An Anxious Morning for Sheriff's Deputy With Relatives in Japan

The monster 30-foot-high tsunami that destroyed buildings and sent ships crashing into the coast of Japan, though far from Los Angeles, hit close to home for Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Jeffrey Farmar as he waited for news about his family and friends in Japan early Friday morning.

Farmar moved to Japan right out of college and lived there for seven years. His wife is from Japan, and the couple have family and friends there.

At about 3:30 a.m. Friday, Farmar and his wife received word their family in the Tokyo area was safe.

After many attempts to contact family, an e-mail from his sister-in-law let the two know they need not worry.

"She said, 'We're alive and we’ll tell you more soon,' " Farmar said.

An 8.9-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Japan triggered the tsunami, reportedly killing hundreds of people and causing massive destruction. The tsunami's along the West Coast.

Farmar watched the waves from the top of cliffs near early Friday morning and spoke with disbelief about the scope of the destruction in Japan.

"I can't believe it," he said. "That would be like losing Redondo Beach."

Another update from his sister-in-law let him know her house was not structurally damaged, but things had definitely been shaken—some items falling and breaking.

"She said, 'I have no idea how to start cleaning this up,' " he said.

Farmar and his wife had planned to visit Japan in February, but ended up deciding against it. His wife would have still been in the country under the original plan.

" 'Aren’t you glad you didn’t go?' " he recalled saying to his wife early Friday. The two are planning to reschedule for sometime in the coming months.

He's sure he'll hear more from family and friends as they deal with the effects of the quake and tsunami, but for now he said there's not much anyone can do about it.

"There’s so many unknowns at this point," he said.