Highest tsunami until the 21st century. The largest tsunamis of the 20th and 21st centuries. Reference. Which natural disasters cost residents the most?
24.11.20121 Haiti earthquake (313,000 casualties)
The earthquake in Haiti occurred on January 12, 2010 at 16:53 local time. Its magnitude was 7.0 points, and the epicenter was in the area of the city of Leogane, which is almost 25 km west of the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince.
The aftershocks continued until January 24 and had a magnitude of 4.5 points. It is estimated that about 3 million people were affected by the disaster, with the death toll reaching about 316,000, the number of injured 300,000 injured, and a million residents left homeless. The natural disaster became a serious problem as there were serious problems with the distribution of aid, as well as outbreaks of violence and looting.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and 149th out of 182 countries in the Human Development Index. The Haitian education minister, Joel Jean-Pierre, said the country's entire education system has collapsed as nearly 1,300 schools and three major universities in Port-au-Prince have been destroyed. Approximately $1.1 billion has been donated to alleviate the impact.
2 Indian Ocean Tsunami (230,000 casualties)
In December 2004, an earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean, known in the scientific world as the Sumatra-Adaman earthquake. The epicenter of the tremors was the area near the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The tsunami that followed aftershocks claimed the lives of nearly 230,000 people in 14 countries.
The most affected countries were Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. The earthquake was felt at the same time in places like Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Maldives. The amount of energy released as a result of the earthquake can be compared to an explosion 1502 times larger than the explosion of the bomb thrown on Hiroshima, but less than the explosion of the Tsar Bomba.
This tsunami is considered one of the worst disasters in human history. The waves reached a height of thirty meters, and the vibrations had a magnitude of 9.1 and 9.3 points. This is the third largest earthquake ever recorded by seismographs. It also had the longest duration: 8 to 10 minutes. Overall, the international community has donated more than $14 billion for humanitarian work.
3. Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar (146,000 death toll)
Cyclone Nargis is a tropical cyclone that became Myanmar's worst natural disaster on May 2, 2008, killing about 146,000 people and leaving 55,000 people missing. The death toll may be higher, but the Burmese government, fearful of adverse political repercussions, has understated the numbers.
The damage, according to experts, amounted to 10 billion dollars. This cyclone is the most dangerous in the Northern Indian Ocean basin, the second in the number of deaths after Typhoon Nina in 1975. The name of the cyclone "Nargis" is a word of Persian origin and means the name of the flower "narcissus".
4. 2008 Kashmir earthquake in Pakistan (death toll 86,000)
On the morning of 8:52 local time on October 8, 2005, an earthquake struck the Pakistani-controlled part of Kashmir known as Azad Kashmir, affecting neighboring areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and much of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The force of the shocks, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, was 7.8 points. Some 75,000 people died, according to official Pakistani government figures, with international experts putting the death toll at 86,000. Various reports suggest that dozens of towns and villages were destroyed in northern Pakistan.
The tremors were also felt in neighboring countries such as Tajikistan, Afghanistan, western China, as well as the Indian part of Kashmir, where about 1,400 people died. The earthquake was a consequence of the growth of the Himalayas. Satellite measurements show that parts of the mountains directly above the epicenter have risen by several meters. About $6.2 billion was received by the Government of Pakistan for disaster relief.
5. Earthquake in Sichuan, China (death toll 67,197)
The 2008 Sichuan earthquake, also sometimes referred to as the Great Sichuan earthquake, struck. The strength of the shocks was 8.0 on the Richter scale. The earthquake began at 14:28 local time on May 12. According to official figures, about 69,197 people died. It also became known that 374,176 people were injured, 18,222 were missing, and about 4.8 million people were left homeless.
This earthquake is considered the deadliest in China, after the 1976 earthquake in Tanhan province, where about 240,000 people died. Fluctuations were also felt in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as in neighboring countries. The Chinese government was forced to spend $146.5 billion to clean up the aftermath of the disaster.
6. Heatwaves from Russia in 2010 (56,000 deaths)
In 2010, the northern hemisphere summer was very extreme in terms of temperature in the United States, Canada, Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan, Indo-China and the European continent as a whole. It was even dubbed the "Russian heat wave".
