Consequences of the Tsunami in Japan 2011

937 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of a natural disaster

1896, Sanriku, Japan: A magnitude 7.6 earthquake rattled Japan, killing more than 26,360 people. In Tangshan, China, 1976, a magnitude 8.0 tsunami killed more than 255,000 people. 2004: The Indian Ocean experienced a 9.0 tsunami, its destruction killing more than 350,000 people. Just last year, Haiti lost 222,570 inhabitants because of a 7.0 earthquake (Brunner and Rowen 1), leaving the country in more trouble than they can dig themselves out of. Earthquakes can be predictable, and unpredictable. They can be harmless, or your worst nightmare. The consequences of natural disasters are unimaginable and it is impossible to fully comprehend the thoughts running through the heads of those left homeless or family less. On March 11, 2011, Japan’s coast was hit by a tsunami, its results affecting almost everywhere in the world.

“A tsunami (pronounced soo-NAHM-ee) is a series of huge waves that occur as the result of a violent underwater disturbance, such as an earthquake or volcanic eruption. The waves travel in all directions from the epicenter of the disturbance. The waves may travel in the open sea as fast as 450 miles per hour. As they travel in the open ocean, tsunami waves are generally not particularly large—hence the difficulty in detecting the approach of a tsunami. But as these powerful waves approach shallow waters along the coast, their velocity is slowed and they consequently grow to a great height before smashing into the shore. They can grow as high as 100 feet.”

“The exact location where the earthquake took place was 373 kilometers (231 miles) northeast of Tokyo, and 130 km (80 miles) east of Sendai, Honshu which is in the Pacific Ocean.” Honshu is one of Japan’s islands, and just so happens to be the bigge...

... middle of paper ...

...g.” Those still standing may be going through more trouble now than they could have ever imagined.

Works Cited

Brunner, Borgna and Rowen, Beth. Tsunami in Japan 2011: Waves Stirred Up By Earthquakes Cause Wide Destruction. Infoplease. April 2011. 20 April 2011. .

Chung, Dan. Tsunami Aftermath Video--- My Response to the Debate.27 March 2011. 23 April 2011. .

Diep, Francie. “Fast Facts about the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Scientific American 14 March 2011: 1-6.

Smith, Nicolette. A look at the long term, wide-ranging consequences of the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. 15 March 2011. 22 April 2011. .

Show More
Related

  • The Cause Of The Sumatra Tsunami

    1424 Words  | 3 Pages

    A tsunami is a series of waves “created by an underwater disturbance such as an earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption, or meteorite” (ready.gov). Tsunami waves are quite different from normal waves. Once a tsunami is set in motion there is no way to really “prevent” it fully, or to stop such an event. Precautionary steps can be taken, such as in Japan where a sea wall was built to protect people and property. However, this was a futile attempt since in 2011 a tsunami was able to surge over the wall, with the water building up and rushing over the top. The lesson learned is that one should not

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech: We Must Use Alternative Power Sources Instead of Nuclear Energy

    1650 Words  | 4 Pages

    I. (Gain Attention and Interest): March 11, 2011. 2:45 pm. Operations at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant continued as usual. At 2:46 pm a massive 9.0 earthquake strikes the island of Japan. All nuclear reactors on the island shut down automatically as a response to the earthquake. At Fukushima, emergency procedures are automatically enabled to shut down reactors and cool spent nuclear fuel before it melts-down in a catastrophic explosion. The situation seems under control, emergency diesel generators located in the basement of the plant activate and workers breathe a sigh of relief that the reactors are stabilizing. Then 41 minutes later at 3:27 pm the unthinkable occurs. As workers monitored the situation from within the plant, citizens from the adjacent town ran from the coastline as a 49 foot tsunami approached. The tsunami came swiftly and flooded the coastline situated Fukushima plant. Emergency generators were destroyed and cooling systems failed. Within hours, a chain of events led to an explosion of reactor 1 of the plant. One by one in the subsequent days reactors 2, and 3 suffered similar fates as explosions destroyed containment cases and the structures surrounding the reactors (Fukushima Accident). Intense amount...

    Read More

  • Effects of the Great Kanto Earthquake in Japanese History

    1580 Words  | 4 Pages

    "Tokyo-Yokohama earthquake of 1923." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. .

    Read More

  • Rogue Waves And Tsunami Comparison

    455 Words  | 1 Pages

    Tsunamis can go the same speed as a jetliner and that massive wave can out run the fastest runner. When there is a lot of waves at once, or the water goes back that is a sign that a tsunami is coming. If that tsunami is far then people need to get to the tallest and strongest building there is in the city that way they are safe and helicopter can pick them up. Tsunamis can wipe out an entire city or 1/4 of the country. Tsunamis can last up to an hour, or more.

    Read More

  • Sumartran Tsunami

    1475 Words  | 3 Pages

    The National Geographic Society is good source of information, and no person can argue the artistry of its presentation, however, the magazine, and its television and internet productions are directed toward a curious, but mostly naive audience. If searching for an overview, a middle man one may say, National Geographic does provide a history and account of the event in “The Deadliest Tsunami in History” (National Geographic News, Jan 7, 2005). Organized and succinct, the article begins with a few simple facts about the wave making process and tsunami characteristics, even dispelling myths that a tsunami is a single destructive tidal wave, but actually a series of wave building processes resulting from the shifting of the earth undersea due to seismic activity. The article goes on to include human interest stories, not overlooking an account where an Indian man after remembering a National Geographic program, saves the li8ves of more than 1,500 of his fellow villagers. Lastly, the article discusses potential residual hazards of the event, presenting issues such as famine and disease epidemics due to the lack of clean water and food supplies diminished from the disaster.

