Japans Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011

The statistics and records of the disaster show that the associated economic losses stood at around $300 billion, making occurrence the most expensive and dreadful disaster in the history of Japan. Immediately after the earthquake, a wild tsunami followed that traveled across the Pacific, leading to forced evacuations, and in addition caused damages in neighboring countries such as California where one person died. This catastrophic earthquake started at exactly 2:46 pm and lasted for about three minutes. It had the highest recorded the magnitude in world history. According to a preliminary report released in April 2011, over 50% of the people who died were drowned and the rest were trapped in buildings. Therefore, a large percentage of the population is exposed to the natural disasters that strike in an instance.

In this view, the overpopulation along the coast contributed to massive deaths. This is because many people were swept into the oceans by the tsunami that followed the earthquake (Mimura, Yasuhara, Kawagoe, Yokoki, & Kazama, 2011). In 2011 there was a sudden horizontal and vertical thrusting of the Pacific plate which led to massive displacement of water above and as a result created a series of destructive tsunami waves (Ishigaki, Higashi, Sakamoto, & Shibahara, 2013). The waves that entered the coast were measuring up to 33 feet and flooded an extensive portion of the city in Sendai including the airport and the surrounding countryside. Earthquakes will normally occur along any plate boundaries that are weak such as Japan regions, and will often occur when tension is released from the inside crust (Hunter, 2015).

Earthquakes can be easily predicted and measured using the richer scale, and for scientists to ensure that disasters through these natural processes are minimized there is need to improve on scientific weather forecasting and create large structures along the coastline that will be able to defend tsunamis from reaching the mainland (Mori et al. Apparently, these are some of the options ideal in as far as prevention of the tsunamis is concerned. Behavioral Paradigm During the 2011 disaster, several lives were lost, and property worth millions of dollars brought down to ruins. However, several changes in human behavior will help to minimize the risks in the event of such calamities if they are implemented. There is need to have a strong emphasis on the complicated interaction between the human system and natural system, leading positive results in the long-term management of local needs as per set local needs.

There is a complicated reaction between the society and nature and that the improvement of hazards must adhere to local needs. Disaster Prevention Strategies Japan has already suffered enough, and the 2011 disaster was a wakeup call that the country must invest in disaster management. Japan has taken advantage of its innovation to invest, educate its people, and learn from its past to remain prepared (Ishigaki, Higashi, Sakamoto, & Shibahara, 2013). Some of the prevention strategies currently in place, and which are aimed to minimize the damage of such natural disasters include phone updates, earthquake resistant buildings, earth-quake ready bullet trains, water discharge tunnels, education and training awareness, and immediate TV coverage. Conclusion In conclusion, the Japan earthquake was a natural disaster that remains a lesson to countries located in vulnerable regions.

While Japan stands in the Pacific and remains vulnerable to natural calamities, the four hazard paradigms help understand social-wide ways of preventing and managing extreme calamities. However, it seems that the disaster offered an opportunity for change as it fuelled a strong collaboration between state and individuals to ensure that such disasters are managed appropriately in the event they re-occur. In this view, disaster preparedness has been enhanced in Japan, and unlike in 2011, people are informed on what moves to make in the event of similar natural disasters. With the availability of alarms and water tunnels, it has become easy to tame water that enters the mainland during earthquakes. , Yasuhara, K. , Kawagoe, S. , Yokoki, H. , & Kazama, S. Damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami-a quick report.