|
March 12th, 2011,7:03 PM
The earthquake caused extensive damage in Japan, including heavy damage to roads and railways as well as fires in many areas, and a dam collapse. Around 4.4 million households in northeastern Japan were left without electricity and 1.4 million without water. Many electrical generators were taken down, and at least two nuclear reactors were damaged, which prompted evacuations of the affected areas, and a state of emergency was established and evacuated about 175,000 people. The Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant experienced an explosion almost 24 hours after the initial earthquake; however, while the blast caused the collapse of the concrete outer containment building, it was reported that the integrity of the inner core-containment vessel was not compromised. Residents within a 20-kilometre (12 mi) radius of the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant and a 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) radius of the Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant were evacuated.
The estimates of the Sendai earthquake's magnitude made it the largest earthquake to hit Japan and one of the five largest earthquakes in the world since modern record-keeping began. It is thought to have been the largest earthquake within the boundaries of the North American and Pacific tectonic plates in 1,200 years. March 11-12, 2011 - INES Level 4 or higher, Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, Japan - Explosion
After the 2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami of March 11th, the emergency power supply of the Fukushima nuclear power plant failed. This was followed by deliberate releases of radioactive gas from reactors 1 and 2 to relieve pressure.
On March 12, triggered by falling water levels, a hydrogen explosion occurred at the plant, resulting in the collapse of the concrete outer structure. Although the reactor containment itself was confirmed to be intact, the hourly radiation from the plant reached 1,015 microsievert (0.1015 rem) - an amount equivalent to that allowable for ordinary people in one year. Resident of the Fukushima area were advised to stay inside, close doors and windows, turn off air conditioning, and to cover their mouths with masks, towels or handkerchiefs as well as not to drink tap water. By the evening of March 12, the exclusion zone had been extended to 20 kilometres (12 mi) around the plan and more than 300,000 people had been evacuated from homes in northern Japan. Events are still developing.
The following is .civilian nuclear accidents, criteria have been followed:
There must be well-attested and substantial health damage, property damage
or contamination. The damage must be related directly to radioactive material, not merely (for
example) at a nuclear power plant. To qualify as "civilian", the nuclear operation/material must be principally
for non-military purposes. The event should involve fissile material or a reactor.
For Environmental waste management, you may visit IAEA.org,
Sources:
Wikipedia
USGS
Yahoo News
IAEA.
White House
Youtube
NTV
|
|
catch4all.com,
Sandra Englund, March 12th, 2011 7:02 PM Pacific time
|
|
---------------------------------------------------
President Obama Responses
Japan's Earthquake Magnitude 8.9
on March 11th, 2011
March 11th, 2011,9:31 PM
President Obama Received Briefing on the Earthquake in Japan and the Tsunami Preparedness and Response Actions in the United States: see the following more detail:
WASHINGTON—President Obama received a briefing this morning at 9:30 a.m. in
the Oval Office on the earthquake in Japan and the tsunami warnings across the
Pacific from a number of senior US government officials including Homeland
Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency
Administrator Craig Fugate via phone, and in the Oval Office with Chief of Staff
Bill Daley, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security John Brennan,
National Security Advisory Tom Donilon, Deputy National Security Advisor Denis
McDonough, Senior Advisor David Plouffe, Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa
Mastromonaco, National Security Staff Senior Director for Resilience Richard
Reed and National Security Staff Director Asian Affairs Daniel Russel.
The senior officials provided the President with an update on the evolving
situation stemming from the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan
early this morning including the actions being taken to assist U.S. states and
territories that could be affected by the tsunami, as the President directed
earlier this morning – as well as the work being done to be prepared to assist
the people of Japan.
The US government continues to monitor the situation closely throughout the
Pacific region. To support potentially impacted areas in the United States, the
federal government remains in close contact and coordination with state and
local officials, and stands ready to support them. The government’s message to
the public is simple: listen to the instructions of state and local officials.
