‘There’s enough scientific knowledge to reduce suffering, but it’s not being adequately applied.’ - Satoru Nishikawa

2. Ranking of Earthquakes 20-21st Century
Strong Earthquakes Deadly Earthquakes
Year Place Magnitude Year Place Casualties
1960 Chili 9.5 1976 China Tangshan 242800
1964 Alaska 9.2 1920 China Ningxia 235502
2004 Indonesia Sumatra 9.1 2004 Indonesia Sumatra 227898
2011 East Japan 9.0 2010 Haiti 222500
1952 Kamchatka 9.0 1923 Japan Kanto 105000
2010 Chili 8.8 2008 China Sichuan 87587
1906 Ecuador 8.8 2005 Pakistan, Afghanistan 86000
1965 Alaska Aleutian Islands 8.7 1908 Italy Sicily 82000
2005 Indonesia Sumatra 8.6 1927 China Gansu 80000
1950 Tibet, Assam 8.6 1970 Peru 66794
1957 Alaska Aleutian Islands 8.6 ・
・
・
2011 East Japan 20001

3. Hazards Confronting Vulnerable Communities
Cause Disasters
Disasters
Hazard Vulnerability
(risk assessment) (societal conditions) 3

4. Less Disasters
Disasters
Hazard
Vulnerability
(risk assessment)
(societal conditions) 4

5. Four Phases of Disaster Reduction
Pre-Disaster
Prevention & Mitigation
Preparedness
Post-Disaster
Response
Recovery & Reconstruction

6. Real-time Earthquake Early Warning issued 8.6 seconds
after the first quake
Earthquake! Primary
Pressure
Few Sec’s
wave
travels
much
faster than
Several Sec’s
the Epicenter
Secondary
Shake 15 seconds to Sendai
wave
Japan Met Agency
issues EEW and is
aired on TV, Radio and
cell phones
65 seconds to Tokyo
Protect yourself
before the main
shake comes!

7. NHK Broadcasting on March 11
14:46 Emergency! Earthquake Early Warning
Live coverage of National Diet Session was being aired.
Suddenly the special alarm sound sets off and the special
screen broke in.

8. Tohoku Shinkansen (Bullet Train) immediately stopped
No derailment, No fatalities, No injuries.
Epicenter P-wave detected Power-off
Emergency
Seismo- Electricity Power Brake
meter Transformer
S-wave
Shinkansen running at 270km/h.
Safe Stop!

9. NHK Broadcasting on March 11
14:48 Changed screen to live coverage from
the automated camera in Sendai City.
Cut out from the live coverage of National Diet Session

10. 14:49 JMA issues first Tsunami Warning to Pacific coast of Japan
NHK Broadcasting on March 11
14:50 Tsunami Warning Screen Aired
15:14 JMA upgrades Tsunami Warning based on the off shore
GPS buoy sea level observation. NHK immediately airs screen.

11. Tsunami Warning → Run!
Disaster Education Tested!
Elementary Junior High
Junior high school students helping elementary school
children to run to high grounds in Kamaishi City.

12. Massive Evacuation !
Emergency Sirens for Elementary School on hilltop
Tsunami Warning
Signs of Tsunami Evacuation Building
Approx. 500,000 people in the
Tsunami inundated area.
Majority escaped.
But 20,000 did not make it!
Photos by ADRC
(including 276 firefighters in duty)

13. Success & Failure of Mitigation Structures
Great Watergate of Fudai
15.5m high,
engineered to
withstand the 1896
tsunami.
All villagers safe.
Photo by Nihon Keizai Shinbun
Great Tsunami Levee of Taroo
10m high,
engineered to
withstand the 1933
tsunami.
Tsunami overran.
Catastrophic
Photo by Nikkei Construction damage.

14. Lessons to be shared for future generations
December 2004

15. Lessons to be shared for future generations
September 2005

16. Lessons to be shared for future generations
March 2011
Safe high grounds