ASMITA SINGH AND NAMRATA JANGID

CLASS -X B

JAPAN TSUNAMI

Earthquake and Tsunami Strike Japan. Please Join Universal Giving In Helping The Victims Of This Disaster

The earthquake caused blackouts, fires, and a 30-foot tsunami with waves that reached 10km (6 miles) inland on Japan's east coast and rolled across the Pacific at 800km (500 mph). Over 4,000 have died and more than 8,000 people are reported missing. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced from this disaster.

The 2011 thoku earthquake, also known as the great east Japan earthquake,(Japanese: "eastern Japan great earthquake disaster was a magnitude 9.0 (mw) undersea mega thrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 just (05:46 utc) on Friday, 11 march 2011, with the epicenter approximately 70 kilometers (43 mi) east of the oshika peninsula of thoku and the hypocenter at an underwater depth of approximately 32 km (20 mi). It was the most powerful known earthquake to have hit Japan, and one of the five most powerful earthquakes in the world overall since modern record-keeping began in 1900. The earthquake triggered extremely destructive tsunami waves of up to 38.9 meters (128 ft) that struck Japan, in some cases traveling up to 10 km (6 mi) inland. In addition to loss of life and destruction of infrastructure, the tsunami caused a number of nuclear accidents, primarily the ongoing level 7 meltdowns at three reactors in the fukushima I nuclear power plant complex, and the associated evacuation zones affecting hundreds of thousands of residents. The overall cost could exceed us$300 billion, making it the most expensive natural disaster on record. The Japanese national police agency has confirmed 15,421 deaths,5,367 injured, and 7,937 people missing across eighteen prefectures , as well as over 125,000 buildings damaged or destroyed. The earthquake and tsunami caused extensive and severe structural 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 1.5 million without water. Many electrical generators were taken down, and at least three nuclear reactors suffered explosions due to hydrogen gas that had built up within their outer containment buildings after cooling system failure. Residents within a 20 km (12 mi) radius of the fukushima I nuclear power plant and a 10 km (6.2 mi) radius of the fukushima ii nuclear power plant were evacuated. In addition, the US. Recommended that its citizens evacuate up to 80 km (50 mi) of the plant.

The degree and extent of damage caused by the earthquake and resulting tsunami were enormous, with most of the damage being caused by the tsunami. Video footage of the towns worst affected shows little more than piles of rubble, with almost no parts of any structures left standing. Estimates of the cost of the damage range well into the tens of billions of US dollars; before-and-after satellite photographs of devastated regions show immense damage to many regions. Although Japan has invested the equivalent of billions of dollars on anti-tsunami seawalls which line at least 40% of its 34,751 km (21,593 mi) coastline and stand up to 12 m (39 ft) high, the tsunami simply washed over the top of some seawalls, collapsing some in the process. Japan's National Police Agency said on 3 April 2011, that 45,700 buildings were destroyed and 144,300 were damaged by the quake and tsunami. The damaged buildings included 29,500 structures in Miyagi Prefecture, 12,500 in Iwate Prefecture and 2,400 in Fukushima Prefecture. Three hundred hospitals with 20 beds or more in Thoku were damaged by the disaster, with 11 being completely destroyed. The earthquake and tsunami created an estimated 25 million tons of rubble and debris in Japan. An estimated 230,000 automobiles and trucks were damaged or destroyed in the disaster. As of the end of May 2011, residents of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures had requested deregistration of 15,000 vehicles, meaning that the owners of those vehicles were writing them off as unrepairable or unsalvageable

To make matters worse, the terrifying natural disaster has sparked a human-caused crisis, as radiation leaks from crippled reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant sparking fears of a meltdown.

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death toll nearly 1900, but 10,000 feared dead in Myagi alone Rescuers find 2000 bodies on shores of Myagi prefecture Japanese PM: Our worst disaster since

The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history, struck on Friday, March 11, 2011 at 2:46pm local time. The earthquake was a magnitude of 8.9 and struck Northeastern Japan about 370km (230 miles) northeast of Tokyo. This was the most powerful earthquake on record to hit Japan and the 5th worst in the world over the past century.