The entire period from April to June was the warmest in continental areas in the Northern Hemisphere. These extreme weather conditions have led to wildfires in China and the worst drought in 60 years in Yunnan province. Approximately 56,000 people died in the said region due to this disaster. Moscow and the Moscow region were also suffocating in the smoke of forest fires.
The largest piece of the ice shelf in the Arctic Ocean, which connects Greenland and Neirs Strait, has moved away. Apparently, such anomalies are caused by a high content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which leads to an increase in average temperatures.
7. 2003 Bam earthquake, Iran (43,000 death toll)
An earthquake in the city of Bam and surrounding towns in the province of Kerman in southeastern Iran occurred at 5:46 am local time on December 26, 2003. The earthquake was rated at 6.6 according to the United States Geological Survey. There were 26,271 deaths and about 30,000 injured.
But some other estimates put the death toll at 43,000. The destruction was catastrophic due to the use of mud brick as a standard material in construction, which did not comply with Iran's 1989 building safety rules. Significantly, about 44 countries immediately sent assistance and 60 made an offer of assistance.
8. The heat wave in Europe in 2003 (the number of victims is 40,000)
In 2003, the European heatwave was a killer factor, especially in France. Due to serious health problems and drought, the death toll has reached almost 40,000. According to the French National Institute of Health, almost 14,802 deaths in France were caused by heat.
In Portugal, where the temperature reached 48 degrees Celsius, extensive forest fires swept through, almost five percent of the countryside and ten percent of the forests were under fire. In the Netherlands, about 1500 deaths were also associated with high temperatures for this country (almost 37.8 degrees Celsius).
A couple of hundred deaths were reported in Spain and Germany, where temperatures reached 45.1 and 41 degrees Celsius respectively. In Switzerland, many glaciers in the Alps have melted, causing avalanches and floods. A new national temperature record of 41.5 degrees Celsius was set. Thousands of people died across the UK. The productivity of the agricultural sector was reduced by ten percent due to drought and heat.
9. Tsunami and earthquake in the Tohoku region, Japan (the number of victims is 18,400)
The Tohoku earthquake, also known as the "Pacific Northeast Offshore Earthquake", of about 9.0 magnitude hit the coast of Japan around 2:46 pm local time on March 11, 2011. The epicenter was located 72 km east of the Oshika Peninsula in the Tohoku region. Tsunami waves reached 23.6 m. They reached the coast of Japan within a few minutes after the earthquake. A smaller shock wave reached other countries along the Pacific coast a few hours later.
Tsunami (Japanese) - marine gravity waves of very large length, resulting from the shift of extended sections of the bottom during strong underwater and coastal earthquakes or as a result of volcanic eruptions and other tectonic processes. Tsunami waves propagate at high speed - up to 1,000 km/h. The height of the waves in the area of their occurrence varies between 0.01-5.00 m, but near the coast it can reach 10 m, and in unfavorable relief areas (wedge-shaped bays, river valleys, etc.) - it can exceed 50 m .
January 31, 1906 An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of Colombia and Ecuador, hitting the West Coast of the United States and Japan as well. The resulting tsunami killed about 1.5 thousand people.
February 3, 1923 An 8.5 magnitude earthquake hit Kamchatka. It was the latest in a series of earthquakes during the winter of 1923. Most of these earthquakes triggered tsunamis in the region. The tsunami on February 3 was especially powerful. Significant damage was also caused to the Hawaiian Islands.
February 1, 1938 An earthquake measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale off the coast of Indonesia sent a tsunami to the islands of Banda and Kai. There is no data on casualties.
November 4, 1952 As a result of an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale that occurred near the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, a tsunami hit the Hawaiian Islands. The amount of material damage caused was about 1 million dollars.
The tsunami also caused the destruction of several cities and towns in the Sakhalin and Kamchatka regions. On November 5, three waves up to 15-18 meters high (according to various sources) destroyed the city of Severo-Kurilsk and caused damage to a number of neighboring settlements. According to official figures, 2336 people died.
