Japan's Devastating 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami: A Tragedy Unfolds

On March 11, 2011, the most effective earthquake ever taped hit Japan's eastern coast. It killed hundreds of people as it made its way through the streets and fields, sweeping away boats, cars and trucks and houses. Its magnitude was 8.9, launching a 23-foot tsunami and after that provoking more than 50 aftershocks for hours. This dreadful occasion led to the loss of countless lives and ravaged whole towns.

The amount of damage brought on by the earthquake and resulting tsunami was excessive, with most of the damage being triggered by the tsunami.

Thousands of families were left without electricity. Lots of nuclear and traditional power plants went offline after the earthquake. Cellular phone and landline services suffered major disruptions many people weren't able to communicate with their family members across the nation. Japan's transportation was likewise impacted. Expressways were harmed; cars and trucks and trucks were swept away by the tsunami and railway services cancelled. The earthquake was triggered by an uplift of the sea flooring, where the Pacific tectonic plate slides underneath the plate Japan sits on.

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This movement pulls the upper plate down until the stress develops enough to cause a seismic occasion. Lots of miles of crust ruptured along the location where the tectonic plates meet. Because the earthquake happened at an extremely shallow depth, much of its energy was launched at the seafloor, for that reason causing the tsunami that ravaged Japan and causing mayhem amongst the Japanese community. Although Japan was stated to be "prepared" for a natural disaster such as a tsunami by constructing protective walls, the plus size of the water rise was completely unforeseen.

The tsunami walls were built based on much smaller tsunami heights taped in the past. To the surprise of the Japanese people, the tsunami just cleaned over the top of the seawalls, collapsing some while doing so. The tsunami also caused a number of nuclear mishaps. Many electrical generators were removed, and at least three atomic power plants suffered surges due cooling system failure.

The tsunami waves overtopped seawalls and destroyed diesel backup power systems, leading to severe problems such as large explosions and radioactive leakage. It has been almost a year since the devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami destroyed coastal communities in northern Japan killing more than 15,000 people. What struck me the most about this tragedy is the reaction of the Japanese community and picturing what it would have been like to be present at that moment. I can simply imagine the terror in people’s faces trying to survive and doing everything they could to save their families and themselves. Even though thousands of people died, those who lived through this horrible experience can count with our total support and help from those who could not do anything at the moment and simply watched as Mother Nature, once again, did its job.