaster. Yet, the nuclear scare is the most galling. An explosion occurred at the Fukushima Daiishi nuclear plant sending up billows of white smoke on Saturday when it was struck by an aftershock of 6.00 magnitude on the Rector Scale. Some technicians working to rectify the damage done on Friday have been injured. The failure of the cooling system could mean another catastrophe in the making. It should also be kept in mind that about 30 percent of the countrys electricity is generated by nuclear power plants. The pity is that before the Fridays earthquake, the worlds third largest economy was in the process of picking up since the 2008 downturn. With the all-round disaster that it has left in its wake, the task ahead has become immensely harder, as an almost every sector of the economy has been shaken to the core. An oil refinery in Tokyo has gone up in flames; Japans auto industry has taken a severe hit, and so would be the businesses located in areas that have borne the onslaught. Yet the nation that literally rose from the ashes after World War II could be expected to stage another miracle.