Open in the desktop app for the best viewing experience
|
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Names | Also known as the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, the Great Sendai Earthquake, the Great Tōhoku Earthquake, and the great earthquake of March 11. | ||||||
| Damage |
It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan, and the fourth most powerful earthquake in the world since modern record-keeping began in 1900 The earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves that may have reached heights of up to 40.5 meters (133 ft) The earthquake moved Honshu (the main island of Japan) 2.4 m (8 ft) east Around 4.4 million households in northeastern Japan were left without electricity and 1.5 million without water. |
||||||
| Injuries, fatalities and missing persons |
The tsunami swept the Japanese mainland and killed over ten thousand people, mainly through drowning, though blunt trauma also caused many deaths. The latest report from the Japanese National Police Agency confirms 15,899 deaths, 6,157 injured, and 2,529 people missing across twenty prefectures. A report from 2015 indicated 228,863 people were still living away from their home in either temporary housing or due to permanent relocation. |
||||||
| Estimated costs | Early estimates placed insured losses from the earthquake alone at US$14.5 to $34.6 billion. The World Bank's estimated economic cost was US$235 billion, making it the costliest natural disaster in history. | ||||||
| Maps |
A map of estimated tsunami travel times. CREDIT: NOAA.
|
