Creve Coeur Patch is closely monitoring developments out of the devastating 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan, which some outlets, including AOL News, are reporting has seen dozens of casualties with fears the death toll could eventually be much higher.

Creve Coeur-based Monsanto has facilities around the world, including an office in Tokyo. A spokeswoman says there are approximately 20 employees at the operation there, and that the company had reached "many but not all of them," Friday morning.

Missouri Baptist University humanities professor John Han, who has presented at conferences throughout the region, including Japan, told Patch Friday he had sent emails to colleagues in Japan but had not heard back from them. In addition, Chaminade's Coordinator of International Programs and Recruiting is traveling in Thailand. The school told Patch that Mark Baczynski and his wife's family in Japan are fine but that the family Baczynski stayed with when he studied abroad as a Chaminade student is still missing.

As of 2:15 p.m. CST, CNN and other outlets are reporting that Tsunami warnings in effect for Hawaii stemming from the quake have been lifted, but that still leaves another Missouri Baptist University employee looking for answers. Nicole Thomas, who works in the school's Career Services division, has family in Hawaii and distant relatives in Japan, and didn't know about today's developments until she saw family comments on Facebook. 

"We assume they were woken up by the sirens and they always take it very seriously because they live so close to the water," Thomas said of her aunt and uncle, who live in Hawaii. "We imagine, we hope they evacuated last night." Thomas said its been an anxious day for her family as they wait for word of any news.

Do you know of someone with Creve Coeur ties who might be impacted by the quake and the resulting tsunami? Email Gregg.Palermo@patch.com.