March 11 14:46, an earthquake, measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, shook Japan. 30 minutes later, a tsunami arrived. The facts are almost unbelievable. But when I visited Tohoku last summer, the reality of the disaster hit me.
4th most powerful earthquake in recorded history
shaking for 6 minutes
only 58% of people headed for higher ground after the quake
about 250 miles of Japan's northern coastline dropped by 0.6 meters
the pacific slate slid westward by 24 meters
tsunami waves reached up to 39 meters at Miyako city
and traveled inland as far as 6 miles
it flooded an estimated area of 217 square miles
Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Plant suffered a level 7 nuclear meltdown
about 300 tones of radioactive water leaked from the plant every day
nearly 200,000 residents were evacuated from affected areas
15,839 dead, 5,950 injured, and 3,642 missing
Please spare a thought today for the people of Tohoku.
Thanks for posting about this :) I've been thinking about this anniversary today but haven't seen much on it. I recently saw a new Japanese film called Ieji (Homeland) about members of a family moving back to their home and farm, which is in the affected-nuclear area.
ReplyDeleteI know same, there seems to have been hardly any coverage which is quite sad. I haven't heard of that film but it sounds really interesting, I will definitely look it up.
DeleteWhen we considered moving to Japan, this was something that always frightened me, the idea that this could happen at any time. It's crazy.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite scary having the prospect of a disaster like this happen. I am very lucky that while I have been in Japan I have only experienced a couple of small tremors.
DeleteThank you for posting this. It's so tragic but important to remember.
ReplyDeleteI agree, tragic but we mustn't erase it from our memories.
Deletei honestly will never forget the shock of that day - I was living in Austria, and thanks to a good friend there (also Japanese) who heard about it immediately, I managed to get my mum on the phone to my grandmother just before all the telephone lines cut off. It was such a devastating day, but they have shown such resilience and perseverance in rebuilding and recovering. x
ReplyDeleteSame here, it is a day I will never forget. That's lucky that you managed to get your mum onto the phone to your grandma. If you couldn't have done that then I bet it would have been so worrying. I agree, when I visited everyone seemed so strong and positive despite everything that had happened.
DeleteIt's so sad! Your photos capture the aftermath so well!! Love them!
ReplyDeleteThanks, although sometimes I wondered whether it was right to take photos of places where so many people suffered.
DeleteI really enjoyed this series of photographs. I think it is good to document because it helps people remember. We are constantly bombared with new losses, deaths, and tragedies, it is good to not forget our past. Thank you for linking up for Travel Tuesday last week and looking forward to seeing your post this week!
ReplyDeleteThank you. Although it sometimes felt inappropriate to take photos I think it's good that I can use them to remind other people of what happened. Unfortunately I won't be taking part in Travel Tuesday this week because I have too many tests but I will be back to blogging next week :)
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