National Geographic - Witness Disaster (2012) Part 1 Disaster in Japan

National Geographic presents dramatic images and stories and takes you to the front-line to witness some of the worst natural disasters around the world. Eyewitness accounts and never-before-seen footage reveal the devastation and tragedy caused by deadly earthquake and tsunami, and see what happens inside the heart of a whirling tornado. 'Witness Disaster' uses a range of footage to capture natural disasters as they happen. We use amateur footage, photographs, news reports, raw documentary shots and CCTV footage to piece together the story of each event in a unique and compelling style. Our footage is supported by interviews with those who actually experienced the disaster. They tell the story of what happened, as it happened, from a first hand perspective. These interviews, alongside the footage, allow the viewer to be drawn into the event and gauge what it was like to actually experience it. We use very limited narration, so our stories are told purely through the film that we have gathered and the voice of our interviewees.

Part 1 Disaster in Japan

On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck 75 miles off the northeastern coast of Japan, violently shaking Tokyo more than two hundred miles away. Almost immediately, tsunami warnings blared, urging residents along Japan's coast to move to higher ground. For the next several hours, residents watched in stunned horror as a series of massive waves slammed into the coast, inundating entire towns and laying waste to everything in their path. Throughout, amateur videographers, news crews, government agencies, tourists, and countless others were capturing the sights and sounds of the unfolding catastrophe. Aired just a month after the events took place, Witness Disaster in Japan weaves together this harrowing footage, reconstructing the earthquake and tsunami as they happened, through the eyes of those who experienced them.

Full Version Available Upon Request