Large portions of the Japan Quake hit coastline may be uninhabitable


Snow covered fields and inundated land


One week after the magnitude-9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami, the fields nearest the ocean were still covered with standing water. It is possible that some areas could remain that way, as the ground level sank along the east coast of Japan during the earthquake. The same tectonic forces that lifted up the seafloor to create the tsunami also caused land to subside on the mainland.

On the outskirts of the Sendai suburbs, fields that had escaped inundation or had already drained were later covered with snow, as was much of the Sendai metropolitan area when a cold front brought winds and snow to northeastern Japan. The iced highways hampered search-and-rescue efforts and added to the misery of 500,000 evacuees, reported Agence France-Presse. In some places, the snow was heavy enough to add dangerous weight to already damaged buildings. According to aid groups, however, most of the quake and tsunami survivors had access to adequate shelter, water, food, and medical attention.

Unfortunately for the displaced, harsh weather was expected to continue. As of March 19, 2011 (Japanese time zone), forecasts from Japan™s Meteorological Agency called for continuing cold temperatures along with rain or snow for much of the country over the next week. The forecast for Sendai included low temperatures and high probabilities of rain.

A view on Earthquake Intensity in the Quake hit areas



A shaking intensity of VI is considered œstrong and can produce œlight damage, while a IX on the scale is described as œviolent and likely to produce œheavy damage.

Note the number of VIIs and VIIIs near Tokyo, well away from the epicenter; the lack of a severe human toll in that metropolitan area is surely a testament to the quality of the nation™s earthquake preparedness.

Images and text : NASA Earth Observatory

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