MEGA DISASTER IN A RESILIENT SOCIETY
The Great East Japan (Tohoku Kanto) Earthquake andTsunami of 11th March 2011

SYNTHESIS AND INITIAL OBSERVATIONSInternational Environment and Disaster Management
Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies

Kyoto University
25th March 2011

About this Report

This report is published on 25th of March 2011, two weeks after the Great East Japan [Tohoku-Kanto]
Earthquake and Tsunami. The aim of the report is to synthesize certain existing data with basic
situation analysis. The disaster has posed a major challenge to the disaster risk reduction community,
which needs to be discussed in future over the course of time. Assistance of Yukiko Takeuchi forproviding information, and Kumiko Fujita and Yuta suda in translating parts of the Japanese
information is acknowledged. Support from Kyoto University Global COE Program "Global Center
for Education and Research on Human Security Engineering for Asian Megacities"(http://hse.gcoe.kyoto-u.ac.jp) is highly acknowledged.

Team Members (Kyoto University)
Sunil Parashar
Noralene Uy
Huy Nguyen
Glenn Fernandez
Farah Mulyasari
Jonas Joerin
Rajib Shaw

Contact Details
Rajib Shaw
Associate Professor
International Environment and Disaster Management Laboratory,
KYOTO UNIVERSITY
Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-Ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
Tel/Fax: 81-75-753-5708
E-mail: shaw@global.mbox.media.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Web: http://www.iedm.ges.kyoto-u.ac.jp/
Kyoto University Global COE Program "Global Center for Education and Research on Human Security
Engineering for Asian Megacities"
http://hse.gcoe.kyoto-u.ac.jp

Disclaimer
The views expressed in this report are the views of the team members and do not necessarilyreflect the views or policies of the research field for International Environment & Disaster
Management (IEDM) or the Graduate School of Global Environment Studies (GSGES), or Kyoto
University, or the organizations, or the countries cited. The report is a compilation fromavailable sources, which are acknowledged. IEDM does not guarantee the accuracy of the data
included in this volume and accept no responsibility for any consequences of their use.

CONTENTS

Page no.
1. Event Information
1.1 Earthquake
1.2 Tsunami
1.3 Nuclear Emergency
1.5 Fire

1
1
3
10
11

2. Damage Information
2.1 Human Life
2.2 Infrastructure

13
13
14

3. After Event
3.1 Search and Rescue
3.2 Shelter
3.3 Economic Impact
3.4 Volunteers

19
19
47
51
53

4. Initial Observation
4.1 Highlights of the Disaster Situation
4.2 Future Issues and Challenges

54
54
56

5. References

59

6. Appendix
6.1 Maps
6.2 List of Cities Affected by Tsunami in Japan
6.3 Damage to Public Schools (Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education)

63
63
68
74

1. Event Information
1.1 Earthquake
On 11th March 2011, at 14:46, the northeastern part of Japan was triggered by a major
earthquake of magnitude 9. The distance of the epicenter was 130 km off the Pacificcoast of Tohoku region, and the depth was 24 km. As per the Japan Meteorological
Agency (JMA), the seismic intensity of 7 [in the Japanese scale of 1 to 7] was recorded in
Kurihara city of Miyagi prefecture (Figure 1). Moreover, the intensity of 6+ was recorded
in 28 cities and towns in Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, and Tochigi Prefecture. It also
included Wakuya town, Tome City, and Osaki city. Intensity of 6- or weaker wasobserved in different parts of the country.

Figure. 1. Map of affected areas
Source: USGS

1

Table. 1. Earthquake Summary
Date and Time:
Magnitude:
Hypocenter:
Mechanism:
JMA Seismic
Intensity:

11 March 2011 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC)
9.0 (interim value; the largest earthquake recorded in Japan)
130km off the Pacific coast of Tohoku region, from Iwate to Ibaraki
Prefectures, 24km depth
Reverse fault type with WNW-ESE compressional axis (by CMT
analysis)
7 (Max)
Kurihara City of Miyagi Prefecture6+

6- or weaker
TsunamiWarnings

28 cities and towns (including Wakuya Town, Tome
City, Osaki City, Natori City) in Miyagi, Fukushima,
Ibaraki, and Tochigi Prefectures
Observed nationwide from Hokkaido to Kyushu

Issued at 14:50 JST 11 March 2011

Source: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)

Soon after the earthquake, aftershocks of very high intensity were recorded by Japan
Meteorological Agencies (JMA) (Figure 2). Around 3 aftershocks of 7 and 7+ magnitudes
were triggered within 1 to 2 hours in the prefecture of Sanriku Oki, and Ibaraki-Ken Oki.
The largest aftershock of 7.4m was recorded around 15:15 JST in Ibaraki-Ken Oki. There
were 49 aftershocks of magnitude 6 or greater recorded on the same day in the larger
areas of the coast of Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki prefectures.
Table. 2. Aftershock Summary
Date

Aftershockmagnitude*th
11 March 7.0
7.4
7.2
6.1
6.8
6.6
6.7
6.0
6.4
6.1
6.0
* Magnitude 6 or greater

Occur Time

Region/Prefecture

15:06 JST
15:15 JST
15:26 JST
15:57 JST
16:15 JST
16:29 JST
17:19 JST
17:47 JST
20:37 JST
21:13 JST
21:16 JST

Sanriku Oki
Ibaraki-ken Oki
Sanriku Oki
Ibaraki-ken Oki
Fukushima-ken Oki
Sanriku Oki
Ibaraki-ken Oki
Fukushima-ken Oki
Iwate-ken Oki
Miyagi-ken Oki
Iwate-ken Oki

Source: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)

2

Figure 2. Map showing aftershock distribution
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)

1.2 Tsunami
The earthquake was followed by a major tsunami, with maximum height of 11.87 meter
was recorded near the coast of Akamae. At 15:31 JST,11 March 2011, major tsunami of
more than 3 m or more arrived in northern part of Japan: eastern, central, western partof pacific coast of Hokkaido, pacific coast of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki,
Chiba prefecture, Kujukuri & Sotobo area, and Izu islands. However, major Tsunami
landed within 30 minutes in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima and pacific coast of Aomori
prefecture. Moreover, many aftershocks were recorded. For example, aftershock of
8.4m, 8.8m at 16:09 JST, 11 March 2011, 16:09 JST,11 March 2011 respectively. The
cities that are affected by the Tsunami are show in annex. The earthquake in Japan also
triggered warning in other countries, such as Taiwan, Indonesia, Russia, Philippines, the3

Pacific Islands, and as far away as Hawaii, Mexico, and Colombia. One important pointin this regard is that the earthquake happened in 14:46, and the tsunami warning wasissues at 14:49, and it was on the JMA website on 14:49.

Figure 3. Tsunami affected areas Source: OCHA, 20114

Table. 3. Overview of the forecast by Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) - magnitude
and tsunami wave estimates for the main shock over time
Date & timeof issueMagnitude

Depth

Major Tsunami
Forecast region

14:50 JST, 11
March 2011

7.9

10 km

15:14 JST, 11
March 2011

15:31 JST,11
March 2011

16:09 JST,11
March 2011

7.9

7.9

8.4

10 km

10km

20km

Iwate pref.

Estimated
Tsunami arrival
time
already arrived

Estimated
TsunamiHeight3m

Miyagi pref.

15:00

6m

Fukushima pref.
Pacific coast of aomori
pref.
Iwate pref.
Miyagi pref.

15:10
already arrived

3m
3m

already arrived
already arrived

Fukushima pref.

already arrived

6m
10m ormore
6m

Ibaraki pref.

15:30

4m

Kujukuri and Sotobo
area, Chiba pref.
Eastern part of pacificcoast of hokkaido

15:20

3m

already arrived

3m

Central part of pacificcoast of hokkaido
Western part of pacificcoast of hokkaido

already arrived

6m

15:40

4m

Pacific coast of aomori
pref.

already arrived

8m

Iwate pref.

already arrived

10 or more

Miyagi pref.

already arrived

10 or more

Fukushima pref.

already arrived

10 or more

Ibaraki pref.

already arrived

10 or more

kujukuri and sotobo
area, chiba pref.
Izu islands

already arrived

10 or morealready arrived

4m

Eastern part of pacificcoast of hokkaido
Central part of pacificcoast of hokkaido
Western part of pacificcoast of hokkaido
Pacific coast of aomori

already arrived

6m

already arrived

8m

already arrived

6m

already arrived

3m

5

pref.

18:47JST, 11
March 2011

8.8

20km

Iwate pref.

already arrived

10 or more

Miyagi pref.

already arrived

10 or more

Fukushima pref.

already arrived

10 or more

Ibaraki pref.

already arrived

10 or more

kujukuri and sotobo
area, chiba pref.
Izu islands

already arrived

10 or morealready arrived

6m

Ogasawara islands

already arrived

4m

Sagami bay and miura
peninsula
Wakayama pref.

already arrived

3m

already arrived

3m

Tokushima pref.

16:40

3m

Shizuoka pref.

already arrived

3m

Eastern part of pacificcoast of hokkaido
Central part of pacificcoast of hokkaido
Western part of pacificcoast of hokkaido
Pacific coast of aomori
pref.
Iwate pref.

already arrived

6m

already arrived

8m

already arrived

6m

already arrived

3m

already arrived

10 or more

Miyagi pref.

already arrived

10 or more

Fukushima pref.

already arrived

10 or more

Ibaraki pref.

already arrived

10 or more

kujukuri and sotobo
area, chiba pref.
Izu islands

already arrived

10 or morealready arrived

6m

Ogasawara islands

already arrived

4m

Sagami bay and miura
peninsula
Wakayama pref.

already arrived

3m

already arrived

3m

Tokushima pref.

16:40

3m

Shizuoka pref.

already arrived

3m

Source: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)

The hypo-central region of this earthquake extends from offshore Iwate prefecture to
offshore Ibaraki prefecture so that the most effected area were Iwate prefecture, Myagi
prefecture, Fukushima prefecture and Ibaraki prefecture (Table 6). It is counted that the
number of authorities (local towns and cities) worst affected by the quake and tsunami6

is 54 in total 174 towns/cities of these four prefectures (Table 6 and Figure 4a). Figure
4b shows Tsunami level (m) and arrival time (hour/minute) after the quake. The
Japanese Meteorological Agency said that the earthquake may have ruptured the fault
zone from Iwate to Ibaraki with a length of 500 km and a width of 200 km. The Joint
Research Centre (European Commission) identified 88 (towns and villages) affected by
the tsunami. They are listed in the appendix.
Table 4: The number of local authorities effected by tsunami
Nameof Total number of Cities Affected
Prefecture
citiesby tsunami
Iwate
35
14
Prefecture
MiyagiPrefecture

36

17

Fukushima
Prefecture58

12

Ibarakiprefecture

45

11

Total

174

54

Source: Collected from the various agency of Japan Government

7

Figure 4a. Map of local authorities affected by Tsunami (analyzed by IEDM, Kyoto
University)
8

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Hour:min

Tsunami level (m)9Arival time (hour:minutes)

14
01:40

12
01:26

10
01:12

8
00:57

6
00:43

4
00:28

2
00:14

0
00:00

Figure 4b: Tsunami level (m) and arrival time (hour/minute) after the quake(analyzed by IEDM, Kyoto University)

1.3 Nuclear Emergency (still ongoing)
On 11th March at 20:30 CET (04:30 JST), a nuclear emergency situation at the Fukushima
Daiichi (number one) nuclear power plant was declared and reported to theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)(Figure 5). Because of the intense earthquake
all the three operating (out of six) reactors automatically began the process to be shut
down. However, the back-up diesel generators which were supposed to supply thewater pumps with energy to cool down the fuel rods inside the reactors failed (Chandler,2011). Due to the tsunami, with waves of up to 14m, the back-up diesel generators
were damaged. As a result, pressure levels inside the reactors number one and threebegan to rise because the fuel rods were not sufficiently cooled anymore and the water
available began to evaporate.

