Despite the earthquake, tsunami and rising nuclear concerns unfolding in Japan right now, some UCF students are having a tough time relating to the natural disasters occurring on the other side of the world. Some, on the other hand, are right in the middle of it.
Multiple UCF students were in Japan as the country suffered through the fifth largest earthquake in recorded history. According to a UCF press release, students Jonathan Ulrich and Michael Tuttle were on their way to their Tokyo hotel when the 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck Japan.
Ulrich and Tuttle ended up missing the subway to their destination and ended up in a cafe near a Buddhist temple where there was a lack of high rise buildings, according to the release.
The earthquake also caused a massive tsunami, increasing both the damage to the country and the death toll, which currently officially sits at 1,900. However, according to Fox News, the police chief of the Japanese province of Miyagi has stated 10,000 people are estimated to have died in his province alone, indicating that the death toll could potentially soar in the coming days.
CNN is also reporting that Japanese officials are still fighting to prevent meltdowns at three separate nuclear power plants damaged by the natural disasters.
In addition to Ulrich and Tuttle, two other UCF students are at Japanese universities studying abroad, along with a faculty member as well as at least one other UCF student visiting the country at the time.
UCF is also playing host to nine international students from Japan, all of whom UCF’s International Services Center is reaching out to and offer assistance.
KnightNews.com is attempting to reach out to these students, and will continue to follow this story.
If you or your organization is attempting to aid those in Japan, please contact us at news@knightnews.com so we can help to spread the word about your efforts, similar to the aid UCF gave to Haiti after its devastating earthquake last year.
