Tsunami two years on: Japan finally gets warning system that would have saved hundreds of lives
Two years after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands, the country has unveiled an improved warning system that could have saved hundreds of lives.
Operators at the Japan Meteorological agency checking the data of the seismic activity across Japan Photo: Androniki Christodoulou
When a dark, swirling tsunami swamped vast swathes of Japan's northeastern
coastline on March 11 two years ago, sweeping away houses, cars and tangles
of telephone poles, few were able to predict its near biblical scale.
Including, it seems, Japan's Meteorological Agency, which in the aftermath of
the disaster was widely criticised for issuing a warning of a modest 10ft
high tsunami – despite
it reaching up to 131ft in places.
Now, as the nation prepares memorials on the second anniversary of the
disaster for the 19,000 lost lives, the same agency unveiled its new Tsunami
Warning System, designed to ensure that such an underestimation would not
happen again.
Japan has long been famous as not only one of the world's most seismically
active regions, with 100,000 earthquakes every year, but also as home to the
most sophisticated disaster technology.
Since the installation of its first tsunami warning system in 1941, Japan has
invested heavily in high-end technology developed in response to its
experience of centuries of natural disasters.
From undersea pressure sensors to mobile phone alarms ringing seconds before
buildings even begin to shake, a raft of innovative technologically devices
have put Japan at the forefront of disaster technology.
However, March 11, 2011 proved that even Japan did not have the means to deal with an incident on such a scale – the 9.0 earthquake being the largest ever recorded in Japan – prompting a two-year £25 million (3.5 billion yen) upheaval of its national disaster system.
"I think it is true to say that Japan has the world's highest quality systems in relation to issuing near shore tsunami warnings," said Takeshi Koizumi, a senior coordinator for international earthquake and tsunami information.
"This is not only because of our hardware or software, but because of Japan's experience.
"But we had not expected a 9-plus magnitude earthquake. On March 11, 2011, we followed procedures correctly and issued a tsunami warning in three minutes – but our first warning was underestimated. We have to learn from these experiences, which is why we have upgraded our systems."
The heartbeat of the nation's disaster response system is located in an anonymous grey office building in the Otemachi area of Tokyo, just a stone's throw from the green grounds of the Imperial Palace.
On the second floor, a corridor of dull strip lighting leads to double doors marked with a discrete sign reading "Seismological and Volcanological Department" but referred to by all workers more simply as the Operations Room.
Inside, shoes are replaced with black slippers before entering a wide low-ceiling space crammed with rows of dozens of computer screens emblazoned with colourful graphs, lists of figures and real time images of mountains and coastlines.
Digital clocks flash the time passing in seconds across the walls, with regular warning alarms filling the air alerting the workers, dressed in dark blue workman suits and hunched over computers, to changes in sensors.
This room is the epicentre of all natural disaster-related action in Japan, with teams of experts working around the clock monitoring every single earthly vibration and volcanic puff across the archipelago.
Explaining the new system – emblazoned across computer screens in colourful charts, lists and graphics – Mr Koizumi describes the technology aimed at increasing the speed and precision with which a tsunami can be predicted following a mega-quake.
Key is the multi-million pounds deployment of circular devices measuring known as Broadband Strong Motion Meters, which are being installed at 80 sites across Japan.
These devices measure a wide range of seismic waves triggered by an earthquake and unlike existing meters already in place in Japan, they have been designed with low sensitivity levels to avoid the problem of becoming saturated when an epic mega-earthquake strikes – as was the case on March 11.
Other cutting-edge devices include the installation of three strategically located offshore meters known as DARTs involving sophisticated pressure sensors stationed deep under the sea off the Pacific coast which send messages to floating buoys on the surface with information relating to approaching tsunamis.
The new system also includes an ongoing expansion of its existing network of seismic stations which are dotted around Japan's landscape, with a total of 261 already confirmed as in place compared to 221 at the time of the disaster two years ago.
A new long-life battery system has also been installed at seismic stations across the country, to avoid the problem of stations cutting out due to electricity blackouts caused by earthquakes – as was the case on March 11.
