case study - multi hazardous environment

Question 1

Tohoku location

Answer 1

-northeastern Japan
- on the island of Honshu.

Question 2

Why is Tōhoku a multi-hazardous environment?

Answer 2

• Erthquake
• tsunamis
• typhoons

Question 3

What caused the 2011 earthquake & tsunami? (physical)

Answer 3

• Pacific Plate subducts beneath the North American Plate.
• low-lying coastline allowed tsunami waves to travel up to 10km inland

Question 4

What caused the 2011 earthquake & tsunami? (human)

Answer 4

• coastline not protected by high enough sea walls.
• Fukushima was a result of the tsunami flooding, causing a nuclear meltdown.
• high population density along coasts

Question 5

2011 Tōhoku Earthquake & Tsunami social impacts

Answer 5

• 18,000 deaths
• 400,000 displaced people.
• 1 million homes without water

Question 6

2011 Tōhoku Earthquake & Tsunami economic impacts

Answer 6

• $360 billion in damages (most expensive disaster ever).
• Supply chain disruptions for Toyota, Sony, and Honda.

Question 7

scale of earthquake

Answer 7

magnitude 9

Question 8

scale of tsunami

Answer 8

up to 40m high

Question 9

2011 Tōhoku Earthquake & Tsunami environmental impacts

Answer 9

• Tsunami contaminated farmland with seawater.
• Fukushima nuclear meltdown led to radiation leaks.

Question 10

How did Japan respond to 2011 in the short term?

Answer 10

• 100,000 troops deployed for search and rescue.
• International aid from the USA and UK.

Question 11

How did Japan respond to 2011 in the long term?

Answer 11

• $12 billion spent on sea walls
• Rebuilding towns on higher ground.
• More earthquake and tsunami drills.

Question 12

Typhoon Hagibis (2019) causes

Answer 12

• Formed in the Pacific Ocean in October 2019.
• rapidly strengthened due to warm ocean temperatures
• Made landfall in Japan with 225 km/h winds.

Question 13

Typhoon Hagibis social impacts

Answer 13

• Over 80 deaths
• 500,000 people evacuated.
• Transport shut down (Tokyo subway, bullet trains).

Question 14

Typhoon Hagibis economic impacts

Answer 14

• $15 billion in damages to homes and infrastructure.
• Farmland destroyed → higher food prices.

Question 15

Typhoon Hagibis environmental impacts

Answer 15

• Flooding of 14 rivers,
• damaging ecosystems.
• Landslides caused further destruction.

Question 16

How did Japan respond to typhoon hagibis?

Answer 16

• Early warnings issued days before landfall.
• Emergency shelters opened in major cities.
• Stronger flood defenses built in high-risk areas.

Question 17

What were Japan’s strengths in disaster management?

Answer 17

• Advanced warning systems saved many lives
• Strict building codes prevented earthquake damage.
• International aid & rapid response helped recovery.

Question 18

What weaknesses were exposed?

Answer 18

• Sea walls failed to stop the tsunami.
• Nuclear safety was underestimated.
• More focus needed on community-based disaster preparedness.