Figure 5. Map showing the radiological assessment. Source: Asahi Shimbun March 24,
2011

10

At 15:30 JST on March 12 a first hydrogen explosion took place at the number one
reactor and led the Japanese government to evacuate people within a 20km radiusaround the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. The Japanese government then classified thesituation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant as a number 4 “Accident with
Local Consequences” on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES).
At 11:01 JST on March 14, another explosion took place in reactor number 3 at the
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
At 06:14 JST on March 15, another explosion took place in the number 2 reactor at the
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. And a fire broke out in the number 4 reactor
where spent fuel rods were stored to undergo their cooling process, soon after the fire
was extinguished. These incidents led to further increase of emission of radiation withlevels up to 400 millisievert per hour near the site. A person is supposed not to be
exposed to more than 2.4 millisivert per year! Subsequently, the Japanese Government
established a 30km radius “No Fly Zone” around the Fukhushima Daiichi nuclear power
plant.
On March 16, the Japanese Government decided to begin dousing the overheating
reactors by using helicopters which had a carrying capacity of up to 7.5t to spray water
into the damaged reactors. Four times this spraying took place.
On March 17, the helicopters’ water spraying was supported by further units of the Self
Defense Force (SDF) to shoot water from the ground, using heavy water cannon trucks,
into the most troubled number 3 reactor. These operations continued the following
days, meanwhile new power cables were installed to provide the reactors number 1 and
2 with energy to start-up again the cooling mechanisms. However, power is, at the timeof writing this report, not yet restored due to new heightened smoke in the number 3
and 4 reactors. Reactors number 1 and 2 are having electricity.
Increased radiation levels have been reported in spinach, milk and tap water outside thedemarcated 30km evacuation zone. Farmers are advised to voluntarily avoid distributing
contaminated food into the markets.

1.4 Fire Events
On 11th March, several fires resulted due to powerful earthquake triggered near the east
coast of Honshu, the largest and main island of Japan. The same day fire broke out at
Cosmo Oil Company refinery in Ichihara city. The fire was continued till 14 th March. The
following (Figure 6) shows the number of fire events occurred since 11th March, after
the earthquakes. It shows how the number of events increased after the first day ofearthquake, where only 44 cases were recorded and increased to 325 cases on 19 th
March. These events were regularly monitored and updated by Japan Police Agency(JPA).

11

325

193

224

254

257 265 265

155

Fire Events

44

3/
11
/2
01
3/
12 1
/2
01
3/
13 1
/2
01
3/
1
14
/2
01
3/
15 1
/2
01
3/
16 1
/2
01
3/
1
17
/2
01
3/
18 1
/2
01
3/
19 1
/2
01
1

Fire Events

350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0

Dates

Figure 6. Number of fire events
Sources: Japan Police Agency (JPA)122. Damage Information
As of 23th March, the resulted death was nearly 9,079, and 12,782 missing. The disasteralso damaged 126,000 buildings. Moreover, serious damage is recorded forinfrastructure, such as bridges, transportation system, electricity, gas supplies, andcommunication services.
14,00012,782

Number of persons

12,00010,000

9,079

8,000
6,000
4,000

2,633

2,000
0
KilledMissing

InjuredFigure 7. Number of persons killed, missing, and injured
Sources: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADRC); National Police Agency of Japan (JPA)

2.1 Human Life
The number of persons killed, injured and missing can still increase due to ongoingsearch and rescue operation. Therefore, it is early to speculate on number of total
persons killed, injured and missing. The Figure 8 shows, number of people recorded
killed, injured and missing since 11th March after the earthquake.
14000

No. of persons

12000
10000
Killed8000

Missing
6000

Injured

4000
2000

3/
11
/2
01
1
3/
12
/2
01
1
3/
13
/2
01
1
3/
14
/2
01
1
3/
15
/2
01
1
3/
16
/2
01
1
3/
17
/2
01
1
3/
18
/2
01
1
3/
19
/2
01
1
3/
20
/2
01
1
3/
21
/2
01
1

0

Figure 8. Number of persons killed, missing, and injured
Sources: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADRC); National Police Agency of Japan (JPA)13

Table 5. Prefecture wise number of persons killed, missing and injured (as of March 22,
2011)
Prefecture
KilledMissing
Injured
Hokkaido
1
3
Aomori
3
1
66
Iwate
2,773
5,018
108
Miyagi
5,507
3,487
955
Akita
8
Yamagata
1
21
Fukushima
743
4,272
220
Tokyo
7
77
Ibaraki
19
1
636
Tochigi
4
133
Gunma
1
35
Saitama
42
Chiba
16
3
194
Kanagawa
4
127
Niigata2
Yamanashi
1
Shizuoka
4
Tokushima
Kochi
1
Total
9,079
12,782
2,633
Sources: National Police Agency of Japan (NPA)

2.2 Infrastructure
Infrastructure refers to the important facilities and systems that support a society, suchas highways, streets, roads, and bridges; mass transit; airports and airways; watersupply and water resources; solid-waste treatment and disposal; electric power
generation and transmission; telecommunications; and so forth. The term may also
include basic social facilities such as schools and hospitals. The March 11 earthquake
and tsunami had caused unprecedented damage to infrastructure affecting utilities andpublic and private services. Citigroup expects 5-10 trillion yen in damage to housing andinfrastructure, while Barclays Capital estimates economic losses of 15 trillion yen($183.7 billion) or 3 percent of Japan's GDP.
Following the 9.0 magnitude earthquake, massive waves of debris-filled water swept
away buildings, cars, and ships. Fires occurred in several cities and nuclear power plants,
refineries, airports, and parts of the transport networks were shut down. Japan's northeast, the epicenter of the disaster, is home to ports, steel mills, oil refineries, nuclear
power plants, and manufacturers of car and electronics components. Many of thosefacilities have been destroyed. The extensive damage to Japan's infrastructure in the14

north and east of the country are expected to dampen its economic growth. The
damage to roads, rail lines, ports, and power plants is inevitably affecting economic
activity. Global companies from semiconductor makers to shipbuilders face disruptions
to operations after the quake destroyed vital infrastructure, damaged ports, andknocked out factories supplying everything from high-tech components to steel. The
World Bank report states that it would take Japan about five years to rebuild.
Massive cleanup efforts are underway. Vital infrastructure is gradually being restored inareas hit by the March 11 mega earthquake, but the fate of tens of thousands of people
remain uncertain. Aftershocks are still continually being felt and the crisis at the
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has not been fully under control.

2.2.1 Transportation
In the aftermath of the massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami, train services weresuspended, stranding millions of commuters. People in Tokyo waited in long lines fortaxi cabs and buses while thousands of others booked hotel rooms. Tens of thousands
began walking home while others tried to buy bicycles. Bike shops sold off their entire
inventory, including high end bikes that cost 300,000 yen. In Tokyo many people spent
the night in their offices.
It was reported by the government that the quake and ensuing tsunamis damaged 1,232
points of roads. The impact on roads however was quite localized, covering about 4% ofJapan's geographical area. Ports, roads, and other infrastructure were ravaged bytsunamis, with manufacturers suspending operations in affected areas. It became astruggle for responders to deliver aid supplies to victims.
Four trains were missing along the coast and a ship carrying 100 people was swept away.
At least six Japanese seaports have seen major damage. The biggest port in the northeast, Sendai, has been destroyed and will not be operational for months. The impact of
this on the global supply chain and international trade is considerable. Factories havebeen closed because of delays in the shipments of parts. The closure of the ports is
estimated to be costing Japan USD 3.4B in lost sea-borne trade each day. In addition,
the airport in Sendai has suffered extensive damage, but other major airports have notbeen directly affected by the natural disaster.
The damaged roads, airports, and seaports have been gradually repaired, with the
Tohoku expressway and the submerged Sendai airport opened to emergency vehicles,
airplanes, and helicopters. But delivery of relief goods contributed from around thenation to evacuees and survivors still remains difficult due to shortages of fuel andtransport vehicles. Across the region, almost all train lines are running more frequently
than at the start of the week. However, regular deliveries to stores are reportedly
patchy. Many areas have near-normal supplies of the essentials while others appear
close to depletion. Many train services remain affected, but most are gradually
improving. Airports open, but reported very busy.
15

2.2.2 Energy
The troubles at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have left its operator Tokyo ElectricPower Co. unable to provide sufficient electricity to Tokyo and surrounding prefecturesand forced to implement power rationing for the first time in its history. In the Kanto
region, centering on Tokyo, a power shortage of some 25 percent is being observed andthis could become a large bottleneck in the economy. Areas served by TEPCO accountfor some 40 percent of Japan's economic output. The power outages, however, havenot been as regular or as widespread as anticipated. Power-conservation measuresappear to be helping, with many shops and businesses either closed or reducing
electricity consumption.
Power shortage after the quake forced companies such as Sony Corp. and Toyota Motor
Corp. to halt production. South Korean firms are facing higher prices for memory chips,
in part because Japan accounts for up to 36 percent of global production and that
production is now disrupted, while Thai exporters of cars report that current supplies ofcomponents imported from Japan will last through April.
Japan is in urgent need to import coal, LNG, and oil products to restore energy
consumption, but damaged storage tanks, ports and refineries render the country
incapable of absorbing all the fuel and raw materials foreign suppliers might want torush in. Japan is struggling to restore power supplies as electricity blackouts affect fivemillion houses and to ramp up availability of gasoline to end queues of cars at fuelstations. Japan's trade minister said the government has asked refiners located in thewest to boost run rates to 95 percent or more to help stabilize demand and supply inthe quake-hit areas of the east.
To help Japan cope, countries such as South Korea, Russia and Indonesia have alreadypledged to supply the country with extra cargoes of oil, coal, and LNG. Yet, a lack ofsufficient handling capacity may mean that these supplies will take a while to reachconsumers. The earthquake that struck the world's third-largest oil consumer caused
the loss of around 9,700 megawatts (MW) of nuclear and 10,831 MW of thermal power
generation. Similarly, crude consumption in Japan has declined as more than 30 percentof the country's refinery capacity, or 1.4 million bpd, has been shut because of thequake even as some get ready to restart operations.
As of March 20, a total of 242,927 households in the north were without electricity,
Tohuku Electric Power Co. says. Many regional train lines were suspended or operating
on a limited schedule to help reduce the power load. Fuel scarcity forced the Miyagi
prefectural government to allow burial of victims without cremation.

16

2.2.3 Water management
The earthquake that affected the east coast of Japan has caused huge disruption to thecountry's water supply. Around 1.4 million households are without running water, butthere has been some improvement in the provision of electricity and water services.
Eleven prefectures are without water, compared to 17 right after the earthquake
happened. The most affected prefectures from water shortages include: Miyagi,
Fukushima, Yamagata, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Chiba, Akita and Aomori. As part of a national
emergency committee, led by the prime minister, over 250,000 bottles of water havebeen distributed, with beer tankers being used to transport water and 5,000 mobile
latrines have also been deployed. Water supply in some parts of Tokyo has also stopped,
the metropolitan government's Bureau of Waterworks said. The water supply went out
after the earthquake damaged the municipal water pipes. For example, most of theareas in Tsukuba city are out of water so the municipal office set up a few spots fordrinking water. People need to go to those spots at certain times to get water. At least
1.04 million households in 11 prefectures were without running water as of Saturday,
the Health Ministry said on March 19. The supply of water is critical in the aftermath ofa disaster because of risk of epidemics as displaced people gather in shelters, the World
Health Organization said on its website.

