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Japan

Japan and Pacific: Earthquake and Tsunami - Information Bulletin n° 2

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This bulletin is being issued for information only and reflects the current situation and details available at this time.

The Situation

In Japan

On 11 March 2011, an earthquake hit off-shore of Japan at 14:46 (local time). The epicentre has a latitude of 38.0N and longitude 142.9E (373km northeast of Tokyo, about 130 km off the eastern coast of Japan) with a depth of 13.5 km and magnitude of 8.8.

Since the earthquake struck, there have been repeated earthquakes, with magnitudes of 6.6, every 30 to 60 minutes at the inland of Honsyu Isle. However, it was reported that damages were minimal.

As at 12 Mar 2011, it has been reported that more than 574 people have been confirmed dead, and 586 missing. These figures may rise in the following days. According to local news reports, about 300,000 people in the affected areas have been evacuated to safer public facilities.

The tsunami alert is still active, preventing the recovery of several hundred bodies on the shore. However, in many areas, the estimated scale of the tsunami has decreased. Landslides have been reported in 37 areas. More than 2,500 houses have totally collapsed while a further 2,500 houses are damaged as a result of the earthquake and tsunami. Ten villages in Iwate prefecture and 1,800 households in Fukushima prefecture have been devastated by the tsunami.

Roads, bridges, railroads, dykes and buildings are damaged in about 460 places. Electricity remains cut in approximately five million households, while one million households in the most affected areas have had their water supply cut.

In the most affected areas of north eastern Japan, the main highways remain closed; only emergency aid vehicles are allowed to pass through the highway. Several airports have reopened but two remain closed.

With international communities offering assistance to this operation, the Japanese Government has so far accepted rescue teams from the USA, Australia, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea.

In South East Asia, the Pacific and Americas

The National Societies of Indonesia and the Philippines were on alert under the tsunami warning, monitoring the situation and assisting families living in coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground. Both the Papua New Guinea Red Cross and Fiji Red Cross have been working with the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) in their respective countries on the tsunami alerts. To date, except some damages recorded in Papua New Guinea, there being no report on casualties and damages in other areas.

The tsunami alert for Taiwan was lifted in the late hours of 11 March. As of 12 March, Taiwan was not hit with any tsunamis. There being no reports on casualties and damages.

In the Americas, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Pan America Disaster Response Unit (PADRU) are on alert and the preliminary reports are the waves are between 0.5 up to 2 m on the western coast of the Americas, with no damage reported.

The Disaster Management Office of the Europe Zone Office is also on standby to go to Moscow to support the Russian Red Cross, who is also assessing and monitoring the possible impact there.

Tsunami warnings were all cancelled for these regions outside Japan.

This bulletin is being issued for information only, and reflects the current situation and details available at this time. The Japanese Red Cross Society, with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, has determined that external assistance is not required, and is therefore not seeking funding or other assistance from donors at this time.