Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Facts and Figures
Posted by: Vicki Thomas in DRJ Blogs on Mar 14, 2011
On Friday March 10, Japan was rocked by a 9.0 earthquake and powerful tsunami. Initially graded at 8.9, the earthquake has since been upgraded to 9.0.
The fall-out from this natural disaster is resulting in explosions at the Fukushima nuclear plants, rolling black-outs, innumerable missing people and deaths, entire towns and villages being wiped out, and economic ramifications for Japan’s already fragile economy.
Here are some stats and figures that detail the known impact of this natural disaster. It should be noted that the number of missing and dead people is changing hourly as rescue efforts continue.
Fukushima Nuclear Plant:
A state of disaster has been declared at the six Fukushima nuclear reactors. The earthquake and tsunami have knocked out the main cooling systems and backup generators at three units in Daiichi and the three units at the Fukushima Daini complex.
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first explosion was on Saturday at the plant’s Unit 1, injuring four workers and resulting in mass evacuations
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second hydrogen explosion on Monday at Unit 3, injuring 11 workers and the blast was felt 40 kilometers away
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over 180,000 people have been evacuated from the area surrounding the nuclear plant
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as many as 160 people may been exposed to radiation
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17 U.S. military personnel were exposed to low levels of radiation upon returning to the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier located about 160 kilometers offshore; after intense scrubbing with soap and water, the 17 people were declared contamination-free
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more than 1,500 people have been scanned for radiation exposure
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over 350,000 people in the area of Fukushima have become homeless and are staying in shelters
The UN nuclear agency said on Sunday that a state of emergency was also declared at the Onagawa power plant, after higher-than-permitted levels of radiation were measured there. The agency said that Japan has informed them that all three reactors are under control.
Stock Markets and Economy:
The Japanese economy has been teetering for 20 years and has been struggling to find any growth. The public debt at 200 per cent of the gross domestic product is the highest among industrialized nations.
The electricity shortage and rolling blackouts has forced Japanese car companies (Toyota, Honda and Nissan) to close for an indefinite time period.
Early estimates are that the repair costs from Friday's disaster is in the tens of billions of dollars.
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on Monday Japan’s central bank injected 15 trillion yen ($184 billion US) into money market
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the Nikkei 225 stock average dropped nearly 634 points (6.2 per cent) to 9,620.49
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the Topix lost 7.5 per cent
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the 1995 earthquake that devastated Kobe cost $132 billion U.S
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Mitsubishi Motors down 11.8 percent, Nissan by 9.5 percent and Toyota by 7.9 per cent
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Sony slumped 9.2 percent, Canon dropped 5.9 percent and Panasonic by 8.1 per cent
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main banks also slumped badly: Mizuho Financial Group Mizuho Financial Group by 10.5 per cent, Mitsubishi UFJ Group by 7.2 per cent and SMFG by 6.4 pe rcent
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the yen traded at 82.09 yen by late Monday afternoon in Tokyo, compared to 81.84 in New York late Friday
Construction companies, are seeing a rise based on expectations of the huge reconstruction that will be needed in the quake-stricken areas. Hazama Corp. and Kumagai Gumi, for example, have increased more than 40 per cent, and Kajima Corp., has risen 22.2 per cent.
People:
The accounts of missing and dead people are changing hourly. As of Monday afternoon the confirmed death toll is at more than 1,800 with 2,300 people missing and over 1,900 people suffering injuries. Police officials though are saying that more than 10,000 people have died.
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700 bodies have washed ashore on the peninsula in Miyagi Prefecture
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the earthquake struck 125 kilometers off of Japan’s northeast coast
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majority of the victims drowned in enormous tsunami waves that swept 10 kilometers inland
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1.4 million people are without running water
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2.5 million households do not have heat and electricity
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Japan's northeast coast has been hit by more than 150 aftershocks since Friday, with the latest measured as a 6.2-magnitude quake
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over 400,000 people have been moved to evacuation centers in schools and public buildings
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100,000 national defense members have been dispatched to lead the aid efforts
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120,000 blankets, 120,000 bottles of water and 110,000 liters of gasoline plus food have been collected and sent to community centers and shelters
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on Monday, six lines of Japan's bullet trains were not running
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six major department stores were closed in Tokyo on Monday because employees were not able to reach the city
The U.S. State Department is telling Americans to avoid going to Japan at this time, and France is advising its citizens to leave the Tokyo area, due to concerns over further earthquakes and possible radiation leaks from damaged nuclear power plants. The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs has issued a warning for Canadians to avoid non-essential travel to northeast Japan.
The Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the government would use 200 billion yen of contingency funds this month to pay for relief efforts.
"This is Japan's most severe crisis since the war ended 65 years ago," Prime Minister Naoto Kan told reporters on Sunday, adding that Japan's future would be decided by its response.
Sources:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/03/14/japan-nuclear-031411.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/world/asia/15japan.html?hp
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/03/13/asian-markets-mondya-tsunami.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/business/15markets.html?_r=1&hp
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/03/14/japan-reactor-monday.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/03/13/japan-quake131.html
Vicki Thomas is a freelance writer
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