2.2.4 Communications
The earthquake in Japan has had surprisingly limited impacts on the structure androuting dynamics of the regional Internet. Of roughly 6,000 Japanese network prefixes in
the global routing table, only about 100 were temporarily withdrawn from service.
Other carriers around the region have reported congestion and drops in traffic due tofollow-on effects of the quake, but most websites are up and operational, and theInternet is available to support critical communications. Compared to the 2006 Taiwan
earthquake, which resulted in a larger number of major cable breaks, it appears that the
majority of the region's submarine cables have escaped the worst damage, and diverse
capacity remains to carry traffic around the points of damage.
Nationwide, Japan is home to a large data center industry, and a cloud services industry
pegged at about 10 percent of world cloud revenue in 2010. According to continual
updates from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication and the Japanese
office of news outlet ZDNet, about one dozen major data centers and cloud facilities hadreported back with varying degrees of problems, though no loss of life.

2.2.5 Solid Waste Management
The earthquake and tsunami generated so much debris that it is going to take weeks if
not months to clean-up. Two days after the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami
devastated coastal towns only did the scale of the devastation sank in. Houses and cars
were overturned everywhere. Residents returning to their houses and apartments tocollect and clean their belongings were greeted by a much changed landscape. Several
neighborhoods were completely swept away, leaving vast wastelands of mud and debris.

17

The rubbles were searched for dead bodies before the cleanup. The painstaking task
must be completed before heavy machinery can be called in en masse to begin the next
phase: clearing away the oceans of debris that are all that is left of much ofnortheastern Japan's coast. However, fuel shortages have hampered the use of heavymachinery.

2.2.6 Social Infrastructure
Initial estimates put the number of schools damaged or destroyed at some 4,000,
meaning that there will be major interruptions in children’s education and return to asense of normalcy that school provides. There are 554 schools currently being used as
evacuation centers (OCHA, March 21). According to United Nation, to allow affectedchildren get primary education, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology (MEXT) is allowing transfer with necessary documents. Many local
governments have offered to host school children. For example, Osaka has offered toreceive 3,000 students of high schools hosted by families. Similarly, Kagawa Prefecture
will going to take 200 elementary school children and 40 students from high school. As
far the damage to the public schools is concerned, the Miyagi Prefectural Board of
Education (MPBE) recorded 548 damaged schools out of the total 884 public schools in
Miyagi prefecture. The table is listed in the appendix.

18

3. After Event
This section particularly focuses on after the event, especially on the search and rescue
operation, followed by shelters.

3.1 Search and Rescue
11 March 2011: Immediately following the disaster the 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
conducted airlifts and boat rescues. Continued aftershocks and tsunami hampered
rescue efforts (OCHAa).
12 March 2011: Following a direct appeal from the Government of Japan, several
international search and rescue teams began to be deployed. The U.S. Agency forInternational Development (USAID) sent Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from
Fairfax County and Los Angeles County to assist in the rescue efforts. The U.S. rescue
teams comprised of approximately 150 personnel made up of doctors, firefighters,
engineers and 12 canine teams trained to search for victims traveled with over 74,000
thousand pounds of state-of-the-art gear that can find bodies under collapsed buildings
using heat sensors and telescoping cameras.
Britain dispatched a team of 59 fire service search and rescue specialists, two rescue
dogs and four medical staff to join the international relief effort. The team brought 11
tons of specialist rescue equipment, including heavy lifting and cutting equipment (AFP).
In its initial response, the Republic of Korea sent a team consisting of two rescue dogs
and five relevant personnel (two dog handlers and three rescue assistants).
Switzerland deployed a search and humanitarian assessment team, comprising 25 Swissexperts and nine sniffer dogs. One group will use sniffer dogs and tracking devices tolocate victims buried underneath the debris in the tsunami-hit region. A second groupwill assess the most urgent humanitarian and environmental needs, to coordinate
efforts on the ground with the authorities, and to provide initial emergency relief. In
addition, two specialists from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA), who were
deployed in Beijing, were expected to arrive (Government of Switzerland).

19

Figure 9. A military helicopter flies over a
sunken town on March 12, 2011 following a
massive tsunami triggered by one of strongest
earthquakes ever recorded in Sendai, northern
Japan. (AP)13 March 2011: International rescue teams started to arrive in Japan (Table 8). The two
rescue teams sent by the USAID arrived at Misawa airport on a chartered aircraft. The
rescue teams proceeded to Ohunato in Iwate Prefecture and will be engaged in searchand rescue activities under the direction of the Tokyo Fire Department which was
already in operation there. (Government of Japan)
On board a chartered Air China plane, the Chinese 15-member rescue team arrived atHaneda Airport. The Chinese International Search and Rescue Team (CISAR) broughtwith them four tons of materials and equipment for search and rescue, power supply
and telecommunication (Xinhua News Agency).
.

Figure 10. Members of the Chinese
rescue team prepare to depart to aid
Japan, after the earthquake andtsunami, at the airport in Beijing on
March 13, 2011. (Stringer/AFP/Getty
Images)Rescue teams from Germany, Switzerland and Singapore arrived at Narita Airport. The
German rescue team consisted of three rescue dogs and 43 relevant personnel. The
Swiss rescue team consisted of nine rescue dogs and 27 relevant personnel. Lastly, theSingaporean rescue team consisted of five rescue dogs and five relevant personnel(Government of Japan).
The offer for operational support made by France and Monaco were accepted by theGovernment of Japan. Consequently, the Monegasque Rescue and Clearing Unit, theFrench RIISC n° 7 detachment in Brignoles and fire-fighters from the Paris, Seine andMarne Fire Departments were mobilized. The 11 Monegasque fire-fighters specialized insearch operations for individuals buried beneath the debris and trained for working in a"radiological environment" (i.e. in the event of contamination or radio-active source).

20

Among them was also a non-commissioned officer qualified in managing radiologicaloperations. The Monegasque fire-fighters will be equipped with special suits, respirators
as well as individual and collective detecting equipment to ensure their protection. Eachof them will also carry an individual device (dosimeter) that measures the level ofradiation exposure upon their return (Government of Monaco).
The Government of Japan has ordered 100,000 Self Defense Force troops to assist
emergency operations with the aid of 190 planes and 45 boats. The Red Cross has 62
teams also providing assistance and there are 178 Disaster Medical Teams deployed,with another 111 teams on the way. However, rescue and relief operations are being
hampered by continuous aftershocks, tsunami alerts, and fires. Many areas along thenortheast coast remain isolated and unreachable by emergency services. To date, 3000
people have been rescued (OCHA b).
Table 6. USAR Teams received by the Government of Japan as of 13 March 2011

Source: OCHA b

Figure 11. March 13: A Japanese home is visuallyinspected by a helicopter-based Search and Rescue(SAR) team from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald
Reagan (CVN 76), as the home floats adrift miles
from the coast of Japan two days after the 9.0
magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication
Specialist 3rd Class Dylan McCord/Released).

21

Figure 12. March 13: A joint team from the
U.S. Air Force and Marines conduct a searchand rescue flight over Sendai airport. Source:
REUTERS / US Air Force/Staff Sgt. Samuel
Morse/Handout

Figure 13. March 13: Rescue workers
checking the remains of a destroyedhouse in Miyagi prefecture. AFP/ Mike
ClarkeFigure 14. March 13: Fire-department
personnel rescue a woman from thedevastated city of Natori. Source:
www.time.com

14 March 2011: The emergency rescue and relief operation underway continued to behampered by high magnitude aftershocks and tsunamis. There have been more than
100 aftershocks since Friday’s 9.0 magnitude earthquake. Relief efforts areconcentrated on extensive search and rescue, as well as re-establishing essential
services in Miyagi, Fukushima and Iwate prefectures, in liaison with government bodies
and local governments. More than 3,660 police personnel from prefectures across the22country have been deployed to support transportation, security and life-saving
operations (OCHA c).
A total of 1,146 teams from the Ground Self-Defense Force and 40 teams from the Air
Self-Defense Force are engaged in emergency response operations. The Ministry of
National Defense has so far deployed 66,000 personnel of the 100,000 the JapanesePrime Minister has ordered to be deployed as well as 96 helicopters, seven fixed wing
aircraft and 58 naval vessels, which are employed in search and rescue and related tasks.
Local authorities in the affected areas are leading the local response with their own
considerable capacities (ibid.).
The UK Search and Rescue team deployed by DFID have now arrived at their base, 20
km outside Ofunato in the north east of Japan. The British team will be working
alongside US search and rescue colleagues and dogs in Ofunato and Kaimaishi - wheretens of thousands were missing.
Some 2,000 bodies have been found on two shores in Miyagi Prefecture and about
1,000 bodies were found coming ashore on hardest-hit Miyagi's Ojika Peninsula.
Another 1,000 have been spotted in the town of Minamisanriku, where the prefectural
government has been unable to contact about 10,000 people, or over half the local
population. About 200 to 300 bodies have yet to be recovered by the police in Sendai
due to the difficulty of reaching them amid the devastation and rubble (Australian
Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Additional support team from the Republic of Korea (ROK) which was offered in theJapan- ROK Summit telephone conversation on March 13 arrived at Narita Airport at
10:40 on three C-130H transport aircrafts. This consisted of 102 personnel including
rescue workers and two officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The teamis expected to operate in Sendai (Government of Japan).
A group of EMERCOM rescuers, who have arrived in Tokyo on the instructions of the
President of the Russian Federation, have proceeded to the city of Sendai. There were
54 people in the group on three rescue motor vehicles carrying search equipment,
hydraulic tools, tools for breaking down the concrete, and all that is needed forautonomous operation within two weeks - inflatable modules, generators, andcommunication facilities.
More are expected to join the Russian Federation group. 25 specialists of the Far
Eastern regional search and rescue team are expected to arrive aboard Mi-26 helicopter
from Khabarovsk. EMERCOM airplane IL-76 departure from Moscow airport
Ramenskoye to Tokyo will take aboard a team of approximately 50 rescuers and special
rescue equipment. Expert group of "Rosatom" corporation is planned to depart together
with specialists from EMERCOM of Russia. It will also take aboard 25 rescuers of theSiberian regional center in Krasnoyarsk. An airplane AN-74 with 25 rescuers on board isalso planned to take off from the airport of Khabarovsk. Thus, the overall number of23

Russian EMERCOM forces in Japan will be about 180 people. (Government of theRussian Federation). The USAR teams with their area of work are shown in Table 7.
Table 7. Specialized International USAR Teams received as of 14 March 2011
USAR Team
Personnel
RescueArea of Action
Dogs
Australia
74
2
Miyagi (Minamisanriku-cho)Germany
41
3
Miyagi (Minamisanriku-cho)France134
Miyagi (Sendai City)
Mexico96
MiyagiNew Zealand
65
Miyagi (Minamisanriku-cho)People’s Republic of China
15
Iwate (Ofunato-cho)Taiwan Province of China
30
Miyagi (Sendai City)
Republic of Korea
105
2
Miyagi (Sendai City)
Russian Federation54
3 vehicles Miyagi (Sendai City)
Singapore
5
5
Fukushima (Soma City)
Switzerland
27
9
Miyagi (Minamisanriku-cho)
United Kingdom
642Iwate (Ofunato-cho)
USA (2 teams from LA and 148
12
Iwate (Ofunato-cho)Fairfax
USA-Hungary
BaptistAid 4
Rescue 24
International Rescue Dogs
12
9
Source: OCHA c

