On March 11th, 2011, the entirety of the Tohoku region alongside some of Hokkaido & Central Japan were struck by a 9.0-9.1 magnitude earthquake that shook nearly the whole country. Following the earthquake was a massive tsunami off of the East Coast, and a nuclear disaster in Fukushima nearly as devastating as Chernobyl.
This was 14 years ago. Ever since then, the Japanese have held annual events to honor the victims.
History – One Day In That Life
What was it like for those who experienced the earthquake?
For the sunrise land, the day started off completely normally. It wasn’t until around 2:46 pm when this normality would begin to sunset, as this is when the first tremor was felt. Mere seconds before the quaking began, signals were sent to devices, and TVs sent out Emergency Earthquake Warnings for the prefectures of Iwate, Akita, Yamagata, Miyagi, and Fukushima. However, this warning would later prove to be an underestimation, as the entirety of the Tohoku region, alongside some of Central Japan and Hokkaido were struck by the earthquake as well.
Standard broadcasts were interrupted at the time, as NHK would interrupt regularly-scheduled programming on all of their channels, so that they could provide information on the earthquake. This is something that NHK always does whenever a severe earthquake strikes (Usually when a Shindo-6 or 7 Earthquake hits. the Shindo Scale is Japan’s way of measuring earthquake intensities).
The shaking lasted approximately 3 minutes without stopping. The quaking only intensified as it continued. Even after the main earthquake stopped, extremely strong aftershocks (Mainly Shindo-6 Lower and Shindo-6 Upper) continued to rock the country. In fact, some of the tremors which Japan experiences today are still considered aftershocks from 3/11.
By 2:49pm, tsunami notices were issued for a grand majority of Japan. Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima received a Major Tsunami Warning, most of the surrounding East Coast received a Tsunami Warning, and the rest of the nearby coastal areas (except most western coastlines outside of Aomori) underwent a Tsunami Advisory. Again, this warning would later prove to be a massive underestimation.
In the following few hours, NHK continued to broadcast on the updated tsunami warnings, all of which worsened every time they updated. The 2nd warning came out at 3:14pm, and the entire East Tohoku Coast was covered in the dreaded red-and-white outline indicating a major tsunami warning. At this point, the entire Hokkaido southern coastline was covered in the red tsunami warning line, and all of the Okinawan Islands were now affected by a tsunami advisory. By the time the final warning for the day was sent out (5:30pm), the entirety of the Tohoku Coastline, as well as Southern Hokkaido were displayed to be undergoing a Major Tsunami Warning. A grand majority of the Central and South Japan coastlines alongside all the Okinawan Islands were under effect for a tsunami warning, with very few bits of the south-eastern part of the archipelago under effect for a tsunami advisory. Thankfully, most of Honshu’s west coast was unaffected.
The most severe tsunami warnings appeared to be closer to the Northern East section of Japan, as the earthquake struck just off the Eastern Coast of Honshu.
About half-an-hour after the earthquake struck, Miyagi Prefecture was the first to get hit by the tsunami, as it was closest to the Earthquake’s Epicenter. Shortly following that, Iwate’s East Coast was subsequently struck, alongside Fukushima’s East Coast. The wave heights reached heights of up to 40 meters (130 feet), and resulted in mass damage to a 2000-kilometer stretch of Japan’s Pacific Coast, most of which came from the amount of flooding caused by said tsunami.
If all that wasn’t enough, tsunami waves also disabled some of the cooling modules & power supply of three out of four of the Fukushima Daiichi reactors, leading to a nuclear meltdown & explosion within the area. Some parts of Fukushima are still forbidden to enter to this day, due to radiation levels still being way too unsafe for human entrance.
Over 15,800 lives were lost that day, with an additional 2,500 people missing.
What Now?
Here is what followed the events of 3/11…
Ever since the disaster struck Tohoku, new measures have since been taken to ensure that if a disaster as great happens in the future, damages at such a massive scale would not occur again.
Engineers at J-Alert, Japan’s instantaneous disaster alert system, have worked to improve their Early Earthquake Warnings ever since the disaster. That way, more citizens can be better and more quickly alerted of earthquakes with more accurate predictions. The tsunami indicators received a minor change, where the red and white lines indicating major tsunamis were changed to a magenta colored line. Although it continues to serve the exact same purpose, the new color better contrasts the other warning indicators and provides easier differentiation between regular and major warnings.
NHK also took new measures to better report on natural disasters. While their Earthquake Warnings remained practically the same, they changed the way that they broadcast tsunami warnings. When a Tsunami Warning or Major Tsunami Warning is issued, NHK reporters are now required to raise their voice to more urgently warn nearby citizens to evacuate. This is still the case today.
