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NHK’s documentary "Surviving the Tsunami" was a winner at this year’s George Foster Peabody Award. The 58-minute-long program was broadcast by 60 broadcasters in 44 countries and regions, NHK said.
The earthquake that hit the northern coast of Japan on March 11, 2011 registered magnitude 9.0, the worst ever recorded in the country. It generated a tsunami of unprecedented scale, obliterating coastal villages and towns in a matter of minutes. In some areas, the tsunami reached 39 meters in height and traveled 6 kilometers inland. What caused the giant tsunami? And how did people escape its violent waters?
"Surviving the Tsunami" draws out the lessons of what needs to be done to protect precious lives from the threat of giant tsunami. Combining its own archival footage with video shot by ordinary citizens, the documentary meticulously examined what happened the day the monster wave hit and what Japan’s people and leaders can learn from it.
© Japan Today
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oikawa
This has been done to death countless times and the fact it was not unprecedented should not be in dispute anymore, very simple research will show you that, but it is scary how much repetition can make people believe anything, and how anything really could be twisted into an untruth in today's world and accepted as fact so readily.
Ranger_Miffy2
Oikawa, ...this article is most likely talking about "unprecedented" in the sense of "not in living memory. That said, I agree with your reminder that there are plenty of warnings speaking to us from the past, such as the numerous "tsunami stones" warning not to build below them. The internet system of the past...
Ah_so
Oikawa - what are you trying to say and to what end? In living memory there has not been anything quite like this. The SE Asian one of a few years ago killed more, but was not so large, it just hit more areas. I am sure that Krakatoa was a big deal at the time, but come on, is there any need to make such a big deal of it?
The tsunami was the biggest natural disaster to hit Japan ever as far as I can see and apart from WWII, the worst event of any sort in living memory.
oikawa
RangerMiffy2
Firstly, that is not what unprecedented means and has no connotation as such, so is no defence whatsoever. Secondly, it is in living memory for a lot of people. Just look on wikipedia. Even if that was what it meant it would still be wrong. No offence but you're completely proving my point about how easy it is for untruths to be spread!
oikawa
Ah_so
You too..
Firstly we are just talking about the size of the tsunami here.
Did you miss the article which even appeared on this website I think where a woman spoke of surviving 3 tsunamis along that coast, including the last one?
Did you miss reading about the 1933 earthquake and tsunami which recorded 28 metre high waves?
Did you miss reading about the 1896 earthquake which produced 38 metre high waves and killed 27,000 people?
smithinjapan
Oikawa's got a good point, but the only thing he/she fails to take into account is that in the past, recording methods were obviously FAR different than the mass media that exists now. You simply cannot account for the horrors of what happened long before to what happened that you can tangibly see and feel via the documentary.
Now, that said, I hope people actually LEARN from this event, because heaven forbid when it next occurs (and it will), I don't want to hear anymore about 'unprecedented' or 'unpredictable' or whatever excuses are given by government and electric companies. I am glad if this video gets out there and spreads awareness, and I hope that awareness actually sticks in people's minds and nobody is simply congratulating themselves on getting an award. This needs to be seen, and needs the mistakes and ignorance present this time around canNOT be forgotten.
oikawa
Smith, what is the relevance of different recording methods? The facts are easily attainable now about past events. Like you say though, governments and power companies spread the lie that is was "unprecedented" to defend their interests, and as I said in my first post it is sad, and very worrisome how easily people believe continually perpetuated lies.