2011 IMAGES OF SENDAI AND TOKYO AREAS
EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DAMAGE
MRP Engineering visited Japan following the M9.0 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami as part of the Structural Engineers Association of Washington (SEAW) reconnaissance team. The following images show examples of observed damage.
All photos taken by Mark R. Pierepiekarz.
Scroll over the thumbnails below to see full-size images.
Photo: M. PierepiekarzIshinomaki (Miyagi): Damaged tanks at Port of Ishinomaki. Displaced or overturned steel tanks were common in tsunami inundated areas.
Photo: M. PierepiekarzMinami Sanriku (Miyagi): The seismically retrofitted hospital (see external inverted "V" braced frames) survived three minutes of strong ground shaking, followed by 15-meter tsunami. The four story structure was barely tall enough to serve as tsunami vertical evacuation shelter.
Photo: M. PierepiekarzIshinomaki (Miyagi): Low-profile bridges tended to survive the tsunami forces, though extensive debris impact damage was evident.
Photo: M. PierepiekarzSendai Airport (Miyagi): A cargo warehouse was damaged by fire that initiated from a vehicle battery. Tsunami displaced vehicles were a common occurrence.
Photo: M. PierepiekarzMinami Sanriku (Miyagi): The three-story disaster prevention building served to announce tsunami warnings. The structure was overtopped by tsunami. Only 10 of 39 roof evacuees survived.
Photo: M. PierepiekarzPort of Sendai: Tsunami erosion behind a ship berth and a fuel storage facility (background) damaged by fire.
Photo: M. PierepiekarzSendai (Miyagi): Strong shaking damage to elevator walls in a 1960s reinforced concrete building.
Photo: M. PierepiekarzChiba (Tokyo Metro): Soil liquefaction induced buoyant forces on a pipeline beneath a sidewalk.
Photo: M. PierepiekarzTokyo: Seismic retrofits of elevated railways and highways (column steel jackets) were a common sight in the region.
Photo: M. PierepiekarzUraysu (Tokyo area): The community was developed on reclaimed landfill along Tokyo Bay and experienced extensive soil liquefaction (see uplifted sewer manholes). The hotel in the background was developed on a seismically improved site which performed well.
Photo: M. PierepiekarzSendai (Miyagi): Example of a seismic retrofit of an older building in Sendai. The retrofit program (following the 1978 earthquake) was a success during the 2011 earthquake.
Photo: M. PierepiekarzIshinomaki (Miyagi): Tsunami erosion and damage around gas storage facility near the waterfront.
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