1 THE GREAT EASTERN JAPAN EARTHQUAKE 11 MARCH 2011 – LESSONS LEARNED AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS UNU-EHS Institute for Environment and Human Security 11 March 2013, UN Campus, Bonn Editors: Dinil Pushpalal, Jakob Rhyner, Vilma Hossini 2 Imprint United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) UN Campus, Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 10, 53113 Bonn, Germany Tel.: + 49-228-815-0200, Fax: + 49-228-815-0299 e-mail:
[email protected] Design: Andrea Wendeler Copy-Editing: WordLink Proofreading: Janine Kandel, Sijia Yi, Stanislava Stoyanova Print: Druckerei Paffenholz, Bonn, Germany Print run: 250 Printed in an environmentally friendly manner. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s). Publication does not imply endorsement by the United Nations University of any of the views expressed. ISSN: 2075-0498 e-ISSN: 2304-0467 ISBN: 978-3-944535-20-3 e-ISBN: 978-3-944535-21-0 Cover photo: dugspr/flickr THE GREAT EAST JAPAN EARTHQUAKE 11 MARCH 2011 – LESSONS LEARNED AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS Editors: Dinil Pushpalal, Jakob Rhyner, Vilma Hossini Reviewed by UNU-EHS Foreword 4 11 March 2011 will always be remembered. Remembered by people in Japan, who experienced it as the worst day of their lives when confronted with great loss, fear and uncertainty. But, also, remembered around the world as a day when disaster took on unthinkable dimensions given the intensity as well progressing catenation that emerged that day. Yet, we must admit that it easily might have been even worse: the bulk of the radioactive cloud was blown out to the open sea and not towards Tokyo.