Last updated 3/17/11
In class today we will review the historic tsunami that struck Japan over the weekend. The earthquake that caused the tsunami is one of the most 5 powerful earthquakes in the last 100 years. This tsunami has been one of the best documented – as there are ample video, eyewitness accounts, and news sources that we can use to analyze the challenges that Japan faces.
Focus Question: What is the most significant challenge that Japan faces in the wake of the 3/11/11 tsunami?
What will it take in order for us to be able to answer this question?
First, students need to define what makes a challenge significant. Is it based on difficulty to overcome, damage caused to the country? Develop a definition as a class of what significant means in this context.
Then we will review the background of tsunamis, as well as briefly review Japan’s unique history as the most tsunami prone country in the world.
Background:
CNN Before/After Interactive Slideshow
CNN Nuclear Reactor Explosion Explained
NY Times Status of each nuclear reactor
Excellent animation showing the multitude of aftershocks since the 9.0 earthquake
News Article Jigsaw Activity:
Each student will be assigned a different news article to read and summarize.
Each of these news articles deals with a specific aspect of this tragedy; loss of productivity due to power outages, the possibility of an even more deadly aftershock, possible nuclear meltdown and wide scale radiation, huge financial costs, and a death toll that could top 10,000 – though many reports claim that this number could go up dramatically.
Students will be given one of the articles in expert groups of 2 or 3. They will read their article and summarize the significant challenge that their article represents. Expert groups will be given 4-5 minutes to discuss their article to make sure that they have the same idea and information regarding their challenge.
Expert groups will then be mixed in order that students summarize the main idea of their article to their classmates. While they are summarizing, each student takes notes on the graphic organizer.
Each student is responsible to summarize each challenge, what that challenge means for the Japanese people, and brainstorm what it will take to overcome this challenge. After each student has shared, each mixed group will have a discussion on which challenge they feel is the most significant.
News Articles:
TEPCO warns of massive blackouts; urges conservation
Monster aftershock could strike within days
Nearly 200,000 people evacuated near Japanese nuclear plant
Japanese earthquake could be most expensive ever
Japan Reels As Quake Toll Could Top 10,000
Japanese Tsunami 2011 Worksheet
Homework Due 3/18:
- You will conduct research online to identify one additional challenge that Japan faces in addition to the 4 we covered in class.
- You will then evaluate which challenge you consider to be the most significant, and write a summary paragraph justifying your choice.
Extension (Worth 20 points): Students will identify a news article that correlates with their selected challenge and leave it in the comments of this post. In your comment, summarize the article and how it relates to the challenge you selected.
Additional videos and resources:
Excellent visualization of the tsunami: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RCPG3HNwHA&feature=related
Truly amazing NY Times graphic/tutorial on the nuclear reactor meltdown: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/12/world/asia/the-explosion-at-the-japanese-reactor.html
Excellent slideshow-timeline from USA Today: http://topics.gannett.com/japan%20earthquake/?template=usatoday
Video of skyscrapers swaying back and forth in Tokyo: http://www.wimp.com/skyscrapersswaying/
Video of the tsunami remnants hitting a canal in Hawaii: http://www.wimp.com/tsunamibackyard/
Video of the ground being torn apart during the earthquake: http://www.dump.com/2011/03/12/crazy-video-of-the-ground-shifting
Video of supermarket during earthquake: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12717701
Economist chart of world’s deadliest earthquakes since 1900: http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/03/earthquakes
BBC Tsunami wave forecast map: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12715415
BBC Interactive map with site-based video clips:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12722187
Possible discussion extension questions:
- How was the impact of this earthquake different from the earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010?
- How does this tsunami and its aftermath compare with the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004? Compare the size of the earthquakes and examine why so many more lives were lost during the 2004 earthquake.
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Comments
How Was The Impact Of This Earthquake Different From The Earthquake That Struck Haiti In 2010?
Haiti’s earthquake was very different because theirs was not as severe as Japan’s and did not have a tsunami come directly afterward allowing them to have less damage and more survivors because people in Haiti would only be trapped under debris when in Japan they can be trapped under debris, drowned or knocked out by debris being carried by the water.
Articles:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42034875/ns/news-picture_stories/displaymode/1247/?beginSlide=1\
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/15/japan-nuclear-emergency-panic-buying
Impact On Japan:
These articles show that Japanese people realize that the country is in major devastation and are running to all stores to stock up on food and clothes before they run out. This shows that there could be a slight possibility that the country could be in famine soon.
What It Will Take to Overcome This Challenge:
• surplus of goods will need to be obtained
• aid from other countries will be needed
• funding for clothing and food production to restart
Economic hit from Japan quake seen up to $200 billion
Japan’s devasting earthquake and tsunami has destroyed many things for Japan. From buildings, power plants, and even people’s hope. From this destruction can cost Japan near 125-200 billion dollars and even more to rebuild all the cities that were effected. Japan will have to borrow some money to do reconstruction. Japan’s economic is in trouble right now but it
is also too early to really say.
It is important for Japna to be able to rebuild it’s cities because of the citizens living there and for people all over the world. There is many car dealers and resources that other countries need that Japan contain so other countries are also affected by this. Citizens won’t have electricty for weeks because people are still scared of what else can happen. Without money it’s hard for a country to function because bascially everything depends on money. In order for Japan to get of of this challenge they will need: 1. The help of other countries(The more the merrier), 2, Food and medicine to be donated, and 3. Volunteers who are willing to help with the recontrustion of Japan.
Jamila’s extra credit just made me want to not do mines anymore :’(
Time to make some improvements.
EXTRA CREDIT : Japanese tsunami economic challenge.
The most significant challenge in my opinion is having to deal with the aftershock of it all; dealing with the death toll, future warnings, and radioactivity all leads to the tsunami’s economic toll. It all falls down into the monster aftershock of the entire experience, and the problems that are soon to come. The economic toll modestly lowered due to the tremendous human and social costs of the disaster.
Articles:
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-11/world/japan.quake_1_hokkaido-tsunami-east-japan-railway?_s=PM:WORLD
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1366395/Japan-tsunami-earthquake-Rescuers-pick-way-apocalypse-wasteland.html
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110316/NEWS01/110316025/Events-benefits-victims-earthquake-tsunami-Japan
http://gulfnews.com/business/economy/japan-faces-economic-challenge-1.775294
These articles reveal the struggle and more stress put upon an already indebt country. All of the damage will evidentally hurt Japan’s GDP for some time. Paying for the rebuilding risks hurting demands for Japanese government bonds; and this is where WE step in. We are helping contribute to the funds, food surplus, and proper aid needed to help obtain country well enough. Though Japan’s sovereign debt was recently lowered in rank, with our help: their government has less stress put upon them and they wouldn’t be put at much risk. By all of the preceding, this ultimately leads to the economic toll.
I believe the biggest challenge created by the tsunami and earthquake is reconstructing Japan. Japan is already in debt and much money is needed to fix the country. Businesses dealing with manufacturing and agriculture have been halted. So money can’t be obtained from there. The many homeless citizens also have to be dealt with. Housing can’t be supplied to everybody. They basically need a lot of foreign help in the form of money, supplies and workers to start building Japan back up.
http://eandt.theiet.org/news/2011/mar/japan-rebuild.cfm