THE MARCH 11 2011 EARTHQUAKETSUNAMI DISASTER IN JAPAN

THE MARCH 11, 2011 EARTHQUAKETSUNAMI DISASTER IN JAPAN REMEMBERING: PART 1 Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, University of North Carolina, USA

M 9. 0 TOHOKU EARTHQUAKE/TSUNAMI DEVASTATED JAPAN TSUNAMI WAVES REACHED PACIFIC RIM COUNTRIES 4 TH LARGEST QUAKE EVER – 10 M TSUNAMI WAVES 2: 46 pm MARCH 11, 2011 3

IT WAS A TSUNAMI AND RADIATION- RELEASE DISASTER THAT KILLED APPROXIMATELY 20, 000 AND DEVASTATED JAPAN

TSUNAMI WAVES: NATON MYIAGI PREFECTURE

OARAI INUNDATED BY TSUNAMI

TSUNAMI WAVES REACHED COAST OF NORTHERN JAPAN IN 15 MIN.

FIRE: NEAR SENDAI AIRPORT

SENDAI AIRPORT

SENDAI AIRPORT: COVERED WITH MUD FROM TSUNAMI

SENDAI AIRPORT: COVERED WITH CARS, MUD, & DEBRIS

SEARCH AND RESCUE: RIKUZENTAKADA

SEARCH AND RESCUE: TOYOMA

THE RADIATION LEAKS MADE IT A VERY DIFFICULT YEAR FOR JAPAM

AERIAL VIEW: THE FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR FACIULITY

FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR FACILITY HAD 3 FAILURES

THE FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR FACILITY Radiation leaks and threats of partial melt down developed in four of the six reactors as a result of the quake/tsunami.

RADIATION CLOUD AT THE FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR FACIULITY

NO-FLY ZONE ABOUT FUKUSHIMA

DRY SPENT FUEL POOLS • By days 6 -7, Japanese efforts were focused on the pools used to store spent nuclear fuel, now dry or nearly so, because the consensus was that the dry rods could heat up and spew intense radiation.

WORKING TO AVERT DISASTER • Emergency workers tried helicopter water drops, heavyduty fire trucks, and water cannons to cool down Japan's dangerously overheated nuclear reactors and spent-fuel pools.

HELICOPTERS COLLECT SEA WATER TO DROP ON FUKUSHIMA REACTORS

A RACE AGAINST TIME • 140, 000 people within a 33 km radius of the plant were evacuated; meanwhile the increased risk from radiation stymied search and rescue operations, already beyond the “golden window, ” and slowed humanitarian assistance.

GOAL: PREVENT A MELT DOWN AT THE FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR FACILITY WHOSE NORMAL COOLING SYSTEM WAS COMPROMIZED BY THE EARTHQUAKE AN TSUNAMI

MARCH 25: WORKERS REMOVED AFTER EXPERIENCING RADIATION

WORKERS BEING TREATED • The workers were transferred by ambulance on Friday to a specialized hospital.

ON THE INSIDE OF THE FACILITY • Inside, work continued in the frantic effort to bring automated cooling systems back on line in order to prevent any worsening of the radiation leak.

OUTSIDE HELP • Pure water and pumps supplied by the United States military was brought to Fukushima-1 to cool the reactors.

ON THE INSIDE OF THE FACILITY • Pure water replaced the sea water that was used earlier on Day 12 to cool the rods; the sea water was causing corrosion because of the accumulation of salt.

WHAT DID WE LEARN

DISASTERS OCCUR WHEN A NATION’S PUBLIC POLICIES ALLOW IT TO BECOME … UN—PREPARED UN—PROTECTED UN—ABLE TO RESPOND EFFECTIVELY NON—RESILIENT AFTER A DISASTER

RISK ASSESSMENT • NATURAL HAZARDS • INVENTORY • VULNERABILITY • LOCATION DATA BASES AND INFORMATION ACCEPTABLE RISK UNACCEPTABLE RISK A NATION OR A COMMUNITY GOAL: DISASTER RESILIENCE FOUR PILLARS OF RESILIENCE HAZARDS: GROUND SHAKING GROUND FAILURE SURFACE FAULTING TECTONIC DEFORMATION TSUNAMI RUN UP AFTERSHOCKS • PREPAREDNESS • PROTECTION • EMERGENCY RESPONSE • RECOVERY IENCE