Furthermore Saparini said Japanese economic recovery takes a long time for a variety of vital infrastructure, like roads, major ports, as well as nuclear power plants were severely damaged. Hence, the world economic situation undoubtedly affected. Saparini continue, it must be admitted that the Indonesian economy will also face the economic impact of world to become slow due to the pressure of natural disasters that hit Japan. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Committee on National Economy (KEN) Chairul Tandjung said the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan will almost certainly disrupt the plans of Japanese investment to Indonesia, including the $ 60 billion investment to develop the concept of Priority Metropolitan Area (MPA) in Jakarta threatened delayed. However, according to the founder of The Group / Trans Corp., the Japanese generally will not cancel their investment in Indonesia. Moreover, Japan has committed to assist development in Indonesia, particularly in Jakarta. This natural disaster reconstruction, the Japanese government would concentrate on the recovery process in their country. Therefore, while we love them the opportunity to see how big the impact of natural disasters, said Chairul. For the time being, according to him, Japan was given the chance they take into account the impact of natural disasters that. One month ahead, Indonesia has only discuss their investment commitment in Indonesia. Not good when youre grieving and then were talking about an investment commitment, he said.

MPA Project consists of three packages. First, include the new port development, road access, improving the industrial area in East Jakarta, and the addition of energy supply (electricity and gas). The second package in the form of the development of efficient mass transportation systems, especially those that contribute directly to the logistics industry. If this project runs, the central government should not talk about the development project mass rapid transit (MRT) and the double rail trains in Greater Jakarta.
The third package of development of the airport in Jakarta, which is currently overloaded.

Hatta explained that the meeting with Japanese Vice Minister of Economy to discuss beginning a program priority area of MPA is worth 20 billion dollars starting March 17, 2011. I had to communicate with Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia, the program kick off meeting for the MPA program is still running, said Hatta. In another part, Hatta expect, Japanese manufacturing industry, which in part directly related to exports of Indonesia, soon recovered. However, he realized that it really depends on postearthquake rehabilitation process of the earth and the tsunami that destroyed several cities on the east coast of Japan. The key is in Japan to speed up rehabilitation and reconciliation. Weve experienced the same thing, so we certainly understand, he said. In addition, he continued, Indonesia to help the process of rehabilitation and reconciliation by bringing in the necessary needs and purposes of Japan. Related to oil and gas exports, Hatta expect, the disaster does not interfere with Indonesian oil and gas exports to Japan and affect state revenues. Related to the oil and gas, if Japan say while reduced, there will be no impact on us, especially the reception. Indonesias own domestic gas needs. Of course we must speed up (development) terminals, he said. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Agustin Martowardojo worried about Japans economy was weakening, thus making the rating agency Moodys lowered the debt rating to negative. This can lead to the countrys slow recovery.

Japan is needed funds for reconstruction and rehabilitation, that we understand. But, we also know the condition of Japan was ranked just got sent down one or two months, he said.
Currently, Japans debt is estimated to reach 200 percent of GDP. This after the government poured trillions of yen to help the ailing economy as the global financial crisis. The rapid population aging and the deflation that continues to happen to make the Japanese economy remains weak, thus preventing policy makers provided loans

11 March 2011 Last updated at 07:34 GMT Help. A massive earthquake has hit the north-east of Japan triggering a tsunami that has caused extensive damage. Japan's TV showed cars, ships and even buildings being swept away in the Fukushima prefecture, after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake. Officials said a wave as high as 6m (20ft) could strike the coast. The quake struck about 250 miles (400km) from Tokyo at a depth of 20 miles, shaking buildings in the capital for several minutes. Chris Ryan, head of the Australian Tsunami Warning Centre, describes the impact of the Tsunami.

Although our immediate concern is for the people of Japan, we must also draw lessons from this misfortune. First, we can learn from the Japanese about being prepared. As horrific as the earthquake and its aftermath were, the situation could have been far worse if the Japanese people took the same complacent approach to disaster planning that many Canadians follow. But it's also another indicator that we have to take a close look at our energy systems.

Once again, our energy appetite has provoked a global nightmare. We can sink deeper into crisis, or we can use it as an opportunity to look at ways to achieve a sustainable energy future. Fossil and nuclear fuels are finite and therefore cannot be truly sustainable. They will run out, and we're already seeing one of the outcomes of depleting supplies: skyrocketing prices. Another consequence is that we will have to rely increasingly on oil from difficult sources (environmentally and politically) like deeper water, the tar sands, the Arctic, and volatile political jurisdictions.