    Read More

  • A Rhetorical Analysis Of Barack Obama's Speech On Japan

    494 Words  | 1 Pages

    March 11, 2011 rocked the peace and brought the world to its knees while witnessing one of the largest energy disasters in history, the Fukushima Accident. This disaster occurred because of a tsunami that resulted from a magnitude 9.0 earthquake. Failed safety protocol for tsunami resistance led to the meltdown of three of the six nuclear reactors resulting in the emission of a substantial amount of radioactive material. In response to this grave incident, President Barack Obama addressed his “Speech on Japan” to the Americans and Japanese affected by this horrific event. Obama delivered this speech in hopes of implanting the idea of safety within the mindsets of his listeners and reassuring success for the future. Barack Obama behests a hopeful atmosphere through demonstrating careful consolation of the people affected and explicating confidence in the recovery of Japan.

    Read More

  • Fishing and the Villages of Southern Sri Lanka: A Case Study

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    Yamada G., Gunatilake R, P., Imur, R, M., Gunatilake, S., Fernando, T., Fernando, L. The Sri Lanka Tsunami Experience. Disaster Management and Response. 2006; 4:38–48.

    Read More

  • The Great Tohoku Earthquake

    1226 Words  | 3 Pages

    While the early warning saved thousands of people, the Japan’s Meteorological Agency underestimated this earthquake as the subduction zone of Japan should not produce the magnitude 9.0 quake (Oskin, 2013a). The Tohoku Earthquake and its tsunami approximately killed 16 thousand people, injured 6 thousand people and around 3 thousand people were missing. Most people died from drowning. Around 300 thousand buildings, 4000 roads, 78 bridges, and many more were affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and fires from leaking oils and gas. Electricity, telecommunication, and railways were severely damaged. The debris of 25 million tons was generated and carried out to the sea by water (BBC News, 2012). The country’s authorities estimated more than 309 billion US dollars of damages. Landslides occurred in Miyagi and liquefaction in Chiba, Tokyo, Odaiba, and Urayasu (USGS, 2013). Furthermore, the tsunami destroyed protective tsunami seawalls. Approximately 217 square miles of Japan covered in water (Oskin,

    Read More

  • California Tsunami Essay

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tsunami is an unheard term around the Los Angeles area. One second where enjoying the panorama from the shore and in a few minutes we might find ourselves gazing at a 30-foot wall of water. A tsunami is usually formed due to a massive earthquake. There are two kinds; the first one is called Local tsunamis and the other one is called Pacific-wide tsunamis, the only difference between these two is the earthquake that caused the tsunami differs from location . All of our civilians know that in a time of a Tsunami they must move to higher ground.

    Read More

  • Psychology and Geology

    952 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fackler, Martin. "Powerful Quake and Tsunami Devastate Northern Japan." The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Mar. 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Devastated Asia - Tsunami Attack

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tsunamis are ocean waves produced by earthquakes or underwater landslides. The word is Japanese and means "harbor wave," because of the devastating effects these waves have had on low-lying Japanese coastal communities. A tsunami is a series of waves that can travel at speeds averaging 450 (and up to 600) miles per hour in the open ocean. As the waves approach the coast, their speed decreases and their amplitude increases.

    Read More

  • The Indian Ocean Tsunami

    2303 Words  | 5 Pages

    Imagine more than half of the population of Kenosha being over-taken by a deluge of water without warning or the ability to escape. On December 26, 2004, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, occurred in the Indian Ocean off of the Samaritan coast, triggering the deadliest tsunami in recorded history. Before the tsunami, this region of the world was one of the most sought after vacation spots. After the record-breaking destruction, the pristine beach front and inviting residents were forever changed. The regional damage was so massive that it demanded a response on a global scale for rescue, recovery, stability, and to rebuild this treasured place.

    Read More

  • Mexican Earthquake Essay

    157 Words  | 1 Pages

    “Explainer: After an Earthquake, How Does a Tsunami Happen?” Stuff.co.nz, Fairfax New Zealand Limited, 11 Sept. 2017,

    Read More

  • Earthquake in Japan

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    There was a multitude of causes of the disaster in Japan. The first cause was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred off the coast of Japan. Japan is located in “The Ring of Fire,” an area in the Pacific Ocean that has multiple faults and earthquakes (Pedersen 13). Tectonic plates shifted off the North Pacific coast of Japan and created a massive earthquake. The next cause was a thirty-three foot wall of water that swept over cities and farmland in Japan (Branigan 2). Martin Fackler, a journalist, stated, “The quake churned up a devastating tsunami” (Fackler 3). The tsunami reached speeds of 497 miles per hour while approaching Japan (Fackler 3). The third and final reason of the disaster was that the cooling systems at multiple nuclear power plants failed. At Fukushima, a nuclear power plant in Sendai, Japan, the radioactive rods began to overheat due to the absence of water, which cools it. Explosions occurred at three of the reactors, which spewed radiation into the air (“Comparing nuclear power plant crises”). In conclusion, the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant issues were the causes of the disaster in Japan, but they also had a myriad of effects.

    Read More

  • Tsunami

    630 Words  | 2 Pages

    that one in our coast can happen from reading many books of history of tsunami’s and

    Read More

More about Consequences of the Tsunami in Japan 2011

Open Document