Figure 14. March 14: Soldiers of Japan SelfDefense Force and firefighters search forthe victims in the rubbles in Matsushima,
Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Source:
www.foxnews.com

Figure 15. March 14: Soldiers ofJapan Self-Defense Force andfirefighters search for the victims in
the rubbles in Matsushima, Miyagi
Prefecture, Japan. Source:
www.foxnews.com

24

Figure 16. March 14: Rescue workers carry an elderly
man found alive by tsunami survivors buried underrubble along a slope of a hill in Minamisanrikucho in
Iwate Prefecture three days after a powerfulearthquake-triggered tsunami hit the country's east
coast. Source: www.foxnews.com

Figure 17. March 14: Rescuers conduct
search operation amidst smoldering debris
in Kesennuma, northern Japan following
Friday's massive earthquake and theensuing tsunami. Source:
www.foxnews.com

Figure 18.March 14: Firefighters work during asearch operation in the rubble of buildings in
Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan.
Source: www.foxnews.com

Figure 19. March 14: A survivor of the tsunamithat swept through his village of Saito, in
northeastern Japan, retells the story to a rescue
team that arrived to search the area. (APPhoto/David Guttenfelder)25

Figure 20. March 14: Firefighters search for victims
in Soma city, Fukushima prefecture, Japan. (APPhoto/Wally Santana)

Figure 21. March 14: A Japan SelfDefense Force member reacts after
rescuing a four-month-old baby girl in
Ishinomaki, northern Japan. (APPhoto/The Yomiuri Shimbun, Hiroto
Sekiguchi)

Figure 22. March 14: Japanese rescue workers carry
the body of a tsunami victim in devastated town of
Otsuchi. In the town of Otsuchi in Iwate prefecture,
12,000 out of a population of 15,000 havedisappeared following Friday's massive earthquake
and tsunami. (REUTERS/Damir Sagolj)

Figure 23. March 14: Rescue workers movethe body of a patient through the halls of a
hospital in Minamisanriku town.
(REUTERS/Adrees Latif)

26

Figure 24. March 14: Japanese emergency crews
work to free a body as it sits pinned amongconcrete sea barriers in Toyoma, Japan.(APPhoto/Mark Baker)

Figure 25. March 14: Rescue workers
search for victims in the rubble in
Rikuzentakata, northern. Source:
REUTERS / Toru Hanai

15 March 2011: The threat of continued aftershocks and tsunami continues to affectemergency operations in northeast Japan. Snow and rain is also forecast from theevening of 15 March until 17 March in the earthquake and tsunami affected areas and islikely to impact road conditions and affect humanitarian access to the disaster hit areas.
USAR teams on the ground are summarized in Table 8.
The Government of Japan decided to accept an emergency rescue team from Mongolia
composed of 12 members from the National Emergency Management Agency ofMongolia (Government of Japan).
With the help of 9,500 fire-fighters and 920 police, Self Defense forces have together
rescued 22,184 people to date. In Miyagi, one of the most affected prefectures, whichsustained the largest number of casualties and the largest number of evacuees, theNational Police Agency and Japan Self-Defense Force have rescued more than 2,200
people to date. It has rescued stranded people and sick patients. In addition, the Japan
Coast Guard, and Fire and Disaster Management Agency have rescued nearly 3,000
people, including about 970 affected people stranded in isolated villages. Various
national agencies have provided personnel mobilized from prefectures mostly outside of27

the Tohoku region for this relief operation. The National Police Agency has mobilized
1,115 police officers and 7 helicopters. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency has
provided 2,588 personnel including 19 air units. 31 Disaster Medical Assistance Teams(DMAT) have been operating at the Sendai Medical Centre (OCHA d).
Notwithstanding these efforts, Prime Minister Naoto Kan today ordered a shift of focus
in humanitarian operations from rescue activities to provision of essential items to theaffected areas.

Figure 26. March 15: British search andrescue workers search under a roof removed
from a house for survivors of the tsunami in
Ofunato, Japan. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Figure 27. March 15: Los Angeles County Fire
Dept. rescue team members search for survivors
in a damaged house in Ofunato, Iwate
Prefecture, northern Japan, four days after a
powerful earthquake-triggered tsunami hit
Japan's east coast. (AP Photo/Shizuo
Kambayashi)

28

Table 8. Specialized International USAR Teams as of 14 March 2011

Source: OCHA d

Figure 28. March 15: Members of a Fairfax County, Virginia,
search and rescue team from the U.S. walk through adamaged area as they search for tsunami survivors in
Ofunato, Japan. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Figure 29. March 15: Members of a British
search and rescue team search a smoldering
industrial facility damaged by Friday's
earthquake and tsunami in Ofunato, Japan.
(AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

29

Figure 30. March 15: A convoy of Japan GroundSelf-Defense Force arrives in the tsunami-hit
area for recovery operations in Minamisanriku,
Miyagi Prefecture. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

Figure 31. March 15: Los Angeles County Fire
Dept. members and a dog search for survivors at
Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan. (APPhoto/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Figure 32. March 15: Members of a Los Angeles
County in the U.S. search and rescue team walk past
an upside ship washed ashore by the tsunami in
Ofunato, Japan. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Figure 33. March 15: members of USS Tortuga(LSD 46) check vehicles and equipment on theflight deck before the ship gets underway tocomplete the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forceonload. Tortuga loaded more than 50 vehicles on
their flight deck Tuesday from the Tomakomai
Port pier in Hokkaido, northern Japan. (APPhoto/US Navy, K.Madison Carter)

30

Figure 34. March 15: Firefighters
inspect the damage on a building
ruined by Friday's earthquake andtsunami in Minamisanriku, Miyagi
Prefecture, Japan. Source:
www.foxnews.com

Figure 35. March 15: Rescue workers carry the
body of a victim in Kesennuma. Source:
www.time.com

Figure 36.March 15: Heavy machines make theway in the rubble at the earthquake andtsunami devastated area in Rikuzentakata,
Iwate Prefecture, Japan, four days after thedisaster. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

31

Figure 37. March 15: Japanese soldiers search for thebodies of victims at a village destroyed by earthquake
and tsunami in Rikuzentakata in Iwate prefecture,northeast Japan. Source: REUTERS / Toru Hanai

Figure 38. March 15: Rescue workers carry the bodyof a victim at a village destroyed by the earthquake
and tsunami in Rikuzentakata in Iwate prefecture,northeast Japan. Source: REUTERS / Lee Jae-Won

Figure 39. March 15: Rescue workers arrive to thedevastated residential area of tsunami hit Otsuchi as
the forest burns above the town. Source: REUTERS /Aly Song

Figure 40. March 15: Firefighters continues search under therain at the earthquake and tsunami devastated area Tuesdaynight in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, four days after
the disaster. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)32

16 March 2011: There are now 689 International Search and Rescue Specialists currently
deployed with 32 search dogs. Three teams (Germany, Switzerland and International
Rescue Corps) are withdrawing. Some teams are still to arrive from Russia and Indonesia.
The snow is complicating ongoing emergency relief operations which are alreadychallenged by continued aftershocks. Emergency teams have still not been able to reachall the affected areas due to logistical challenges. Search and Rescue teams say
conditions are becoming increasingly difficult not only due to weather conditions but
also a lack of supplies including fuel and vehicles. Currently, there are 80,000 troops on
the ground along with police, fire service and the Japanese coast guard (OCHA e).
Weather conditions on the ground deteriorating, with low temperatures and heavy
snow falling, the British and US search and rescue teams returned to Ofunato at 0530
local time to clear the final sector which had not been cleared yesterday. The teams
then travelled 30 km north to Kamaishi, where 1,000 people are reported missing. In
heavy snow, the team immediately started to search the central industrial andresidential areas which had been badly affected by the earthquake and the tsunami.
Three bodies were detected in the debris, but no survivors were found.
Fourteen U.S. Navy ships and their aircraft and 17,000 sailors and Marines are now
involved in the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts in Japan. The militaryeffort has included 113 helicopter sorties and 125 fixed-wing sorties, moving people andsupplies, helping in search and rescue efforts, and delivering 129,000 gallons of waterand 4,200 pounds of food. The USS Tortuga, with heavy-lift MH-53 helicopters aboard,
has completed loading 273 Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force troops, 93 vehicles andequipment for delivery in Onimato (American Forces Press Service).
9 Russian rescuers began search and rescue operations in the northeastern part of
Sendai with 3 vehicles and search and rescue equipment. During the first day ofoperation they found eight dead bodies but no survivors. The second dispatch of the
rescue team from Russia which consists of about 80 personnel, arrived at Narita Airport
around 3:30 p.m. on two aircrafts of the Ministry of Russian Federation for Civil Defence,
Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters. There are now 161
Russian rescuers in Japan, the largest foreign group of rescuers at the moment. The
Russian teams are scheduled to work in Sendai and the surrounding area (Governmentof Japan and Government of the Russian Federation).

33

Figure 41. March 16: Heavy snow
falls on rubble and rescue
workers at a devastated factoryarea in Sendai, northern
Japan. (REUTERS/Kim KyungHoon)

Figure 42. March 16: Firefighters
operate heavy machinery in thesnow while seeking survivors
beneath an overpass in Otsuchi,
northern Japan. (AP Photo/The
Yomiuri Shimbun, Yoichi Hayashi)

Figure 43. March 16: Firefighters search forsurvivors in the snow in Minamisanriku, northern
Japan. (AP Photo/The Yomiuri Shimbun, Hiroaki
Ono)

Figure 44. March 16: Braving snow, rescue workers
search for survivors in the rubble of tsunami-stricken
town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture. (APPhoto/The Yomiuri Shimbun, Hiroaki Ohno)

34

Figure 45. March 16: Heavy snow falls as membersof the Japan Self-Defense Force arrive at thedevastated residential area in
Otsuchi.(REUTERS/Damir Sagolj)

Figure 46. March 16: A member of a British
search and rescue team climbs on the roof ofa building damaged by the tsunami, whilst
searching for trapped people as snow falls in
Kamaishi, Japan. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Figure 47. March 16: Rescue workers carry acharred body from the rubble onto a truck
from a village destroyed by the devastating
earthquake, fires and tsunami in Kesennuma,
Miyagi province, Japan. (Paula Bronstein/Getty
Images)35

Figure 48. March 16: Policemen gather aroundthe covered bodies of victims retrieved fromthe debris in Rikuzentakata, Iwate
Prefecture. (REUTERS/Adrees Latif)

Figure 49. March 16: Self-Defense
Force members put a tarp overbodies in Minamisanriku, northern
Japan. (AP Photo/The Yomiuri
Shimbun, Tsuyoshi Matsumoto)Figure 50. March 16: Rescue workers cover abody from the rubble of a village destroyedby the devastating earthquake, fires andtsunami in Kesennuma, Miyagi province,
Japan. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)

Figure 51. March 16: Japan Ground Self-Defense Forcepersonnel conduct a search operation following the
March 11 huge earthquake triggered tsunami at
Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. (AP Photo/Mark
Baker)

36

Figure 52. March 16: Japan Self-Defense Force's
members clear debris in Ofunato, Miyagi, northern
Japan. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

Figure 53. March 16: Rescue workers fromJapan's Self-Defense Forces dig though thedebris of houses that were destroyed in
Minamisanriku, in Miyagi prefecture. Source:
www.time.com

17 March 2011: Search and rescue teams are continuing their activities in cooperation
with their Japanese counterparts with the focus now on recovery and the access to
those areas is strictly limited to rescue workers. Four teams have now completed their
mission in Japan bringing the number of International Search and Rescue specialists
down to 637 (14 teams) with 29 search dogs. The teams report that bad weather
conditions continue to hamper operations along with poor telecommunications, debris
on roads and fuel shortages. The teams are monitoring radiation levels for safety (OCHAf). A rescue team of the Republic of South Africa consisting of 49 personnel has been
dispatched (Government of Japan).
Currently nearly 5,300 U.S. service man and women are supporting the disaster relief
effort in Japan. The military operation includes eight ships, including the aircraft carrier
USS Ronald Reagan, transport aircraft and more than 100 military helicopters which arebeing repositioned to northern Japan to best assist ongoing humanitarian efforts. The
U.S. military has flown reconnaissance flights and provided the Japanese government
with images of the areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami. Search and rescue
flights and missions along the coast continue, relief operations including the delivery offood, water and other relief supplies also continue (OCHA f).

