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[P-03] Response of port infrastructure to tsunami impacts: Damage observations from the 2011 Tohoku tsunami

*Constance Ting Chua^1,2, Adam Douglas Switzer^1,2, Anawat Suppasri³, Kwanchai Pakoksung³, Linlin Li^2,4, David Lallemant^1,2, Susanna Jenkins^1,2, Amanda Cheong¹ (1. Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, 2. Earth Observatory of Singapore, 3. International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, 4. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore)

Keywords:tsunami, damage, port, disaster

Interest in tsunami damage has gained momentum since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. To date, most studies on tsunami damage are still largely focused upon commercial and residential buildings. The response of critical facilities such as port facilities to tsunami impacts is still poorly understood. Damage fragility functions are usually developed to quantify the response of structures to hazard impacts, as well as to provide damage estimates for future events. In this present study, tsunami damage fragility functions for the port industries identified in the Tohoku region are developed based on observations from the 2011 Great East Japan tsunami. We attempt to quantify observed damage in the Tohoku region through spatial analysis based on satellite imagery and photograph interpretations in the framework of a Geographical Information System (GIS), and examine the potential relationships between tsunami flow characteristics and the damage observed.