Tsunami

Maps and updates related to this term.

Tsunami — more than 1,000 found

Executive summary

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan on 11 March 2011 led to releases of radioactive material into the environment from the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. This report describes an initial estimate of radiation doses resulting from this accident to characteristic members of the public in populations around the world.

Inside the big green bulk of the Red Cross Hospital in Fukushima City, Yukie Kanno is seeking reassurance as her five-year-old daughter, Nanami, is scanned for radiation – first with a geiger counter to measure the radiation level of the surface in preparation for a whole body scan to measure potential internal radiation exposure.

Class shrinks

Last year the number of girls in Nanami’s class shrank from 12 or 13 to only 5 when school resumed in September after the summer vacation. “Nanami looked sad.”

By Francis Markus in Japan

Gazing across the sandy expanse of the playground, the buildings of the middle school have a forlorn look and give the impression of being completely deserted – until through the window of one faraway building, we catch sight of a few human figures moving about.

“The students in there are just finishing their lunch,” explains the principal, Toshihiko Takahama, from his office at the front of the building. They seem a very small group. “Before the disaster, we had 60 students, but only 14 have come back so far,” Mr Takahama says.

The Fukushima nuclear accident has shown that people cannot depend entirely on governments and the nuclear industry to ensure their safety, the Red Cross Red Crescent said as it set out plans to step up its work on nuclear disaster preparedness worldwide.

Medtronic Foundation Grant Will Enable HOPE to Bring Long-term Stability and Care

MIllwood, Virginia, May 16, 2012

Medtronic Foundation and Project HOPE today announced a partnership to rebuild the Yamada General Hospital in Japan’s northern coastal town of Yamada one year after it was submerged underwater in the earthquake-triggered tsunami that destroyed the hospital and killed hundreds of people in the town.

One Little Life at a Time: Emergency Response in the Horn of Africa

In 2011, people in the Horn of Africa asked only one question: When will the rains return?

After two years of drought, 13 million people (half of them children) are still hungry and at risk of malnutrition—or worse. Families now depend on humanitarian aid to survive, many sheltered in the camps on the borders of Ethiopia and Kenya.

By Francis Markus in Japan

Authorities in Fukushima Prefecture have recently reclassified parts of the restricted zone around the nuclear plant to lift a ban on those areas where radiation levels are recorded at 20 millisieverts per year or less.

Among the three communities where residents have been allowed back to their homes, is Kawauchi village. With only 500 out of 3,000 inhabitants returning, the problems that Kawauchi faces in trying to revive itself may point to more general issues ahead.

Technology and preparedness save lives and protect livelihoods. The recent earthquake off Indonesia provided a shining example. The Indian Ocean Tsunami Early Warning System, coordinated through the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Commission(UNESCO-IOC), worked as it was designed following an 8.6 magnitude earthquake off northern Indonesia. Largely due to education programs, Indonesians living in coastal communities were able to mobilize and safely move to higher ground.

By Rob Tranter, First Assistant Director General, Pacific Division, AusAID

Two and a half years ago in September 2009, the Tavana family from Saleaumua village in Samoa saw their entire life swept away by one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit the small Pacific nation.

I remember being at the Crisis Centre in Canberra as news of an earthquake that had just struck off the coast of Samoa came flooding in. The 8.3 magnitude quake triggered a huge tsunami that ripped through the southern Samoan island of Upolu.

NATORI, Miyagi Prefecture – Contributions from the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia to the Tohoku Reconstruction Project will support rebuilding of the Yuriage City Public Market, a significant first step in helping the local farming and fishing industry.

NATORI, PRÉFECTURE DE MIYAGI - Les contributions du gouvernement du Canada et de la province de la Colombie-Britannique au Projet de reconstruction de Tohoku soutiendront la remise en état du marché public de la ville de Yuriage, ce qui constitue une mesure importante pour aider l'agriculture et les pêches locales.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Seismic activity increased in April 2012 and included an 8.3 magnitude earthquake and giant aftershock off Aceh.

• Some 5,000 people were affected by floods, landslides and whirlwinds – a significant reduction over the previous month.

• The HRF approved US$253,000 in funding to three new projects addressing the needs of whirlwind-affected communities.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs:

To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit http://unocha.org/.

PHUKET, 10 May 2012 (NNT) - The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) is holding a tsunami alert and response exercise in Phuket province during May 10-11 in order to ready local authorities and residents for possible giant waves in six provinces along the Andaman Coast.

This report covers the period 1 January to 31 December 2011

In brief

Programme outcome

05/08/2012 21:43 GMT

MEXICO CITY, May 8, 2012 (AFP) - The Mexican government on Tuesday launched a national tsunami system to monitor quakes around the world that could impact the country's coastline, the Interior Ministry said.

The system's aim will be to "monitor and alert the occurrence of tsunamis generated anywhere in the world that could affect national territory," the ministry said in a statement.

Agence France-Presse:

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What you can find in the April 2012 issue:

UN-SPIDER at a glance

Baltimore, May 4, 2012 — Safe housing for all is a complex problem throughout the world, but especially so after a disaster. With complementary missions and a similar approach to relief and development work, Lutheran World Relief (LWR) and Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), are coordinating to ensure that affected families receive the best assistance possible.

“Pounds of Prevention” is a series of short articles that illustrate how disaster risk reduction works and why it is important. Take a behind-the-scenes look at aid work in action, long before the disaster occurs. How is that possible? Read on!

Focus: Indonesia

The early warning systems and preparedness levels of several Indian Ocean countries were tested on 11 April when an 8.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Indonesia.

Read the full story on OCHA's website

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs:

To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit http://unocha.org/.