The Great East Japan Earthquake: Lessons Learned at Tohoku University Hospital During the First 72 Hours

Abstract

A 9.0-magnitude earthquake occurred off the northeast coast of Japan at 2:46 p.m. (local time) on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately 70 km (43 mi) east of the Oshika Peninsula and the hypocenter at a depth of approximately 32 km (20 mi) below sea level [Figure 1(a)] [1]. The earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves, which reached heights of up to 40.5 m (133 ft) in Miyako and traveled around 4 km (about 2.5 mi) inland in the Sendai area. As of 30 March 2012, a total of 18,897 people were either dead or missing.