LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST NOTABLE DISASTERS JAPAN PART 3: VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

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LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST NOTABLE DISASTERS
JAPAN PART 3 VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster
Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA 
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NATURAL HAZARDS THAT PLACE JAPANS COMMUNITIES AT
RISK
EARTHQUAKES
GOAL DISASTER RESILIENCE
TYPHOONS
FLOODS
ENACT AND IMPLEMENT POLICIES HAVING HIGH
BENEFIT/COST FOR COMMUNITY RESILIENCE
LANDSLIDES
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
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REGIONAL MAP
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542 OF THE 1,500 ACTIVE VOLCANOES ARE LOCATED IN
RING OF FIRE
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Japan lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a
narrow zone around the Pacific Ocean where most
of Earth's earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
occur.
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VOLCANOES

• VOLCANOES ERUPT EVERY YEAR IN JAPAN AS A RESULT
  OF COMPLEX INTERACTIONS OF THE PACIFIC,
  PHILIPPINE, EURASIAN, AND NORTH AMERICAN PLATES

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JAPANS VOLCANO FACTS

• Of the 1,500 active volcanoes in the world, Japan
  has 108 of them.

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JAPANS VOLCANO FACTS

• Japan experiences an average of 10 volcanic
  eruptions per year.

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CAUSES OF RISK
LATERAL BLAST
PYROCLASTIC FLOWS
FLYING DEBRIS
VOLCANIC ASH
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
LAVA FLOWS
CASE HISTORIES
LAHARS
TOXIC GASES
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JAPANS COMMUNITIES
DATA BASES AND INFORMATION
HAZARDS GROUND SHAKING GROUND FAILURE
SURFACE FAULTING TECTONIC DEFORMATION TSUNAMI RUN
UP AFTERSHOCKS
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VOLCANO HAZARDS CAN HAVE FAR REACHING IMPACTS

• VERTICAL PLUME (can affect jet aircraft)
• ASH AND TEPHRA
• LATERAL BLAST
• PYROCLASTIC CLOUDS, BURSTS, AND FLOWS

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VOLCANO HAZARDS CAN HAVE FAR REACHING IMPACTS

• LAVA FLOWS
• LAHARS (can bury villages)
• EARTHQUAKES (related to movement of lava)
• VOLCANIC WINTER (causing famine and mass
  extinctions)

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JAPANS MOST NOTABLE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

• MOUNT UNZEN--MAY 21, 1792

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MT. UNZEN

• Mt. Unzens eruption on May 21, 1792, was one of
  the worst in Japans long history of volcanic
  eruptions.
• Mount Unzen is located near the city of Shimabara
  in Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu

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MT UNZEN 1792
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REMEMBERING THE MAY 21, 1792S DISASTER

• About 1 month after the lava from Mt Unzens
  eruption stopped flowing, a massive landslide on
  the flank of nearby Mount Mayuyama swept through
  ancient Shimabara City, entered the sea, and
  generated a tsunami.
• More than 15,000 people were killed by the
  landslide and tsunami

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JAPANS VOLCANO FACTS

• Mt. Unzen and Mt. Sakurajima are considered to be
  two of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world
  because of their potential for a violent eruption
  that would have devastating impacts on the
  surrounding high-density population centers..

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SOME OF JAPANS CURRENTLY ACTIVE VOLCANOES

• Mount MeakanMount UsuMount AsamaTorishimaSakur
  ajimaSuwanosejimaOyama

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SHINMOEDAKE ERUPTS IN JAPANeruption began at
730 AM

• Although called a minor eruption, it was the
  largest eruption since 1959
• JANUARY 26-31, 2011

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SHINMOEDAKE JANUARY 26-31, 2011
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JAPAN HAS 104 ACTIVE VOLCANOES

• The 1,421-m (4,662-ft) Mount Shinmoedake is a
  part of the Kirishima volcano complex comprised
  of 20 active volcanoes

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Mount Shinmoedake is located on the border of
the Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures
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In the previous four months, Miyazaki prefecture
had also suffered from an epidemic of the H5N1
bird flu, and a foot-and-mouth epidemic that was
expected to cause 2 billion in economic
losses for the local livestock industry.
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The inflation of the Shinmoedake volcano that
eventually culminated in an eruption had been
underway since December 2009
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May 10, 2010 to January 26, 2011
6 million m3 (0.006 km3) of magma in a reservoir
at 6 km depth 10 km west-nw from Shinmoedake and
another 1 million m3 (0.001 km3) of magma at 3 km
depth under the Shinmoedake cone itself.
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The eruption produced lava fountains, andesitic
lava flows, lightning, and ash emissions that
reached a height of nearly 5 miles (7.5 km)
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ERUPTION OF SHINMOEDAKE
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IMPACTS
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Approximately 13,000 hectares of farm land were
damaged by the falling ash deposits.
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Flights in the region were canceled and 1,100
people in the vicinity were evacuated to
gymnasiums and other facilities in the town of
Takaharu, seven miles east of Kirishima.
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ERUPTION VIEWED FROM TAKAHARU
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TOWARDS DISASTER RISK REDUCTION FOR VOLCANOES
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THE KEYS TO RESILIENCE 1) KNOW THE ERUPTIVE
HISTORY OF YOUR REGIONS VOLCANOES,2) BE
PREPARED3) HAVE A WARNING SYSTEM 4)
EVACUATE5) LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCE AND START
OVER
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MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES AND WARNING SYSTEMS ARE A
VITAL PART OF SURVIVAL.
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AIR AND LAND MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES ARE VITAL

• .