Back on March11, 2011 when the 9.0 Magnitude Great East Japan Earthquake spawned a massive tsunami and affected a nuclear power plant, lost amongst the chaos was the fact that a dam also collapsed.
When an 18-meter high, 133-meter wide agricultural dam at Fujinuma-ko (Fujinuma Lake) collapsed it swept a flood of water down upon the Nagnuma district of Sakugawa, an inland part of Fukushima-ken killing seven people and a one-year-old boy missing (and nearly three months later, is presumed dead). The dam had a storage capacity of 1.5 million tons of water.
The dam was built in October 1949 to secure an agricultural water supply to downstream areas that had suffered a water shortage. The earthfill dam was built as an embankment with a trapezoidal cross-section to hold water back, though the core of the dam was reinforced withconcrete blocks and between 1984 to 1992, had liquid cement injected into itto prevent water leakage.
When the earthquake hit, thedam's sloped surface collapsed like a landslide. Then, because of the water pressure, the dam simply gave way.
When the dam collapsed, Shishido Katsutoshi (surname first), 72, explains: "There was such a roar that I could hardly understand what was going on."
From a window on the first floor of herhouse one kilometer downstream from the dam, Nakamura Mitsuko, 65, saw a huge wave of water approaching that she guessed to be between five and 10-meters high. She grabbed her two grandchildren, aged 2 and 4, anddashed up to the second floor, where they shivered in the cold until the water began to recede.
"I never expected my house to be destroyed by dam water," Nakamura cries.
Hayashi Moeko, 14, was found dead in the Abukumagawa (Abukuma river) in Nihonmatsu,about 40 kilometers downstream from the Taki area, on April 24, 44 days after the dam collapse. She was a second-year student at Naganuma Chu Gakko (Nagnuma Junior High School) and was with her mother visiting her grandfather's house when the waters hit. Her mother desperately tried to hold onto her hands, but the strength of the water pulled them apart. The mother was eventually able to reach a river bank and was rescued.
Hayashi's grandfather, grandfather, Saito Kihachi, 69, solemnly explains: "In the evenings, I still sometimes think my granddaughter might come home."
Water from the dam flooded an area of 86.7 hectares downstream, causing serious damage to the inland area.
Nineteenhouses were totally destroyed, while 55 more were flooded to varyingdegrees. A total of 56 residents of 15 households are staying in nearbyhousing units run by the Employment Development Association. Unfortunately, these housing units are close to where landslide warningshave been issued (see THIS blog for a story on another area affected by landslides) and all residents are very concerned about the increased risk in landslide from the upcoming rainy season.
Saito-san also said he is very worried about the continuing rising levels of water in the river thanks to some heavy rainfall. "I'm worried there may be anotherdisaster."
Omori Setsuko, 56, cannot afford to buy land to build a new house after the flood swept her old house away. "Our evacuation places are located far from the river, butstill I'm worried about the upcoming rainy season when I remember someparts of the ground here have been loosened by earthquakes."
"Iunderstand how difficult it is to handle the current situation at theFukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. But I want to ask who is responsible and who willcompensate us for this disaster," asks Omori-san.
Fukushima-ken officials say many places are at heightened risk oflandslides after the Great East Japan Earthquake adding that additional after shocks have loosened the ground. Officials say they want residents, even those outside landslidewarning areas, to be cautious and to evacuate voluntarily during heavyrains.
Hirota Katsuo, president ofthe Ehanagawa land improvement district, which oversaw the LakeFujinuma dam, states, "We have checked the dam when it rained hard inthe past. We want to compensate surviving victims and the bereavedfamilies, but we don't have any money. We'll have to work together withthe prefectural and city governments to help them."
Files compiled by Andrew Joseph
When an 18-meter high, 133-meter wide agricultural dam at Fujinuma-ko (Fujinuma Lake) collapsed it swept a flood of water down upon the Nagnuma district of Sakugawa, an inland part of Fukushima-ken killing seven people and a one-year-old boy missing (and nearly three months later, is presumed dead). The dam had a storage capacity of 1.5 million tons of water.
The dam was built in October 1949 to secure an agricultural water supply to downstream areas that had suffered a water shortage. The earthfill dam was built as an embankment with a trapezoidal cross-section to hold water back, though the core of the dam was reinforced withconcrete blocks and between 1984 to 1992, had liquid cement injected into itto prevent water leakage.
When the earthquake hit, thedam's sloped surface collapsed like a landslide. Then, because of the water pressure, the dam simply gave way.
When the dam collapsed, Shishido Katsutoshi (surname first), 72, explains: "There was such a roar that I could hardly understand what was going on."
From a window on the first floor of herhouse one kilometer downstream from the dam, Nakamura Mitsuko, 65, saw a huge wave of water approaching that she guessed to be between five and 10-meters high. She grabbed her two grandchildren, aged 2 and 4, anddashed up to the second floor, where they shivered in the cold until the water began to recede.
"I never expected my house to be destroyed by dam water," Nakamura cries.
Hayashi Moeko, 14, was found dead in the Abukumagawa (Abukuma river) in Nihonmatsu,about 40 kilometers downstream from the Taki area, on April 24, 44 days after the dam collapse. She was a second-year student at Naganuma Chu Gakko (Nagnuma Junior High School) and was with her mother visiting her grandfather's house when the waters hit. Her mother desperately tried to hold onto her hands, but the strength of the water pulled them apart. The mother was eventually able to reach a river bank and was rescued.
Hayashi's grandfather, grandfather, Saito Kihachi, 69, solemnly explains: "In the evenings, I still sometimes think my granddaughter might come home."
Water from the dam flooded an area of 86.7 hectares downstream, causing serious damage to the inland area.
Nineteenhouses were totally destroyed, while 55 more were flooded to varyingdegrees. A total of 56 residents of 15 households are staying in nearbyhousing units run by the Employment Development Association. Unfortunately, these housing units are close to where landslide warningshave been issued (see THIS blog for a story on another area affected by landslides) and all residents are very concerned about the increased risk in landslide from the upcoming rainy season.
Saito-san also said he is very worried about the continuing rising levels of water in the river thanks to some heavy rainfall. "I'm worried there may be anotherdisaster."
Omori Setsuko, 56, cannot afford to buy land to build a new house after the flood swept her old house away. "Our evacuation places are located far from the river, butstill I'm worried about the upcoming rainy season when I remember someparts of the ground here have been loosened by earthquakes."
"Iunderstand how difficult it is to handle the current situation at theFukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. But I want to ask who is responsible and who willcompensate us for this disaster," asks Omori-san.
Fukushima-ken officials say many places are at heightened risk oflandslides after the Great East Japan Earthquake adding that additional after shocks have loosened the ground. Officials say they want residents, even those outside landslidewarning areas, to be cautious and to evacuate voluntarily during heavyrains.
Hirota Katsuo, president ofthe Ehanagawa land improvement district, which oversaw the LakeFujinuma dam, states, "We have checked the dam when it rained hard inthe past. We want to compensate surviving victims and the bereavedfamilies, but we don't have any money. We'll have to work together withthe prefectural and city governments to help them."
Files compiled by Andrew Joseph
