Tohoku

• Tohoku background

  • 2011
  • multi hazardous event - earthquake + tsunami
  • biggest earthquake in Japan
  • magnitude 9 under the Pacific ocean
  • first wave hit North East coast 30 minutes after the Earthquake
  • 10 waves each 1km apart
  • waves surged up to 10m inland
• Tohoku secondary impacts

  • 1/2 million homeless and for weeks 150,000 people lived in temporary shelters
  • 1 million homes left with no running water and almost 6 million homes lost their electricity supply
  • shortages of food, water, petrol and medical supplies
  • 700 aftershocks
  • explosions and radiation leaks at the power plant due the power supply for the cooling system breaking so a meltdown was difficult to prevent
  • fears of a nuclear disaster caused panic selling across global stock markets
  • $300 billion damage
  • increase in number of thyroid cancer cases among children aged 4-5
• Tohoku primary impacts

  • ground shaking caused collapsed buildings
  • buildings set on fire due to broken gas and petrol pumps
  • tsunami destroyed everything in its path flooding 500km2
  • whole cities were in ruin and trains vanished
  • skyscrapers in Tokyo shook but damage was limited due to the earthquake proof design
  • In Minami, Sanriku half the population of 17,000 died and few buildings remained standing
• Tohoku causes

  400-500km segment of North American plate was dragged down by the subducting Pacific plate which slipped upwards by 5-10 meters
• Tohoku short term responses

  • survivors huddled in shelters and hoarded supplies as rescuers searched for survivors
  • helicopter crews found survivors from rooftops and farmland
  • 100,000 soldiers established order, organised rescue, distributed blankets, water, food and petrol
  • Aid mostly form USA and China
  • UK sent 63 search and rescue specialists, two dogs and medical support
  • exclusion zones set up
  • iodine tablets distributed to prevent radiation sickness
• Tohoku long term responses

  • upgraded warning systems
  • designated reconstruction region and tax incentives to promote investment
  • Japanese government set up reconstruction design council to plan long term growth
  • in 2019 evacuation order for one of the two towns was lifted
  • radioactive rubble was still awaiting permanent disposal