case study - multi hazardous environment Flashcards
Tohoku location
-northeastern Japan
- on the island of Honshu.
Why is Tōhoku a multi-hazardous environment?
- Erthquake
- tsunamis
- typhoons
What caused the 2011 earthquake & tsunami? (physical)
- destructive plate boundary where the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the North American Plate.
- shallow focus (32km deep)
- low-lying coastline allowed tsunami waves to travel up to 10km inland, shape of the coastline (narrow bays and inlets) amplified the tsunami’s height.
What caused the 2011 earthquake & tsunami? (human)
- many areas along the Tōhoku coastline were not protected by high enough sea walls.
- Fukushima was a result of the tsunami flooding the power plant’s cooling systems and causing a nuclear meltdown.
- Increased population density along coasts : 9million
2011 Tōhoku Earthquake & Tsunami social impacts
- 15,900 deaths
- 470,000 displaced people.
- 1 million homes without water
2011 Tōhoku Earthquake & Tsunami economic impacts
- $235 billion in damages (most expensive disaster ever).
- Supply chain disruptions for Toyota, Sony, and Honda.
scale of earthquake
magnitude 9
scale of tsunami
up to 40m high
2011 Tōhoku Earthquake & Tsunami environmental impacts
- Tsunami contaminated farmland with seawater.
- Fukushima nuclear meltdown led to radiation leaks.
How did Japan respond to 2011 in the short term?
- 100,000 troops deployed for search and rescue.
- International aid from the USA and UK.
How did Japan respond to 2011 in the long term?
- $12 billion spent on sea walls
-Rebuilding towns on higher ground. - More earthquake and tsunami drills.
Typhoon Hagibis (2019) causes
- Formed in the Pacific Ocean in October 2019.
- rapidly strengthened due to warm ocean temperatures
- Made landfall in Japan with 225 km/h winds.
Typhoon Hagibis social impacts
- Over 80 deaths
- 500,000 people evacuated.
- Transport shut down (Tokyo subway, bullet trains).
Typhoon Hagibis economic impacts
- $15 billion in damages to homes and infrastructure.
- Farmland destroyed → higher food prices.
Typhoon Hagibis environmental impacts
- Flooding of 14 rivers,
- damaging ecosystems.
- Landslides caused further destruction.
How did Japan respond to typhoon hagibis?
- Early warnings issued days before landfall.
- Emergency shelters opened in major cities.
- Stronger flood defenses built in high-risk areas.
What were Japan’s strengths in disaster management?
- Advanced warning systems saved many lives. (JMA) provides alerts seconds before an earthquake’s shaking reaches certain regions.
- Strict building codes prevented earthquake damage.
- International aid & rapid response helped recovery.
What weaknesses were exposed?
- Sea walls failed to stop the tsunami.
- Nuclear safety was underestimated.
- More focus needed on community-based disaster preparedness.