37

Figure 54. March 17: Chinese rescue team members
search for survivors in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture,northern Japan. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Figure 55. March 17: Taiwan rescue teammembers search for survivors in Ofunato,
Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan. (APPhoto/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Figure 56. March 17: Members of a British
search and rescue team works at adevastated area in the aftermath of Friday'stsunami that struck Kamaishi, Japan. (APPhoto/Matt Dunham)

Figure 57. March 17: Rescuers from Australia conduct
search operation in Minamisanriku, northern Japan. (APPhoto/Yomiuri Shimbun, Tsuyoshi Matsumoto)38

Figure 58. March 17: Members of a U.S. searchand rescue team from Los Angeles County
stand in snow while on a recovery operation in
the aftermath of Friday's tsunami that struck
Kamaishi, Japan. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Figure 59. March 17: Self Defense Force members
walk through debris at a devastated area in
Minamisanriku, northern Japan. (AP Photo/The
Yomiuri Shimbun, Tsuyoshi Matsumoto)Figure 60. March 17: Members of a British searchand rescue team carry away the covered body of anunidentified woman to place her remains near aroad to be driven away shortly afterwards by
Japanese emergency services after removing herfrom a destroyed house on their recovery operationin the aftermath of Friday's tsunami in Kamaishi,
Japan. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Figure 61. March 17: Japan Ground Self Defense
Force personnel conduct a search operation
following the March 11 earthquake triggered
tsunami at the port in Sendai, Japan. (APPhoto/Mark Baker)

39

Figure 62. March 17: Firefighters continues
search operation in Kesennuma, northern Japanfollowing Friday's massive earthquake andtsunami. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

Figure 63. March 17: Japan Ground Self-Defense
Force members search though the rubble in the snow
in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan. (APPhoto/Kyodo News)

18 March 2011: The weather conditions show no sign of improvement but rescue
operations continue and another 154 people have been found in the last 24 hours.
There are 543 International Search and Rescue specialists (14 teams) from 12 countries
currently working. The Government says more than 16,500 people remain stranded(10,000 in Iwate and 6,500 in Miyagi) but more than 100 helicopters have been
mobilized by the Self Defense Force and police and the coast guard for search andrescue missions. To date 26,000 survivors have been found (OCHA g).
Russian rescuers continue their work in areas of Japan. They have examined an area of
about 100 sq km and pulled 112 bodies from under the rubble. Unfortunately, they
could not find any survivors yet. Although food, water, and fuel are running short inmany parts of Japan, the team did not encounter problems with fuel, as well as waterand food supplies. The rescuers have reserve fuel. In addition, extra fuel has beenpurchased from the Japanese side (Government of the Russian Federation).
The USAR teams from Fairfax Country, Virginia and Los Angeles County, California
concluded their last search and rescue assignment on March 17. Today, the US USAR
teams transferred $145,000 in equipment to the Ofunato fire department to assist withlocal efforts. The equipment include 4 zodiac boat kits-containing boats, motor, fueltanks and paddles- 16 kerosene heaters, 160 cots and 160 sleeping bags (USAID g).

40

Figure 64. March 18: Japanese soldiersobserve a moment of silence at the time
when the massive earthquake struck in the
town of Yamamoto, northeastern Japan justone week after the earthquake and resulting
tsunami. Photo: AP

Figure 65. March 18: A Chinese search andrescue team observes a moment of silence atthe devastated city of Ofunato, northeasternJapan just one week after a massive
earthquake and resulting tsunami. (AP Photo/
Yomiuri Shimbun, Takashi Ozaki)

Figure 66. March 18: Japanese soldiers walk pasttsunami-smashed vehicles and debris on a search
mission at Sendai airport, northeastern Japan.
(AP Photo/Kyodo News)

Figure 67. March 18: A firefighter conducts
search operations amid rubble in
Minamisanriku, northern Japan. (APPhoto/Kyodo News)

41

Figure 68. March 18: Firefighters march toward
the assigned areas for search for victims in
Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture. (APPhoto/Kyodo News)

Figure 69. March 18: Firefighters and rescuers
continue search operation in Onagawa,northern Japan. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

19 March 2011: In the last two days there has been a concerted effort by Japan’s
emergency services to rescue the last groups of people still stranded as a result of theearthquake and tsunami that devastated the northeast coast on 11 March. More than
16,000 stranded people in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima who were in areas cut-off due
to damaged roads and communications have been brought to evacuation centers. The
Emergency Disaster Response Headquarters says there are now just over 20 people still
to be reached in Miyagi and Fukushima. With almost all people in the earthquake andtsunami affected areas now accessible, the focus of the response is shifting from searchand rescue operations to caring for those who have been evacuated (OCHA h).
A 47-member South African Search and Rescue team and a 33-member team fromTurkey have deployed to assist while another six international search and rescue teams
have completed their activities and are going home. There are currently 333 rescuers
working with Japanese counterparts on the recovery of bodies (ibid.).

42

Figure 70. March 19: Japanesefiremen carry away a body they foundwhere it had been washed into aravine in Onagawa, northeasternJapan. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

Figure 71. March 19: A Japan
Ground Self-Defense Force
officer conducts a search of thedebris at Sendai Airport in
Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture,
Japan. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Figure 72. March 19: Police officers workon recovery operations in Otsuchi,
northern Japan. (AP Photo/The Yomiuri
Shimbun, Yoichi Hayashia)

Figure 73. March 19: Japanese soldiers what appears to be thebody of a victim at the devastated city of Ishinomaki,
northeastern Japan. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

43

Figure 74. March 19: Firemen search for remains in
the river in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture,northern Japan. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Figure 75. March 19: Firefighters carry thewrapped body of Kuniko Kitamura, 69, out of theruins of her home in Onagawa, northeasternJapan. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

20 March 2011: The Government of Japan has received offers of assistance from a totalof 123 countries and regions, and 33 international organizations. To date, 11International Search and Rescue teams have completed their assignment and anotherfour teams remain doing debris removal and recovery activities (Table 9). It is expectedthat all teams will finish their missions early next week.

44

Table 9. International USAR Operations as of 20 March 2011

Source: OCHA i

An 80-year-old woman and her 16-year-old grandson were rescued from their damaged
home today in the city of Ishinomaki, nine days after the massive earthquake andtsunami. The two had been trapped in their kitchen and survived by eating yoghurt andother food in the refrigerator. (REUTERS)

45

Figure 76. March 20: Sumi Abe, 80, is carried on astretcher out of her destroyed house in Ishinomaki,
Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Sumi Abe and her
grandson Jin, 16, were rescued in northeasternJapan when the teenager is able to pull himself outof their flattened two-story house Sunday, ninedays after the devastating earthquake and tsunami.
(AP Photo/Kahoku Shimpo via Kyodo News)

Figure 78. March 20: Police officers
search through debris in a residential
area destroyed by the March 11
earthquake and tsunami in
Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, Japan.
(AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Figure 77. March 20: Urban Search and Rescue
officers from South Africa walk through theremains of a suburb in Natori, Miyagi
Prefecture, Japan. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Figure 79. March 20: Rescuers sift through theremains of a property in the suburb of Natori,
Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. (AP Photo/Mark
Baker)

46

3.2 Shelter Issue
On 16th March, the Government announced a plan for managing and delivering food andrelief items to evacuation centers in the affected areas. Evacuation centers will sendrequests to municipalities, and the prefecture will consolidate these requests and liaise
with the national government. The national government will then request relief items
and food from the private sector and other municipalities. These will be consolidated at
Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) sites (there are 50 sites nationwide) and the JSDF willtransport these relief items to the affected areas. Distribution of relief items will be
conducted by the Municipalities and/or JSDF. According to the Emergency Disaster
Response Headquarters in the Office of the Prime Minister, 1.5 million meals have beendelivered in total to evacuation centers and hospitals in the affected areas. This is asignificant increase from the number of meals delivered as of March 15. (483,550 meals).
The six most affected prefectures have a total population of about 16.9 million people.
To date, approximately 492,355 have been evacuated from these areas and are
currently living in temporary shelters across seven prefectures. Other prefectures notaffected by the emergency are offering to take some of the evacuees. Currently, there
are approx. 2400 shelters for earthquake and tsunami affected areas. As reported on
15th March, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has ordered theconstruction of 600 temporary shelters to be built within two weeks 4,200 shelters infour weeks and 30,000 shelters in two months.

Figure 80. Locations of Reported Shelters in Affected Areas
Source: Google Crisis Response Shelter Information
47

The interactive site, provided by Google enable persons in Japan to seek and update any
information related to shelter issues. Important issues are listed below within the above
link that can be updated anytime by anyone within the affected areas:
https://spreadsheets2.google.com/pub?hl=ja&hl=ja&key=0An_bfTU7s7XHdGxhazkyeEx
VTDV2TmZfM28tdHRUcVE&output=html&ndplr=1
 List of water point/water
 List of medical hospital List of where to get food and daily necessities/No. of daily meal
 List of where to get gasoline supply/Fuel gas
 List of functioning ATM-Bank
 List of designated emergency shelter
 List of pay phones with mobile charge
 List of toilets/restrooms
 List of tentative garbage yard
 List of open bath facility
Additionally, according to Cabinet Secretariat Civil Protection Portal Site, in order toaccurately and promptly carried out rescue and evacuation of residents and evacuees,
the National Protection Law (Article 148), the governor, Civil Protection and
Enforcement Act (Article 35) and with the consent of the administrator of the facility tomeet the criteria specified institutions, pre-determined shelter has been established. As
a result, the prefectural governor of the area population, urbanization status, based on
local circumstances and conditions specified for emergency, shelters have been built incooperation with the municipalities.
The number of individuals residing in evacuation centers is decreasing as road repairs
enable displaced individuals to travel to relatives’ and friends’ houses in unaffectedareas or return to their houses as electricity is restored, according to OCHA. On March
20, OCHA reported that the number of people living in evacuation centers had
decreased by more than 15,700 people—or 5 percent—since March 18.
As of March 20, more than 21,000 residents of affected areas had relocated to otherparts of Japan, according to OCHA. The GoJ Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport,
and Tourism has requested Japan’s housing industry build 30,000 transitional shelters—
including two rooms, a kitchen, toilet, and washroom—in the next two months and has
deployed specialist teams to the affected areas to select suitable locations for shelter
placement. Construction has begun in Iwate Prefecture, where workers had completed
approximately 200 shelters as of March 20, according to OCHA. In addition, all of Japan’s
prefectures are making plans to provide more sustainable housing for the displaced
population in evacuation centers.

