Hazards - Japan EQ, 2011 CS

Question 1

What happened on 11th March 2011?

Answer 1

An earthquake in Japan, also causing a tsunami.

Question 2

What region did the earthquake occur?

Answer 2

Tohoku region (hence called Tohoku earthquake)

Question 3

What was the tectonic setting like?

Answer 3

• Epicentre offshore (70km)
• Shallow focus (30km)

Question 4

What was the tectonic movement like?

Answer 4

• 250 miles of ocean floor lifted by 3m.
• 100 million m^3 of water displaced.

Question 5

What was the EXTENT of the hazard?

Answer 5

• Honshu Island moved 2.4m east.
• Earth shifted on axis by 10-25cm.
• Large tsunamis travelled 10km in land.
• Some tsunami waves reached California, USA.
• Waves travelled to Antarctica, breaking 125km^2 of ice.

Question 6

How many deaths and affected people? (Primary effect)

Answer 6

• 15,984 people died (majority of deaths due to drowning)
• 6,152 people were injured
• 130,927 people were displaced
• 2,562 people remain missing

Question 7

How much did the coast sink by? (Secondary effect)

Answer 7

The coast sunk by 1m, leading to even greater impact of tsunami.

Question 8

What were the range of effects?

Answer 8

• Tsunamis ->40m high in places.
• Local flooding.
• High levels of radiation recorded in the water (Fukushima Daiichi power plant was hit).

Question 9

Was there an aftershock? (Secondary effect)

Answer 9

YES

7th April 2011 - A 7.1 EQ struck north-east Japan. 3 people lost their lives and power was cut to 3.6 million homes.

Question 10

What were some responses to the earthquake?

Answer 10

• Evacuation warnings were delivered.
• 300,000 were left homeless > needed access to food, water and shelter.
• Doctors and nurses flown out to help with relief efforts (many hospitals were destroyed).
• 11 military aircraft had responded within 30 minutes.
• The Japanese Red Cross received $1bn in donations > 30,000 emergency relief kits and 14,000 sleeping kits.

Question 11

What were some of the reasons as to why people choose to live in tectonically active locations?

Answer 11

• Japan experiences 400 EQs everyday (mostly very small).
• The coastal zone has industry, communication, employment and flat land (economic reasons).
• It is impossible to NOT live in a tectonically active area in Japan.
• There is high trust and safety as cost of mitigation CAN be met.

Question 12

What were impacts people experienced as a result of the earthquake? (Social)

Answer 12

• 2/3 of victims were 60+. Unable to evacuate due to lack of internet and communication > more vulnerable.
• Separation of families. 100,000 separated. 2000 orphans.
• Severe local devastation (Schools on the coast lost 75% of pupils and teachers).
• Reconstruction of infrastructure took 5 years.
• No opportunities for burial. Mass graves.
• Resumed normality > rebuilding and festivals.
• Many people chose NOT to come back due to fears of nuclear pollution.

Question 13

What were economic impacts on the country? (Economic)

Answer 13

• EQ and reconstruction cos $220bn.
• 45,700 buildings destroyed, 230,000 vehicles damaged.
• 15 ports (10% of Japan’s fishing ports) gone, Sendai airport destroyed.
• 23 train stations destroyed.
• 25 million tonnes of debris to be cleaned up.
• 11 nuclear reactors shut down.

Question 14

What were economic impacts on large companies and the countries economy? (Economic)

Answer 14

• Multinational companies (Sony, Toyota, Panasonic etc.) hit by electricity shortage > affected production and overseas shipping.
• Japan’s GDP <3.7% between January - March 2011.
• 209 companies forces into bankruptcy.
• Stock market lost value. Global trade slowed as ports closed.

Question 15

What was the SEVERITY of the economic impacts? (Economic)

Answer 15

Exceptionally big - it is the MOST EXPENSIVE natural disaster in history.

The government injected billions of Yen to stimulate the economy at a time when they were trying to reduce debt. (SHORT TERM)

Japan is still a successful and resilient country. (LONG TERM)

Question 16

What were environmental impacts on the country? (Environmental)

Answer 16

• Oil refineries on fire.
• A 250 miles stretch of coastline dropped by 0.6m, allowing the tsunami to travel further inland.
• Liquefaction occurred under the built environment.
• Meltdown of reactor cores, releasing radioactivity.

