Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Susceptibility of the Ishinomaki and Sendai Plains was found in a recent
geological survey that revealed a historical tsunami 1,000 years ago caused inunda-
tion as far as several km inland (Sawai et al.
2007
). The Jokan earthquake tsunami
of 869
AD
caused similar damage to the inundation area of the 2011 tsunami.
Unfortunately, these discoveries were not previously included in disaster-prevention
measures before the March 2011 disaster.
20.2.3
Nuclear Power Plant Disaster
A nuclear power plant accident at Tokyo Electric Power's Fukushima Dai-ichi
Nuclear Power Plant happened as a direct cause by the earthquake and tsunami.
Large amounts of radioactive material were released into the environment, forcing
residents who lived near the plants to evacuate, and many have not been able to
return. Radioactive pollution in the environment spread across a wide area and
industries in the affected areas have suffered from detrimental effects of fear and
harmful rumors. For example, customers refuse to buy agricultural products from
Fukushima Prefecture, even though crops are grown in low radioactivity areas or are
produced in indoor vegetable factories. The name Fukushima raises alarm bells for
buyers although only a small part of the prefecture is contaminated.
Investigations into the cause of the nuclear accident are ongoing. Current reports
state that a tsunami of 14-15 m struck the nuclear plant, causing loss of external
power supply. As a result, the emergency backup diesel generator was soaked in
seawater and broke down, producing a blackout at the plant. It was impossible to
cool the nuclear reactor, so it was assumed that nuclear fuel was melting. Hydrogen
generated for energy became fuel for explosions, which dispersed a large quantity
of radioactive material. This quantity was estimated at 1.5 × 1,017 Bq of I-131 and
1.2 × 1,017 Bq of Cs-137, dispersed between 11 March and 5 April 2011 (Great East
Japan Earthquake Taskforce
2011
).
20.3
School Damage in Three Affected Prefectures
20.3.1
School Damage Investigation
Many schools suffered damage in the earthquake disaster. As of 26 January 2013,
the total number of deaths associated at schools was 641 and the total missing was
92, including students and teachers. Most were in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima
prefectures, with the largest number in Miyagi. A total of 6,284 school buildings
were damaged (Kurokawa
2012
).
In response to this grave disaster, the AJG decided to provide assistance to
schools in the affected areas. This support included the provision of teaching mate-
rials and tools related to geography instruction at elementary, junior high, and senior