We urge everyone in the regions who could be impacted to listen to a NOAA
Weather Radio and their local news to monitor for updates and directions
provided by their local officials.
UPDATE: The President again spoke again on the situation during the opening
of his press conference:
Good morning, everybody. Before I begin, I want to say a few words about the
terrible earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan earlier today.
First
and foremost, our thoughts and our prayers are with the people of Japan. This is
a potentially catastrophic disaster and the images of destruction and flooding
coming out of Japan are simply heartbreaking. Japan is, of course, one of our
strongest and closest allies, and this morning I spoke with Prime Minister Kan.
On behalf of the American people, I conveyed our deepest condolences, especially
to the victims and their families, and I offered our Japanese friends whatever
assistance is needed.
We currently have an aircraft carrier in Japan,
and another is on its way. We also have a ship en route to the Marianas Islands
to assist as needed. The Defense Department is working to account for all our
military personnel in Japan. U.S. Embassy personnel in Tokyo have moved to an
offsite location. And the State Department is working to account for and assist
any and all American citizens who are in the country.
Tsunami warnings
have been issued across the Pacific, and we’ve already seen initial waves from
the tsunami come ashore on Guam and other U.S. territories, in Alaska and
Hawaii, as well as on -- along the West Coast. Here in the United States, there
hasn’t been any major damage so far. But we're taking this very seriously, and
we are monitoring the situation very closely. FEMA is fully activated and is
coordinating with state and local officials to support these regions as
necessary. And let me just stress that if people are told to evacuate, do as you
are told.
Today’s events remind us of just how fragile life can be. Our
hearts go out to our friends in Japan and across the region and we’re going to
stand with them as they recover and rebuild from this tragedy.
Source:
White House.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
According the latest news media reports indicated that over 1000 people have died and more than 1400 are missing in six different prefectures.
Estimates of magnitude range from 9.0 to 9.1 MW making it the largest earthquake to hit Japan and one of the four largest earthquakes in the world since modern record-keeping began.
The earthquake triggered tsunami warnings and evacuations for Japan's Pacific coast and at least 20 countries, including the entire Pacific coast of North and South America from Alaska to Chile. The tsunami warning issued by Japan was the most serious on its warning scale, implying that the wave was expected to be at least 10 meters (33 ft) high. A wave that high was observed at 3:55 pm JST flooding Sendai Airport, which is located near the coast of Miyagi prefecture, with waves sweeping aside cars and flooding various buildings as they traveled inland.The impact of the tsunami in and around Sendai Airport was filmed by an NHK News helicopter, showing a number of vehicles on local roads trying to escape the approaching wave and being engulfed by it. A four-meter-(13 ft) high tsunami hit Iwate Prefecture. A 0.5-meter (20 in)-high wave hit Japan's northern coast. Reports indicate that the wall of water was higher than some Pacific islands and the danger of tsunami flooding prompted warnings for almost the entire Pacific basin.
The United States West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for the coastal areas of California and Oregon from Point Conception, California, to the Oregon-Washington border.
Wikipedia also reported that Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) has confirmed approximately 400 dead and approximately 700 missing in six different prefectures (also reported as over 1100 dead/missing combined).
Officials in Wakabayashi-ku, Sendai, which was heavily damaged by tsunami waves, stated that they had found the dead bodies of 200–300 victims.
By 09:30 March 11 UTC, Google Person Finder, which was previously used in the Haitian, Chilean, and Christchurch earthquakes, was collecting information about survivors and their locations. The Next of Kin Registry NOKR is assisting the Japanese government to locate next of kin for those missing or deceased.
It was reported that four passenger trains containing an unknown number of passengers disappeared in a coastal area during the tsunami. Two of the trains were on the Senseki Line. One of the Senseki Line trains was found derailed in the morning, and all passengers were rescued by a prefectural police helicopter.
