Among numerous natural disasters tsunami turns out to be rather unpredictable: caused by various underwater activities (earthquakes, landslides or even meteorite) tsunami may adversely affect one seaside and make no tangible harm on the other (Tsunamis). Coastal regions are extremely tsunami-prone, and unsurprisingly the USA and Japan encounter the worst influence of the natural catastrophe. One of the most devastating tsunamis of this century took place in 2011 in Japan, and the residents of the country are still recovering from its long-lasting effects (Oskin, B. B., 2015).
The 2011 tsunami was caused by the powerful earthquake, and similarly to the general principle of the tsunami action the waves travelled in different directions even reaching the US seaside. The problem with this tsunami was that the strength and the scale of neither the earthquake nor the tsunami could be predicted by Japanese scientists (Oskin, B. B., 2015). This fact made it difficult for the well-prepared Japanese residents to undertake adequate preventive measures, based on the official warning. As the most wide spread cause of death associated with a tsunami is drowning, the vast majority of people perished in water in Japanese tsunami (Tsunamis). Hit by 10 m wave Japan's Miyagi and Fukushima prefecture lost dozens of coastal communities and other human possessions. The problem was aggravated by the nuclear plant damages, which had to be shut down. Nowadays the aftermath of the disaster may be traced in stricter policies as to nuclear power usage on the islands (Japan earthquake: Tsunami hits north-east, 2011).
Thousands of residents of the regions affected were immediately evacuated. Moreover the tsunami wave struck about 400km from the capital, causing the breakdown in power supplies, communications and commuting throughout the country.
Overall, the 2011 tsunami due to its unpredictability and huge scale had major destructive consequences. Having operatively reacted the government managed to shun the possible further overwhelming catastrophes like nuclear emission or massive fire.
References
Tsunamis. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ready.gov/tsunamis
Japan earthquake: Tsunami hits north-east - BBC News. (11 March 2011). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-12709598
Oskin, B. B. (2015). Japan Earthquake & Tsunami of 2011: Facts and Information. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/39110-japan-2011-earthquake-tsunami-facts.html
