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Three major nuclear power plants suffered explosions, with the resulting radioactive emissions forcing evacuations of the surrounding communities.
The total cost of the earthquake is still being determined, but most estimates place it as the most costly natural disaster ever. The World Bank recently estimated the total costs as high as U.S.$235 billion (USGS, 2011). The Japanese government has said that the total cost could ultimately be as high as U.S.$300 billion. As mentioned, this is largely due to the dense population centers affected by the quake and the low-lying urban areas that were devastated by the resulting tsunami waves. In addition, costly damages were suffered throughout the Pacific Rim, as the tsunami quickly roared across the ocean. Ultimately, 20 countries were affected by the tsunami, a number similar to that of the Chilean quake five decades previous.
However, in this case, the tsunami activity in Japan was more devastating than the actual quake. Many reports surfaced of entire towns being swept away. The water surge was much higher than anticipated by Japanese officials to be possible, so that the surge walls surrounding many towns were ill-equipped to protect the damaged cities. In addition, the higher ground that many citizens were advised to seek proved to be not quite high enough. The initial tsunami waves struck the Japanese coastline a mere 26 minutes after the quake, giving residents little time to evacuate properly (USGS, 2011). Finally, the nuclear power plants at Fukushima I and Fukushima II were inundated by tsunami waves, causing leakage of radiation after large explosions occurred. Helicopters were employed...
Fortunately, easterly winds swept the radioactive fumes over the Pacific Ocean, as opposed to the major urban metropolis to the south. Indeed, the residual affects could have been far worse, and the entire fallout from the disaster is still being evaluated.
1960 Chilean Earthquake
2011 Japan Earthquake
Richter reading
9.5
9
death toll
6,000
>11,000
total damages
$500 million nearly $235 billion tsunami waves as high as 82 feet nearly 100 feet surface depth
35 miles beneath surface
20 miles beneath surface
References
Atwater, Brian, et. al. Surviving a Tsunami -- Lessons from Chile, Hawaii, and Japan.
U.S. Geological Survey. (Online) Available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/c1187/
Greatest Earthquake Ever Recorded. Extreme Science. (Online) Available at http://www.extremescience.com/zoom/index.php/earth-records/61-greatest-
Magnitude 9.0, Near the Coast of Japan. U.S. Geological Survey. (Online) Available at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc0001xgp.php
Magnitude 9.0 Near the Coast of Japan. Iris Educational files. (Online) Available at http://www.iris.edu/hq/files/programs/education_and_outreach/retm/tm_110311_j
at http://www.seismo-
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