A 25-year-old man who was taking pictures of the tsunami waves in coastal Del Norte County, California, was swept out to sea and later found dead.
Yahoo news reported that the Oil floating on water burns as a tsunami hits Kesennuma city in Miyagi prefecture March 11, 2011. Japan confronted devastation along its northeastern coaston Saturday, with fires raging and parts of some cities under water after a massive earthquake and tsunami that likely killed at least 1,000 people.
NTD H Asia Brief reported that Nuclear Power Plant in Japan Fire broke out the world biggest Nuclear Plant located in Northern Japan Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant, Fukushima I, Fukushima II and Tokai nuclear power stations were automatically shut down following the earthquake. Higashidori, also on the northeast coast, was already shut down for a periodic inspection. The Rokkasho nuclear reprocessing plant, also on the coast, was being powered by emergency diesel generators.
Separately, a fire broke out at the Onagawa plant. The blaze was in a building housing the turbine, which is sited separately from the plant's reactor.
The White House Immediate Release, March 11th, 2011, shows that During the News conference by the President Obama says that President Obama already told Prime Minister Kan that "we will provide whatever assistance that they need. My understanding is that the main assistance that we’re going to be able to provide them is *lift capacity, the ability for us to I think help in the cleanup."
Per IAEA (International International Atomic Energy Agency) reported that Japanese authorities have informed the IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC) that, starting at 9:00AM local time, they have started the preparation for the venting of the containment of the Unit 1 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi plant through a controlled release of vapour. The operation is intended to lower pressure inside the reactor containment. Evacuation of residents living within ten kilometres of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is reported to be under way. An area with a radius of three kilometres around the plant had already been evacuated.
The evacuation of residents living within three kilometres of the Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant is also under way. The IAEA’s IEC continues to liaise with the Japanese authorities, and is in full response mode to monitor the situation closely around the clock as it evolves.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano expressed that “I would like to express my condolences and sympathies to the people of Japan who have suffered from this earthquake and to the Government of Japan,”
All IAEA staff in Japan, both in the Tokyo office and in nuclear facilities, are confirmed to be safe.
The following map shows that The areas affected by the quake provided by USGS:
 .
USAID Report shows that a major emergency response operation is underway in NorthEast Japan following Friday's devastating tsunami triggered by the biggest earthquake on record in Japan. The 8.9 magnitude earthquake that hit a t 1446 local time(0546 GMT), 120 km off the northeastern coast, at a depth of 20 km was followed by 10-metre high tsunami, casuing widespread destruction. Large coastal areas have been submerged and entire villages washed away. The vast majority of casualities are likely to be as a result of the tsunami rather than the earthquake.
Japan's government established an emergency Response Team, headed by Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
The Government has mobilized thousands of troops for the rescue effort. More than 300 planes and 40 ships are conducting airlifts and boat rescues. Continued aftershocks and tsunami are hampering rescue efforts. Up to three metre high waves continue to hit the coastline. There have been at least 79 aftershocks. In the region since the first powerful earthquake and 16 of them have been greater than 6.0 including a 7.1 magnitude. Estimates of magnitude make it the largest earthquake to hit Japan and the third, fourth, or fifth largest earthquake in the world since seismological record-keeping began.
Since the earth quake in Sendai city, March 11, 2011, there have been after shock 6 times different Magnitude on a same places with the slightly different epic center locations which caused death toll more than 1000 and more than 1,400 people were missing, see the following:
|
Date
|
Magnitude
|
Epic Center
|
|
March 11, 2011 06:15:40 UTC
|
6.8 Mw
|
36.186°N, 141.192°E, depth 35.0 km
|
|
March 11, 2011, 06:25:50 UTC
|
7.1 Mw
|
38.106°N, 144.553°E, depth 19.7 km38.106°N, 144.553°E, depth 19.7 km
|
|
March 11, 2011, 08:19:24 UTC
|
6.5 Mw
|
36.200°N, 142.000°E, depth 19.9 km
|
|
March 11, 2011, 11:36:39 UTC
|
6.5 Mw
|
39.276°N, 142.521°E, depth 11.6 km
|
|
March 11, 2011, 19:46:49 UTC
|
6.6 Mw
|
40.472°N, 139.070°E, depth 10.0 km
|
|
March 12, 2011, 01:47:16 UTC
|
6.8 Mw
|
37.588°N, 142.682°E, depth 24.8 km
|
You can see the Aftershock magnitude trends after the major 8.9 earthquake within short period time.
