5.13 Japan Multi Hazardous Environment

Primary effects:

  • Moved Honshu 2.4m closer to North America

  • Shifted the Earth's axis by at least 10cm

  • Made days shorter by 1.8 microseconds

  • Calved 125km2 from the Antarctic glaciers

  • Visible waves in Norwegian Fjords

  • Ground shaking

  • Buildings collapsed

  • Fires from broken gas and petrol pipes

  • Tsunami which wiped out entire areas in the north east

  • ~500km2 flooded

  • Entire vehicles were thrown around and left in the middle of streets

  • Limited damage to skyscrapers as they had earthquake proof designs

  • Oil refineries burnt down

  • Many areas were fully wiped out with thousands dead and few buildings still standing

  • Despite many being saved by the tsunami warning over 18000 were dead or missing

 

Secondary effects:

  • Half a million people were homeless

  • 150000 people were in temporary shelters for weeks

  • Over 1 million homes had no water

  • 6 million homes had no electricity

  • Food, water, fuel and medical shortages

  • Over 700 aftershocks causing more damage in the two weeks after

  • Explosions and leakages from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant which caused half of the reactors to meltdown

  • Nuclear disaster panics caused panic selling of stocks

 

Immediate responses:

  • Helicopter crews were taking survivors from remote places like rooftops and flooded farmland

  • 100000 soldiers were used to organise rescues, distribute supplies and keep order

  • Aid from other countries starts coming in

  • Exclusion zone made around the Fukushima Daiichi power plant

  • Most Japanese nuclear power plants shut down

 

Long term responses:

  • Coped well with the earthquake but was severely damaged by the tsunami so they started building up plans for tsunamis too

  • Upgraded the tsunami alert system

  • Government created the reconstruction design council to plan for reconstruction in Tohoku

  • 5 years until nuclear power stations were allowed to reopen

  • Juvenile thyroid cancer increased due to Fukushima Daiichi

  • 100000 people did not return to the Fukushima area until 2019 where the evacuation order was slightly lifted

  • $300 billion

 

 

 

Primary effects:

 

 

  • Sudden steam-driven eruption at Mount Ontake with little warning

 

  • Ash cloud rose 7–10 km into the atmosphere

 

  • Heavy ash fall limited visibility and covered most of the mountain

 

  • Large volcanic bombs flew out at high speed

 

  • Hot gas, ash and rock came down slopes

 

  • 63 people, mostly hikers near the summit, were killed

 

  • Many more injured by falling rocks and ash inhalation

 

  • Buildings were damaged or destroyed

 

  • Hiking trails and infrastructure were buried or blocked

 

Secondary effects:

 

  • Around 200 hikers were stranded on the mountain during the eruption

 

  • Ash contamination polluted local water supplies

 

  • Tourism was disrupted in the surrounding region

 

  • Economic losses for local businesses that rely on tourism

 

  • Psychological impacts on survivors and families of victims

 

  • Ongoing volcanic activity led to continued restrictions

 

 

Immediate responses:

 

 

  • Search and rescue teams form including police, fire services, and military

 

  • Helicopters were used to evacuate injured and stranded survivors

 

  • Emergency services issued hazard warnings and restricted access to the volcano

 

  • Medical treatment provided to burn victims and those with respiratory issues

 

  • Recovery operations continued for several days despite dangerous conditions

 

Long term responses:

 

  • They reviewed and improved the volcanic monitoring systems in Japan

 

  • More emphasis on monitoring hard to predict eruptions

 

  • Improved hazard maps and risk communication implemented for hikers

 

  • Installation of better warning systems and signage on active volcanoes

 

  • Stricter access controls during periods of increased volcanic activity

 

  • Greater public awareness of volcanic hazards in Japan

 

Primary effects:

 

  • Rainfall of over 900mm in some areas, causing widespread flooding

 

  • Rivers like the Shinano River burst their banks

 

  • Landslides destroyed homes, especially in the mountains

 

  • Over 100 people killed and nearly 400 injured

 

  • Around 40,000 homes were damaged

 

  • Rail lines, roads, and bridges flooded or washed away which disrupted transport

 

  • Power outages in roughly 270,000 homes

 

  • Water supplies were cut off in thousands of homes

 

  • Tokyo and surrounding areas experienced severe flooding

 

  • Cars, debris, and buildings left in streets by floodwaters

 

Secondary effects:

 

  • Over 200,000 people evacuated to emergency shelters

 

  • Shortages of food, water, and medical supplies in affected areas

 

  • Economic losses estimated at around $15 billion

 

  • Businesses and factories shut down

 

  • Agricultural damage

 

  • Long term displacement for many people

 

  • Risk of disease increased due to contaminated floodwater

 

  • Clean up and rebuilding took months

 

Immediate responses:

 

  • The Japan self-defence forces deployed thousands of troops for rescue operations

 

  • Emergency warnings issued early leading to mass evacuations

 

  • Rescue teams used helicopters and boats to reach stranded people

 

  • Emergency shelters set up in schools and community centres

 

  • International aid and support offered

 

  • Emergency services worked to restore power and water supplies

 

Long term responses:

 

  • Government invested in improving flood defences and river management

 

  • Review and upgrade of early warning systems

 

  • Reinforcement of embankments and drainage systems

 

  • Improved disaster preparedness and evacuation planning

 

  • Financial aid provided to rebuild homes and infrastructure

 

  • Focus on making cities more resilient to extreme weather events

 

Using the notes on P 246 link the Bullet points to each section of the Hazard Management Cycle:

Prepare

  • Defence walls have been built for tsunamis

  • Japan has a tsunami warning system

  • Earthquake proof skyscrapers

  • Has implemented these after previous tsunamis

Respond

  • People leaving after early warning system

  • Prepared to evacuate at minutes notice

  • Areas near sea damaged by tsunami as it was worse than prepared for

  • 18000 dead or missing

  • Half a million people homeless

  • 150k people in temporary shelter

  • Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns

Recover

  • Aid from other countries

  • Soldiers used to distribute supplies and maintain order

  • Shut down nuclear power plants

  • Rescuing people from remote areas

  • Temporary shelters made

Mitigate

  • Improved tsunami defences for future

 

  • Upgraded tsunami warning system

 

  • Created the reconstruction design council

 

  • Reduced the amount of nuclear energy