Natural disasters in Japan

Japan is another country that is affected by natural disasters, such as earthquakes,tornadoes and typhoons. Some examples are the:

2005 Fukuoka earthquake

Strength of the initial quake, measured using the Japanese intensity scale, as recorded throughout south-western Japan.The Fukuoka earthquake struck Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan at 10:53 am JST on March 20, 2005 and lasted for approximately 50 seconds. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) measured it as peaking at a magnitude of 7.0 and named it and its subsequent aftershocks the Fukuoka PrefectureWestern Offshore Earthquakes .The quake occurred along an unknown faultline in the Genkai Sea, North of Fukuoka city, and the residents of Genkai island were forced to evacuate as houses collapsed and landslides occurred in places. Investigations subsequent to the earthquake determined that the new faultline was most likely an extension of the known Kego faultline that runs through the centre of the city.Fukuoka is not as seismically active as many other parts of Japan, and was known prior to the earthquake as one of Japan's safest locations in terms of natural disasters; the previous earthquake, a magnitude 5, had occurred over a hundred years ago and it had been centuries since the city had experienced a serious earthquake.The earthquake occurred along a yet-undiscovered extension of the Kego fault in the Sea of Genkai, with Genkai-jima (Genkai island), a part of Nishi-ku, being most severely damaged by this earthquake and almost all island residents being forced to evacuate. One person was killed, 70 people were severely injured and 1017 received attention for minor injuries. Aftershocks continued intermittently throughout the following weeks as construction crews worked to rebuild damaged buildings throughout the city. Traditional Japanese houses, particularly in the areas of Daimyo and Imaizumi, were the most heavily damaged and many were marked for demolition. Insurance payments for damages were estimated at approximately 15.8 billion yen.

M5.8 aftershock on April 20

A new after-quake hit at 6:11 a.m. April 20th on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu, the Central Meteorological Agency reported. Although considerable time had passed since the first quake, the aftershock was not unexpected. The quake, which swayed buildings and shattered some outer walls, was measured to have magnitude of 5.8. 2 and 56 people were severely and slightly injured and treated at a hospital in Fukuoka due to the quake and there were temporary closures of major highways, railway services and Fukuoka's airport.

On November 7, 2006, a deadly tornado struck the town of Saroma, Hokkaido in northern Japan. The tornado destroyed ten buildings. Nine people are confirmed dead and 26 people injured (7 seriously) as of November 9, 2006. Most of the casualties occurred at the work site for a tunnel, where the storm swept over prefabricated housing that was being used by workers. The Japan Meteorological Agency says the tornado is the deadliest ever recorded in Japan.The previous recent most deadly tornado occurred September 18, 2006, killing three people on the southern island of Kyushu. The agency's records only go back to 1961, however. The previous deadliest tornado struck Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture in 1941, killing 12; and the deadliest killed 16 in Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture in 1881.

Typhoon Ewiniar was the third named storm of the 2006 Pacific typhoon season and one that lasted for twelve days as a tropical cyclone, moving on a generally northward track. During its lifespan, it affected Palau, Yap, eastern China, the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, South Korea as well as North Korea, briefly threatening to make landfall in North Korea before doing so in South Korea. Ewiniar is responsible for at least 40 deaths.

If you are in this area and need to contact the emergency services you can call
Ambulance: 119
Fire brigade: 119
Police: 110