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Magnitude 6.1 earthquake with tsunami warning rattles Japan – all CMAT and IMAT Team members reported safe.

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CMAT Paramedic Martin Metz conducts a search and recovery in Onagawa, about 15km east of Ishinomaki.

CMAT Paramedic Martin Metz conducts a search and recovery in Onagawa, about 15km east of Ishinomaki.

Sunday, March 27, 2011 – A magnitude-6.1 earthquake shook eastern Japan off the quake-ravaged coast on Monday morning, prompting Japan to issue a tsunami alert. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but the Japan Meteorological Agency announced that a tsunami of up to 1.6 feet (a half meter) may wash into Miyagi Prefecture. The tsunami alert was localized to Japan. The alert was prompted by a quake that the U.S. Geological Survey measured at 7:23 a.m. Monday Japan time near the east coast of Honshu. The USGS said the quake was 3.7 miles (5.9 kilometres) deep.

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CMAT Japan Deployment: March 26 update

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CMAT physician Dr. Carl Jarvis, and paramedic Martin Metz assess and treat patients in an evacuation centre near Ishnomaki.

CMAT physician Dr. Carl Jarvis, and paramedic Martin Metz assess and treat patients in an evacuation centre near Ishnomaki.

Saturday, March 26, 2011 – Ishinomaki, Miyagi, Japan- The CMAT Medical Team has had a busy last few days. The team has been splitting into smaller groups of 4 to 5 individuals, and surveying the city of Ishinomaki and outlying coastal villages within a 30km radius.

Yesterday, a 5-member strike team collaborated with the Japanese military in the coastal town of Onagawa, approximately 15km east of Ishinomaki. The team was asked to assist with the search and recovery of victims in this small community which was flattened by the tsunami. Working their way through broken homes, rubble and bamboo forests, the team reported that in this area the waves were well over 100 feet high and deposited debris into the branches of tall trees. Of the estimated 15,000 people who lived in this community before the tsunami, only about 300 survived the disaster, and are now being housed in an evacuation centre on higher ground.

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CMAT Japan Deployment: Team update

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CMAT Team Leader David Johnson, and IMAT Executive Director Chris Tompkins walk through the devastated town of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture.

CMAT Team Leader David Johnson, and IMAT Executive Director Chris Tompkins walk through the devastated town of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011: The team which left Vancouver yesterday has arrived in Tokyo. They were met by our kind drivers, and taken into the city for the night, to prepare for their six-hour drive north to Miyagi prefecture in the morning.

Dr. Jarvis’ Geiger counter (ionizing radiation detector) has found that the level of radiation in the air in Tokyo is even less than that in Halifax!

The highways to Tokyo are bottlenecked with travellers, and at times, only military vehicles and those with special permits may travel. Securing these special permits has proven challenging, but not impossible.

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CMAT prepares for deployment of its Field Hospital Tuesday to disaster ravaged Japan.

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CMAT Director, Bill Coltart receives up to date information on the developing situation in Japan.

CMAT Director, Bill Coltart receives up to date information on the developing situation in Japan.

Sunday, March 20, 2011 – The CMAT Rapid Assessment Team has been working tirelessly since its return from Tokyo a few days ago, and has been monitoring the situation in Japan where a large 9.0 earthquake and tsunami last week devastated coastal cities and infrastructure. We have also been following the ensuing crisis with destroyed power plants, and have been keeping updated through international partners, colleagues, and other governmental sources.

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