March 9, 1957. on the Andrianov Islands, Alaska, there was an earthquake measuring up to 9.1 points. It led to the formation of two tsunamis, the average wave height reached 15 and 8 m, respectively. More than 300 people died as a result of the tsunami. The earthquake and tsunami were accompanied by the eruption of the Vsevidov volcano, which had been "hibernating" for about 200 years.
May 22, 1960. An earthquake measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale hit southern Chile, causing a tsunami. In Chile, Japan, the Hawaiian and Philippine Islands, about 2.3 thousand people were killed, more than 4 thousand were injured, about 2 million people were left homeless. The amount of material damage caused was more than 675 million dollars. For a long time, this tsunami was considered the most powerful and destructive of those recorded.
March 28, 1964 in Alaska, 120 km southeast of Anchorage, an earthquake measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale struck, causing a tsunami. 125 people died. The amount of material damage caused was about 311 million dollars.
February 4, 1965 As a result of an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.7 on the Richter scale that occurred on the Rat Islands (Alaska), a tsunami hit Shemya Island (Aleutian archipelago).
September 5, 1971 in the Sea of Japan, 50 km from the southwestern coast of Sakhalin, an earthquake occurred. It received the name Moneronskoye after the island of the same name, which turned out to be near the center of the earthquake. The intensity of the shock in the source was estimated at 8 points, in the settlements located opposite the source, the strength of the earth shaking was equal to 7 points. On the southwestern coast of Sakhalin, the maximum wave height of 2 m was recorded in Gornozavodsk and Shebunino. There was no information about casualties and destruction in the media.
December 12, 1992 An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale destroyed a large part of the islands of Flores and Bali, located on the territory of Indonesia. The earthquake caused a tsunami with a wave height of up to 26 m. 2 thousand 200 people died
December 26, 2004 an earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean, near the western coast of the northern part of the island of Sumatra. An earthquake measuring 8.9-9 points provoked a tsunami that immediately hit the islands of Sumatra and Java. The wave height reached 30 m. The total number of deaths - according to various sources, from 200 to 300 thousand people. More exact figures have not been established so far, since many bodies were carried away by water. To date, it is this tsunami that is considered the most destructive in history.
Tsunami waves spread not only across the Indian Ocean, but also the Pacific, reached the coast of the Kuril Islands.
July 17, 2006 The tsunami hit the southern coast of the Indonesian island of Java. According to various estimates, from 600 to 650 people died from the natural disaster, 120 were missing. 1,800 residents of the coast were injured. The natural disaster left 47,000 people homeless.
In the resort town of Pangandaran, the tsunami destroyed almost all the hotels located on the first line of the coast.
September 29, 2009 An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.3 triggered a tsunami off the coast of the island nation of Samoa in the Pacific Ocean. The total death toll on the islands of Western and American Samoa exceeded 140 people.
February 27, 2010 As a result of an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 that occurred in Chile, a tsunami threat arose for Japan, the Kuriles, Sakhalin, as well as the Philippines and Indonesia.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Tsunami (Japanese) - marine gravity waves of very large length, resulting from the shift of extended sections of the bottom during strong underwater and coastal earthquakes or as a result of volcanic eruptions and other tectonic processes. Tsunami waves propagate at high speed - up to 1,000 km/h. The height of the waves in the area of their occurrence varies between 0.01-5.00 m, but near the coast it can reach 10 m, and in unfavorable relief areas (wedge-shaped bays, river valleys, etc.) - it can exceed 50 m .
January 31, 1906 An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of Colombia and Ecuador, hitting the West Coast of the United States and Japan as well. The resulting tsunami killed about 1.5 thousand people.
February 3, 1923 An 8.5 magnitude earthquake hit Kamchatka. It was the latest in a series of earthquakes during the winter of 1923. Most of these earthquakes triggered tsunamis in the region. The tsunami on February 3 was especially powerful. Significant damage was also caused to the Hawaiian Islands.
February 1, 1938 An earthquake measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale off the coast of Indonesia sent a tsunami to the islands of Banda and Kai. There is no data on casualties.
November 4, 1952 As a result of an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale that occurred near the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, a tsunami hit the Hawaiian Islands. The amount of material damage caused was about 1 million dollars.
