Analyzing Disaster Management: Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami

This case study examines the surveillance and disaster management strategies employed during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.0–9.1 (Mw), caused significant destruction, including structural damage, a dam collapse, and nuclear accidents at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Key lessons include the importance of investing in information dissemination, adaptive leadership, and advancements in earthquake models and forecasting. The case highlights the need for effective communication, as demonstrated by the rapid warning system for bullet trains and elevators, and the resilience of organizations like Lawson in resuming operations to provide essential goods. It also underscores the limitations of relying solely on historical records for predicting earthquake magnitudes and the necessity for continuous improvement in disaster preparedness and response strategies. Desklib offers more resources for students.

14 October 2018
Surveillance and
disaster
management
Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan

Japan was hit by earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, which is regarded as
one of the largest earthquakes in the history. The magnitude of the undersea earthquake was
9.0–9.1 (Mw) (Zaré & Afrouz, 2012). The earthquake is also regarded as Great East Japan
Earthquake, because of the location of the epicentre of the earthquake at Tōhoku. The
earthquake caused a major destruction to the property and lives of the people in Japan,
involving severe injuries and deaths. The damages to the property were in the form of the
structural damages to the roads and railways, a dam collapse and even leading to the outbreak
of fires. In addition, a large number of homes were devoid of electricity and the water.
Another significant damage by the Tsunami were the nuclear accidents in the Fukushima
Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex because of the meltdown, which involved explosions
in the nuclear reactors.
Some of the main lessons to be learned from the above disaster are as follows. The
World Economic Forum’s Global Risks 2012 have accorded the same. Firstly, the leaders and
the scientists must invest in the information space. The nuclear accident could have been
avoided if the authorities made the communication instantly. However, the first warning that
was issued just after 8 seconds of the first wave through the television stations and the phone
led to the security of bullet trains and elevators, by stopping them (Suppasri, Hasegawa,
Makinoshima, Imamura, Latcharote & Day, 2016). An adaptive leadership is necessary to
manage such crisis. An example of the same was the convenience store chain Lawson
resuming the more than half of the operations within four days of the incident for the supply
of vital goods and basic necessities. One of the section of the scientists were not expecting
the magnitude of the earthquake to be this much, as per the evaluation of the past records.
The lesson to be learned here is that 400- 500 year old historical records do not prove an aid
and therefore advancements must be made in the field of earthquake models and forecasting
(Suppasri, et. al, 2016).

References
Suppasri, A., Latcharote, P., Bricker, J. D., Leelawat, N., Hayashi, A., Yamashita, K.,
Makinoshima, F. Roeber, V., & Imamura, F. (2016). Improvement of tsunami
countermeasures based on lessons from The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and
Tsunami—situation after five years. Coastal Engineering Journal, 58(04), 1-30.
Suppasri, A., Hasegawa, N., Makinoshima, F., Imamura, F., Latcharote, P., & Day, S. (2016).
An analysis of fatality ratios and the factors that affected human fatalities in the 2011
Great East Japan tsunami. Frontiers in Built Environment, 2, 32.
Zaré, M., & Afrouz, S. G. (2012). Crisis management of Tohoku; Japan earthquake and
tsunami, 11 March 2011. Iranian journal of public health, 41(6), 12.