48

Figure 81. American Red Cross Shelter Location in
SendaiFigure 82. American Red Cross Shelter Location inTokyo

Figure 83. Pictures around Shelter Issues

People wait to receive medical treatment at a
shelter for earthquake and tsunami evacuees in
Rikuzentakata.

Survivors stay at a shelter in Rikuzentakata,
Iwate prefecture in northeast Japan after themagnitude 8.9 earthquake and tsunami struck
the area.

Evacuees take shelter at an evacuation centre after
an earthquake and tsunami in Sendai.

Mother and children: situation in evacuation centre.

49

Source: http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8483558-japan-more-than-500000-people-sleep-inshelters

Survivors shelter at an evacuation center after aquake-tsunami disaster in JapanA woman greets a baby as she reunites with her
relatives at a shelter for the first time after anearthquake and tsunami in Rikuzentakata in
Iwate prefecture, northeast Japan

People rest at a shelter for earthquake and tsunami
evacuees in Miyako city

Listed name of evacuees

Survivors cry at a shelter in a village ruined by anearthquake and tsunami in Rikuzentakata in Iwate
prefecture, northeast Japan50

A survivor looks at a board showing names of othersurvivors at a shelter in a village ruined by an 8.9
magnitude earthquake and tsunami, in Rikuzentakata in
Iwate prefecture, northeast Japan

3.3 Economic Impact
The Earthquake triggered on March 11 in Japan is recorded as fourth most severe in theworld. It is too early to estimate the economic cost of disaster. However, World Bank
estimated around $122 to $ 235 billion, which will be 2.5 to 4 percent of country’s Gross
Domestic Product (Table 10). The table shows comparison of damage, death toll, cost to
private insurer, and national budget for reconstruction between the Kobe earthquake
and March 11, 2011 northeast earthquake and Tsunami (World Bank, 2011).
Table 10. Comparisons between Kobe earthquake and March 11, 2011 northeast
earthquake and Tsunami.
March 11, 2011 northeast
The 1995 Kobe earthquake
earthquake and tsunami –estimates
DamageEstimates range from $122 to 235 $100 billion (around 2
billion (2.5 to 4 percent of GDP)
percent of GDP)
Death toll
15,214 (dead and missing)
6,434
Cost to private $14–33 billion*$783 million
insurance
National budget $12 billion from current budget. $38 billion over 2 fiscal
for reconstruction Much more in FY2011
years
Sources: Government of Japan and private estimates and projections as of March 17,
2011. * AIR World estimate.
The aftermath of 11, 2011 northeast earthquake and Tsunami affected trade, industries,
insurance market and livelihoods of affected people. The following section briefly showssome of the impact in these areas.
Impact on Industries: Three largest auto makers – Toyota, Honda, and Nissan stopped
their production in almost all of their domestic assembly plants due safety of theirworkers and deaths, as reason for taking this decision. Similarly, Sony has also shutdown
its production. The temporary closure of industries, oil refineries, ports, power stations
are likely to affect the output throughout the country, said Wolfgang Leim ofCommerzbank (March 12, Daily Telegraph).
Impact on Insurance Market: The insurance industry may have to pay about $10 billion
in claims, said James Shuck, (a London-based insurance analyst at Jefferies InternationalLtd.). Risk Management Solution (RMS) and its rivals haven't published estimates of
insured losses yet, but analysts who track insurance companies said insurance claims
could be $10 billion to $25 billion. One analyst said it could be as high as $50 billion.
However, the insurance penetration and density is very low in Japan when compared toleading western markets. According to RMS data, commercial and industrial lines are
significantly under-insured, with many large corporations insuring their properties on an51

indemnity basis only, with no loss of profits or earthquake insurance. Moreover, manysmall businesses and households in Japan are completely uninsured (March 11,
Networking News). It is too early to speculate on the impact on the insurance market.
Impact on Trade: In the last five years, Japan has accounted for around 9% of theregion’s total external trade in developing East Asia (World Bank, 2011). Assuming thereal GDP of the country slow by 0.25% to 0.5% by mid 2011, exports from developing
East Asia may also slow down by 0.75% to 1.5% (World Bank, 2011). This time moredisruption will be faced by the production networks, especially in automotive andelectronics industries. Japan is a major producer of parts, components, and capital
goods, supply to East Asia production chain (World Bank, 2011). In Thailand, exportersof cars report that current supplies of components imported from Japan will lastthrough April. In Thailand, exporters of cars report that current supplies of components
imported from Japan will last through April. Prices have already risen by more than 20
percent in some categories.
Impact on livelihoods and future employment opportunities: The impact can also beseen on the agricultural production. The agriculture account for 1.1 percent of country's
GDP, with 3.9 percent of labor force is engaged in farming. The serious damage isrecorded on the East side of Honshu, the main island. The Hokkaido agricultural part has
much less damage. The same is true for west of Honshu. People's livelihoods has
seriously affected by loss in income, and will further increase with expenditure in therecovery process.
The northeastern part is badly affected and many companies are facing loss in terms ofmaterial, human, and financial capital. The recovery process may create employment
opportunities due loss in human capital. However, the impact of meltdown, many
experts from the industries say, will result in further complications. Due to hugeinfrastructural damages, the repair cost may have to be born by companies who aredominating countries economy. This may increase pressure of these companies. As such
employment opportunities may shift. Thus, it is too early forecast the employment
opportunities for people who lost their livelihood due to disasters.

3.4 Volunteers
After the disaster, many individuals and organizations have been trying to contribute tosearch and rescue, relief, and other efforts in a variety of ways. A group of boys aged
around 13 years old in Taro spearheaded relief efforts for quake and tsunami victims.
The boys took it upon themselves to scavenge for food and supplies among the debris
where their village once stood. They have been able to provide some relief to hundredsof survivors sheltered at a nearby Buddhist temple.

52

In another story, a volunteer group is set to send more than 300 Japanese-speaking
interpreters to help foreigners in the areas of northeastern and eastern Japan that werestricken by the devastating earthquake. The Japan Guide Consortium Volunteer
Interpreters Bureau based in Tokyo keeps on standby interpreters, both in and outside
Japan, in more than 10 languages including English, Chinese, Korean, Russian, andFrench. The interpreters will work for relief teams and volunteers from overseas as wellas quake-affected foreigners at places such as hospitals and evacuation centers. Anothersociolinguistic study group at Hirosaki University in quake-hit Aomori Prefecture isposting online many sample signs and instructions relating to post-disaster information
for foreigners written in easy-to-understand Japanese. Finally, in Iwate, theInternational Association there is providing information online on the whereabouts offoreigners with Iwate prefectural residency. The list, updated daily, offers data on the
missing person’s nationality, place of residence, age, and the name of the person
seeking the information.
Contributing enormously to the relief efforts is the Japanese Red Cross. Local Red Cross
volunteers are distributing relief items, hot meals, and deployed nearly 171 medical
teams, as well as 2,400 nurses trained to provide emotional support and counseling for
those affect by the disasters. Emotional support will be one of the greatest needs in the
weeks and months ahead given thousands of people have been traumatized and are in astate of shock. Evacuations from the exclusion zone around the nuclear power plant arealso being supported by the organization. Lastly, the Japanese Red Cross specialist
helicopter team is helping evacuate people from affected areas, and is transporting
medicine and food to hospitals.
As the humanitarian crisis in Japan continues to unfold, volunteer technologists fromaround the globe are also coming together to offer help. Since March 11, Crisis
Commons volunteers from around the world have been collecting information and data
sets in support of a UN OCHA information-gathering request. NetHope, a uniquecollaboration of 32 of the world's leading international humanitarian organizations, hasbeen working with volunteer technology groups, including Crisis Commons, working on
information and data sharing activities, providing guidance on what kind of information
will be useful for the response teams.
Kobe earthquake on 1995 experienced unprecedented influx of volunteers from all overthe country. There were chaos, mis-communication, resource constrain etc. Based on
this experience, a nation-wide volunteer coordination system was developed, where thevolunteers can register themselves about their expertise and available time. In thisdisaster also, there were significant number of volunteers, who were registered,however, the dispatch was limited due to lack of needs expressed by the local villages.
This does not mean that there is no need of volunteer, but it is purely the information
blockage, and in many cases, the needs are yet to reach to the volunteer coordination
centers. In the weeks and months ahead, volunteer activities are likely to increase ascleanup and reconstruction efforts intensify.
53

4. Initial Observations
Japan is known for its resilience to disasters. In spite of several past disasters, Japan
overcome difficult situation with the help of strong community linkages, social capital,
leadership of local communities and a strong governance support system. Following is abrief analysis at this early stage of response and recovery. This is divided into two parts:
highlights of disaster situation, which will characterize the key points of the current
disaster. The second part summarizes some of the issues, which needs attention atshort, medium and long term recovery.

4.1 Highlights of the Disaster Situation
A few characteristics features of the disaster include the following:

4.1.1 Co-occurrences of Different Hazards
In the current context, there was a massive earthquake of magnitude 9.0, followed by agigantic tsunami [in some cases, the height may be more than 15 m, and in some caseinland water more than 4 km]. This was followed by the nuclear meltdown, which
posed another threat to the already existing grooming situation. Also, there was a cold
spell [with snow fall in several parts of the worst affected areas] which also affected therelief and rescue operation. The aftershocks continued for a long time with larger
magnitude than the usual one, which shows stronger activity in the fault regions. In thedisaster management, we often talk about the worst case scenario, and the disaster
preparedness needs to target the worst case scenario. The current multi-disastersituation shows the actual worst case scenario with multiple occurrences of different
hazards at the same time. This situation is also one on the rare case of natural disaster
causing industrial disasters.

4.1.2 Severity of Damages
The damage level was extremely high, where the tsunami washed away most of thebuilt environment close to the coastal areas, includes vital infrastructures [water,electricity], roads, railways, airports, schools, hospitals, government buildings [in somecases village office], houses etc. The damage was possibly beyond any imagination and
expectation. Most of the designated evacuation centers were destroyed.

4.1.3 Perception-Action Gaps
There were some cases where people were trapped under the debris of the collapsedbuildings due to earthquake. This was a major barrier for them to evacuate when thetsunami warning was heard. The area affected by the current disaster is well known for
its high hazard and vulnerability. There are significant amount of research which
simulated the trigger of earthquake and tsunami of the regions. Evacuation drills havebeen practiced for years with different group of people through initiatives of multi-

54

stakeholders. On 27th of February 2010, there was a major earthquake in Chile, which
posed a tsunami threat to Japan east coast [the current earthquake and tsunami
affected areas] almost after 18 hours of the occurrence of the earthquake. A tsunami
warning and evacuation order was issued in the Japanese east coast after 50 years [after
the Valdivia, Chile earthquake of 1960 which caused a tsunami and killed more than 142
people in Sanriku coast of east Japan]. When the tsunami warning was issued on 1st ofMarch, only a few % of the coastal communities [somewhere between 6-7%] actually
evacuated, and many people went to the coastal areas to look at the condition of thesea and then take a judgment whether to evacuate or not. People in the coastal areas
have their hazard maps and often the earthquake and tsunami issues are discussed in
the media. Thus, there is a very high level of perception, but with limited actions at
individual and community level.

