Earthquake in Japan
Situation Report No. 01
11 March 2011
As of 2345H
SITUATION SUMMARY
An 8.9 earthquake occurred at 05.46.23 UTC, 11 March 2011 in Japan, hitting the east
coast of Honshu, Japan. The worst affected area is the east coast of the Tohoku Prefecture.
Tsunamis have caused devastation in the coastal areas Tohoku. There are large areas of
mainland Honshu with no power supply. Currently, there are 90 people reported dead, with
many more expected.
Many countries/areas in the Pacific are under tsunami alert.
EVENT INFORMATION
What
Magnitude
Date-Time
Location
Depth
Region
Distances
Earthquake in Japan
8.9
Friday, March 11, 2011 at 05:46:23 UTC
Friday, March 11, 2011 at 02:46:23 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
38.322°N, 142.369°E
24.4 km (15.2 miles)
NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
130
km
(80
miles)
E
of
Sendai,
Honshu,
178 km (110 miles) E of Yamagata, Honshu,
178 km (110 miles) ENE of Fukushima, Honshu,
373 km (231 miles) NE of TOKYO, Japan
Japan
Japan
Japan
IMPACT ON HUMAN HEALTH
Casualties
Missing
110 dead; 544 injured;
200-300 bodies found in Sendai
350 missing
IMPACT on INFRASTRUCTURE
Airport
Hospitals
Gas pipelines/storage
Oil pipeline/storage
Fires
Haneda opened between 1603-2004, and now closed
again
Hanamaki airport reopened
Narita, Sendai, Hanamaki, Fukushima airports closed
Sendai airport flooded
147 of the 179 hospitals designated for emergency
response are fully operational in Tokyo and Tohoku
Gas pipeline on fire in Ichihara City, Chihara
Cosmo Oil, Tokyo refinery was shut down; Oil refinery
reportedly ablaze northeast of Tokyo
Fires reported from Sendai City, Tokyo; Iwate, Miyagi,
Fukushima, Ibaraki, Chiba, Kanagawa Prefectures
Telecommunication
Trains
Roads
Buildings
Power outage
Nuclear power plant
Telephone services variable; disaster messaging
service in operation
Bullet train halted; East Japan Railway and Tokyo
Metro train services halted
Northeastern area of Japan severely affected
Coastal area of Tohoku, northern Japan has significant
damage; other areas have multiple buildings damage
Tokyo – 4 million buildings in Tokyo without power
Tohoku region without power
Tohoku Electric Power Co. stopped operations at its
Onagawa nuclear power plant.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. shut down seven reactors at
its Fukushima Daiichi and Daini plants
Partial areas of Nigata Prefecture with no power supply
4.6 million houses in Kanto area with no power supply
Environmental monitoring did not indicate any unusual
activity. However, Fukushima nuclear plant is having
problems with the cooling of the reactor
The fire at Miyagi Onagawa nuclear plant has been
extinguished.
TSUNAMI UPDATE
A widespread tsunami warning is in effect. Update as of (12/03/2011 00:09:58)
Countries/Areas
Expected time of tsunami
Tsunami passed
(Manila time)
(Y=Yes/N=No)
Japan
14:35-17:12
Y
Commonwealth of Northern 16:53
Y
Mariana Islands
Guam
Tsunami alert lifted
Taiwan, China
Tsunami alert lifted
Yap, FSM
17:44
Y
Philippines
17:55-18:53
Y
Marshall Islands
18:13
Y
Phonpei , FSM
18:27
Y
Papua New Guinea
19:24-22:29
Y
Nauru
19:49
Y
Solomon Islands
20:21
Y
Kiribati
20:38
Y
Tuvalu
21:30
Y
Vanuatu
22:16-23:11
N
Samoa
22:53
N
Niue
23:26
N
Fiji
23:38
N
New Zealand
PTWC: Pacific tsunami warning centre
As at 23:01 Manila time
WHO-Western Pacific Regional Office Response (as of 3/12/2011 12:09:58 AM)
WHO-WPRO has activated the Event Management Group. Current action includes active
surveillance through Ministry of Health – Japan.
All WHO offices in the affected countries/areas in the region have been contacted to assess
the situation. Country offices have contacted their counterparts in the Ministry of Health to
offer assistance as needed.
CONTACTS
For further information please contact:
Dr. Takeshi Kasai
Director, Division of Health Security and Emergencies
Email: kasait@wpro.who.int
Tel: (+63-918) 9214217
Dr. Art Pesigan
Technical Officer, Emergency and Humanitarian Action
Email: pesigana@wpro.who.int
Tel: (+63-918) 9178053
Dr. Li Ailan
Medical Officer, Emergency Diseases Surveillance and Response
Email: lia@wpro.who.int
Tel: (+63-908) 8920514