The Great Kanto Earthquake, also known as the 1923 Tokyo-Yokohama earthquake, struck the Kanto metropolitan area on September 1, 1923 at approximately 11:58 pm. It was a magnitude 7.9 on the Richter scale, killing over one hundred and forty thousand people due to its high magnitude and the time it happened. The earthquake struck around lunchtime, when many Japanese were at home cooking on charcoal or gas stoves. When the earthquake occurred, it demolished the buildings which caught fire from the stoves which collapsed, setting the city on fire. The fire was overwhelmed and was able to spread due to the gusts of wind that occurred over the next two days, causing firestorms. Charles Blauvelt experienced the ordeal of the fire describing the flames as "[covering] the entire city [as they] burned all day and night." In addition to the firestorms and the earthquake itself, there was shock from all the falling debris that caused tsunamis that filled and inundated Japanese cities. These tsunamis, approximately ten meters high, destroyed central Tokyo and increased the death toll immensely. Due to the damage to the city, people around the affected area had to relocate elsewhere, but were killed due to the firestorms; the remaining survivors attempted to rebuild the city. They received help from foreign lands, who were willing to help by lending and donating money. With the donated money they managed to rebuild the houses and rehabilitate the land. In addition to receiving help from foreign lands, they worked internally to help their own nation. The survivors of the caustic disaster took loans from the national bank, which made the economy prosper. Even though people worked with each other and helped each other, the g...... middle of paper ......Issues of culture and democracy, 1900-1930. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1998. Questiona. Network. April 10, 2011. James, Charles D. “The 1923 Tokyo Earthquake and Fire.” University of California, October 8, 2002. Web. April 13, 2011. .Smith, Kerry. "A Brief History of the Disaster." The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 Materials from the Dana and Vera Reynolds Collection. Brown University and Web. 6 April 2011. "1923 Tokyo-Yokohama earthquake." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011. Web. 10 April 2011. .Tsuzuki, Chushichi. The quest for power in modern Japan, 1825-1995. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Questiona. Network. April 28. 2011.