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Shaken Beliefs: Seismic Lessons from Japan’s Tohoku Earthquake

18 points by Thevet 11y ago

lovemenot 11y ago
I wonder what kind of person could have felt that quake, at closer proximity than I felt it in Tokyo, heard the sirens, been exposed to tsunami risk yet still ignored warnings because data were underreported. Contrary to the article, I suspect more accurate on time warnings would not have altered behaviors significantly.
- mikekchar 11y ago
  I was in Shizuoka prefecture (another 200km away than you). I remember talking to my colleague and casually asking where the epicenter was. "Tohoku", was the reply. My jaw dropped because I knew what that meant. You don't feel Tohoku earthquakes in Shizuoka. I stayed at work until 2am that day because my supervisor would not let me go home until the all clear was given for tsunami. Where I lived, I think we got a 30 cm swell. In contrast, I heard the bad news that one of the people on the same teaching programme I was in had died. She lived in the affected area and went home to check on her apartment in the 17 minutes between when the earthquake hit and the tsunami struck. Had she stayed at work, she would have survived. Why was there a difference between the actions of my supervisor and hers? I live in Shizuoka which is 50 years overdue for the Tokai earthquake. It has been said that there is an 85% likelihood that it will hit in my lifetime. I also live in one of the most dangerous areas (on the western coast of Suruga bay). Everybody knows that a devastating earthquake will hit and there is constant training. This is key. I think you are absolutely correct. Warnings are useful to an extent. However, training is critical. My supervisor had absolutely no qualms about keeping me at work (which is also the designated evacuation center for the area) simply because this was obviously a very unusual event. Nobody really expected a tsunami of any size to hit Suruga bay, but it didn't matter. I could go on for quite a long time about the training that we get here because of the impending Tokai earthquake. On of the good things to come out of the Tohoku disaster is that I have heard that similar training measures have been taken up by the whole country.
  - Gibbon1 11y ago
    > However, training is critical. After the Great Alaska quake of 1964 two people died in Crescent City. After the first wave hit they went back to check on things and then got caught by a second wave. Crescent City, CA is 2400km from Anchorage AK.

18 points by Thevet 11y ago

I wonder what kind of person could have felt that quake, at closer proximity than I felt it in Tokyo, heard the sirens, been exposed to tsunami risk yet still ignored warnings because data were underreported. Contrary to the article, I suspect more accurate on time warnings would not have altered behaviors significantly.

mikekchar 11y ago
I was in Shizuoka prefecture (another 200km away than you). I remember talking to my colleague and casually asking where the epicenter was. "Tohoku", was the reply. My jaw dropped because I knew what that meant. You don't feel Tohoku earthquakes in Shizuoka. I stayed at work until 2am that day because my supervisor would not let me go home until the all clear was given for tsunami. Where I lived, I think we got a 30 cm swell. In contrast, I heard the bad news that one of the people on the same teaching programme I was in had died. She lived in the affected area and went home to check on her apartment in the 17 minutes between when the earthquake hit and the tsunami struck. Had she stayed at work, she would have survived. Why was there a difference between the actions of my supervisor and hers? I live in Shizuoka which is 50 years overdue for the Tokai earthquake. It has been said that there is an 85% likelihood that it will hit in my lifetime. I also live in one of the most dangerous areas (on the western coast of Suruga bay). Everybody knows that a devastating earthquake will hit and there is constant training. This is key. I think you are absolutely correct. Warnings are useful to an extent. However, training is critical. My supervisor had absolutely no qualms about keeping me at work (which is also the designated evacuation center for the area) simply because this was obviously a very unusual event. Nobody really expected a tsunami of any size to hit Suruga bay, but it didn't matter. I could go on for quite a long time about the training that we get here because of the impending Tokai earthquake. On of the good things to come out of the Tohoku disaster is that I have heard that similar training measures have been taken up by the whole country.
- Gibbon1 11y ago
  > However, training is critical. After the Great Alaska quake of 1964 two people died in Crescent City. After the first wave hit they went back to check on things and then got caught by a second wave. Crescent City, CA is 2400km from Anchorage AK.