Shinsaku Katayama, 85, never forgot the huge tsunami he survived in northeastern Japan in 1933. He gave classes to local elementary and middle schools, based on his experience, so that the children would be prepared for the next great tsunami. However, the government built the best sea wall in the world, so residents felt protected. Now Mr. Katayama, who survived again, is in despair, because people didn't listen to him.
Shinsaku Katayama, 85, a survivor of that tsunami who works in the construction business and lives in the area, has given lectures at primary and middle schools to increase teachers' and students' awareness of the danger of tsunami, using notes of the 1933 disaster he compiled over a one-year period.
Historic EarthquakesSanriku, Japan
1933 March 02 17:31 UTC
Magnitude 8.43,000 deaths. Because this earthquake occurred about 290 km (180 mi) off the coast of Honshu, most of the casualties and damage were caused by the large tsunami that was generated, instead of directly from the earthquake itself. About 5,000 houses in Japan were destroyed, of which nearly 3,000 were washed away. Maximum wave heights of 28.7 m (94 ft) were observed at Ryori Bay, Honshu. The tsunami also caused slight damage in Hawaii, where a 2.9-meter (9.5-foot) was recorded at Napoopoo.
An old newsreel shows some of the devastation that happened in 1933.