4.1.4 The Last Mile Communication
At the aftermath of the disaster, a survey was conducted by the Weather News of Chibacity [ref: asahi.com1] about the people’s reaction [target: 37,000 responders with 7,900
responders from the five worst affected provinces of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima
and Ibaraki]. In the five mostly affected prefectures, the survey [ref: asahi.com]
showed that only 8% of the responders mentioned that they took shelters in the higher
land. It was found that on an average it took 23 minutes for the residents to know
about the tsunami, although the warning was issued almost simultaneously when theearthquake was recorded [the earthquake happened at 14:46, the tsunami warning wasissues at 14:49, and the tsunami expected time and height was declared at 14:50]. In
Iwate prefecture, the lead time was too short. However, in Miyagi it was an average of
10 minutes, in Fukushima an average of 20 minutes, in Hokkaido, Aomori and Ibaraki anaverage of 40 minutes. While for the Iwate residents possibly people got entrapped intsunami while evacuating, however the high casualty in Miyagi and Fukushima, it surely
shows the failure of the last mile communication.

4.1.5 Massive Numbers of Evacuees
In the current disaster [earthquake and tsunami], there was an unexpected number of
evacuees due to the devastating nature of the event. The nuclear meltdown incidence
also added another level of seriousness to the current threat. An evacuation order was
made for the people living within 20 km of the nuclear reactor. Thus, the number of
evacuees raised to almost more than 350,000 people, which was totally unprecedented.

4.1.6 Evacuation Centers outside the City/ town/ villages
Usually in Japan, the evacuation centers are the schools or the public buildings in thecommunity. However, in the current disaster, due to the extensive damage and nuclear
emergency, people need to evacuate outside their town, city or village. The total
number of evacuation center is more than 2300 places all over Japan. In some cases,1

http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0319/TKY201103190101.html [in Japanese]55the whole village or town with the village and /or town government made long distantevacuation. It has s serious consequence in terms of physical, psychological,
institutional and socio-economic issues of the recovery process2.

4.1.7 Aged Population
Many parts of Japan, as well as the affected areas have aged population and asignificant part of the population needs regular medical care. Since the time lapse
between the earthquake and the tsunami was very short, the evacuation of the aged
population was a major challenge. At the aftermath, due to failure of the vital lifelines,
the medical care of this group was population was seriously affected, in addition to thepatients from the disasters.

4.1.8 Environmental Issues
The tsunami has brought huge about of debris including housing materials, broken boats,cars, trees etc, and will have severe environmental consequence. Clearing of rubbles isa major task, and needs to be done with utmost care. The tsunami also made severe
impacts to the agriculture land, which will need long term recovery, at least in next 2-3
years. The nuclear meltdown has started its effects, although minor in the first 10 days,
due to its contamination to the ground and effectively to the food chain. The
earthquake largely sank the ground level of the Pacific coast of Tohoku region andnorthern part of Kanto region. The risk of the submergence and flood in these regions
has become larger than before the earthquake3. Therefore, it is necessary to pay special
attention to the tide level and to prepare for the submergence and flood in theseregions, especially during the spring tide, when the flood tide level becomes higher thanusual.

4.2 Future Issues and Challenges
There will be several issues in the short, medium and long term recovery process at theaftermath of the disaster. There will be several future issues, which need to beaddresses at different stages of the recovery process. These are as follow:

4.2.1 Coordination
The key word at the aftermath of any major disaster is the coordination and proper
management. The coordination is not restricted among the government departments,
it has also a significant implication to the non-government organizations and other relief
based organizations. A total coordination center needs to be set up at the prefecturelevel, which should be connected to the central coordination center in the upper level,
2

In Futaba-cho of Fukushima prefecture, the whole village was evacuated. This is the same situation as that of Miyake-mura during
Miyakejima volcanic eruptions. The other example is Kawaguchi-mura where the local government also moved along with the local
residents. 70% of the 3,000 people village were affected, and rest 30%, a number of 525 people evacuated along with the local
government.
3
Source: JMA: http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/News/2011_spring_tide.html

56

and city or town coordination point, as the lower governance structure. The one-point
coordination is of extreme importance to avoid confusion and mis-management. Sector
based approach is preferred based on the past experiences, like shelter, health,education, livelihood etc.

4.2.2 Information
The related issue is sharing right information at the right time. Due to natural reason,
there exist panic and mis-perception on different levels of information. Media plays animportant role in reducing the panic, and sharing proper information to the people andcommunities. Due to evacuation in the far distant area, the proper information flow
and information linkage is of utmost importance.

4.2.3 Collaboration
Many of the local governments [town, village level governments] have lost theirpersonnel as well as people. This will have a severe impact on the recovery process,since several of the expertise in the local government was lost. In this junction,
collaboration with non-government actors [like professional NGOs, academics,
professional societies, private entities] will be required in these local governments. Also,
support from other neighboring and non-affected local governments [earlier
experiences of disaster recovery] will be helpful.

4.2.4 Volunteer Management
At the aftermath, there are flows of volunteers from different parts of the country. Thisdisaster is also no exception. Volunteer coordination centers are already set-up at
different locations to make proper coordination. Volunteer coordination needs to beproperly linked to the two above points, linkages to government coordination system,
and information flow [linkage to media]. Two related issues need to be kept in mind:
first, the roles and types of volunteer changes over time, and often past experiences
provide important information. The second point is that there are often different
intensity of volunteer initiatives in the same affected areas, which needs to be
distributed evenly.

4.2.5 Temporary Shelter
The temporary shelter construction is already started, with an initial estimate of 32,800.
This would be spread in different parts of the five most affected provinces. The
allocation of people in the temporary shelter is an important issue. This is to be notedthat people may live there for 3-5 years, and the neighborhood relationship is of utmost
importance. Therefore, proper attention needs to be made when allocation of
temporary shelter is done. The location of the temporary shelter is also of importance,
keeping in mind the high level of seismic activities in the region.

57

4.2.6 Relocation versus In-situ Reconstruction
At the aftermath of several disasters, especially in case of coastal hazards, there isalways a challenge to choose between in-situ reconstruction [which is desirable andpreferred by the residents] versus relocation [which cannot be avoided due to newpolicy and regulation and thinking of longer term safety and security]. If relocation isdecided, proper strategy and policy needs to be incorporated for sustainable andadaptive relocation. Some of the examples from 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami will be
useful in this regard.

4.2.7 Adoption of Village or Town
Keeping in mind the vastness of the damages in the current disaster, integrated andconsolidated approach is required from all parts of Japan. Adoption of a village or town
or a neighborhood can be a good approach, which is practiced in different parts of theworld after major disasters. Here also, proper coordination is required in the adoption
process. This means that when a city X adopts a village or town Y, it takes care ofdifferent aspects of the recovery process. Based on the available resources, theadoption process can be coordinated based on sectors, like health, education, shelter,
food, livelihood support etc.

4.2.8 One Village One Shelter Policy
As a long term sustainable recovery, a “one village one shelter policy” can be adopted
widely, or at least in some critical parts of the coastal prefecture. This means that ashelter needs to be built in the close vicinity of the coastal areas to reduce the time ofevacuation. It will be have a significant cost implication, however, this needs to beproperly designed and planned based on the available simulations of the existing fault
system and expected tsunami arrival time.

4.2.9 People’s Resilience
Finally, the whole recovery process depends on the people’s power, its networking,neighborhood tie, and resilience. People of Japan are known for its resilience and tocope with the natural disasters. This disaster recovery will also show people’s power
through strengthening the resilience among the affected people. A total recovery needs
time, people are strong, and we should be chase with time. A Proper well coordinated,planned and decisive recovery policy with well-thought participation of different
stakeholders will be useful and efficient.

58

5. References
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59

Chandler, D.L. (2011) “What we know, and don’t know, about Japan’s reactors”, MITNews Office.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/nuclear-panel-japan-0136.html
COE-DMHA. Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Update, March 12-20, 2011. At
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rcid=COE-DMHA&emid=EQ-2011-000028-JPN
European Commission. “Tsunami alert Japan”, 11 March 2011 EQ-2011-000028-JPN
Fukushima prefecture. http://www.pref.fukushima.jp/index_e.html
German Aerospace Center (DLR), Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI).
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Guardian. “Japan earthquake survivors find haven in hospital.”
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Hanamaki city. http://www.city.hanamaki.iwate.jp/city/somu/higaijokyo.html
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International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). http://www.iaea.org
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http://www.jma.go.jp/en/tsunami/focus_04_20110311145000.html
Kyodo News. “Over 22,000 dead, missing in quake-hit Japan, bodies buried.”
http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/80217.html
Lake County News. “Red Cross works closely with others to deal with Japan disasters.”
http://lakeconews.com/content/view/18826/919/

Myagi prefecture. http://www.pref.miyagi.jp/english/
60

Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education: "Damage to public schools associated withnortheastern Pacific Ocean earthquake on March 11, 2011".
http://www.pref.miyagi.jp/kyouiku/A7.pdf

National Public Radio (NPR). “Millions Of Stricken Japanese Lack Water, Food, Heat.”
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/18/134527591/millions-of-stricken-japanese-lack-waterfood-heat
National Police Agency of Japan (JPA). “Damage Situation and Police Countermeasuresassociated with 2011Tohoku district - off the Pacific Ocean Earthquake”.
http://www.npa.go.jp/archive/keibi/biki/higaijokyo_e.pdf
NHK World. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/
NPR. “Japanese Search The Rubble For Dead Before Cleanup.”
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=134682029
The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/03/21/world/asia/20110321_JAPAN.html?ref=multimedia
The Telegraph. “Japan shuts down as economic fears grow”.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/8378249/Japan-shutsdown-as-economic-fears-grow.html
NTD Television. “Japan Begins Quake-Tsunami Cleanup.”
http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/news_asia/2011-03-14/588961549213.html
OCHA. Japan: “Earthquake and Tsunami, Situation Reports 1-9”.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/bkg.nsf/doc200?OpenForm&rc=3&emid=EQ-2011000028-JPN&mode=kh
Renesys Blog. “Japan Quake.” http://www.renesys.com/blog/2011/03/japanquake.shtml
Reuters. “Factbox: Japan disaster in figures.”http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/20/us-japan-quake-numbers-factboxidUSTRE72J2S320110320
ReliefWeb. “Latest Updates, various”.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/doc106?OpenForm&rc=3&emid=EQ-2011000028-JPN

61

Save the Children. “Save the Children’s Commitment to Children and Families Affectedby Japan’s Massive Earthquake and Tsunami: An Exclusive Executive Briefing
Document.” http://www.savethechildren.org/atf/cf/%7B9DEF2EBE-10AE-432C-9BD0DF91D2EBA74A%7D/save-the-children-japan-earthquake-brief-20110317.pdf
SAMARA TRILLING, 2011. “Map of key locations affected by Japan earthquake, tsunami”
http://voice.paly.net/node/26843
Sify News. “Japan earthquake, tsunami disaster could cost up to 235 billion dollars:World Bank.” http://www.sify.com/news/japan-earthquake-tsunami-disaster-couldcost-up-to-235-billion-dollars-world-bank-news-international-ldvmughjhac.html
The Urban Country. “Japan Earthquake & Tsunami: Role of the Bicycle.”
http://www.theurbancountry.com/2011/03/japan-earthquake-tsunami-role-of.html
UK Press Association. “Quake 'caused £145bn of damage'.”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5g6tRaiFMRZeft465gnk4h5
GCCfGw?docId=N0116061300674306193A
USAID. “Japan-Earthquake and Tsunami Factsheets 1-9”.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/srch.nsf/doc304SearchResults?OpenForm&view=rwrwb&s
rcid=USAID
Water World. “Japan Earthquake leads to Water Supplies running dry.”
http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/articledisplay/2226753355/articles/waterworld/world-regions/fareast_se_asia/2011/03/Japan_Earthquake_leads_to_Water_Supplies_running_dry_.html
World Bank (2011), “The recent earthquake and Tsunami in Japan: implications for East
Asia”.
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEAPHALFYEARLYUPDATE/Resources/5501921300567391916/EAP_Update_March2011_japan.pdf

