Jakarta, hitclubapk3 Indonesia
—
Japan
lifted a rare warning regarding the potential for a major earthquake (megaquake) a week after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the country’s northern coast, on Tuesday (16/12).
Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) official, Issei Suganuma, told
AFP
, “the special warning period for citizens ends at midnight.”
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“However, this does not mean that earthquakes will not happen again, so we want residents to remain alert,” added Suganuma.
The JMA said the risk of a megaquake off the north coast still exists, but will decrease over time.
Previously, the JMA and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) said the earthquake on December 8 triggered a tsunami as high as 70 cm and injured more than 40 people.However, no major damage was reported.
After the quake, Suganuma issued a rare warning, warning there was an increased risk of a megaquake, defined as an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or more, in northern Japan.
Scientists say after an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or greater, there is a one percent chance of a megaquake occurring within seven days.
The warning also encourages residents to prepare emergency bags in case they need to evacuate quickly.
According to government disaster prevention guidelines published in March, an offshore megaquake in the Hokkaido-Sanriku region could trigger a tsunami of up to 30 meters and kill as many as 199,000 people.
The earthquake could also destroy up to 220,000 houses and buildings and cause economic losses of up to 31 trillion yen (around Rp. 3,317 trillion).
(rnp/bac)
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