Deaths, Plane Crash And Disaster Response After New Year’s Earthquake In Japan

So far, at least 55 people have died since a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Japan on New Year’s Day. Many more have been injured or trapped under rubble requiring rescue. Additionally, thousands of homes are without power and a passenger plane from Japan airlines collided with a coast guard aircraft that was headed to Japan’s west coast to engage in rescue efforts.

Japan’s location in the Pacific, where several continental and oceanic plates meet, makes it particularly prone to earthquakes. This has made their emergency response system overly familiar with the disaster response life cycle, which includes mitigation, preparation, response and recovery. Mitigation is typically regarded as the first step because mitigation occurs well before any disaster.

Because Japan has suffered from so many earthquakes, the country has gone through numerous lessons-learned cycles. It has taken the necessary steps to minimize loss of life and property when disaster strikes.

Japan’s Geography

Japan is an archipelago comprising the four islands Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Hokkaido and some smaller islands. Japan is divided into nine regions, which are further subdivided into smaller prefectures. The New Year’s Day earthquake occurred in Ishikawa prefecture in the western part of Honshu in the Chūbu region (green section on map), where it abuts the sea of Japan.

See map below for perspective. Tokyo is located in the Southern part of the Kanto region (purple section on map), also on Honshu Island. Tokyo is approximately 317 miles east of Ishikawa. The Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japan, was also on Honshu Island. GEJE struck 81 miles east of Sendai, the largest city in the Tōhoku region (light blue section on map) in the northern part of Honshu. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant explosion, which immediately followed GEJE, occurred in the southern part of the Tōhoku region.

Earthquake Mitigation in Japan

Mitigation is similar to practicing preventive medicine. Mitigation entails identifying hazards and minimizing vulnerability to those hazards. In this case, the Japanese government knows the island nation is at high risk for earthquakes. So, it has building codes that require a higher standard for construction such that the buildings are less likely to collapse during an earthquake or its aftershocks. The latest building codes were implemented in 1981 and require thicker beams, pillars and walls to provide more strength against earthquakes. Additional optional mitigation strategies include a base isolation system and vibration control.

Likewise the roads in Japan are known for being of high quality and adhering to high construction standards.

Despite these high standards, many buildings and roads have been destroyed by the New Year’s Day earthquake.

Japan is known for high immunization rates for vaccine-preventable diseases. For example, 99% of the population is immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.

Earthquake Preparation In Japan

Because Japan has experienced so many earthquakes, they have taken earthquake preparedness very seriously. The citizens are encouraged to have food and water to last a few days and also to keep emergency equipment like survival kits, flashlights, fire extinguishers and radios on hand in case they are needed.

Although medical needs exist, they may be dwarfed by needs for basic services like food, water and shelter. If these basic needs are not met, the medical needs could escalate.

They are also well aware that after a major earthquake, there will be an increased risk of tsunamis and that people may need to evacuate. For that reason, their communities have evacuation plans in place and the people are encouraged to be familiar with those plans. There should be multiple exit points for the various areas so that people are not all attempting to use the same exit routes.

Earthquake Disaster Response

Many people impacted by the earthquake are being treated in local emergency rooms. So far, the local medical providers have kept up with the influx of patients. Physicians anticipate additional patients presenting to the hospital after more are rescued from beneath the rubble.

“Although definitions vary slightly, in general emergencies involve using available resources to address a time sensitive issue, whereas disasters require bringing in external resources when the system is overwhelmed,” says Dr. Mark Brady, associate professor of emergency medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He added “this means that disaster management gets very local very quickly.”

Japan has deployed their military to the region to help with rescue operations and limit the number of casualties from the disaster.

During disaster response, physicians should also anticipate receiving patients who have an exacerbation of their underlying illnesses since many people may not have access to their baseline medications. The stress of evacuating can make it hard for people to know how much and what they must take with them as they abruptly leave their homes. It is crucial for people evacuating to try and grab any essential medications on their way out. Pharmacies may not be open, and replacing any medications destroyed or left at home may be difficult.

Not having access to medications could result in people with high blood pressure having spikes in their blood pressure, putting them at risk for stroke and heart attack. People with asthma could go into an asthma exacerbation requiring emergency breathing treatments and people with epilepsy may have increased seizures requiring emergency treatment, including possible intubation and admission to the intensive care unit.

“Every disaster and disaster response is different because the needs and resources are different,” stated Dr. Brady. Since the GEJE, the Japanese have significantly ramped up their earthquake mitigation strategies and have done a great deal of planning for disaster response. Additionally, the Japanese people have also taken steps to increase their resilience and decrease their vulnerability to disasters like earthquakes. Unfortunately, they are once again forced to put their systems to the test.