62

6. Appendix
6.1 Maps and Satellite Images

Sources: Canadian Space Agency

63

Source: USGS

Source: Pacific Disaster Center
64Source: GeoEye

Source: GeoEye

65

Source: GeoEye

Source: GeoEye

66

Map showing the level of water hit to the inland by tsunami
Source: European Commission and GDACS

67

Intensity Map [source: JMA]

68

6.2 List of Cities affected by Tsunami in Japan

City

Wave height (meter)

Koamikura
Samenoura
YoriisoYagawaFukkiura
AratohamaShizugawaTerahama
KodakiOzashiAikawaTsukihama
MinatoNatari
Inohana
Motoyoshi
Kesaiso
Isatomae

11.87
11.87
11.87
11.87
11.87
11.17
11.17
11.17
11.17
11.17
11.17
11.17
11.17
11.17
11.17
11.17
11.17
11.17

Arrival time relative toearthquake
1:01
1:01
1:01
1:01
1:01
0:44
0:44
0:44
0:44
0:44
0:44
0:44
0:48
0:48
0:48
0:48
0:48
0:48

KoizumiTomarihama
Okubo
Attari
Tatamiishi
Nonomae
Koishihama
Shimo-Horei
UrahamaOkkirai
Ryori
NakaseHama
Matsuzaki
Tsurugaura
Tadagoe
Uranohama
Sakihama
Shuku

11.17
11.17
10.48
10.48
10.48
10.48
10.48
10.48
10.48
10.48
10.48
10.48
10.48
10.48
10.48
10.48
10.48
10.48
10.48

0:48
0:48
0:37
0:37
0:37
0:37
0:37
0:37
0:37
0:37
0:37
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:53

69

Kesennuma
Terama
City

10.48
9.08
Wave height (meter)

Ommaehama

9.08

0:53
1:05
Arrival time relative toearthquake
1:05

Izushima
Onagawahama
Umenomiya-Jutaku
Rifu
Schiogama
Takaki
Shiogama
Uenodai
Oishi
Heida
Kami-Heida
Shirahama
Oya
Akuao
HiraisoIso
Kuroki
TsurishiHaragama
OtsuboKomagamine

9.08
9.08
9.08
9.08
9.08
9.08
9.08
9.08
8.38
8.38
8.38
8.38
8.38
8.38
8.38
8.38
8.38
8.38
8.38
8.38
8.38

1:05
1:05
1:23
1:23
1:23
1:23
1:23
1:23
0:37
0:37
0:37
0:37
0:52
0:52
0:52
1:25
1:25
1:25
1:25
1:25
1:25

Nakumura
KamaishiKumazawa
Kuwahama
Osu
OgatsuOhama
Kitsunezaki
Takenohama
Tatsuhama
Funagoshi
Iinosaka
NakadaNinokura
Sangenchaya
Ainokama
Kita-Kama
Shimo-Masuda
Masuda

8.38
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99
6.99

1:25
0:33
1:00
1:00
1:00
1:00
1:00
1:00
1:00
1:00
1:00
1:09
1:09
1:09
1:09
1:09
1:09
1:09
1:09

70

Ido
Fujitsuka
City

6.99
6.99
Wave height (meter)

Koya

6.99

1:09
1:09
Arrival time relative toearthquake
1:09

IwasakiIinogawa
ArayashikKami-Asamigawa
Shimo-Kitabo
Yotsukura
MaeyachiShinden
WabuchiNaka-Komatsu
Sunaoshi
Hirobuchi
YamaneMoto-Funaba
Higashi-Fukuda
Kanomata
Ishinomaki
KamataSugayaSakamoto
RyoishiHakozaki
KirikiriUnozumaiAntoToyomaEna
Hongo
Kojirahama
Takatsudo
Oragahama
FutabaWatanoha
Minami-Ibi
TachiyaIsobe
Umekawa
KashimaInai
Mizunuma

6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
6.28
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58

0:52
0:52
0:55
0:55
0:55
0:55
0:57
0:57
0:57
0:57
0:57
0:57
0:57
1:03
1:03
1:03
1:03
1:03
1:25
1:25
0:37
0:37
0:37
0:37
0:37
0:48
0:48
0:50
0:50
0:52
0:52
0:52
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:53

71

Kiyohashi
Onoda
City

5.58
5.58
Wave height (meter)

Namie

5.58

1:03
1:03
Arrival time relative toearthquake
1:03

Koharagi
Imaizumi
Tsuya
Shimo-Tsuyakawa
MagomeOyama
Kasano

5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58

1:05
1:05
1:07
1:07
1:07
1:11
1:18

Yamashita
Hanagama
Jumonji
Wada-Shinden
Shinhama
Fukanuma
Gamo
Tago
IwakiriUmenomiya-Jutaku Sugaya
Niida
OgawaraOkuma
BogoyaTomioka
Koyatori
Omori
Aratame
Nakayama
YamadaOsawa
Taira
Funakoshi
Dozan
Odaka
Nakanouchi
Rikuzen-Takata
HosauraWakinosawa
Shimo-Funato
Sakari

5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
5.58
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88

1:18
1:18
1:31
1:31
1:31
1:31
1:31
1:31
1:31
1:31
1:31
0:46
0:46
0:46
0:46
0:50
0:50
0:50
0:50
0:50
0:50
0:50
0:50
0:52
1:01
1:01
1:03
1:03
1:03
1:03
1:03
72

Ofunato
Nakasato

4.88
4.88

1:03
1:03

City

Wave height (meter)

Arrival time relative toearthquake

Onaba
Hayakawa
KabasakiArahama
Uenomachi
Kaikomba
WarabiYokoyama
Watari
Shibamachi
Hirawata
Nigo
Taketani
Shimanokoshi
Omoto
Kiriushi
Hamaiwaizumi
Sukinosawa
Ko-Tashiro
Settai
Sakiyama
Aonotaki
Taro
Sakikuwagasaki
Fudai
Kita-Nagano
HonnamiOmoe
Minami-Samuraihama
Ojiri
Takahira
Kayahama
Sasasawa
KosodeYagi
Taneichi
Uge
Ide

4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.88
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18

1:03
1:12
1:12
1:12
1:12
1:12
1:12
1:12
1:12
1:12
1:18
1:18
1:18
0:39
0:39
0:39
0:39
0:41
0:41
0:41
0:42
0:42
0:42
0:42
0:44
0:52
0:52
0:52
0:52
0:52
0:52
0:52
0:52
0:52
0:55
0:55
0:55
0:57

73

Kami-Shigeoka
Naraha

4.18
4.18

0:57
0:57

City

Wave height (meter)

Arrival time relative toearthquake

Shimo-Yata
ShiromaeShimo-Takaku
Kita-Samuraihama
Choshi
KitameSangatsuden
MotogiSendai
MiyakoShimanokoe
Hirananamisawa
OtsuchiMizuki
Kitanosawa
Narusawa
Moto-Kawarago
KisaraIdekuraYunami
KoshigoeIsoharaHirakata
UchinoHamatsuga
Omi
NarageYoshikawaAotsuka
Satonomiya
Kuji
ShiraneMayumiToyooka
Tamagawa
Torii
Horinai
Noda-Tamagawa

4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
4.18
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49

0:59
0:59
0:59
0:59
1:01
1:22
1:22
1:37
1:39
0:44
0:44
0:44
0:50
0:52
0:52
0:52
0:52
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:53
0:55
0:55
0:55
0:55
0:55
0:55
0:57
0:57
0:57
0:57
1:01
1:01
1:01
1:01

74

Kawajiri
Kawasiri

3.49
3.49

1:01
1:01

City

Wave height (meter)

Arrival time relative toearthquake

Denkiani
Kadonohama
Sunasawa
Hachinohe
Tsubonosawa
Suwa
Uchikoshi
Furumagi
Kinoshita
Kariyado
Shimonomachi
O-Basama

3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49
3.49

1:01
1:01
1:07
1:11
1:16
1:16
1:16
1:18
1:18
1:22
1:42
1:42

Source: Joint Research Centre, European Commission

6.3 Damage to public schools
March 23, 2011 (Wednesday) at 9:00

OfficeOgawaraSendai

Municipality

Prefectural School
Sendai City
Shiroishi
Kakuda City
Zaou Town
Shichigashuku Town
Ogawara Town
Murata Town
Shibata Town
Kawasaki Town
Marumori Town
Total
Shiogama City
Natori City
Watari Town
Yamamoto Town

Number of Schools(Public Kindergarten
Park School)
97
202
24
14
13
3
5
9
10
12
13
103
12
20
10
7

75

Facility damage,etc.(number ofschools)
56
134
11
12
7
3
2
8
9
3
6
61
9
2
5
2

Northern

Kurihara
Eastern

TomeSouth
Sanriku

Iwanuma City
Matsushima Town
Tagajyo City
Shichigahama Town
Rifu Town
Iaiwa Town
Osato Town
Tomiya Town
Ohiramura Village
Total
Ohsaki City
Kami Town
Shikama Town
Wakuya Town
Misato Town
Total
Kurihara City
Ishinomaki City
Higashi Matsushima City
Onagawa Town
Total
Tome City
Kensen Numa City
Minami-Sanriku Town
Total

8
7
10
5
9
9
6
14
3
120
62
17
5
12
14
110
64
71
16
5
92
48
40
8
48

Source: Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education

76

8
2
2
1
9
3
14
57
54

60
47
48
1
5
54
37
34
8
42

About International Environment and Disaster Management (IEDM) Laboratory

The IEDM Laboratory of Kyoto University Graduate School of Global Environmental
Studies targets to reduce the gap between knowledge and practice through proactive
field-level, community-based project implementation. Apart from Japan, the researchareas are mainly in the developing countries in Asia, which have the highest population
growth, and high vulnerability, due to different types of natural and man-made disasters.
The focus of this research field is to learn lessons from the field experiences througheffective environment and disaster related project management.
Disaster issues are directly related to environmental degradation, and global climatechange. The key of environment and disaster management is the end-user's (communityand people) participation. Added to this, is education and learning through formal/nonformal education, and community/ family interactions. Working closely with thegovernments, NGO/NPO, United Nations, bilateral and multilateral development
agencies and regional bodies, this research field is developing a unique processoriented participatory approach of environment and disaster management throughdirect involvement and ownership of the community.

th

Cover page photo: A huge whirlpool caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on 11 March 2011 (source NHK
news)
Back page photo: Soldiers of Japan Self-Defense Force and firefighters search for the victims in the rubbles Monday,
March 14, 2011 in Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, three days after northeastern coastal towns were
devastated by an earthquake and tsunami. (Source: Kyodo News)International Environment and Disaster Management Laboratory
Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies
KYOTO UNIVERSITY
Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, JAPANTel/ Fax: 81-75-753-5708
Web: http://www.iedm.ges.kyoto-u.ac.jp/
Kyoto University Global COE Program "Global Center for Education and Research on
Human Security Engineering for Asian Megacities"
http://hse.gcoe.kyoto-u.ac.jp