Japan hit by small tsunami
July 11, 2014
The Japan Meteorological Agency said that a tsunami around 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) was observed at Inshinomaki in Miyagi prefecture early on Saturday morning, around 50 minutes after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake was detected offshore.
The agency had issued a warning that a wave of up to one meter (3.3 feet) could hit Miyagi as well as the neighboring prefectures of Iwate and Fukushima. It had advised people to leave coastal areas immediately.
Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), which operates the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (pictured above), which suffered meltdowns and radiation leaks after being damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, reported no irregularities after Saturday's tsunami.
"We have not seen any damage or any change in radiation gauges after the quake," TEPCO spokesman Masahiro Asaoka said
"Today's operation has yet to start but we ordered workers to evacuate to high places," Asaoka added.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority also said there were no irregularities at Fukushima Dai-ichi or two other nuclear facilities along the coast.
The 2011 tsunami in Japan claimed 18,000 lives, also setting off the meltdown at the Fukushima plant.
The Fukushima area is still struggling to recover from the effects of the 2011 meltdown. Around 100,000 people were forced to leave their homes and are still unable to return due to fear of unsafe radiation levels.
pfd/msh (AFP, AP)