A SNAPSHOT OF THE SITUATION ASSESSMENT IN JAPAN ON DAY 4 BASED ON REPORT FILED BY UN’s OCHA ON DAY 4 AFTER THE MARCH 11 EARTHQAKE MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2011 Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, University of North Carolina, USA

A LOOK BACK ONE MONTH AFTER THE M9.0 QUAKE THE DECISIONMAKING PROCESS DEPENDS UPON GOOD, EARLY SITUATION ASSESSMENTS THAT ARE COMPLICATED BY THE LEVEL OF UNCERTAINTY

SITUATION ASSESSMENT ACCURATE, EARLY ASSESSMENTS ARE ESSENTIAL TO DEFINE THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF LOSSES AND TO FACILITATE DECISIONMANING

ELEMENTS OF LOSS DAMAGE INJURIES COLLAPSE DEATHS RISK LOSS OF FUNCTION ECONOMIC LOSS

A SITUATION ASSESSMENT INTEGRATES THE LOSS INFORMATION GAINED FROM ALL ELEMENTS OF THE “DISASTER LABORATORY”

PROPERTY DAMAGE COASTAL REGION OF TOHOKU The Government reported that 2,852 buildings were destroyed and over 40,000 damaged either by earthquake ground shaking, fire, or tsunami

PROPERTY DAMAGE COASTAL REGION OF TOHOKU The Government reported that 2,852 buildings were destroyed and over 40,000 damaged either by earthquake ground shaking, fire, or tsunami.

THE TSUNAMI WAVES CAUSED THE GREATEST DESTRUCTION An estimated 5,000 houses were inundated in Iwate.

THE TSUNAMI WAVES CAUSED THE GREATEST DESTRUCTION In Sendai city of Miyagi, 2,700 houses were washed away.

THE TSUNAMI WAVES CAUSED THE GREATEST DESTRUCTION 1,800 houses were destroyed in Fukushima

DAMAGE TO INFRASTRUCTURE 827 roads 47 bridges seven railways AIRPORT

THE BIG UNKNOWN: RADIATION FROM THE FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR FACILITY

DEATHS: THE OTHER BIG UNKNOWN DUE TO TH TSUNAMI Early estimates were far too low.