Extra case study information: Japan earthquake and tsunami March 11th 2011

Earthquake/tsunami facts: When? March 11 2011 Time? 14.46 local time Earthquake magnitude? 9.0Mw Depth of focus? 30 km Deaths? 15,889 Missing? 2,600 Injured ? 6,000 Displaced? 130,000

What happened? On the 11th March2011, an earthquake (measuring 9.0 on the Richter Scale) occurred 100km from Honshu, Japan. Within 30 mins, a wall of water (40m in height!!) hit the NE coast of Japan. Upto 9 more waves (up to 10m in height) followed. This was a TSUNAMI and caused widespread death and destruction

Map to show the location of epicentre and main areas affected Map to show the location of epicentre and main areas affected. The earthquake was a magnitude 9.0 and was described as ‘an undersea mega thrust earthquake’.

Causes… The earthquake which triggered the tsunami occurred at the DESTRUCTIVE plate margin… where the PACIFIC PLATE is being subducted beneath the NORTH AMERICAN PLATE. It is thought to move at a rate of 8-9cms per yr. It is believed a 200km in length segment of rock slipped suddenly, resulting in an upwards ‘flick’ of the crust (by 5-10m). The massive stresses of the plate movement causes the plate to ‘snap back’ , displacing a vertical column of water which causes a tsunami. At the fault line the tsunami is merely a ripple but as it approaches land it gains height as the water becomes shallower; slowing the wave.

The intensity of the earthquake ( visualisation map) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSBjEvPH2j4

Map to show the intensity of the seismic event

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12725646 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12709850

Tsunami impacts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YPOK_3r8Dc&feature=player_detailpage

Helicopter over Sendai. (what impacts can you see?)

Primary Effects… Scientists estimated 10 billion tonnes of water hit NE Japan. In spite of sirens warning people to evacuate, the scale and speed of the coastal flood was completely unexpected. Over 20,000 people were killed (90% by tsunami, 10% in after effects) - as the waves swept up to 10km onshore. The high death toll was due to the power of the surge which overtopped tsunami defences including levees and seawalls. 3,000 ppl are now officialy missing. A total of 200,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed by the earthquake and the tsunami. Up to 500km₂ of coastal plains were inundated – destroying farmland, settlements and communications. The port of the city of Sendai was virtually destroyed.

Train carried from Ishinomaki line

Fallen power cables in Ishinomaki

Secondary Effects… Ruptured gas pipes led to fires that raged for several days. Electricity was cut off in almost 6 million homes and over 1 million ppl were left without running water. Heavy snow, roads blocked by debris and landslides and over 1,000 aftershocks hampered relief efforts. In some areas, stocks of food, water and medical supplies ran low. In the days which followed, many victims were claimed by injuries, shock, exposure and fires that broke out in the wrecked settlements – a significant number of these were elderly (75% of the ppl missing were 60+ yrs). The tsunami was blamed for the decline in Japanese life expectancy in 2011. E.g. womens fell 0.4 yrs to 85.9yrs and men fell to 79.4 yrs. Stock markets globally fell over concerns about Japans rising debts.

A father and son survey the damage to their street

The rescue begins

Short Term Responses… Over 100,000 Japanese soldiers were deployed in search and rescue; distributing blankets, water and food to people affected. Specialist search and rescue teams were flown into the area from overseas. With an onslaught of cold winter weather following the disaster, the first shipment of a $1.1 million donation of Gap brand winter clothing was distributed to tens of thousands of recipients in Miyagi, Fukushima and Iwate.

Looking for bodies in the debris

One of the major impacts of this disaster was the damage and subsequent radiation leak from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Fukushima plant before tsunami

The Nuclear Crisis... The earthquake shut down the Plant and emergency back up generators were used to cool the reactor cores BUT were put out of action after the 14m wave. The Plant operators had severely underestimated the potential risks from earthquakes and tsunamis. The reactors began to overheat, causing a series of explosions releasing radio active particles into the air. An exclusion zone was set up around Fukushima Nuclear Plant and people were evacuated from the area. 80,000 people were evacuated in the surrounding area and 136,000 people living 20-30km away were warned to stay indoors.

Evacuation centre after radiation alert

Reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plant Reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plant. Nuclear power stations in Japan shut down automatically in the event of an earthquake.

The diesel powered backup cooling system was then destroyed by the tsunami leading to overheating of reactors, explosions and radiation leaks. Explosion at second Fukushima reactor

Japan declared a state of emergency and evacuated thousands of people from a wide exclusion zone. The fight to contain the damage is still going on

Government Criticisms… There was criticism of the governments speed of response to the disaster. Survivors said they were left to fend for themselves in chaotic conditions and the harsh winter weather that followed. However, the governmental said that 50,000 personnel from Japans self defence forces, and police were mobilised within the first 2 days. And that a total of 160,000 were in place after 2 months. The government cited severe damage to transport and communication infrastructure as the main reason for difficulties in bringing relief to the residents in need. But the major highway through the Tohoku region was reopened after a fortnight and the bullet train to Tokyo was fully operational by the end of April. In Nov 2012, a scandal hit Japan when it was revealed ¼ of its 91 bil reconstruction fund was spent on projects unrelated to the disaster. Also, that red tape and indecision meant ½ the budget had not yet been distributed to the surviving victims.