Japan's new year earthquake sparks tsunami alert, power outages

On New Year’s Day, a big earthquake hit Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan at 4.10 pm local time. It sadly killed at least 13 people and destroyed many homes. Lots of people living near the coast had to spend the night in shelters because they were told to move to safer places.

Buildings fell down in Niigata, Toyama, Fukui, and Gifu prefectures, causing injuries and deaths. The number of people hurt or killed might go up.

In Wajima city, a place where many tourists go, at least 30 people died when several buildings fell down. This caused a big fire that was still burning the next morning. It’s not clear if the fire hurt or killed anyone.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a meeting about the disaster, “We need to find and help the people affected by the earthquake as fast as we can, especially those who are trapped under fallen buildings.”

The Japanese military gave out food, water, and blankets to the nearly 100,000 people who had to spend a very cold night outside. An airport in the Noto peninsula, which is where the earthquake started, had to close because the earthquake made cracks in the runway. Other ways to get around in the area were also stopped. For example, 1,400 passengers were stuck on four trains for 11 hours.

More than 45,000 homes and at least 89 medical facilities in Ishikawa Prefecture don’t have power.

By 6 am on Tuesday, Japan had been hit by more than 129 smaller earthquakes. The country’s weather agency said that more earthquakes might happen in the area over the next week.

Tsunami Warning

The Japan Meteorological Agency immediately issued a tsunami warning for waves up to 5 metres (16.4 feet) along several coastal regions of western Japan, and later downgraded them to warnings of waves up to 3 metres (9.8 feet). Following the quake, the city of Wajima in Ishikawa prefecture experienced tsunami waves of about 1.2 metres (3.9 feet). However, by Tuesday morning, they removed all the warnings.

A tsunami wave of just under one metre (3.3 feet) also reached South Korea's east coast on Monday afternoon. The country's meteorological agency warned that larger waves may follow.

Authorities ordered residents of the Gangwon province to take precautions and move to higher ground. Additionally, North Korean authorities issued warnings for possible waves of more than 2 metres (6.6 feet), as Reuters reported.

The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, said he would take charge of the response to the disaster. He has already spoken to the mayors of Wajima and Suzu, which were badly affected.

US President Joe Biden released a statement on Monday. He said his team is in contact with officials in Japan and they’re ready to help if needed. Soon after, the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said the UK is also ready to help Japan. He advised British people in the affected areas to listen to advice from local authorities.

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