A powerful earthquake just rocked northern Japan and triggered tsunami warnings across multiple prefectures.
The quake struck off the Sanriku coast in northeastern Japan at 4:53 p.m. local time on Monday. The United States Geological Survey measured it at magnitude 7.4. Japan’s Meteorological Agency put it even higher at 7.7.
Either way, this is a serious event. And for the people of Iwate, Aomori, and Hokkaido, the memories of 2011 are still fresh. That year, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami that killed over 22,000 people. So when the warning sirens went off today, people moved fast.
Nearly 172,000 residents across five prefectures were ordered to evacuate immediately.
Here’s what we know so far:
Tsunami waves were detected almost immediately after the quake.
Japan’s Prime Minister urged residents in affected areas to get to higher ground immediately.
Fox News reported on the severity of the event:
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings and expected waves of up to 3 meters, or roughly 10 feet, in northern coastal areas. Tsunami waves of approximately 2.6 feet were recorded at Kuji port in Iwate prefecture.
Officials have noted a 1% possibility of a larger earthquake occurring within the following week after this event near the Chishima and Japan trenches. That compares to a 0.1% chance during normal times.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority reported that nuclear power plants in the affected area remained intact with no abnormalities detected.
That last detail about the nuclear plants will be a huge relief. Fukushima Daiichi, Fukushima Daini, Onagawa, and Higashidori all reported normal operations with radioactive levels within range. After what happened in 2011, that’s the first thing everyone wanted to know.
CNN added more on the scope of the disaster response:
Evacuation orders were issued for 171,957 people across five prefectures. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that residents in areas where tsunami warnings were issued should immediately evacuate to higher ground.
ADVERTISEMENTObserved wave heights reached 0.8 meters at Kuji Port and 0.4 meters at Miyako Port, both in Iwate Prefecture. Around 200 power outages were reported across the affected areas, and train services were suspended on multiple lines.
No injuries or structural damage to homes had been recorded at the time of reporting.
The good news so far: no injuries, no casualties, and no major structural damage reported. The tsunami warning has since been downgraded to an advisory.
Japan’s disaster preparedness clearly kicked in fast here. The country has invested billions into early warning systems and seawalls since 2011, and it appears to be paying off today. We will continue to monitor this situation as it develops.
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
