The Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster

In late April we toured the area ravaged by the tsunami from the 2011 Tohuko Earthquake. The images of the advancing wall of black water filled with cars, houses and boats came surging back. I can't explain the feelings that went through me as we passed through vast areas that used to be bustling cities and are now nothing but foundations on empty lots. Because of the salt water, nothing grows and all but the a few sacred trees are standing, even fewer are still alive.

The magnitude 9 Tohuko Earthquake earthquake hit on March 11, 2011 and caused enormous damage in the Tohuko and Kanto Regions. Damage was from shaking and the following tsunami which was much worse than ever predicted. Shaking in Tokyo (200 miles south) lasted 5 minutes. when in Castro Valley, California, we experienced the Loma Prieta earthquake that shook for 15 second and that felt like a lifetime!

The highest recorded water level from the tsunami was 9.3 meters (30 feet). The epicenter of the earthquake was deep in the ocean. The quake was caused by tectonic plate movement; one moving over the other. As well as the shaking and the tsunami, this caused (semi) permanent ground movement and subsidence on shore of up to 5.3 meters horizontally and 1.2m vertically.

15,782 people died and 4,000 are still missing (60% are over 60 years old). Over 300,000 homes were badly damaged or destroyed. The debris has now been cleared, but it is still unclear what will be done in the leveled areas that are no doubt susceptible to future tsunamis. The best solution that I heard was to prohibit construction in ares less than 6 feet in elevation. Businesses and commercial facilities could be built in the areas up to about to about 9 feet. Then plant a forrest that slows the progress of the tsunami, then a road on an embankment to an elevation of about 12-15 feet elevation and then finally homes. You don't need to be very good at math to realize that this won't be tsunami safe if another huge one hits, but somewhere you have to draw the line of risk vs. practicality. In most places the plan outlined would mean that homes would not be built within a quarter mile of the ocean! That's a lot of real estate.

This port building was so new it was never occupied before the tsunami wiped it out. A debris processing facility in the background.

Empty streets that used to be neighborhoods.

In the upper right side of this photo you can see the line of demarcation where the tsunami reached and above the homes are fine. They have left buildings like the one in the foreground for memory sake. Also, in the picture are the stages of waste clearing.

This statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, was established along the beach after the earthquake.

This was an iconic building that had become an ad hoc shrine. It was the Disaster Preparedness Office build to sustain tsunamis. The workers were so confident they evacuated to the roof, but were still washed away. We heard so many sad stories like this.