Japan 2011 Tsunami Reflection

On March 11, 2011 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off of the coast of Japan. This
earthquake was at a depth of 19 miles and was a megathrust quake that lasted for 6 minutes. That
6 minutes while it was a short amount of time they reprucussions will last a lifetime. What
lessons can the United States learn in regards to disaster mitigation? What about our home state
of Utah?
There are many lessons to be learned from the devastation of the Japan 2011 Tsunami.
One that I think we should all keep in mind is to plan for the best, but be prepared for the worst.
Even with all of the preparations that Japan took they were still not substantial enough for the
earthquake and tsunamis that devastated their country. They had several warnings from the
scientific community that a large scale tsunami was a possibility. They ignored this warning
mostly because the cost to upgrade their seawalls to withstand a large tsunami was too
expensive. Ignoring the facts is something I feel our own government does all too often. Yes it
does cost a lot of money to prepare for a disaster that may or may not happen, but how does that
cost relate to the potential cost of the damages and lives lost from that hypothetical disaster.
I believe infrastructure is also an important aspect that the Japanes failed at. Their
traditional Japanese styled buildings cannot withstand earthquakes and collapse, trapping their
occupants inside. Updated building codes and reinforcement of the older buildings could have
saved a lot of lives. We should learn from their poor example and revisit our own building codes
and determine how they would stand up. Roadways are also crucial in a time of catastrophe.
Because of the poor roadways in the area rescue crews had a hard time getting to the areas

hardest hit by the tsunami. Yes debris was a factor but also the roads themselves. They also did
not have all the necessary equipment to help remove debris and dig people out.
Here in Utah I believe there are several lessons to be learned. We are at a risk of possibly
having a large magnitude earthquake. Will we be prepared? We all need to become more
educated on what to do in case of an earthquake and how to prepare. I know when I was growing
and still to this day they do have earthquake drills. I think they should be done more often and
have education courses follow-up after the drills. The most important part of preparedness is to
be educated. We should also take a look out our building codes here. Are they up to par? Can
they be improved? All-in-all survial is dependent on the individual and how well they prepare
and educate themselves.