Fukushima tsunami

Date/ time

2:45pm

11/03/2011

Location

Earthquake epicentre 100km East off coast of Sendai triggering tsunami in Tōhoku, Japan

Stage of Rostow Model & Evidence

5

Worlds 4th biggest economy by GDP.

3rd highest life expectancy- 83

Ranks 12 on HDI

Hazard definition

A series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large body of water

Scale of hazard

10m high

Speed of 50km/h

Magnitude of hazard

Earthquake 9.0 on Richter scale

Duration of hazard

262 aftershocks with magnitude of over 5 in following week

Extent of hazard

Effects felt 2000km from epicentre

Frequency of hazard

Fairly common in Japan. Border of Eurasian, Philippine & Pacific plate. All very tectonically active.

Natural causes that lead to hazard

Destructive subduction zone

Pacific plate (oceanic subducting under)

Eurasian / Okhotsk plate (continental over top)

Fault line along several hundred km of Pacific plate

Physical vulnerability of population

Pacific ring of fire - high risk of earthquakes

Social vulnerability of population

High dependency rate 36% under 14/ over 65

High population density 337km²

Economic vulnerability of population

Debt of 208.2% in GDP

BUT

4th biggest economy so able to deal

Political vulnerability

Government didn’t want to accept aid at start

Social impacts (deaths/injuries/missing)

16,000 deaths

27,000 injured

3,200 missing

Social impacts (nuclear power plant)

Areas within 20km of nuclear plant remain restricted a year after event preventing 78,000 evacuees from returning home.

25% don’t want to return due to nuclear power plant.

2/3 of Japanese citizens want to end nuclear power

Social impacts (burglaries)

695 burglaries in Fukushima from March-May

40% increase from previous year.

Social impacts (children)

1,600 children lost either one or both parents

Physical impacts

Island of Honshu moved 2.4m

Environmental impacts

150 litres of radioactive water (used to Fukushima reactor) let out into Pacific Ocean.

Radioactive fish found 50 miles out to sea.

31st March seawater contained 4,385 x max safety levels.

Economic impacts

Physical damage of $250-$309 billion

Impacted 715 industries & 310,00 employees

680,000+ cancelled hotel reservations loses off $90 million

Economic impacts

2,035 roads & 56 bridges damaged

Amount of damage in California

$40 million

Economic impacts by October

70% evacuees in Fukushima unable to get jobs

1 year later 20% of businesses not returned to operation.

Modifying event

Consistent exposure means Japan is well prepared

Earthquake resistant buildings

Earthquake warning system caused industrial facilities to shut down

Modifying human vulnerability

90% of people were evacuated successfully

Well prepared but didn’t anticipate magnitude as hadn’t happened in last 150 years

40% of coastline had sea wall (10m high in Tarou 3m in Sendai) but wave overcame this

Modifying human vulnerability 2

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued 12m after earthquake through sensor buoys.

Earthquake warning system alerted people on phones and televisions

Modifying human vulnerability stats

380,000 people evacuated from effected areas