The tsunami also caused the destruction of several cities and towns in the Sakhalin and Kamchatka regions. On November 5, three waves up to 15-18 meters high (according to various sources) destroyed the city of Severo-Kurilsk and caused damage to a number of neighboring settlements. According to official figures, 2336 people died.
March 9, 1957. on the Andrianov Islands, Alaska, there was an earthquake measuring up to 9.1 points. It led to the formation of two tsunamis, the average wave height reached 15 and 8 m, respectively. More than 300 people died as a result of the tsunami. The earthquake and tsunami were accompanied by the eruption of the Vsevidov volcano, which had been "hibernating" for about 200 years.
May 22, 1960. An earthquake measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale hit southern Chile, causing a tsunami. In Chile, Japan, the Hawaiian and Philippine Islands, about 2.3 thousand people were killed, more than 4 thousand were injured, about 2 million people were left homeless. The amount of material damage caused was more than 675 million dollars. For a long time, this tsunami was considered the most powerful and destructive of those recorded.
March 28, 1964 in Alaska, 120 km southeast of Anchorage, an earthquake measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale struck, causing a tsunami. 125 people died. The amount of material damage caused was about 311 million dollars.
February 4, 1965 As a result of an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.7 on the Richter scale that occurred on the Rat Islands (Alaska), a tsunami hit Shemya Island (Aleutian archipelago).
September 5, 1971 in the Sea of Japan, 50 km from the southwestern coast of Sakhalin, an earthquake occurred. It received the name Moneronskoye after the island of the same name, which turned out to be near the center of the earthquake. The intensity of the shock in the source was estimated at 8 points, in the settlements located opposite the source, the strength of the earth shaking was equal to 7 points. On the southwestern coast of Sakhalin, the maximum wave height of 2 m was recorded in Gornozavodsk and Shebunino. There was no information about casualties and destruction in the media.
December 12, 1992 An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale destroyed a large part of the islands of Flores and Bali, located on the territory of Indonesia. The earthquake caused a tsunami with a wave height of up to 26 m. 2 thousand 200 people died
December 26, 2004 an earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean, near the western coast of the northern part of the island of Sumatra. An earthquake measuring 8.9-9 points provoked a tsunami that immediately hit the islands of Sumatra and Java. The wave height reached 30 m. The total number of deaths - according to various sources, from 200 to 300 thousand people. More exact figures have not been established so far, since many bodies were carried away by water. To date, it is this tsunami that is considered the most destructive in history.
Tsunami waves spread not only across the Indian Ocean, but also the Pacific, reached the coast of the Kuril Islands.
July 17, 2006 The tsunami hit the southern coast of the Indonesian island of Java. According to various estimates, from 600 to 650 people died from the natural disaster, 120 were missing. 1,800 residents of the coast were injured. The natural disaster left 47,000 people homeless.
In the resort town of Pangandaran, the tsunami destroyed almost all the hotels located on the first line of the coast.
September 29, 2009 An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.3 triggered a tsunami off the coast of the island nation of Samoa in the Pacific Ocean. The total death toll on the islands of Western and American Samoa exceeded 140 people.
February 27, 2010 As a result of an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 that occurred in Chile, a tsunami threat arose for Japan, the Kuriles, Sakhalin, as well as the Philippines and Indonesia.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
The number of victims of the tsunami that occurred off the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra in October 2010 exceeded 100 people, more than 500 were missing. The waves that wiped out several villages along the Indian Ocean coast of the islands displaced four thousand people.
Tsunami (Japanese) - marine gravity waves of very large length, resulting from the shift of extended sections of the bottom during strong underwater and coastal earthquakes or as a result of volcanic eruptions and other tectonic processes. Tsunami waves propagate at high speed - up to 1,000 km/h. The height of the waves in the area of their occurrence varies between 0.01-5.00 m, but near the coast it can reach 10 m, and in unfavorable relief areas (wedge-shaped bays, river valleys, etc.) - it can exceed 50 m .
An earthquake of magnitude 8.8 that hit Chile on February 27, 2009 triggered a tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. According to official figures, 279 dead have been identified.
