日本地震的英文报道.docx

日本地震的英文报道.docx

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日本地震的英文报道

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QuakeandTsunamiLeaveWakeofDestructionAcrossNorthernJapan

JapanOrdersEvacuationNear2ndNuclearPlant

Japan¡¯sStrictBuildingCodesSavedLives

QuakeandTsunamiLeaveWakeofDestructionAcrossNorthernJapan

Japan¡¯sIndustrialHeartEscapesHeaviestBlows

March11,2011

QuakeandTsunamiLeaveWakeofDestructionAcrossNorthernJapan

ByMARTINFACKLER

TOKYO¡ªRescuersstruggledtoreachsurvivorsonSaturdaymorningasJapanreeledafteranearthquakeandatsunamistruckindeadlytandem.The8.9-magnitudeearthquakesetoffadevastatingtsunamithatsentwallsofwaterwashingovercoastalcitiesinthenorth.Concernsmountedoverpossibleradiationleaksfromtwonuclearplantsneartheearthquakezone.

Thedeathtollfromthetsunamiandearthquake,thestrongesteverrecordedinJapan,wasinthehundreds,butJapanesenewsmediaquotedgovernmentofficialsassayingthatitwouldalmostcertainlyrisetomorethan1,000.About200to300bodieswerefoundalongthewaterlineinSendai,aportcityinnortheasternJapanandtheclosestmajorcitytotheepicenter.

Thousandsofhomesweredestroyed,manyroadswereimpassable,trainsandbuseswerenotrunning,andpowerandcellphonesremaineddownintheregion.

Whilethelossoflifeandpropertymayyetbeconsiderable,manyliveswerecertainlysavedbyJapan¡¯sextensivedisasterpreparednessandstrictconstructioncodes.Japan¡¯seconomywassparedamoredevastatingblowbecausetheearthquakehitfarfromitsindustrialheartland.

JapaneseofficialsonSaturdayissuedbroadevacuationordersforpeoplelivinginthevicinityoftwoseparatenuclearpowerplantsthathadexperiencedbreakdownsintheircoolingsystemsasaresultoftheearthquake,andtheywarnedthatsmallamountsofradiationcouldleakfrombothplants.

OnFriday,at246p.m.Tokyotime,thequakestruck.Firstcametheroarandrumbleofthetemblor,shakingskyscrapers,topplingfurnitureandbucklinghighways.Thenwavesashighas30feetrushedontoshore,whiskingawaycarsandcarryingblazingbuildingstowardfactories,fieldsandhighways.

BySaturdaymorning,Japanwasfilledwithscenesofdesperation,asstrandedsurvivorscalledforhelpandrescuerssearchedforpeopleburiedintherubble.KazushigeItabashi,anofficialinNatoriCity,oneoftheareashithardestbythetsunami,saidthatseveraldistrictsinanareaneartheSendaiairporthadbeenannihilated.

Rescuersfound870peopleinoneelementaryschoolonSaturdaymorningandweretryingtoreach1,200peopleinthejuniorhighschool,closertothewater.Therewasnoelectricityandnowaterforpeopleinshelters.Accordingtoanewspaper,theMainichiShimbun,about600peoplewereontheroofofapublicgradeschool,inSendaiCity.BySaturdaymorning,Japan¡¯sSelf-DefenseForcesandfirefightershadevacuatedabout150ofthem.

OntherooftopofChuoHospitalinthecityofIwanuma,doctorsandnurseswerewavingwhiteflagsandpinkumbrellas,accordingtoTVAsahi.Ontheflooroftheroof,theywrote¡°Help¡±inEnglish,and¡°Food¡±inJapanese.Thereporter,observingthescenefromahelicopter,said,¡°IfanyoneintheCityHallofficeiswatching,pleasehelpthem.¡±

Thestationalsoshowedscenesofpeoplestrandedonabridge,cutoffbywateronbothsidesnearthemouthoftheAbukumaRiverinMiyagiPrefecture.

Peoplewerefranticallysearchingfortheirrelatives.FumiakiYamato,70,wasinhissecondhomeinamountainvillageoutsideofSendaiwhentheearthquakestruck.HespokefromhiscarashewasdrivingtowardSendaitryingtofindtherestofhisfamily.Whileitusuallytakesaboutanhourtodrivetothecity,partsoftheroadwereimpassable.¡°I¡¯mgettingworried,¡±hesaidashepulledovertotakeareporter¡¯scall.¡°Idon¡¯tknowhowmanyhoursit¡¯sgoingtotake.¡±

Japanese,accustomedtofrequentearthquakes,werestunnedbythisone¡¯smagnitudeandthemorethan100aftershocks,manyofthemequivalenttomajorearthquakes.

¡°Ineverexperiencedsuchastrongearthquakeinmylife,¡±saidToshiakiTakahashi,49,anofficialintheSendaiCityHalloffice.¡°Ithoughtitwouldstop,butitjustkeptshakingandshaking,andgettingstronger.¡±

TrainservicewasshutdownacrosscentralandnorthernJapan,includingTokyo,andairtravelwasseverelydisrupted.

OnFriday,televisionimagesshowedwavesofmorethan12feetroaringinlandinJapan.Thefloodwaters,thickwithfloatingdebrisshovedinland,pushedasideheavytrucksasiftheyweretoys.Thespectaclewasallthemoreremarkableforbeingcarriedliveontelevision,evenasthewavesengulfedflatfarmlandthatofferednoresistance.ThetsunamicouldbeseenscoopingupeveryvesselintheoceanoffSendai,andchurningeverythinginland.Thegiganticwavesweptupashipcarryingmorethan100people,KyodoNewsreported.

