Messages;Experiences and lessons of the 2011 Tohoku
earthquake tsunami for future disaster risk
reduction
Fumihiko Imamura
Prof. Tsunami Eng. and director of International
Research Institute ofDisaster Science(IRIDeS), TOHOKU University1

Giant earthquakes followed by tsunamis over 100 years
2011East Japan
MW9.0

2004 Sumatra &Indian Oceantsunami
MW9.１

Satake, 20102

Unfolding the 3.11 event:
Triple Tragedy and Damages• Triple Disasters: ONE – The Earthquake– Time: March 11, 2011, 2:46pm– Scale: Mw 9.0(4th largest in the world
since 1900 (USGS))– In 5 days: 2 additional
Mw 5+ earthquakes(black X)– In a month: 400 +aftershocks continues3• Triple Disasters: TWO – Tsunamis
NHK– Tsunami evacuation order and warning,
immediately after – all around coastal
Japan– Time reaching the coast:less than 20-30 min– 7 tsunamis in the first 6 hrs after
the shock, continue for 2 days

– According to the information:

Highest wave recorded: 9.3m
n Highest run up-height : 35 m
n Farthest inland reached: 8kmn

Reuters/Mainichi Shimbun

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Other damages• Inundated area:560km2• Liquefaction• FireBoston Globe?
Reuters/Kyodo

Boston Globe?

BeforeBoston GlobeProf. Yasuda, Tokyo Dentsu University

After5ABC News• Triple Disasters:
THREE – Nuclear Power Plant Failure– One of the worst nuclear incident,
triggered by the earthquake andtsunami– Temporarily assessed as level 7 on
INES
– Emergency state is still on-going

Digital Globe via Wiki

6NHK

IRIDeS 7divisions and37 fields
Spread/ex

Mitigation &Supportology

tending

Hazard/disast
er study
Generation

DisasterScience

Emergency
Opetation

Disaster
MedicalInterdisciplinary
7 divisions
37 fields

Rescue/saving

Recovery/Reconstruction
Recovery

Tradition/ archives

Series of UN conferences in 2015

25 years of international commitment to disaster risk reduction
Millennuim
Development Goals
Disaster Risk Reduction

HyodoYokohamaSendai

Climate changeʻBuild Back Betterʼ Approach in Reconstruction Projects
In Sendai

Tsunami evacuation facility

Restoration of damaged
residential areas

Nanakita River

Disaster reconstruction
municipal housing

Restoration of a wastewater treatment plantTozai Subway LineSendai To
bu R
oadEvacuation stairs
Coastal embankment

Elevated roads

Farmland reclamation
NatoriRiver10Improvement of earthquake/tsunami observation in real time
- More stations to detect tsunamis shortly11
http://www.bosai.go.jp/inline/tsunami/tsunami01.html

Applying a new way; Instant tsunami prediction based on AIAI

Input

Learn

Coastal tsunami
Wave height

Offshore Tsunami Observation
Wave height

inference

Real
data

Simulation
DataTimeTime

Wave height

Wave height

Kawasaki
CityTimeTime

Offshore
Observation
Quake

Early Prediction Update Update Update ・・・・・・ Update Tsunami
WarningArrival
Regionally-customizedPredictions

We are living in Ring of fire
We cannot control and avoid such disaster, but the BBB including risk
management should reduce them and live together with harmony
We are living in the area of Asianand Pacific Ocean where a large
number of earthquakes, tsunami
and volcanic eruptions occur. Thisis called ring of fire.
In a 40,000 km (25,000 mi)
horseshoe shape, it is associatedwith a nearly continuous series ofoceanic trenches, volcanic arcs,
and volcanic belts and platemovements.
https://www.thinglink.com/scene/626446973402087425
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