The 2011 Great East Japan earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster

Abstract

The Great East Japan earthquake of 11 March 2011 was a tragedy of unprecedented scale, one of the largest natural disasters experienced by a developed nation. The disaster began with the primary damage of the earthquake, which further led to the devastating secondary damage of the tsunamis and culminated in the tertiary damage of the Fukushima I nuclear power plant. This last has become a source of concern not only to the people living in the power plant's vicinity, but elsewhere in Japan and around the world. This paper provides an overview of the disasters, the ongoing recovery operations and a summary of the lessons learned.