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MARCH 11-14, 2011 EXAMPLES OF NO PLACE TO GO AND NO ONE TO RESCUE. JAPAN AFTER 2:46 PM, MARCH 11. Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, University of North Carolina, USA. THE EARTHQUAKE IS NOW A M9.0 EVENT.
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MARCH 11-14, 2011EXAMPLES OF NO PLACE TO GO AND NO ONE TO RESCUE JAPAN AFTER 2:46 PM, MARCH 11 Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, University of North Carolina, USA
THE EARTHQUAKE IS NOW A M9.0 EVENT The MEGA-earthquake, which struck at 2:46 pm on Friday, March 11th, would have caused a disaster….
THE EARTHQUAKE IS NOW A M9.0 EVENT …BUT JAPAN was well prepared to cope with it.
A 7-10 M TSUNAM FOLLOWED IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES Japan was well prepared to cope with a tsunami, but ….
A 7-10 M TSUNAM FOLLOWED IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES This tsunami was devastating, inun-dating towns, im-mobilizing airports and roads, destroy-ing buildings, and treating everything (e.g., people, cars) in its path as debris.
TSUNAMI HAZARDS (AKA POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS) • HIGH-VELOCITY, LONG-PERIOD WATER WAVES • WAVE RUNUP • FLOODING • WAVE RETREAT • SHORELINE EROSION
ADVANCE WARNING AND VERTICAL EVACUATION ARE THE KEYS TO SURVIVING A TSUNAMI ON MARCH 11TH, MANY PEOPLE HAD TOO LITTLE WARNING AND NO PLACE TO GO
NATURAL HAZARDS FOR WHICH EVACUATION IS TYPICAL FLOODS GOAL: MOVE PEOPLE OUT OF HARM’S WAY HURRICANES TYPHOONS HIGH BENEFIT/COST FOR SAVING LIVES, BUT LOW BENEFIT/COST FOR PROTECTING PROPERTY TSUNAMIS VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS WILDFIRES
CAUSES OF DAMAGE HIGH VELOCITY IMPACT OF INCOMING WAVES INLAND DISTANCE OF WAVE RUNUP VERTICAL HEIGHT OF WAVE RUNUP INADEQUATE RESISTANCE OF BUILDINGS TSUNAMIS FLOODING “DISASTER LABORATORIES” INADEQUATE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL EVACUATION PROXIMITY TO SOURCE OF TSUNAMI
MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES AND WARNING SYSTEMS ARE A VITAL PART OF THE STORY.
KNOWING WHERE, WHEN, AND WHY A TSUNAMI OCCURS IS A VITAL PART OF THE ART AND SCIENCE OF INTELLIGENT EVACUATION.
INTELLIGENT EVACUATION:LEAVE THE AREA OR EVACUATE VERTICALLY • LEAVE, IF ENOUGH ADVANCE WARNING • EVACUATE TO A TALL BUILDING OR A HIGHER ELEVATION TO GET BEYOND REACH OF THE TSUNAMI’S WAVE RUNUP.
THE ART AND SCIENCE OF KNOWING WHEN TO EVACUATE BEFORE A TSUNAMI WAVE ARRIVES AND WHERE TO GO CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.
EVACUATION FOR A TSUNAMI IS COMPLICATED BY:1) THE SHORT TIME BETWEEN THE EARTHQUAKE AND THE TSUNAMI WAVE ARRIVAL, AND 2)DAMAGE AND LOSS OF FUNCTION TO BUILDINGS AND INFRASTRUCTURE CAUSED BY THE EARTHQUAKE AND ITS AFTERSHOCK SEQUENCE.
WHEN YOU CHOOSE NOT TO EVACUATE, OR YOU ARE UNABLE TO EVACUATE, THE ODDS FOR SURVIVAL ARE LOWER, BECAUSE ---
YOU CAN’T OUTRUN OR DIVERT10-M-HIGH, DEBRIS-LADEN, OCEAN WAVE THAT ARRIVES WITH A HIGH VELOCITY (E.G., 30+ KM/HR) AND MOVES RAPIDLY INLAND FOR 2-3 KM, OR MORE
SEARCH AND RESCUE IS OFTEN THE LAST BEST CHANCE FOR SURVIVAL, BUT IT HAS LIMITS ON MARCH 14TH, SOME SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS FOUND NO ONE TO RESCUE