Initial Response - Japan Earthquake Update March 13, 2011

The following is the first in a series of email updates about the effects of the earthquake in Japan. The emails originated from a colleague in Tokyo and provide an insiders perspective. These posting have been unedited and tell the story from one person's vantage point.

March 13, 2011
I am pleased to advise that everyone eventually reported in as being fine late Friday night, but we remain a long way from “business as usual” here on Tuesday morning. Damage in Tokyo is nothing like that up north of course, but is still extensive and we are being told to expect “Brown-Outs” again during the day due to power shortages.

A few Earthquake Notes
Work & Office

• Office was shaken quite violently for about 3 full minutes, and even though the office was a complete mess afterwards (files, papers, binders strewn all over the place, cabinets falling over etc.), damage was fortunately limited to some minor furniture damage only. No structural damage evident to the office building.
• Shaking continued unabated for around 2 full hours after the main shock, inclusive of many quite severe aftershocks every 10 minutes or so and at a less frequent rate and intensity all through the weekend to this morning. Intensity of main quake revised upwards to 9.0 on the Richter scale on Sunday evening. Intensity map of the main earthquake is appended below.
• No trains (a big problem in Tokyo), no mobile phones & all freeways closed on Friday evening, phone services restored over the weekend, some trains still not running on Tuesday morning due to power shortages. Brown-outs expected during the day.
• All locals were extraordinarily well behaved despite the hardships endured. Food, fuel and other shortages feared in the Tokyo area for the next week or so. Supermarket and convenience stores were heavily depleted over the weekend.
• Most of the damage up North was caused by very large tsunami’s, there have been none in Tokyo Bay of any significance.
• E-mail services were maintained throughout the entire period, and instantly became our main form of communication; quite an unexpected yet impressive result all things considered.

Around Home
Liquefaction damage around home however (we live on reclaimed land near Tokyo Disneyland) is extensive, roads cracked and split, water and gas mains broken and uplifted all over the place, some concrete damage around the front gate and car parking area only. No gas, no running water, or other services, electricity grid still functioning fortunately, the cold weather (and rain later today) does not help.

The situation at the nuclear facility in Fukushima prefecture is still very unclear, so we are also watching that very closely as you would expect even though we are located almost 300 km from the facility in question.

The other big question relates to whether or not this is the “Big One” that Tokyo has been 20 years or so overdue, in view of the location most are concluding not.

Will report again later in the week, hopefully under more normal circumstances by then,