Japan removes major earthquake tsunami warning; smaller wave hits wall in Suzu city

Tsunami warnings issued for parts of Japan's western coast were canceled on Monday as the threat of large waves diminishes.

Although the threat of larger waves has passed, tsunami warnings for waves up to 1 meter (about 3 feet) remain in effect.

According to the meteorologist at CNN, Derek Van Dam, the wave that hit a protective wall in the city of Suzu, in western Japan, “could have been much worse”. He explains that there is still a threat of tsunamis, due to the high magnitude of the tremor.

“Think of it as if you had a bathtub full of water and you dropped a rock into it. It creates waves that propagate in all directions. They reach the side of the tub and then return to the center. Same idea here,” he said.

What is known about the strong tremor that hit the country

• About the tremor: The earthquake, which was 10 km (6 miles) deep, occurred at 4:10 p.m. local time, about 42 km (26 miles) northeast of Anamizu in Ishikawa Prefecture, according to the United States Geological Survey. Several aftershocks were reported in western Japan, including a magnitude 6.2 quake about 4 km (2.4 mi) southwest of Anamizu.
• Tsunami alerts: Authorities have issued tsunami warnings for residents of western Japan. Warnings are issued when waves are expected to reach 3 meters (9.8 feet). Tsunami waves of about 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) were reported in the city of Wajima, Japanese public broadcaster NKH reported. In and around the city of Toyama, waves of less than 1 meter were reported, while the city of Noto also remained under.
• Infrastructure damage: The earthquake destroyed highways in western Japan, toppled buildings, caused fires and disrupted communications. Around 33,000 families could be affected by power cuts, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa said, according to NHK.
• Transport problems: At least five roads were closed and several flights canceled at airports in Ishikawa Prefecture. Two flights were canceled at Noto airport, where there is a crack in the runway. A flight from Tokyo landed early but returned to the capital. There were 15 cancellations at Komatsu Airport. Schools are not operating, and 21 of them have been turned into evacuation centers.
• Rescue and recovery efforts: At least 8,500 military personnel are on standby to help with emergency efforts following the quake, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said. Health officials in the city of Suzu said some doctors could not treat injured patients because damaged roads prevented them from traveling.
• Arrested residents: Civilians screamed in videos posted on social media after entire homes were destroyed in western Japan. In another video, people crouched under tables at a local bowling alley, where tremors shook the infrastructure and TV screens could be seen shaking in the roof. “My city is in a terrible state,” said one person in a video posted on Noto. “I hope there’s no fire.”