A SNAPSHOT OF THE SITUATION ASSESSMENT IN JAPAN

ON DAY 4 BASED ON REPORT FILED BY UN’s OCHA ON DAY 4 AFTER THE MARCH 11 EARTHQAKE MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2011

Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, University of

North Carolina, USA

A LOOK BACK ONE MONTH AFTER THE M9.0 QUAKE

• THE DECISIONMAKING PROCESS DEPENDS UPON GOOD, EARLY SITUATION ASSESSMENTS THAT ARE COMPLICATED BY THE LEVEL OF UNCERTAINTY

SITUATION ASSESSMENT

ACCURATE, EARLY ASSESSMENTS ARE ESSENTIAL TO DEFINE THE

NATURE AND EXTENT OF LOSSES AND TO FACILITATE DECISIONMANING

DAMAGE DAMAGE INJURIESINJURIES

ELEMENTS OF LOSSELEMENTS OF LOSS

COLLAPSE COLLAPSE DEATHSDEATHS

LOSS OF LOSS OF FUNCTIONFUNCTION ECONOMIC LOSSECONOMIC LOSS

RISKRISK

A SITUATION ASSESSMENT INTEGRATES THE LOSS

INFORMATION GAINED FROM ALL ELEMENTS OF THE

“DISASTER LABORATORY”

PROPERTY DAMAGE COASTAL REGION OF TOHOKU

The Government reported that 2,852 buildings were destroyed and over 40,000 damaged either by earthquake ground shaking, fire, or tsunami

PROPERTY DAMAGE COASTAL REGION OF TOHOKU

The Government reported that 2,852 buildings were destroyed and over 40,000 damaged either by earthquake ground shaking, fire, or tsunami.

THE TSUNAMI WAVES CAUSED THE GREATEST DESTRUCTION

An estimated 5,000 houses were inundated in Iwate.

THE TSUNAMI WAVES CAUSED THE GREATEST DESTRUCTION

In Sendai city

of Miyagi, 2,700 houses were washed away.

THE TSUNAMI WAVES CAUSED THE GREATEST DESTRUCTION

1,800 houses

were destroyed in Fukushima

DAMAGE TO INFRASTRUCTURE

• 827 roads• 47 bridges• seven railways• AIRPORT

THE BIG UNKNOWN: RADIATION FROM THE FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR FACILITY

DEATHS: THE OTHER BIG UNKNOWN DUE TO TH TSUNAMI

Early estimates were far too low.