Earthquake strikes off Japan

6.9-magnitude earthquake strikes off Japan

(CNN)Aftershocks could continue to shake the Japanese coast for days, the United States Geological Survey says, after a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Honshu early Tuesday morning.

Three people had been reported injured as a result of the quake, police told CNN, while a tsunami advisory was still in effect for Japan's Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures at 11 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

The earthquake struck in the same area as the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake in 2011 -- one of the worst ever to hit Japan -- which killed more than 20,000 people and triggered a meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

 

 

But USGS geophysicist Jessica Turner told CNN the earthquake had been much smaller than the disaster five years ago.

"It is much smaller in magnitude and energy release than the 9.0-magnitude that occurred in March of 2011 ... we can expect to see aftershocks for the next several days (but) it's hard to predict," she said.

Tuesday's quake struck 37 kilometers (23 miles) east-southeast of Namie at a depth of 11.4 kilometers (7 miles). Eight aftershocks of at least magnitude 5.4 were recorded within five hours of the initial quake.

Tsunami warnings were immediately issued for waves of 1 to 3 meters (3 to 10 feet), and soon after some were spotted off the coast, according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency.

Of prime concern was the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

A cooling pump system was temporarily stopped after the quake but soon resumed operation, a spokesman for the Tokyo Electric Power Company Inc. (TEPCO) told CNN. No abnormalities or change in radiation levels were reported.

Cooling function of #Fukushima Daini Unit 3 spent fuel pool resumed at 7:47 after cooling water supply stopped at 6:10 due to the earthquake

— TEPCO (@TEPCO_English) November 22, 2016

University of Sydney Disaster Risk Management Expert Dale Dominey-Howes told CNN Tuesday's earthquake would be devastating for the mental health of survivors still recovering from the 2011 event.

"The simple reality is that the survivors from 2011 haven't gone back to normal, they're basically living as displaced people in camps in various locations around central Japan," he said.

"So today's earthquake and tsunami basically catapults people back into the moments of the 2011 disaster, all that emotion and pain ... Survivors will experience the trauma all over again."

Prelim M6.9 earthquake near the east coast of Honshu, Japan Nov-21 20:59 UTC, updates https://t.co/v9DN98syZs, 25 #quake tweets/min

— USGSted (@USGSted) November 21, 2016

Small tsunamis reach Japan

Video on social media from Onahama, on the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, featured sounds of sirens in response to the tsunami warning

Images of the port showed waves that the broadcaster described as "backwash" that happens before a tsunami hits shore.

小名浜松の中地区の状況。サイレンの音しか聞こえない。近くの沿岸部の工場（日本化成）の夜勤担当の方が続々と逃げてきている。 pic.twitter.com/jM2sSFXa0i

— 小松 理虔 (@riken_komatsu) November 21, 2016

The first tsunami wave reached the coast at Iwaki-shi in Fukushima Prefecture at 6:29 a.m. local time. The largest, a 1.4-meter tsunami, was observed in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, at 8:03 a.m. according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.

What to do if a tsunami strikes

NHK urged the public to evacuate, cautioning that even if waves appear low in the ocean they can rise as they reach shore. The broadcaster reminded people to dress warmly in the cold rain and urged them to help others leave.

"Please do not think that you are safe. Please evacuate to high grounds," the network said. "Please think about the worst-case scenario and evacuate right away."