"Before, we had batteries that lasted only for three to four hours but the blackouts on March 11 lasted for a day – so one by one our seismic stations died on that day," said Mr Koizumi. "Our new battery system will mean they can last for three days in the case of a huge earthquake."
However, the new system is not without its challenges. In the case of mega-quakes, an accurate tsunami prediction may still take longer than three minutes, depending on a range of technical factors such as the length of the fault line or location.
As a result, the new technology is being reinforced by a major operational overhaul, to ensure that residents in high risk areas will always receive a serious tsunami warning within three minutes – if not with the exact height measurements, with the words either "kyodai" (huge) or "takai" (high).
"About 40 per cent of near shore tsunamis hit the Japanese coastline in 20 minutes after the earthquake," he said. "In some cases, it is less than five minutes. Three minutes is our target response time to issue warnings to the public.
"The first warning is most important but it must be issued within three minutes which means there can always be some ambiguity over its size."
For Mr Koizumi, the new tsunami system is clearly inspired by lessons learnt as a result of March 11 two years ago – a day whose events he recalls, like many people in Japan, with crystal clarity.
"I was working in my seventh floor office when the earthquake came," he said. "I was not expecting a 9.0 earthquake and it was clear that something extraordinary was happening.
"I held onto my computer system to prevent it from being damaged. Then when the jolting stopped, I ran down to the Operations room. It was very chaotic there. There were lots of people who had also arrived, including the director general. The first three minute tsunami warning had already been sent out. But this information was, as we know now, underestimated."
It was only the next day, however, that the full impact of the disaster apparently sunk in when he was sent to the region as part of a government investigation team into the disaster.
Pulling out a photograph of an expanse of empty land fringed by a dark sea, he said: "This is a photo I took of Rikuzentakata city from a helicopter the day after March 11," he said. "When we approached this area, I remember thinking, 'Oh, it's so clean here. There's nothing here.
"Then I realised that in this empty space, there used to be a city. The town was washed away. Out of a 16,640 population, 2,170 were dead or missing. No words can be used to describe this."
Mr Koizumi was cautious in attempting to quantify the new tsunami system in terms of the potential lives it could have saved two years ago or will be able to save in the future.
"We must always be prepared to update and upgrade our tsunami warning systems based on real cases in order to minimise casualties," he added.
However, March 11, 2011 proved that even Japan did not have the means to deal with an incident on such a scale – the 9.0 earthquake being the largest ever recorded in Japan – prompting a two-year £25 million (3.5 billion yen) upheaval of its national disaster system.
"I think it is true to say that Japan has the world's highest quality systems in relation to issuing near shore tsunami warnings," said Takeshi Koizumi, a senior coordinator for international earthquake and tsunami information.
"This is not only because of our hardware or software, but because of Japan's experience.
"But we had not expected a 9-plus magnitude earthquake. On March 11, 2011, we followed procedures correctly and issued a tsunami warning in three minutes – but our first warning was underestimated. We have to learn from these experiences, which is why we have upgraded our systems."
The heartbeat of the nation's disaster response system is located in an anonymous grey office building in the Otemachi area of Tokyo, just a stone's throw from the green grounds of the Imperial Palace.
On the second floor, a corridor of dull strip lighting leads to double doors marked with a discrete sign reading "Seismological and Volcanological Department" but referred to by all workers more simply as the Operations Room.
Inside, shoes are replaced with black slippers before entering a wide low-ceiling space crammed with rows of dozens of computer screens emblazoned with colourful graphs, lists of figures and real time images of mountains and coastlines.
Digital clocks flash the time passing in seconds across the walls, with regular warning alarms filling the air alerting the workers, dressed in dark blue workman suits and hunched over computers, to changes in sensors.
This room is the epicentre of all natural disaster-related action in Japan, with teams of experts working around the clock monitoring every single earthly vibration and volcanic puff across the archipelago.
Explaining the new system – emblazoned across computer screens in colourful charts, lists and graphics – Mr Koizumi describes the technology aimed at increasing the speed and precision with which a tsunami can be predicted following a mega-quake.