On January 31, 1906, an earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale occurred off the coast of Colombia and Ecuador, which also affected the West Coast of the United States and Japan. As a result of the resulting tsunami, about 1.5 thousand people died.
On February 3, 1923, an 8.5 magnitude earthquake occurred in Kamchatka. It was the latest in a series of earthquakes during the winter of 1923. Most of these earthquakes triggered tsunamis in the region. The tsunami on February 3 was especially powerful. Significant damage was also caused to the Hawaiian Islands.
On February 1, 1938, an earthquake measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale off the coast of Indonesia caused a tsunami to hit the islands of Banda and Kai. There is no data on casualties.
On November 4, 1952, due to an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, a tsunami hit the Hawaiian Islands. The amount of material damage caused was about 1 million dollars.
The tsunami also caused the destruction of several cities and towns in the Sakhalin and Kamchatka regions. On November 5, three waves up to 15-18 meters high (according to various sources) destroyed the city of Severo-Kurilsk and caused damage to a number of neighboring settlements. According to official figures, 2336 people died.
March 9, 1957 on the Andrianov Islands, Alaska, there was an earthquake measuring up to 9.1 points. It led to the formation of two tsunamis, the average wave height reached 15 and 8 m, respectively. More than 300 people died as a result of the tsunami. The earthquake and tsunami were accompanied by the eruption of the Vsevidov volcano, which had been “hibernating” for about 200 years.
On May 22, 1960, an earthquake measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale struck southern Chile, causing a tsunami. In Chile, Japan, the Hawaiian and Philippine Islands, about 2.3 thousand people were killed, more than 4 thousand were injured, about 2 million people were left homeless. The amount of material damage caused was more than 675 million dollars. For a long time, this tsunami was considered the most powerful and destructive of those recorded.
March 28, 1964 in Alaska, 120 km southeast of Anchorage, there was an earthquake measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale, which caused a tsunami. 125 people died. The amount of material damage caused was about 311 million dollars.
On February 4, 1965, as a result of an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.7 on the Richter scale that occurred on the Rat Islands (Alaska), a tsunami hit Shemya Island (Aleutian archipelago).
On September 5, 1971, an earthquake occurred in the Sea of Japan, 50 km from the southwestern coast of Sakhalin. It received the name Moneronskoye after the island of the same name, which turned out to be near the center of the earthquake. The intensity of the shock in the source was estimated at 8 points, in the settlements located opposite the source, the strength of the earth shaking was equal to 7 points. On the southwestern coast of Sakhalin, the maximum wave height of 2 m was recorded in Gornozavodsk and Shebunino. There was no information about casualties and destruction in the media.
On December 12, 1992, an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale destroyed a significant part of the islands of Flores and Bali, located on the territory of Indonesia. The earthquake caused a tsunami with a wave height of up to 26 m. 2,200 people died.
On December 26, 2004, an earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean, near the western coast of the northern part of the island of Sumatra. An earthquake measuring 8.9-9 points provoked a tsunami that immediately hit the islands of Sumatra and Java. The wave height reached 30 m. The total number of deaths - according to various sources, from 200 to 300 thousand people. More exact figures have not been established so far, since many bodies were carried away by water. To date, it is this tsunami that is considered the most destructive in history.
Tsunami waves spread not only across the Indian Ocean, but also the Pacific, reached the coast of the Kuril Islands.
On July 17, 2006, the south coast of the Indonesian island of Java was hit by a tsunami. According to various estimates, from 600 to 650 people died from the natural disaster, 120 were missing. 1,800 residents of the coast were injured. The natural disaster left 47,000 people homeless.
In the resort town of Pangandaran, the tsunami destroyed almost all the hotels located on the first line of the coast.
On September 29, 2009, a tsunami occurred off the coast of the island nation of Samoa in the Pacific Ocean as a result of an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.3. The total death toll on the islands of Western and American Samoa has exceeded 140 people.
On February 27, 2010, as a result of an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 that occurred in Chile, a tsunami threat arose for Japan, the Kuriles, Sakhalin, as well as the Philippines and Indonesia.
