On March 11, a record 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck near the Japanese city of Sendai. It generated a powerful 32-foot tsunami, which struck northern Japan and caused widespread destruction to coastal areas and communities. On Thursday April 7, a strong 7.1-magnitude aftershock struck near the same area. A tsunami warning was issued but was later cancelled. Preliminary reports indicate at least three deaths and minor damage to buildings and infrastructure.
Current Situation
- More than 12,750 deaths are confirmed.
- More than 14,700 people are still missing.
- More than 217,000 homes are damaged or destroyed.
- Approximately 155,000 evacuees are still residing in 2,300 evacuation centers.
- Approximately 68 million people were affected by this disaster.
- Overall, the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant remains serious. Experts from around the world are in Japan working to find a solution. Officials report it could be weeks before the situation is under control.
- A joint Japanese and U.S. military operation is underway to recover missing bodies.
- There have been improvements in electricity, gas, and water supply, but it could take months before these services are restored in the worst affected areas.
Yesterday’s 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the eastern coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu. The epicenter of this recent quake, the largest of the aftershocks, struck near the same location as the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred last month. There was a Tsunami warning issued by The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center which stated,
“NO DESTRUCTIVE WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS BASED ON HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DATA. HOWEVER – EARTHQUAKES OF THIS SIZE SOMETIMES GENERATE LOCAL TSUNAMIS THAT CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS LOCATED WITHIN A HUNDRED KILOMETERS OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES IN THE REGION OF THE EPICENTER SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION.”
Though this warning was released, shortly after the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center released a second statement stressing that there was no immediate danger.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) the sequence of aftershocks has been ongoing since March 11th, and there have been 58 earthquakes of a magnitude 6 or greater up until April 7 2011, two of these were stronger than magnitude 7 (a magnitude 7.7 and a magnitude 7.9, both on March 11). They go on to state that during the two days before the magnitude 9 earthquake there was a 7.2 magnitude quake 40 kilometers from the March 11th disaster. Following the 7.2 there were 3 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater that same day.
The events that have occurred in Japan over the last month have given the rest of us incredible insight and wake up call on how to prepare for natural disasters in the future. If you live in earthquake or hurricane country you will need to prepare your home or office for the worst. Although you may not live near an epicenter you may still feel the rattle of a quake so it pays to prepare in order to:
- Keep things from flying around during the earthquake for personal safety
- Protect and save emotionally valuable items
- Save financially valuable items
- Protect important historical items
- Know ahead of time what will impact your business if damaged or lost.
Surprisingly, an easy, fast, do-it-yourself anchoring technique can save you in all of these five needs of being protected just mentioned. Here are two really short videos that will help you BIG TIME: http://www.FreeEarthquakeInfo.org/museum-wax-package
Seismologist experts record over 27,000 earthquakes in the US each year! (most are barely detectable but an indication of potential).
Anchoring breakable items down so they don’t brake during an earthquake also protects you AFTER the earthquake: broken items like crystal, glassware, collectibles, and ceramics can make it hazardous to move around and get things done.
You may also find yourself anxious to speak to your insurance adjuster later. So,
- Prepare ahead of time with an inventory of emotional, historical and financially valuable items
- Take photos of your valuables
- Make copies of documents, such as, ownership, authentication, appraisals etc.
- Keep your copies in another city!
The reports from Japan about the massive earthquake once again remind us of the ever increasing activity that puts our homes and businesses at risk. You realize, of course, that with an earthquake you also have broken pipes, water damage, mold, smoke and fires. For those of you NOT in earthquake country, think again! A hurricane or tornado rattles and shakes you up in the same way.
Prepare and feel more peace of mind by taking action with the following tips:
1. Earthquake insurance can be cheap but an add on.
2. Strap down tall furniture that can topple over.
3. Anchor down collectibles on shelves that can fly around and cause damage.
4. Make copies of important documents, printed on a laser writer onto acid-free, buffered paper. Keep the copy in another location, out of your area…
Valuable possessions could be protected
Apply this example to your family’s collectibles and historical items at home or consider the value of items in the workplace and you can readily see that “value” can be defined as financial, historical or emotional. What would you regret loosing? If you lost key, creative and intellectual property, would your business survive?
http://www.FreeEarthquakeInfo.org/museum-wax-package Take note, Japanese ancestors are calling out to warn us all.
It’s hard to even wrap my head around how much destruction was caused by the earthquake. Of course, the news shows the worst part. I imagine there is even much more that we can see on the news. When I think about all the cultural items that were damaged it makes me want to cry.
I’ve never thought about how to secure the breakables in my house in case of an earthquake. Usually I just try to set them in places that won’t be too tippy. The wax sounds like a better idea.
I didn’t realize there have been over 50 quakes that were a 6 or greater. I wonder how far back that data goes. The destruction from an earthquake AND tsunami were hard to imagine.
Deborah,
The 50 quakes have been since the big one of March 11th! There have been over 1000 of you count the ones that were over 4.5! Poor people! My message about anchoring down collectibles etc is also because large earthquakes are always followed by aftershocks and stuff that didn’t get broken the first time can still be a hazard in the ones that follow. Check out the great deal under “Museum Wax” in the navigation bar.