Sources and other Links at the bottom.
Titled as “Japan’s Worst Crisis Since WWII,” this 9.0 Earthquake measuring on the Ritcher Scale has struck Japan on Friday, March 11th 2011.
Hitting just off the coast of Sendai, Japan; the disaster left many people homeless and missing. The Japanese National Police Agency has claimed as of today 10,489 casualties, 2,777 injured and 16,621 people missing across 18 prefectures. There has also been a estimated number of 125,000 buildings destroyed.
The earthquake and tsunami has also caused major blackouts which left about 4.4 million homes in northeastern Japan without electricity and an estimated 1.4 million without water. Electrical generators were taken down and nuclear reactors were impacted as well. The nuclear reactors suffered overheating which caused an emergency shutdown. Explosions occurred due to buildup of hydrogen gas.
The Sendai (Tohoku) Earthquake of Japan, measuring 9.0 on the Ritcher Scale, makes it the most powerful earthquake to have hit ever Japan, and also one of the five most powerful earthquakes in the world since modern records started in 1900. The earthquake so far has caused more of a disaster than World War II and it is also the most expensive natural disaster in the world, estimating a cost in damages that can reach US$309 Billion.
This earthquake occurred where the Pacific Plate is subducting under the plate beneath northern Honshu; which plate is a matter of debate amongst scientists.[21][34] The Pacific plate, which moves at a rate of 8 to 9 cm (3.1 to 3.5 in) per year, dips under Honshu’s underlying plate releasing large amounts of energy. This motion pulls the upper plate down until the stress builds up enough to cause a seismic event. The break caused the sea floor to rise by several meters.
-(Statistics and Information) Wikipedia
The earthquake caused a powerful tsunami to sweep through the pacific coastline of Japan’s northern islands. Houses and other property were swept away.
>> Japanese / MBS
>> English / Reuters
Sendai’s Airport Flooded | Source
One minute before the impact was felt in Tokyo, Japan’s Early Earthquake Warning System sent warnings to millions of people. Despite being short on time, the system is believed to have saved many lives.
However, because the earthquake occurred during the normal school hours for children, many have been seperated from their parents– about an estimated 100,000. The number of casualties is also expected to increase, since many of those missing remain unaccounted for.
Most of the damage was caused by the tsunami rather than by the earthquake. Nuclear Reactors were immediately shut down right after the earthquake and emergency coolant was transported to the nuclear reactors to prevent a meltdown. As of today, the condition has stabilized and radioactivity levels are beginning to go back to normal.
Now as you can see below, Japanese buildings are designed to sway back and forth during times of impact:
As a way to divert force away from the buildings and onto the shock absorbers instead. This keeps the buildings and the people safe.
Closing
Most of you already know about the earthquake. I’m just reiterating what you have already heard. Truth be told, Japan has been preparing for this sort of disaster for so long. I am amazed at how far Japan has come and I have no doubts that Japan will rise again, more powerful than ever.
Most of the reactions of the public during the time of the disaster have been nothing short of astounding. The integrity of the people remained intact, for store employees remained courteous and professional, and customers remained civil and true to their morals. Thefts did not appear until after the accident. Money was reported stolen, and some thieves stole items from damaged houses and buildings.
US Navy | Source
So much money and time was spent into research and developing procedures on how to act in a disaster like this. Honestly, it has all paid off. Things could have gone so much worse… And honestly, it seems like the nuclear reactors are under control. Really, nuclear energy is very safe, and Japan’s organized system for controlling their reactors proves this well. However, many people still do not realize this. Some even compare it to the Chernobyl disaster in the 1980′s. However, we have come so much far and we have learned much from our mistakes.
Please check the related links for more information. This post may be edited in the future to reflect current statistics and data.
Let’s pray for all our friends in Japan, whoever they may be. I still have to receive news from people over there…
Re: Reitaisai and Touhou 13: Reitaisai has been rescheduled for May 8th, and many doujin circles have already released their albums regardless of the disaster.
Sources & Links:
- USGS 9.0 Magnitude Earthquake
- Interactive Map on BBC (Source of Post Graphic)
- BBC’s Article on the Disaster
- Japan’s Market Reopened on Monday, March 14th 2011.
- Interactive Map of the Earthquake on Reuters
- >> Some Insight on the Natural Disaster by Patrick
- Wikipedia’s Article on the Earthquake
- >> Morgsatlarge’s Opinion on the Condition of the Nuclear Reactors in Japan
- Graphic of Japan’s Nuclear Emergency
Disclaimer: TsundereWorks’ is not a news reporting site, but we do try to keep things consistent. If you find something that is missing, or is inaccurate, please let us know below. Psst, yes, I know, this article is late~
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