Tōhoku Tsunami Case Study
On March 11, 2011, a devastating earthquake of 9.0 hit east of the city, Sendai, Miyagi prefecture. The quake was immediately followed by a treacherous tsunami which endangered the lives of many and also took the lives of many. However, even after the earthquake and tsunami had subsided, a danger still lurked: the danger of radiation from Japan's major power plants. Japan's 2011 disaster was a triple threat. Boasting a death toll of 15,884 and an injury toll which exceeds even that, it is Japan's worst disaster to date.
At 2:46 in the afternoon (Japan time), a rupture shook most of Japan after warnings were released, however, the warnings only gave the citizens an extra 80 seconds notice of what was to come. Despite this 80 second warning, the warning of the incoming tsunami wasn't announced soon enough and resulted in even more casualties. The lesson taught to countries across the globe is to plan ahead and prepare for these. Japan, being recognised as one of the world's advanced nations, couldn't prevent a disaster on such a scale, therefore other nations must improve their own defense systems.
The waves that raced from the epicenter were up to speeds of 800km/h, even generating waves of 11 feet (3m) at the shores of Hawaii. As the waves retreated back to the ocean after its destruction, it carried with it debris and even bodies which contaminated the ocean. In doing this, it poses a threat of contaminated drinking water and so rescue teams now have to send fresh water to victims of the disaster.
After both earthquake and tsunami, neighbouring countries (91 in total) sent their imminent aid to the most affected areas. The countries involved in the aid include, but are not limited to: Pakistan, Bolivia, America, Australia, England, Ecuador, China and Brazil. Not only had countries chipped in, but so had relief organisations like the Red Cross and the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs to try end a nation's miseries. In a united act, all the helping nations raised a total of 87 million dollars and more. From these acts of sympathy across the globe, it is obvious that nations are there for each other in times of struggles and strife.
Following the earthquake, three of Japan's major power plants were shut down, thus, the cooling system and power supply cut off. However, some water had flooded in to the power plant of Fukushima Daichii (one) which trashed the backup system. Without power, the power plants failed to cool themselves down and so they overheated. In the process of overheating, they destroyed fuel rods. All this led to the falling of heated materials, which sparked a fire that released chemicals. After the leakage of the chemicals, a no fly zone was put into place as to avoid radiation; the no fly zone was a 30km radius. People who lived in the radius were instructed to either leave or stay indoors with windows shut tight. Later in the month, radiation was spotted within foods and even the seawater. Following these events, the nuclear emergency level was raised to 7 from 5.
It has been three years since the Tōhoku earthquake/tsunami and most of the destroyed land has either been repaired or cleared for future purposes. There have been cases of collapsed bridges being rebuilt and areas once infested with debris now roads. The cleanup effort of Japan and its neighbouring helpers have truly paid off. However, there still remains some work to be done in cleaning and the rebuilding of some areas.
Tsunamis can be big or small, unfortunately for Japan, it was deadly too. Little can be done to completely prevent a tsunami as it's a natural disaster, so we should be prepared to act during one and to prepare before it arrives.
At 2:46 in the afternoon (Japan time), a rupture shook most of Japan after warnings were released, however, the warnings only gave the citizens an extra 80 seconds notice of what was to come. Despite this 80 second warning, the warning of the incoming tsunami wasn't announced soon enough and resulted in even more casualties. The lesson taught to countries across the globe is to plan ahead and prepare for these. Japan, being recognised as one of the world's advanced nations, couldn't prevent a disaster on such a scale, therefore other nations must improve their own defense systems.
The waves that raced from the epicenter were up to speeds of 800km/h, even generating waves of 11 feet (3m) at the shores of Hawaii. As the waves retreated back to the ocean after its destruction, it carried with it debris and even bodies which contaminated the ocean. In doing this, it poses a threat of contaminated drinking water and so rescue teams now have to send fresh water to victims of the disaster.
After both earthquake and tsunami, neighbouring countries (91 in total) sent their imminent aid to the most affected areas. The countries involved in the aid include, but are not limited to: Pakistan, Bolivia, America, Australia, England, Ecuador, China and Brazil. Not only had countries chipped in, but so had relief organisations like the Red Cross and the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs to try end a nation's miseries. In a united act, all the helping nations raised a total of 87 million dollars and more. From these acts of sympathy across the globe, it is obvious that nations are there for each other in times of struggles and strife.
Following the earthquake, three of Japan's major power plants were shut down, thus, the cooling system and power supply cut off. However, some water had flooded in to the power plant of Fukushima Daichii (one) which trashed the backup system. Without power, the power plants failed to cool themselves down and so they overheated. In the process of overheating, they destroyed fuel rods. All this led to the falling of heated materials, which sparked a fire that released chemicals. After the leakage of the chemicals, a no fly zone was put into place as to avoid radiation; the no fly zone was a 30km radius. People who lived in the radius were instructed to either leave or stay indoors with windows shut tight. Later in the month, radiation was spotted within foods and even the seawater. Following these events, the nuclear emergency level was raised to 7 from 5.
It has been three years since the Tōhoku earthquake/tsunami and most of the destroyed land has either been repaired or cleared for future purposes. There have been cases of collapsed bridges being rebuilt and areas once infested with debris now roads. The cleanup effort of Japan and its neighbouring helpers have truly paid off. However, there still remains some work to be done in cleaning and the rebuilding of some areas.
Tsunamis can be big or small, unfortunately for Japan, it was deadly too. Little can be done to completely prevent a tsunami as it's a natural disaster, so we should be prepared to act during one and to prepare before it arrives.