By June 11th, about 80% of Japan considered themselves Nuclear-Free, as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident. Many homes and villages within the area were completely destroyed, and over 180,000 people had to flee Fukushima Prefecture.
Japan wasn’t the only affected country, as the very same tsunami waves that hit Japan had also reached the Hawaiian Islands, as well as the coast of California, and the entire western coast of South America. A tsunami warning was issued for the Hawaiian Islands at 3:31 AM via Cable and Broadcasting Services. 30 minutes later, sirens went off within the area, warning the citizens of coastal regions to evacuate the area.
When word of the earthquake spread, tourism in Japan had drastically dropped, and foreign citizens were fleeing the country. This was especially the case for those most affected in Tohoku, primarily Hokkaido, Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima. In an attempt to increase tourism again, and also cheer up the children affected by the disaster, JR East opened up a unique Pokemon Train which runs from Ichinoseki Station in Ibaraki Precture to Kesennuma Station in Miyagi Prefecture. The train still runs to this day, but seats are extremely limited.
Save Yourselves!
What should you do if you find yourself in a similar scenario?
If you were to encounter an earthquake in Japan, one of the best things to do would be to switch to any news channels in the case that tsunami warnings or more tremor warnings are issued later on. If a Shindo-6 or higher Earthquake is announced, all TVs will automatically switch to NHK’s Main Feed. Similarly, if a Tsunami or Major Tsunami Warning is announced, radios and TV’s will automatically switch to NHK if it hasn’t already, in order to provide information on the incoming tsunami. Tsunami Advisories will not change the channels.
Additionally, you should stay inside of the building, if you’re able to. The reason for this is that Japanese Buildings are constructed very well, and are able to withstand very strong earthquakes. As such, the risk of buildings collapsing is much lower. Meanwhile, if you go outside, you need to worry about falling debris, power lines, or other objects that could pose as a dangerous threat.
Generally, one of the safest options would be to stay indoors, find a sturdy desk or piece of furniture too get under, and turn on your news channel, in case a tsunami warning or any aftershock warnings are subsequently issued. However, if there is a fire, flood, or some other life-threatening hazard indoors, then get outside instead.
Early Earthquake Warnings are usually activated a few seconds before any quaking begins. Sensors in the ground are able to detect P-Waves. When this happens, a signal is sent to a satellite, which then sends a warning to TVs, Radios, and Sirens. In that time, seismic intensities, affected prefectures, and possible epicenters are all quickly predicted before the warning is actually sent.
Tsunami Warnings are sent out in the case that a large wave is about to hit a coastline, usually as a result of an undersea earthquake. There are three levels of tsunami warnings: Tsunami Advisories, Tsunami Warnings, and Major Tsunami Warnings. This depends on the height of the incoming wave. Tsunami Advisories are usually sent out for incoming waves that reach 50 centimeters to 1 meter. Tsunami Warnings are sent out for waves reaching heights taller than 1 meter. Major Tsunami Warnings are reserved for waves that reach heights of 3+ meters (Which is about 9.8 feet). Of course, the strength of an earthquake will affect the height of an incoming tsunami, and not every earthquake will trigger one in the first place. However, in the case that one is issued, it is best to evacuate to high ground, even if you’re not close to the coastal areas. Similarly, keep away from river banks.
If you feel shaking in a coastal region or near a large body of water, it would be in your best interest to evacuate immediately and take refuge on higher ground, even if a tsunami warning hasn’t been issued yet.
It should be noted that tsunamis won’t just arrive as an individual wave. Rather, there will be multiple tsunami waves of varying heights. During the Great East Japan Earthquake (3/11/11), many people fled their homes after the first tsunami warning. However, after the first wave receded, many more fell victim to the tsunami, as another wave had swept the coastline.
This Was The Worst Of It…
Japan experiences earthquakes every single day. The good news (or bad news, depending on how you look at it) is that this earthquake was the worst it gets. However, some recent tremors have gotten close.
Aftershocks from the earthquake continue to hit Japan to this day. In fact, 2 days before the disaster, a 7.2 magnitude foreshock struck Tohoku, which is the same spot that was hit by the grand earthquake a couple days later.
In 2016, Kumamoto, located in Southern Japan, was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that killed 273 people. In 2018, Hokkaido & Eastern Iburi was struck by a 6.6 magnitude earthquake which killed 41. On 2024, New Years Day, the most devastating earthquake since 3/11 struck Ishikawa Prefecture. It was the third earthquake to hit Shindo-7 since the Great Tohoku Earthquake.
