Kobe Earthquake, Japan, 1995 [MAP] [Background]
Some 9 years after the Chernobyl disaster, an Earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 shook Japan and flattened the port city of Kobe. This VIDEO displays images from the aftermath of the Earthquake which killed over 5000 people. One very clear scaled interest here would be the Richter scale by which the magnitude of earthquakes is measured. This link gives an easy reading explanation of the Richter scale and the effects that may accompany the range of magnitudes. Kobe at 7.2 is in a category of earthquakes that according to this site occurs around 15 times a year, so one matter for you may wish to investigate is why are the scale of impacts seen in Kobe not more common?
This was a disaster of tragic proportions there can be+ no doubt, but what has become of Kobe now close to 15 years since this earthquake? Very noticeable in the case of Kobe when compared to Chernobyl, is that when you simply type the name into google, Kobe returns some results that are not solely focused on this disaster, while Chernobyl returns nothing but reports and views on its disastrous events. Kobe's is featured in an online Japan travel guide, which displays several areas of interest and a present day picture of a thriving port city and ranks Kobe 11/111 destinations worth visiting in Japan. There is a mention in the guide of the events of 1995, and a memorial is among the tourist attractions, but Kobe has been entirely rebuilt and moves on looking towards the future.
Chernobyl vs Kobe
These are two tragic events that have death tolls that reach well into the thousands and have cost fortunes in their aftermaths. The key scale by which Chernobyl extends beyond Kobe in its impacts however, is time. These examples were picked to demonstrate to you the enormous scale of destruction that both man and nature can bring to the world, but as stated at the beginning of part 1 these are older examples chosen to allow you to see how the impacts of disasters can develop over time. In the case of Kobe, the earthquake and the lives lost will never be forgotten, but the city has been brought back to life. The events of Chernobyl in contrast continue to cause political, financial and (depending upon your sources) medical issues to this day, and will continue to do so well into the future.
One final thought for you. Watch this video on the Earthquake we experienced in the UK a few years back which centred in Lincoln. The BBC reporter for this story use the terms 'disaster' to describe the events. Compared to the disastrous events that have occurred in Kobe and Chernobyl, in your opinion, can this relatively small scale incident really class as a disaster? And whatever your stance, why?
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