The thriving country of Japan was one to be admired. It is the world’s third-largest economy and also the world’s fourth largest exporter. The country had a population of approximately 127,960,000 people. On March 11th however, this changed.
A massive 8.9 earthquake on the Richter scale erupted that day. More than 50 aftershocks followed, and 7 of those 50, measured to be at least 6.3 on the Richter scale. As if that wasn’t enough damage for the citizens that reside in Japan, a fire erupted at the Cosmo refinery in Ichihara city near Tokyo. The fire contained 100 feet flames that whipped into the sky. Right away, numerous foreign countries offered help to Japan.
Then, a “state of emergency” was declared at one of the country’s nuclear power plants. Around 3,000 people were evacuated within a 6.2 mile radius. And by the end of the long, tragic day, already hundreds of the Japanese citizens were confirmed to be dead.
The day that followed didn’t hold too much of a positive outlook for Japan. There was an explosion at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. The death toll reached 1,300 people, but thousands more remained missing. Hope of the remaining life was fading. A devastating 10,000 people were still missing from the coastal town of Minamisanriku. More than 215,000 people were living in 1,350 temporary shelters.
On Sunday March 13th, 2011, seismologists confirmed that the earthquake was actually a 9.0 rather than the 8.9 it was first thought to be. One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded. Japan also raised the accident level of the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant from four to five on a seven- point international danger scale for atomic accidents.
Now, the confirmed death toll from the disaster has risen to 7,348 and 10,947 people are still listed as missing. Numerous people are still living in makeshift homes, suffering from the loss of loved ones, and desperately holding onto hope. The effects of the explosion of the power plant are still threatening. Attempts of fixing the damage have all failed. We can only hope for the best and try to help these people. Japan will take many long years to recover from this disaster.