7.23pm As government officials begin to dig for bodies and the death toll continues to rise the Associated Press describes the reality for Japanese struggling to survive in the aftermath. At least 1.4 million households had gone without water since the quake struck and some 1.9 million households were without electricity. According to public broadcaster NHK, some 310,000 people are living in emergency shelters or with relatives. Another 24,000 people are stranded.

Four trains are missing along the coast, says Japan Railways; and a ship carrying 100 people was swept away. Fire has engulfed swathes of the coast in Miyagi prefecture's Kesennuma city, one-third of which is reportedly under water. A major explosion hit a petrochemical plant in Sendai; further south a huge blaze swept an oil refinery in Ichihara city, Chiba prefecture. Some 1,800 homes are reported to have been destroyed in the city of Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture A dam burst in north-eastern Fukushima prefecture, sweeping away homes, Kyodo news agency reports. At least 20 people were injured in Tokyo when the roof of a hall collapsed on to a graduation ceremon.

Cars, ships and buildings were swept away by a wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude tremor, which struck about 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo. A state of emergency has been declared at a nuclear power plant, where pressure has exceeded normal levels. Officials say 350 people are dead and about 500 missing, but it is feared the final death toll will be much higher. In one ward alone in Sendai, a port city in Miyagi prefecture, 200 to 300 bodies were found. The quake was the fifth-largest in the world since 1900 and nearly 8,000 times stronger than the one which devastated Christchurch, New Zealand, last month, said scientists. Thousands of people living near the Fukushima nuclear power plant have been ordered to evacuate. Japanese nuclear officials said pressure inside a boiling water reactor at the plant was running much higher than normal after the cooling system failed. Officials said they might need to deliberately release some radioactive steam to relieve pressure, but that there would be no health risk. The UN's nuclear agency said four nuclear power plants had shut down safely. The tsunami rolled across the Pacific at 800km/h (500mph) - as fast as a jetliner - before hitting Hawaii and the US West Coast, but there were no reports of major damage from those regions.

Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate coastal areas in the states of California, Oregon and Washington.
The biggest waves of more than 6-7ft (about 2m) were recorded near California's Crescent City, said the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre. A tsunami warning extended across the Pacific to North and South America, where many other coastal regions were evacuated, but the alert was later lifted in most parts, including the Philippines, Australia and China. Strong waves hit Japan's Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, damaging dozens of coastal communities.

If the money proposed to refurbish aging facilities and build new ones were put toward renewable energy from wind, solar, and geothermal, the impact would be immediate and would get us moving toward a truly sustainable energy future.
The need to assess our energy options is more important than ever. All have consequences and tradeoffs.

Regardless of the path we choose, we must plan more carefully . A number of organizations in Canada are working to develop a national energy strategy something that is surprisingly lacking in a developed country like ours . For its part, the David Suzuki Foundation has joined with the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Trottier Family Foundation to consider Canadas energy options as part of the Trottier.

A car leans against a wire from an electric pole in Miyako, northeastern Japan. Picture: AP. 11.04pm Fearing the possible risk of contamination from the nuclear emergency foreigners have begun a slow exodus from Tokyo. Several European nations have advised their citizens to leave the city including France, which warned nationals if the reactor were to explode radioactive steam could reach the city in a matter of hours. The foundations of tsunami devastated houses sit amongst debris in Natori City, Miyagi. Picture: AFP 10.50pm Kyodo news agency is reporting millions of people in Japan have spent three nights without food, water and heat in freezing weather while more than 500,000 are displaced by the quake, tsunami and nuclear emergencies.

Climate change caused by burning fossil fuels endangers our planet, nuclear disasters and nuclear waste are potentially significant threats to our health and ecosystems, and even renewable sources have impacts. It's time we took a close look at our energy use and sources in order to find better ways of providing for our needs. We can all start doing our part by using less.

