What destruction was caused by the tsunami 2011 in Japan?

Answer 1

I was awake late night when news was showing the Japan coastline shortly after the quake. Then, suddenly the news showed video taken from a helicopter showing a massive, moving, dark brown thick "soup" quickly engulfing Japanese farms. Some images in life make lasting impressions. That image will remain in my mind as one of the most horrific and terrifying pictures I've ever seen unfold, live, on television news. The "blob" didn't look like water, or even like an ocean wave. Instead, it reminded me the most of a sopping wet landslide. But, landslides move from higher ground to lower ground. Japan's tsumani moved horizontally across the ground.

That huge advancing dark blob was several or more miles wide. It would "creep" (but a fast creep) toward a house or farm buildings, and the dark blob would part into two sections, with one part going around the building one way and the other branch moving around the opposite side. Then, the 2 branches would merge back into one huge advancing blob. As the water and debris pushed more against the building-- it would simply crumble and collapse into the moving blob.

It was difficult to see "waves" from the helicopter's video footage. But, other people took video from rooftops. There, the dark waters could be seen rushing down streets in between buildings, while some buildings crumbled under the force. Cars, trucks, and even boats and large ships were pushed as if they were sticks or toys bobbing in fast-flowing stream. Debris, including cars and ships, were pushed into buildings, or beneath bridges, until the building or bridge also collapsed. In one video, motorists stopped their cars on a bridge because it was the highest elevation and the people thought the water certainly would not come that high--But, after momentarily stopping below that bridge in a gully, the force of the advancing waters simply overwhelmed the bridge above! There was a man in a truck, and at least one other car, which were simply swept away in the mass of water. Obviously, those people died.

Over 10,000 to 20,000 people died or are (still) missing. Most had less than a 10-minute warning that a tsunami might occur. Most people thought they had time to collect a few belonging from their homes; they were mistaken. Water crushed their houses. One man survived by climbing onto what remained of a roof after his house had been ripped apart--he was found about 2 weeks later, floating in the middle of the ocean about 2 miles from shore. His wife had died when the house tore apart. A dog was also found floating on debris out in the ocean.

In all, several towns were flattened or partly flattened. Many people were buried and died in the debris. Other people drown in the water. Others were simply swept out to sea when the waters pulled back off the land. Several people were found, drowned and battered, in their cars. The saddest part is that many families will never find their loved ones; the bodies would have been engulfed in the ocean.

Another huge consequence of Japan's tsunami is that the earthquake and tsunami damaged a major nuclear reactor. Electricity was taken out first, then, the back up generators had been damaged. This meant water pumps could not pump in water to cool the reactor's rods. The plant was going to have a nuclear "melt down", where the rods become too hot because they are not being cooled. Many brave men who worked in the plant stayed in the building to try to fix the problem, even though that meant they were exposed to radiation. In May 2011, TV newscasters reported that Japan's leaders stated that it will take another 9 months to completely fix the reactor so that it is not emitting radiation into the air and water. But, leaks had already occurred within the first days and weeks. The soil, plants, farm animals, air, and sea water have shown higher radiation levels. At first, people were evacuated in a 10-mile radius. But over time, that radius was increased.

Between damage from the earthquake and tsunami, and radiation risks from the nuclear power plant damage, people were displaced and had to go to shelters or to family members in other cities. Sendai Japan was the worst hit town, but many towns became inhabitable or mostly inhabitable. Gas leaks with resulting fires, live electrical wires with resulting fires, each contributed to burning some areas that were filled with debris.

It will take many, many years, and lengthy and difficult work, to clear the land and even begin to rebuild. Possibly Japan's government will enact stricter building codes to replace the torn apart wooden homes that had been in Sendai. If not, and if people are permitted to re-build without reinforced structures, the area could face another incident of destruction since that area of Japan is located on The Ring of Fire, or the most active earthquake ring on earth.

Answer 2

The 2011 tsunami in Japan caused widespread destruction, including massive flooding, over 15,000 deaths, and the Fukushima nuclear disaster. It also led to the displacement of over 340,000 people and caused significant economic losses.