Sunday, March 13, 2011

With all its fury, earthquake marks the history of Japan

For more than two minutes seemed endless terrifying, an earthquake shook Japan. The strongest earthquake in history shook houses and buildings, cracked roads and disturbed even those who have learned to live with skyscrapers swaying. Then came a devastating tsunami that hit the Northeast of the country and killed hundreds of people.

Even in a country accustomed to earthquakes, the disaster was shocking. The quake of 8.9 magnitude on the Richter scale was the first big blow of a series of powerful aftershocks have left more than a thousand dead and missing until the end of this year and according to police. An assessment of the overall economic fallout was impossible in the hours after the quake, the strongest that has shaken the region in nearly a thousand 200 years.

Emerged lifeless bodies on the beaches of Sendai, Miyagi in the State. In the region of Fukushima, a dam broke and released water swept away houses. Two trains were reported missing in the area of \u200b\u200bSendai and Iwate Prefecture. The violent wall of water swept away houses, cars and boats.

Wild fires were visible from different areas. Cooling systems of two nuclear power plants failed, forcing the evacuation of thousands of nearby residents. A ship was caught in the vortex of a whirlpool in the sea. The death toll rose steadily throughout the day, but the true extent of the disaster is unknown, because the roads leading to the most damaged areas were destroyed or were blocked by debris, and airports were closed.

In the vast area affected by this enormous disaster, millions of households had no electricity or water, according to Japanese media. The earthquake occurred at 14:46 hours, local time, was the most powerful that has gripped Japan since record keeping began in the late nineteenth century.

It was also the fifth strongest in the world since 1900 and was almost eight thousand times stronger than one that struck last month Christchurch, New Zealand, scientists said. The quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers, about 125 kilometers from the East Coast, said the United States Geological Survey.

The area is 380 kilometers northeast of Tokyo. The Japanese Meteorological Agency said the earthquake was the largest ever recorded in Japan. On the streets of the towns on the coast, huge cracks have appeared on the floor, with craters in some places as if an explosion had occurred, evidence, if still not been enough destruction, violence of the quake.

In central Tokyo, several tall buildings ranged for several minutes due to the strength of ground motions that can be moved nearly 10 inches the axis of rotation of the Earth, according to a preliminary study of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Italy (INGV). on the Richter scale, was the magnitude of the earthquake that struck Japan.

Nipponese authorities had confirmed. the height of the wave that devastated much of the city of Sedai, which was most affected. were reported missing yesterday. of Sedai were destroyed. was the balance until 11:30 am in Japan (20:30 hours from Mexico). households were without electricity.

no water. of total or partially destroyed buildings. people were evacuated. The detention of Japanese culture prevented the damage was greater. The quality and design of buildings and other structures helped them withstand the earthquake. Several experts stressed the "triumph of a culture of prevention" because, had it occurred elsewhere, "the disaster would have been complete." The country, in addition to preventive security measures and a well-informed, have quake-proof buildings with pillars prepared to resist, quality cushioning and a special foundation.

Japan used the same materials as in other developed countries for the construction of buildings, such as concrete and steel, but the quality of the building where there are some differences. Chile suffered an earthquake measuring 8.8 degrees on February 27, 2010, although there were many human losses the country is also prepared for earthquakes, as its territory lies on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

A constant earthquake zone. Similarly, Haiti, who faced an earthquake measuring seven degrees on January 12, 2010 - is not indifferent to the earthquakes in the region, but since it is one of the world's poorest countries, there was no way to be prepared structurally speaking, so that the earthquake affected to a greater extent.

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