Another quake...

Quake at 10:53 West of Fukuoka
I was supposed to be at the recording studio at 11 o'clock, but just minutes before the appointment I intercepted a message from the devil...
At 10:53 JST an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 struck Northern Kyushu. A tremble of 6 minus in the Japanese scale was recorded in Fukuoka and Saga prefectures.
An 75 year old lady lost her life being crushed by a collapsing wall and hundreds were injured. Many fled a small island of Genkaijima partly destroyed by the quake. Fortunately no tsunami was observed, though a tsunami watch was issued temporarily.
I rushed to the news center to deal with the special newscast but little by little I felt how fortunate the people of Kyushu were with limited casualties. Compare it to the damage in the Great Hanshin Earthquake, at the magnitude of 7.3 killing thousands instantly. True, today's earthquake is just about one-thirds in magnitudes (An addition of 0.2 in magnitude equals double in seismic size) but it was the first time in recorded history (by means of JMA=Japan Meteorological Agency observation) that a quake of more than the Japanese tremble scale of 5 minus has hit Fukuoka or Saga.
The surprise attack could have caused more damage, but there seemed to be no serious destruction nor panicking in the streets. Very fortunate! And what a relief it was for us covering the story. But one big concern... We mustn't be too overconfident that trembles of scale 6 minus or earthquakes of magnitudes 7 wouldn't lead to serious damage.
Surely a magnitude 9 quake will bring devastating damage as it done in the Indian Ocean, but a quake of M6.8 have killed dozens in Niigata last October.
Filled with outdated buildings and bunches of people, a smaller quake can cause serious damage in the city. Remember the 2001 Kabukicho fire in Shinjuku?
A packed city like Tokyo or megacities in other areas is filled with vulnerable spots and carelessness in our biggest enemy!