Key is the multi-million pounds deployment of circular devices measuring known as Broadband Strong Motion Meters, which are being installed at 80 sites across Japan.
These devices measure a wide range of seismic waves triggered by an earthquake and unlike existing meters already in place in Japan, they have been designed with low sensitivity levels to avoid the problem of becoming saturated when an epic mega-earthquake strikes – as was the case on March 11.
Other cutting-edge devices include the installation of three strategically located offshore meters known as DARTs involving sophisticated pressure sensors stationed deep under the sea off the Pacific coast which send messages to floating buoys on the surface with information relating to approaching tsunamis.
The new system also includes an ongoing expansion of its existing network of seismic stations which are dotted around Japan's landscape, with a total of 261 already confirmed as in place compared to 221 at the time of the disaster two years ago.
A new long-life battery system has also been installed at seismic stations across the country, to avoid the problem of stations cutting out due to electricity blackouts caused by earthquakes – as was the case on March 11.
"Before, we had batteries that lasted only for three to four hours but the blackouts on March 11 lasted for a day – so one by one our seismic stations died on that day," said Mr Koizumi. "Our new battery system will mean they can last for three days in the case of a huge earthquake."
However, the new system is not without its challenges. In the case of mega-quakes, an accurate tsunami prediction may still take longer than three minutes, depending on a range of technical factors such as the length of the fault line or location.
As a result, the new technology is being reinforced by a major operational overhaul, to ensure that residents in high risk areas will always receive a serious tsunami warning within three minutes – if not with the exact height measurements, with the words either "kyodai" (huge) or "takai" (high).
"About 40 per cent of near shore tsunamis hit the Japanese coastline in 20 minutes after the earthquake," he said. "In some cases, it is less than five minutes. Three minutes is our target response time to issue warnings to the public.
"The first warning is most important but it must be issued within three minutes which means there can always be some ambiguity over its size."
For Mr Koizumi, the new tsunami system is clearly inspired by lessons learnt as a result of March 11 two years ago – a day whose events he recalls, like many people in Japan, with crystal clarity.
"I was working in my seventh floor office when the earthquake came," he said. "I was not expecting a 9.0 earthquake and it was clear that something extraordinary was happening.
"I held onto my computer system to prevent it from being damaged. Then when the jolting stopped, I ran down to the Operations room. It was very chaotic there. There were lots of people who had also arrived, including the director general. The first three minute tsunami warning had already been sent out. But this information was, as we know now, underestimated."
It was only the next day, however, that the full impact of the disaster apparently sunk in when he was sent to the region as part of a government investigation team into the disaster.
Pulling out a photograph of an expanse of empty land fringed by a dark sea, he said: "This is a photo I took of Rikuzentakata city from a helicopter the day after March 11," he said. "When we approached this area, I remember thinking, 'Oh, it's so clean here. There's nothing here.
"Then I realised that in this empty space, there used to be a city. The town was washed away. Out of a 16,640 population, 2,170 were dead or missing. No words can be used to describe this."
Mr Koizumi was cautious in attempting to quantify the new tsunami system in terms of the potential lives it could have saved two years ago or will be able to save in the future.
"We must always be prepared to update and upgrade our tsunami warning systems based on real cases in order to minimise casualties," he added.
Telegraph News United Kingdom
Although there have been ways to know what might come as the result of an earthquake, we do not know when we will die or Christ will come again!! When we die those that know Him personally because they have received Christ as their Savior will be taken to heaven! Those that have not received the gift of salvation will have eternity in hell.
There is a warning system that tells all the world this end result: it's called the Bible!! In it you can see the future foretold for all mankind. And in it, the way of escaping hell is fully explained. All one has to do is read, follow it and receive it. Will you do that if you haven't received Christ yet? You can begin by reading in the book of John!
It is wonderful that there is a way for escaping a tsunami before it comes. It is more wonderful when we also know the way of escaping eternity in hell.
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." (John 14:6) He also said:
" I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" (John 11:25, 26)
No comments:
Post a Comment