Japan Catastrophe 2011: The Wake Up Call

  After seeing the devastation from last month’s earthquake and tsunami in Northeast Japan, officials in Tokyo are re- evaluating their current disaster plan. The huge 9.0 quake on March 11th that occurred over 200 miles from Japans capital made them realize they weren’t prepared for the worst-case situation. Japan has been working for over 40 years to make their country safer from devastating earthquakes. Earthquake engineering is a normal part of the construction process in Japan. City leaders were confident they had prepared for worse-case scenarios; until the quake…

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U.S. Nuclear Plants…how exposed are we?

The people of Japan knew they were at risk for a large scale earthquake, and even a tsunami. They took painstaking measures to prepare for this possible, “once in a lifetime” event.  We watched the tragedy and devastation that was taking place, in one of the most prepared countries in the world.  One hundred twenty seven million people experienced an event of historical proportions. All the planning and scenarios had been done for a “worst case disaster.” But as one disaster turned into two, and then two turned into three,…

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Damages from Sendai earthquake are far spread

Japan is in the midst of the most catastrophic disaster in recent history. On Friday, the nation suffered a magnitude 8.9 earthquake that was the most powerful geological event in the region in millennia. The quake triggered powerful tsunamis that invaded the shores of Japan and caused grievous damages to the Northern provinces. While the earthquake threatened to tear apart the nation’s foundations, the unrelenting tsunami washed away everything it its path. Insurance companies are struggling to fathom the cost of the disaster. Initial estimates claim that more than $35…

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