Hazardous Earth HIC Case Study: Japan Earthquake 2011 Flashcards
Describe the earthquake in Japan
In March 11th 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck 70km from the coast of Sendai Bay, severely affecting the region of Tohoku and the city of Sendai.
It is the most powerful earthquake and costliest natural disaster natural disaster in history.
A huge tsunami followed, which resulted in a nuclear meltdown in Fukushima.
What are the primary impacts of the earthquake?
700 dead - low
Cost of $235billion
30 buildings destroyed and 1000 damaged
2 nuclear power stations suffered fractures, causing shut down and loss of power.
Oil refinery set on fire due to damaged gas pipes.
Badly damaged roads and railways.
Fujinuma Dam failed and collapsed, washing away 5 houses and killing 4.
Liquefaction of the ground.
What are the secondary impacts of the earthquake?
Tsunami - 40 m waves which devastated the eastern coast.
15,900 died, 2600 missing and 6150 injured due to tsunami.
450,000 homeless and many jobless.
120,000 buildings destroyed.
Fukushima Daiichi power station badly damaged - suffered nuclear meltdown and explosions, causing radioactive contamination and mass evacuation.
What are some short term relief?
Tsunami warnings - 3 mins after earthquake, modelling and forecasting allowed scientists to predicts where the tsunami would hit.
Rescue workers and 100,000 members of the Japan Self-Defence Force were dispatched to help search rescue operations - some were rescued quickly with sniffer dogs.
Help from US military and international search and rescue teams were sent from other countries. Many areas were covered in mud and debris following the tsunami so were difficult to access.
Hundreds of thousands of people who lost their home were evacuated to temporary shelters in schools and other public buildings.
Many given health checks after the nuclear meltdown.
What is some long term planning?
Earthquake drills every year in schools and workplaces.
Emergency services are specially trained.
Government funding policies for future earthquake hazards.
What is some long term preparations?
‘Earthquake proof’ buildings - built to withstand huge tremors (deep foundations, strong and flexible foundations, gas stops immediately to prevent fires).
Larger sea walls have been constructed to block tsunamis.
Earthquake and tsunami warning alerts sent to every smartphone in Japan and broadcast on TV.
Many people have earthquake survival kits in their homes.
What is some long term prediction?
Japan has technology to predict where an earthquake will hit.
Buoys in the ocean detect offshore earthquakes and predict the areas most at risk, sending alerts to them.
Tsunamis can be quickly predicted using data from magnitude and location, prioritising areas for evacuation. Tsunami prediction is thought to be 80-90% accurate at predicting the level of damage in an area.
