Tohoku Earthquake And Tsunami, Japan March 2011

Question 1

When did this earthquake occur?

Answer 1

11 March 2011

Question 2

Plate tectonics

Answer 2

North American plate was being dragged down by subducting Pacific plate, suddenly slipped between 5-10 metres.

Question 3

Primary effects

Answer 3

• ground shaking caused buildings to collapse. Some were set ablaze by broken gas and petrol pipes.
• tsunami swept inland destroying everything in its way.
• 18 000 were dead or missing
• Tokyo builings were shaking like trees, but their earthquake proof design meant that they withstood the earthquake
• a commuter town of Tokyo was engulfed in flames as fuel tanks exploded

Question 4

Social impacts

Answer 4

• Japanese National Police Agency - confirmed 10, 901 deaths, 2,776 injured and 17,649
• half a million left homeless
• 500,000 peoples homes had been destroyed

Question 5

Environmental impacts

Answer 5

• 400 km of coastline dropped by 0.6m l, tsunami travelled farther and faster inland
• 1.5 million households lost access to water supplies
• fuijnuma irrigation dam in Sugaka ruptured

Question 6

Economic impacts

Answer 6

• 125,000 buildings destroyed/damaged
• heavy damage to roads and railways as well as fires in many areas and dam collapsed
• World Bank declared estimated damage between US$122 billion and $235 billion
• Japans government said that the cost of the earthquake and tsunamk damage was $309 billion - making it the most expensive event to have ever occured

Question 7

Aid

Answer 7

• 163 countries - 43 organizations offered aid
• red cross donations UK
• Ukrain sent a cargo ship of relief supplies
• $5 trillion in support

Question 8

Secondary effects

Answer 8

More than half a million people were homeless. For week, 150 000 lived in temporary shelters

• there were food shortages, water, petrol and medical supplies
• water supplies were contaminated - dam
• 700 aftershocks after causing concern and further damage
• fears of nuclear disaster caused panic sellong across global stock markets

Question 9

Immediate responses

Answer 9

• helicopter crews plucked survivors from rooftops and flooded farmlands
• 100 000 soldiers were mobilised to establish order, organise rescue workers and distribute blankets, bottled water, food and petrol
• UK sent 63 search and rescue specialists, 2 rescue dogs and a medical support team
• an exclusion zone was set up around the Fukushima nuclear point - homes were evacutaed and iodine tablets, to prevent radiation sickness were distributed.

Question 10

Long term responses

Answer 10

• 5 years after Fukushima explosion 100 000 residents have not returned
• the national government aims to lift evacuation orders by March 2017
• total damages were $300 billion
• prior to 2011, nuclear power provided 30% of Japan’s electricity - the shortfall means relying on fossil fuels and particularly imports of gas and oil.
• No Japanese prefecture were prepares to accept radioactive rubble and refuse still awaiting permanent disposal.