The material was prepared on the basis of information and open sources.
An astrologer's comment.
In the formation of strong shocks in the ocean, causing powerful catastrophic tsunamis, has always taken part vibration of Neptune.
Considering the ongoing invasion, the transition of Neptune to its abode, the sign of Pisces, - correspondence - the world ocean, underwater earthquakes, eruptions, tsunamis, storms, large-scale floods from April 4, 2011, - the final ingression of Neptune into the sign of Pisces, - February 3, 2012, - an increase in dangerous shocks in the ocean with subsequent tsunamis, until 2025-2026, the ingression of Neptune into the sign of Aries.
The line of Neptune is projected onto:
Australia, Papua New Guinea, Sulawesi Island, Caroline Islands, Philippines, Taiwan Island, Japan, Kuril Islands, Kamchatka, Aleutian Islands, Alaska. In the Western Hemisphere to Canada - the Nova Scotia Peninsula, the island of Newfoundland, Brazil - near the cities of Natal, Pernambuco.
In 14 studied horoscopes of the strongest tsunamis, there is a direct or indirect connection between Neptune and Pluto:
1. Sextile - 8 horoscopes.
2. Connection - 1 horoscope.
“June 15, 1896: The Sankriku Tsunami hit Japan. A 23-meter tsunami wave of colossal destructive force hit people who had gathered on the shore on the day of a religious holiday, and claimed the lives of more than 26,000 people…”
3. Indirect connection of Neptune with Pluto, through major aspects from the Sun, Moon or Mercury - 5 horoscopes.
since November 7, 2010, after the turn of Neptune into a direct movement, the Neptune-Pluto sextile began to form in the current period.
Aspect area - Neptune-Pluto - 2011-2016.
In the indicated regions, on the line of Neptune and Pluto, during periods of intense interaction, ingressions and reversals of the planets of the solar system, a band of powerful tsunamis will pass.
The Pluto line is projected onto:
India, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Central America.
Japan has passed a draft law on tsunami protection.
TOKYO, June 10 - RIA Novosti, Ksenia Naka. Japan's lower house of parliament on Friday unanimously passed a bill on additional tsunami protection measures to help avoid or mitigate damage from the disaster, the Kyodo news agency reported.
The draft law notes the insufficiency of the currently existing measures and protection system. At the state level, it is planned to conduct tsunami studies, create a new warning system and urgent evacuation of the population in case of a threat of disaster. The bill provides for the revision of plans for the construction of cities and industrial facilities, taking into account the threat of a tsunami.
In addition, in memory of the strongest tsunami of 1854, November 5 will be celebrated as Tsunami Protection Day. The earthquake that occurred on November 5, 1854 on the southeastern coast of Japan, with a magnitude of 8.5, and the tsunami that followed, whose height in some places reached 15-16 meters, claimed, according to some reports, the lives of more than 8 thousand people. According to legend, on this day, an old man from a village located in the current Wakayama Prefecture saved all his fellow villagers from inevitable death. His house was on a hill. He noticed a giant wave rising into the sea. She was moving at such a speed that he would not have had time to go down and warn the inhabitants. Then he donated the most valuable thing he had - stacks of rice. He set fire to them, the inhabitants saw the fire and rushed to his house to help. And only when they reached the top of the hill, they saw what danger threatened them.
Japan has the world's fastest tsunami warning system. During the March 11 earthquake, the first threat alert was issued while the tremors were still ongoing.
However, the downside of the early warning was the accuracy of the wave height calculations, as this requires additional data and time. As a result, on March 11, many residents of the northeast coast most affected by the disaster only managed to hear a warning about a three-meter tsunami, and the clarifications and warnings that appeared later that in some areas the wave height could exceed 10 meters were not heard. This was fatal for most of the 15,000 dead: more than 92% died from the tsunami, and not from the earthquake itself.
In addition, detailed flood hazard maps based on past earthquake and tsunami experience for all coastal areas failed to take into account the unprecedented magnitude of the earthquake and tsunami. Because of this, some residents believed that their houses, more than a kilometer away from the seashore, were safe in the event of a tsunami and did not rush to evacuate.