Enlarge Philippe Lopez/ AFP /Getty Images Although northeastern Japan, where an earthquake and tsunami hit Friday, has fewer industrial centers than the west, damage to its electrical system and business centers could have wider effects on the country's economy. Here, a man walks in Sendai Monday. Philippe Lopez/ AFP /Getty Images Although northeastern Japan, where an earthquake and tsunami hit Friday, has fewer industrial centers than the west, damage to its electrical system and business centers could have wider effects on the country's economy. Here, a man walks in Sendai Monday. Stock markets plunged around the world Monday on concerns that the earthquake, the tsunami and the nuclear crisis could devastate Japan's economy and push the rest of the world back into recession. Japan has the third-largest economy in the world, and a disruption of manufacturing there would have ripple effects around the globe, including in the United States. Nevertheless, some economists say that this disaster may prove less consequential in economic terms than the Kobe quake, because of where it happened. "The northeast region is not as much of a manufacturing hub as western Japan," says Nicholas Szechenyi, who is a Japan specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "So that might contribute to the argument that the economic impact in the long term might not be as great." Nearly 1 million people live in or around Sendai, the city hit hard by the earthquake and tsunami. But it's relatively isolated from metropolitan Tokyo, which is Japan's economic center. "And in the case of the earthquake in Japan," he says, "it seems to be the electrical grid which is the one network that is potentially affected by this, that could spread the negative impact of this event throughout the country, and generate a significant macroeconomic impact." This is the big unknown in Japan. According to some estimates, about 7 percent of the nation's generating capacity has been lost so far. That might be manageable. But several nuclear power stations are still in major danger.

At least 300 people are confirmed dead in the quake. At around 4:45 ET, officials issued a tsunami alert for Easter Island just off the coast of Chile. Meanwhile, Japanese officials confirmed that despite efforts to cool it down, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor remains at a high temperature. A "small" radiation leak could occur at the plant, according to Trade Minister Banri Kaieda. The Associated Press reported about 3,000 people had been evacuated after a power outage at the plant disabled the nuclear reactor's cooling system. Plant engineers plan to release slightly radioactive vapor in an attempt to prevent a meltdown. The Japanese government declared a nuclear emergency for the first time in its history, CNN reported. In the U.S., Audrey Rubel, a public affairs officer at the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, AK, confirmed that several locations in Oregon had tsunami impact.

8.23pm For anyone interested in the tectonic plates which cause earthquakes this is a link to a map showing their global location. 8.17pm The BBC is reporting ongoing aftershocks in Japan which are spreading continuing panic. This is the IRIS seismic monitor, click on the Pacific region to see data from Japan. 8.16pm The International Skating Union has postponed the world figure skating championships which had been scheduled to start next week in Japan (AP). 8.07pm Japans nuclear safety agency has said there is no possibility of a Chernobyl-style disaster at the Fukushima number one plant, (AFP) national strategy minister Koichiro Genba said, as quoted by Jiji Press. 7.45pm Australian man Jason Briffa, 25, has been found alive and well, the ABC reported. Mr. Briffa was teaching English in Miyagi prefecture which bore the brunt of the deadly tsunami on Friday. Mr. Briffa called his mother after the earthquake struck to reassure her he was OK, but the region was then hit by the tsunami and contact was lost.

Strong aftershocks continue nearly one week after the first earthquake, shaking areas hundreds of miles south and west from the epicenter. The US government is working closely with the government of Japan to provide assistance. Our NGO partners are also on the ground in Japan, ready to assist as they are needed.

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massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan are horrendous and heartwrenching, and our thoughts are with the people of that country as they cope with the aftermath and the terrible losses they have suffered.

Last year, the world watched another energyrelated calamity unfold, as oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico after an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform. Both the nuclear crisis in Japan and the oil spill in the Gulf focused our attention on the things that can go wrong in our insatiable pursuit of cheap energy. But the issues around our energy use are far more serious and persistent. They include pollution, political instability, rising costs, and climate change .

Using fossil and nuclear fuels also creates enormous problems now and into the future as greenhouse gases and radioactive and longlived wastes accumulate. In addition, fossil and nuclear fuels are not equitably distributed throughout the world. Oil deposits, for example, are often found in geopolitically unstable areas. And nuclear energy has proven to be incredibly expensive and time-consuming to get into production.

It's time we took a close look at our energy use and sources in order to find better ways of providing for our needs. We can all start doing our part by using less.

THANK

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