USAID responded immediately to Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Also The USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) Urban Search and Rescue
(USAR) component concluded two weeks of operations in Christchurch on March 8.
The USAID/DART commenced demobilization of the USAR component on March 9, with
the final USAID/DART member scheduled to depart New Zealand on March 12.
Deepest Sympathy and condolences those of who lost loved ones and families from the Earth quake and Tsunami also prayers for quick recoveries for those of who injured through the disastrous nature disaster.
Sources:
Wikipedia
USGS
Yahoo News
IAEA.
White House
Youtube
ReliefWeb
USA AID
|
|
catch4all.com,
Sandra Englund, March 12th, 2011
|
|
-------------------------------------------------
Earthquake Report by USGS
preliminary Magnitude 8.9 for
near the east coast of
Honshu, Japan
on March 11th, 2011
March 11th, 2011,
According to the USGS, The 03/11/2011 earthquake (preliminary magnitude 8.9) near the east coast of Honshu, Japan, occurred as a result of thrust faulting on or near the subduction zone interface plate boundary between the Pacific and North America plates. At the latitude of this earthquake, the Pacific plate moves approximately westwards with respect to the North America plate at a velocity of 83 mm/yr. The Pacific plate thrusts underneath Japan at the Japan Trench, and dips to the west beneath Eurasia. The location, depth, and focal mechanism of the March 11 earthquake are consistent with the event having occurred as thrust faulting associated with subduction along this plate boundary. Note that some authors divide this region into several microplates that together define the relative motions between the larger Pacific, North America and Eurasia plates; these include the Okhotsk and Amur microplates that are respectively part of North America and Eurasia.
The March 11 earthquake was preceded by a series of large foreshocks over the
previous two days, beginning on March 9th with an M 7.2 event approximately 40
km from the March 11 earthquake, and continuing with a further 3 earthquakes
greater than M 6 on the same day.
The Japan Trench subduction zone has hosted 9 events of magnitude 7 or
greater since 1973. The largest of these was an M 7.8 earthquake approximately
230 km to the north of the March 11 event, in December 1994, which caused 3
fatalities and almost 700 injuries. In June of 1978, an M 7.7 earthquake 75 km
to the southwest caused 22 fatalities and over 400 injuries. In December of
2008, a sequence of 4 moderate earthquakes (M 5.3-5.8) occurred within 20 km of
the March 11 event. In the first 12 hours following the March 11 earthquake, the
region has experienced over a dozen aftershocks of M 5 or greater, the largest
being M 5.7.
Here is detailed Earthquake info via USGS
Originally the earthquake was a 7.9 on the Moment magnitude scale, it was upgraded to an 8.8, then finally to 8.9 by the United States Geological Survey making it the largest earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history.
Based upon data from the Japan Meteorological Agency, it is estimated the town of Kurihara has been completely destroyed and at least 4 people dead as of today's report from 2011 Sendai Earthquake. It is already twice happened for earthquake for this year. The last earth quake was on December 31, 2010 7.4 magnitude and March 9, 2011, 7.2 Magnitude for Honshu Earthquake. 8.9 earth quake is the biggist magnitude report.
|
|
catch4all.com,
Sandra Englund, March 11th, 2011. 1:30 AM
|
Sources:
Yahoo News
USGS
Wikipedia
Youtube
|
|
|