Question 17

What were environmental impacts on the agriculture and country? (Environmental)

Answer 17

• Soils in eastern and northeastern Japan have been contaminated by Cs-137.
• Contaminated waters affecting the fishing industry > harming marine life and not fit for consumption.
• Farmland flooded by seawater, therefore contaminated by salt > uncultivable.
• Tohoku accounts for 3-4% of Japan’s rice production > EQ and tsunami destroyed this agriculture and production.

Question 18

What were the political impacts on the country? (Political)

Answer 18

• The Japanese government went into debt to stimulate the economy.
• Resignations of executives as previous tsunami warnings had not been heeded.
• Reconstruction Design Council - long term strategy to ensure the development of a stronger economy and society (£190bn budget over 10 years).

Question 19

What was the importance of the political impacts? (Political)

Answer 19

The Japanese described this disaster as ‘a crisis in the midst of a crisis’. Refers to the stagnation of the economy and decline of social values.

Question 20

Attempts to Mitigate against the EVENT

Answer 20

• Flexible plugs and connectors for water and gas > no fire risk.
• Immediate shut off = no gas leaks.
• Japanese Red Cross successfully fitted out 70,000 prefabricated homes with key appliances for 280,000 people.
• Aid not required.

Question 21

Attempts to Mitigate against VULNERABILITY

Answer 21

• Japan Meteorological Agency sent info, warnings and planning.
• 10m high tsunami walls along the coastline > were not high enough so now built up to 18m.
• Early warning systems (first built in 1952).
• Over £70 million spent on lasers used to monitor movement.
• Buildings have aseismic design, cantilevers, fire proofing and flexible joints.
• Land use zoning = Open space for buildings
• Refugees equipped with blankets and water.
• Community preparedness drills (Disaster Day is 1st September annually).
• Since 2004, £500 million invested in train lines and routes in Tohoku region, upgrading EQ measurement equipment.
• In 2009, bullet trains were fitted with early warning systems (during 2011 EQ, all 27 bullet trains stopped with no deaths).

Question 22

Attempts to Mitigate against LOSS

Answer 22

• Recovery and reconstruction plans at local, regional and national levels. Aim to rebuild quickly.
• Yen became strong after triple disaster.
• Financial markets’ instability promoted the G7 to meet on 17th March, resulting in an agreement on joint forex intervention to sell Yen against the dollar.

Question 23

Success of Strategies (Successful)

Answer 23

• 2008 EQ drill highlighted danger to communities.
• Priority was to get aircraft in the air to survey devastation and priority areas for emergency aid.
• All 27 bullet trains stopped without derailment or death.
• 96% of electricity supply was restored, 98% of the water supply was restored and 99% of the landline network.
• Strategies after Tohoku EQ tsunami hazard management constantly being updated. High degrees of resilience.

Question 24

Success of Strategies (Unsuccessful)

Answer 24

• Fukushima’s nuclear plant shut down, cooling mechanisms didn’t work; tidal wave overcame backup generators.
• Risk assessment of power plants were insufficient.
• Long term challenge to remove radioactive contamination.
• 58% of people followed tsunami warnings. 49% of those who did not follow were hit by waves.
• Large scale of disaster stretched the response teams.
• -4*C at night, damp shelters due to flooding and hypothermia > respiratory diseases.

Question 25

What was the effect on Sense of Place?

Answer 25

• Forced extended relocation of 100,000 people. 200,000 people moved.
• People were allowed to return in 2020. Place was overgrown with weeds.
• Many people do not want to return due to fear of cancer generating radiation, lack of jobs and education.
• Elderly people more likely to return than young people, strong attachment to their place.
• Place rebuilding was made easy as the government offered 75% of retail value of property for those not returning.
• Practice and evacuation is not enough, need more to strengthen mitigation.

Question 26

Summary of the effect on Sense of Place.

Answer 26

Life has returned to normal in many cities such as Fukushima and Koriyama. Very few signs that nuclear accident ever occurred. Communities however are divided between those willing to accept normalcy again, and those who are worried.