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Japan has experienced many disasters that have caused massive loss of property and lives. In 1993, the Hokkaido Nansei-Oki Earthquake Tsunami hit Okushiri Island located to the west of Hokkaido. This disaster was identified as one of the major Tsunamis that have led to destruction of property and lives.
Sources revealed that about 200 people were killed by the raging waters, and property worth about 66 billion Japanese Yen was damaged (Shuto, 2006). Fire outbreaks that resulted from destroyed power lines magnified the losses. Landslides were also rampant owing to the devastating effects of the earthquake.
In Okushiri town, 29 people were killed by a landslide when a hotel built under a cliff succumbed to the strong forces of the quake (The Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, 2009). The earthquake affected residents both economically and psychologically. The incident left many people traumatized for losing both their property and families.
In 2004, another tsunami disaster was experienced on the Indian Ocean frontier. It was reported to be greatest in the land since 1900 (Kelman et al., 2006). In fact, it was reported to be the third largest tsunami in the world. Over 227, 000 people lost lives in 11 countries and about 1.7 million others were left homeless (Kelman et al., 2006).
Many children died in the waters and fire outbreaks that resulted from faulty power lines and gas pipes. Statistics also showed that more women than men died. Apart from loss of lives, there was massive damage on coastal ecosystems, coastal forests, mangroves, coral reefs, and rock formations.
Marine life was adversely affected and many sea animals died due to strong waves, industrial chemicals, and liquid and solid waste. This disaster had far-reaching economic impacts compared to the Japan’s 1993 tsunami in Hokkaido.
Several factors contributed to the impact of tsunami disasters. Concerning the 1993 tsunami disaster in Hokkaido Japan, the geographical location of the Onkushiri town was a major factor that multiplied the damages (Shuto, 2006). This area was hit by a tsunami whose tides reached magnitudes of 11 meters in height. As anticipated, the tide washed away buildings and caused massive destruction of coastal structures.
Massive destruction of coastal buildings was also attributed to an earthquake that was experienced on the shores of the sea. In addition, fire outbreaks also contributed to the devastating effects of the tsunami (Shuto, 2006).
Just as was the case with the 1993 tsunami in Hokkaido, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami had far-reaching economic effects on the economies of affected countries. Geographical location was one of the factors that contributed to the severity of the impacts. Coastal lands were massively destroyed by high forceful tides (Asian Disaster Preparedness Council, 2005). Vegetation and structures near the coastal waters were swept away.
It can be argued that poor planning contributed to negative economic effects after the tsunami. Locating buildings and infrastructure near ocean shores was not a good idea (Asian Disaster Preparedness Council, 2005). In addition, the question of educating and passing information about dangers of tsunami contributed to massive loss of lives.
Governments should have issued a warning to coastal residents in order to avert the disaster (Asian Disaster Preparedness Council, 2005). This would have avoided the massive deaths in one way or another. It is the responsibility of meteorological departments to ensure that in cases of threats such as tsunami, notices are issued to residents so that they can relocate before disaster strikes.
The effects of tsunami in Japan could have been reduced if a well-established land use policy had been developed (Shuto, 2006). Such a policy would have prevented establishment of structures such as buildings on coastal areas that are vulnerable to tsunamis.
If such areas have to be developed, strict design standards should be developed and followed to the letter (Shuto, 2006). In addition, increased awareness on tsunami risks could as well have reduced the number of deaths in the disaster. The government should also construct barriers along the coastline to protect land from rising tides.
Similar mitigation or preventive procedures could have been used during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Establishment of strict building codes in areas that are exposed to tsunami inundation would have prevented massive destruction of buildings and other infrastructure (Kelman et al., 2006). It could as well have prevented destruction of power lines that caused fire outbreaks.
Oil pipelines should be removed from these places as a precautionary measure in order to reduce the possibility of fire outbreaks that result from broken fuel and gas pipes when quakes and tsunamis strike (UNESCO, 2006). Stringent land management policies would have prevented establishment of residential and business premises near seashores, and this would have averted the massive loss of lives.
Enhanced public awareness both before and during the tsunami would have given people time to prepare and evade the disaster (Kelman et al., 2006). Governments in tsunami-prone areas should consider establishing warning systems that will alert people when such disasters strike or when they are about to occur.
References
Asian Disaster Preparedness Council. (2005). Social and Economic Impact of 2004 Tsunami. Web.
Kelman, I., Spence, R., Palmer, J., Petal, M., and Saito, K. (2008). Tourists and disasters: lessons from the 26 December 2004 tsunamis. Journal of Coastal Conservation, 12(3), 105-113.
Shuto, Nabuo. (2006). Damage and Reconstruction at Okushiri Town Caused by the 1993 Hokkaido Nansei-Oki Earthquake Tsunami. Journal of Disaster Research, 2(1), 44-45.
The Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. (2009). EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International disaster database. Web.
UNESCO. (2006). Five Years after the Tsunami in the Indian Ocean – from Strategy to Implementation. Advancements in global early warning systems for tsunamis and other ocean hazards. Web.
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