VasilyV.Titov,directoroftheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration¡¯sCenterforTsunamiResearch,saidthatcoastalareasclosesttothecenteroftheearthquakeprobablyhadabout15to30minutesbeforethefirstwaveofthetsunamistruck.¡°It¡¯snotverymuchtime,¡±hesaid.¡°InJapan,thepublicisamongthebesteducatedintheworldaboutearthquakesandtsunamis.Butit¡¯sstillnotenoughtime.¡±

Complicatingtheissue,headded,isthattheflatterrainintheareawouldhavemadeitdifficultforpeopletoreachhigher,andthussafer,ground.OnFriday,NHKtelevisionshowedimagesofahugefiresweepingacrossKesennuma,acityofmorethan70,000peopleinthenortheast.Wholeblocksappearedtobeablaze.NHKalsoshowedaerialimagesofcolumnsofflamerisingfromanoilrefineryandfloodwatersengulfingtheSendaiairport,wheresurvivorsclusteredontheroof.Therunwaywaspartlysubmerged.Therefineryfiresentaplumeofthickblacksmokefromblazingsphericalstoragetanks.

EveninTokyo,farfromtheepicenter,thequakestruckhard.WilliamM.Tsutsui,aprofessorofJapanesebusinessandeconomichistoryatSouthernMethodistUniversityinDallas,wastravelinginTokyowithabusinessdelegationwhenthegroundbegantoshake.¡°Whatwasscariestwastolookupattheskyscrapersallaround,¡±hesaid.¡°Theywereswayingliketreesinthebreeze.¡±

PrimeMinisterNaotoKansaidthequakeandtsunamicausedmajordamageacrosswideareas.

TheUnitedStatesGeologicalSurveysaidthequakewasthemostsevereworldwidesincean8.8-magnitudequakeoffthecoastofChilealittlemorethanayearagothatkilledmorethan400.Itwaslesspowerfulthanthe9.1-magnitudequakethatstruckoffNorthernSumatrainlate2004.Thatquakesetoffatsunamithatkilledmorethan200,000peoplearoundtheIndianOcean.

ThesurveysaidthatFriday¡¯squakewascenteredoffthecoastofHonshu,themostpopulousoftheJapaneseislands,atapointabout230milesnortheastofTokyoandadepthofabout15milesbelowtheearth¡¯ssurface.

PresidentObamasaidtheUnitedStates¡°standsreadytohelp¡±Japandealwiththeaftermath.¡°MichelleandIsendourdeepestcondolencestothepeopleofJapan,¡±hesaidinastatement.HelaterspokewithMr.Kanandofferedassistance.

AmericanmilitaryairfieldsinJapanbeganacceptingcivilianflightsdivertedfromairportsthatsuffereddamage,AmericanofficialssaidearlyFriday.

AspokesmanfortheAmericanSeventhFleetinJapansaidNavalAirFieldAtsugihadreceivedseveralcommercialpassengerplanesthatcouldnotlandatNaritaairportoutsideTokyo.OfficialssaidYokotaAirBasealsoreceivedcivilianflights.ThreeAmericanwarshipsinSoutheastAsiawillbeorderedouttoseatorepositionthemselvesincasetheyneedtoprovideassistance,afleetspokesmansaid.

ThetsunamiassaultedHawaiiwithseven-footwaves,althoughitcausedlittledamage.PowerfulsurgesthathittheWestCoastoftheUnitedStatescausedboatstosinkinSantaCruzHarbor.TheCoastGuardreportedthatonepersonwasswepttoseanearMcKinleyville,Calif.,whiletryingtotakepicturesofthewaves,andasearchhadbegun.

InJapan,theTokyosubwaysemptied,andairportswereclosed.Manyresidentssetoffonepicjourneyshome,walkingformilesacrossavastmetropolitanarea.InavideopostedonYouTube,rumblesshookasupermarketasshopkeepersrushedtosteadytopplingwaresandaclassicalmusicsoundtrackplayed.

OnTwitter,apersonwhousedthenamesinonosamasaidthatstudentsatanagriculturalhighschoolinMiyagiPrefecturewerefine,buthadtotakerefugeonthethirdfloorafterthetsunamifloodedthefirsttwofloors.Thewritersaidthepeopletherehadwrappedthemselvesinblanketsandcurtainstokeepwarm.

Thequakeoccurredinwhatiscalledasubductionzone,whereoneoftheEarth¡¯stectonicplatesisslidingbeneathanother.Inthiscase,thePacificplateisslidingbeneaththeNorthAmericanplateatarateofaboutthreeinchesayear.Theearthquakeoccurredatadepthofabout15miles,whichwhilerelativelyshallowbyglobalstandardsisaboutnormalforquakesinthiszone,saidEmilySo,anengineerwiththeUnitedStatesGeologicalSurveyinGolden,Colo.

Whensuchquakessetoffatsunami,thedevastationoftencomesfromasuccessionofwaves,withthefirstfewbeingrelativelysmall.Thewavescantravelacrossoceansatspeedsof500milesperhourormore.

ReportingwascontributedbyYasukoKamiizumifromTokyo;KenBelson,MariaNewmanandHenryFountainfromNewYork;DanielKriegerfromOsaka,Japan;KevinDrewandBettinaWassenerfromHongKong;AlanCowellandRichardBerryfromParis;MichaelSchwirtzfromMoscow;ThomShankerfromWashington;MikeHalefromHonolulu;andElisabethBumillerfromBrussels.

March11,2011

JapanOrdersEvacuationNear2nd