Tohoku Earthquake 2011

Japan Meteorological Agency sent out warning alerts - giving precioius time to escape or prepare 

• Skyscrapers swayed but damage limited due to earthquake - resistant design.

• 4 train derailed but high speed trains had been autonmatically been stopped by an early warning system.

• 9.0 magnitude

• 16,000 dead (many of whom drowned)

• 6,000 injured

• 300,000 left homeless

• 4.4 million households no electricity

• 1.5 million no running water

• Earth shifted 10cm on its axis

• 39m waves at some points 

• Flat, low - lying coastal area with soft soft soil amplidies shockwaves - Sendai was destroyed.

• One school in Ishinomaki lost 84 students and teaches.

• Earthquake triggered a tsunami that took 10 min to reach the coast that travelled 10km inland. 

• 56 bridges and 26 railways were washed away along the east coast.

• The earthquake knocked out the power supply to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

• The tsunmani flooded the back up generators and triggered a nuclear meltdown.

• Tsunmami caused slabs of ice to break away from the Sulzberger Ice shelf and cause damage to property in California.

• Nissan's Sunderland factory shut down due to parts shortages from Japan.

• COST: $300 billion

• 140,000 around a 20km radius of the Fukushima NPP were evacuated. 

• USA Troops flew emergency coolant to the site within hours.

• People evacuated for high ground when they heard warnings.

• 116 countries & 28 international organisations responded.

• Dead burried in mass graves.

• AT & T (US telecom company) allowed people to communicate on their networks for free.

• All 55 nuclear reactors across Japan were taken offline for safety reasons --> power blackouts.

• Toyota and Sony stopped production.

• All of Japan's ports responded to limited ship traffic by the end of March.

• Rail network fully functional by September.

• Homes needed reconstruction for the 330,000 victims that were still homeless.

• Further reconstruction of coastal areas, road and community facilities needed.