Japan earthquake and tsunami card sort

The country’s own meteorological agency

revised its reading of the Friday quake from 8.8 to 9.0. The U.S. Geological

Survey said the quake was an 8.9-magnitude.

The area of fault that ruptured was actually small, within a length

between 300 and 400 km. In comparison, the

magnitude 9.1 Sumatra earthquake in 2004 broke

along an area of fault 1,300 km long.

Japan's economy, which lost its place as world's No. 2 to China last year, was

already in a fragile state. It has been ailing for 20

years, barely managing to grow in-between

slowdowns, saddled by a massive public debt.

62 landslides have been reported.

Nuclear power stations were disabled and two

reactors at one plant are threatening meltdown.

Nissan said the tsunami damaged 1,300 vehicles

bound for the USA.

Experts say that a large number of people in

affected areas would suffer from acute radiation

syndrome and there would be a rise in specific types of cancers and stillbirths if a full meltdown occurred.

A building at a troubled Japanese nuclear power

facility collapsed Saturday afternoon with smoke

billowing out, and officials responded by expanding the evacuation perimeter to a 20-kilometer radius and saying they were preparing to stockpile

iodine.

Rolling blackouts would occur in the regions

covered by two major power companies. Even businesses in Tokyo are being asked to limit their power usage and turn off

their neon lights. The planned blackouts would

be a first for modern Japan.

Officials now believe at least 10,000 people were

killed in the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and following 10-metre high tsunami.

More than 300,000 people from stricken areas and around the threatened

nuclear plants have been evacuated.

In the Wakabayashi ward of Sendai, 200 to 300

bodies were recently found on beaches

Local governments have been unable to account for

tens of thousands of people, and at least 20,820 buildings have been fully or

partially damaged in quake-hit areas.

Along hundreds of miles of Japan’s northeast coastline, entire towns are swamped and concern is increasing among survivors and aid workers about dwindling

supplies.

Tens of billions of dollars will be needed to rebuild homes, roads and other

infrastructure — requiring public spending that will add to the national debt.

More than 1 million people are without water or power

and towns have been wiped off the map.

Damage and disruption was aggravated by more

than 100 powerful aftershocks in the hours

after the first jolt.

Almost 2 million households were without

power in the freezing north, according to Kyodo News Agency, and about 1.4 million were without

running water.

Power company officials say hydrogen gas has also been building up inside the reactor building at the No.

3 reactor. They have vented some of the gas,

but fear that could lead to an explosion similar to the

one that destroyed the building at reactor No. 1.

The hard-hit northeast of Japan is a major centre for car production, complete

with a myriad of parts suppliers and a network of

roads and ports for efficient shipments.

A sixty-year-old man has had a miraculous escape after being swept nine miles out to sea by the

tsunami in Japan. Hiromitsu Shinkawa was discovered clinging to the roof of his house two days after the

disaster struck

In California, although harbours up and down the coast were damaged in the tsunami, officials say only

one person died as a direct result, a young man taking

pictures of the surging waves at the mouth of the

Klamath River.

Japan's Health and Welfare Ministry had sent about a hundred vehicles out to supply water to quake-

damaged areas Sunday, and government officials were distributing 120,000 blankets, 120,000 bottles

of water and 29,000 gallons of gasoline.

Already saddled with debt that is double the size of its

$5 trillion (3.10 trillion pounds) economy and threatened by credit

downgrades, the government is discussing a temporary tax rise to fund

relief work.

At the southern end of the island the Shinmoedake volcano started erupting again after several quiet

weeks.

One reason for the lower death toll appeared to be a

heightened readiness in Japan, raised particularly

after the Kobe quake embarrassed the

government and builders for weak preparedness.

The impact of the quake's first jolt, which hit at 2:46

p.m. on a clear Friday afternoon, was felt around the country, including in

Tokyo. There, office buildings swayed. Trains, buses and phone service

stopped. Millions of households lost power.

Japan has mobilized 100,000 troops — twice the number previously planned — who are racing to rescue

those in the towns that were swept away.

Electronics plants in the northeast were also temporarily closed,

including those owned by Sony Corp. and Toshiba

Corp.

The earthquake that struck Japan will exact a massive economic toll estimated at

up to $US34.6 billion

More than 200,000 Japanese were ferried to

relief shelters and millions of homes were left without power and water after the country's most powerful

quake ever struck.

Offers of sympathy were swift from around the

world, with Japan's foreign ministry saying it had

received assistance offers from some 50 governments.

Nine people have been affected by radiation

coming from the plant.