Hrant Avanesyan: Japan quake put a strain on Armenians

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Japanese quake-tsunami put a strain on Armenians, a psychologist said.

“The number of people in need of psychological assistance has increased recently,” Hrant Avanesyan told a news conference in Yerevan on March 24. “People have different hidden phobias which can show after incidents or calamities.”

Asked how long it can take to overcome the flashback, he said rehabilitation may last for several months or even years. “People, who survived an earthquake need constant attention and care,” he said.

On March 11, 2011, at 14:46 JST, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake (according to the Japan Meteorological Agency) struck 81 miles east of the city of Sendai on the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan and set off a tsunami that swept some coastal villages out to sea and caused major damage along the coast. The earthquake also damaged nuclear power plants in the region. Presently, workers battle to staunch radiation leaks, almost two weeks after it was disabled by an earthquake and tsunami, but some experts saw signs of the crisis being brought under control.

This was the fifth most powerful earthquake in the past century and the most powerful on record in Japan. Some Japanese media reports suggest the death toll could soon surpass 25,000. Prime Minister Naoto Kan called this the worst crisis Japan has faced since the end of World War II.