AN UPDATE: Ping on Peter Kim to view a motion piece one year later. A short and visual summary of the Great Tohoku Tragedy. Donations are still being accepted. Click on the American Red Cross link at the bottom of the text.
To address the title above, not for me, but the people of Tohoku, Japan. It is already March 11 in Japan, and this was the day exactly a year ago that not only ruined the lives of millions in that country, but the nation itself.
To address the title above, not for me, but the people of Tohoku, Japan. It is already March 11 in Japan, and this was the day exactly a year ago that not only ruined the lives of millions in that country, but the nation itself.
On that day I flew from Singapore to Bangkok, got to my hotel room, turned on the TV, and saw the earthquake, tsunami, nuclear calamity devastation. My problem was that I was scheduled to fly into Narita Airport the next day and did not know what to do. Against all common sense, I woke up at 4AM, went to the Suvarnabhumi Airport, and "My Peak of Life" reported on my experiences, good and bad.
I did finally make it to the Tokyo Westin at the very end of the 12th, and, over the next few weeks, wrote several Huffington Post articles:
Then seven months later:
The brutal statistics a year later:
Earthquake 9.0 (a thousand times stronger than that of Haiti)
Tsunami height 133 feet
Nuclear powerplants Level 7 meltdown
Dead 15,854
Missing 3,271
Still dislocated 340,000
Buildings destroyed 332,395
Economic Cost $235 billion (World Bank)
The $235 billion (Hurricane Katrina cost $81 billion) loss makes it the most expensive natural disaster ever, but the long-term fallout, economic and radiative, will cripple Japan, perhaps forever. All this was terrible, but the real tragedy involves the people of Tohoku and rest of the country. There are hundreds of reports, of this anniversary, and if you want a short one, click on this.
Place yourself in one of those struck towns. Some are recovering (right, Yuki Sumimoto, then and now):
Place yourself in one of those struck towns. Some are recovering (right, Yuki Sumimoto, then and now):
But you probably are not living at home anymore. You want to re-start your life, but where? It is reported that up to 40% will never return. Those that do will not find their same job. What does the government do? How can you create new industries for the younger generation? Is it worth the resurrection when another earthquake and tsunami could someday strike. Certainly, much of the 12 mile region around the Fukushima reactors will remain a dead zone for centuries. Yes, a national park/monument for remembrance, but maybe the most reasonable future would be for only the old and retired to live out the rest of their lives here.
Nation-wide, the economy is slumping and the people have lost trust in their government. While nuclear supplied almost a third of the electricity before Fukushima (right), today, only two are operating, and they will both be shut down next month. Some will need to be reactivated by this summer, and they probably will, but, will this be a really long and hot summer if not? I can't imagine any new reactors into the long-term future. There will be no progress until a miracle occurs. Then what about the radioactivity contaminating seafood products? Will there be international liability from the radioactive wastes floating towards foreign shores?
Japan is a country that has the willpower to recover, as they remarkably did after World War II. However, if they abandon nuclear, they have minimal sun, winds and land for electricity. The geothermal deposits are of relatively low temperature. But those are mostly for electricity. What about ground and air transport? They will need to import more fossil fuels, but what if global climate change is real. There could be fusion, but that is at least a generation or two or more away. The ocean, of course, is their only hope, and the Blue Revolution is maybe their legacy for themselves and rest of Humanity.
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