This week PBS' science series "Nova"  is premiering two documentaries about the disasters that hit Japan this past spring--the earthquake(s), the tsunamis(s) and the nuclear plant disasters.

The two documentaries--produced by NHK Japan have incredible footage of the various disasters and the program both goes ino a lot of scentific detail to explain what happened minute b yminute and why--they also go into the human dimension of the earthquake and tsunami--how people reacted, what happened to them, how some were saved, how some were lost.

The entire two hours would be of possible interest to anyone who is interested--especially after our extensive discussons this past srping--in the scientific and/or economic and social and/or human dimensions of the events.

Much of the footage has never been seen before.

The documentaries are being run on both PBS HD channel as well as PBS World channel.

One doucumentary is titled "Japan's Killer Quake"

and rhe other one is titled ""Surviving the Tsunami."

They are both highly informative both in terms of scientific info and human reactons/devastation and economic consequences.

EDIT: added links

I'll keep this near the top for a bit for anyone who might be interested in these amazing documentaries.

I saw one of these- I believe it was "Surviving the Tsunami".

The live footage was frightening indeed.  

But one thing which struck me was this.  In spite of what must have be one of the most advanced tsunami warning systems around, and in spite of detailed response/evacuation plans:  

- People missed the warning.

- The effects were miscalculated (the water came far further inland in one area- Sendai plain, as I recall) than was thought possible.

- And serious mistakes were made.  A number of school children were moved from the third floor of their school to the ground floor gym, because it was thought the threat was over. Wrong: fortunately one parent saw the incoming water in time to move the kids back to safety.

When dealing with nature- no plans are foolproof.

Sep 30, 2011 -- 4:48PM, Wanderingal wrote:

 

I wonder that the Japanese still live on that terribly dangerous island chain between the earthquakes and the volcanoes and the tsunamis.

 

People are like that.  They rebuilt San Francisco, didn't they, even though those people had a whole continent in which to relocate.  Anyhow, where would the Japanese go?

Sep 30, 2011 -- 5:21PM, TemplarS wrote:

Sep 30, 2011 -- 4:48PM, Wanderingal wrote:

 

I wonder that the Japanese still live on that terribly dangerous island chain between the earthquakes and the volcanoes and the tsunamis.

People are like that.  They rebuilt San Francisco, didn't they, even though those people had a whole continent in which to relocate.  Anyhow, where would the Japanese go?

Nowhere is as safe as we'd like, as we're all aware, but I agree that it does seem foolish to have rebuilt San Francisco when there was a vast territory with many safer areas for a city. But then, perhaps people didn't know that future catastrophic quakes were more likely than not there. We know so much more today about the conditions that result in more severe earthquakes in some places than others.  

Another similar issue in the U.S. is people building homes in areas that periodically are subject to disaster such as the areas prone to mudslides or wildfires in California. That is somewhat more foolish, I'd say, since the frequency of mudslides and wildfires is much greater than that of major earthquakes.

But much of what people do doesn't make a great deal of sense...