For those like me who have been following the news from Japan with a heavy heart for the past few days, I thought I would share one glimmer of hope in an otherwise grim story, the fate of the coastal village of Minamisanriku. For the past few days, I have been unable to tear myself away from the morbid statistics and their growth rate. At first it seemed as if the number of those killed in this disaster might just level off at about 1,800 as the rate of growth of the death toll slowed. Then last night I saw for the first time unconfirmed reports that authorities were unable to reach as many as 10,000 people from Minamisanriku, approximately half of its population. This town, whose name was obscure to most even in Japan just a few short days ago, soon became a international byword for almost unimaginable tragedy.
Situated in Northern Miyagi Prefecture it was in the unfortunate area where the ground-shaking reached a level 7, the highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, corresponding to a ground acceleration of 4 m/second squared or more. In layman's terms this corresponds to shaking that "most furniture moves to a large extent and some jumps up" while "In most buildings, wall tiles and windowpanes are damaged and fall. In some cases, reinforced concrete-block walls collapse."
I had the misfortune of being in Kobe during the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the first event where the JMA recorded level 7 seismic intensity. It was the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced. The quake lasted for about 20 seconds, and from my subjective experience level 7 shaking lasted for only the first part of it. This quake lasted for a full 2 minutes. I can only begin to imagine the terror these people must have felt.
Minamisanriku had the further misfortune to be situated at the end of a bay:
This bay, which provides shelter from storms and whose famous seafood provided a livelihood for many of the residents of this town, served to focus the power of the tsunami as it approached and unleash on the town a wave several times the height that was seen elsewhere.
The initial shaking would have begun there within about 10 seconds of the quake's beginning. After it had gone on for two full minutes the residents would have had about 8 - 12 minutes to get out of harm's way as the tsunami, focused by the shape of their bay, headed right for them. How many of them were crushed under their collapsed houses, unable to escape while the monster wave bore down on them, we will never know as most of their town disappeared in its wake:
What we do know is the the police chief of Miyagi prefecture, despairing at contacting the 10,000 people who were missing, advised that the the final death toll would probably include most of them. On hearing this news, I, like many others became heartsick. I spent much of today thinking of that town and how it must have seemed to its residents as if this quake and its resultant tsunami had targeted them personally.
This evening I see that in the area around the town more than 1,000 bodies have already washed up, meaning that there are probably many more yet to come. That allowed, this evening also brings us the first glimmer of hope about this doomed town, namely that there are now unconfirmed reports that "many" of those that authorities could not contact did make it out in time and are sheltering in the nearby town of Tome.
Let us hope and pray that these reports prove to be as accurate as were those that initially told of the people missing and that this will prove to be one shred of good news in an otherwise dismal day.Updated by journeyman at Mon Mar 14, 2011, 09:56:22 AM
Updated:
At least one man somehow survived being trapped during the whole ordeal. Here is a picture of rescue workers saving him:
Update 2: Edited to correct error re: ground acceleration (h/t to mswaine) and include images.