Long-Term Recovery from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster

Abstract

AbstractBecause national and local governments completed the Recovery Planning process for the areas impacted by the East Japan Earthquake Disaster in 2011, the recovery phase is currently being implemented. The physical recovery of the tsunami-impacted areas considers policies related to land use changes and the relocation of affected people. Due to the periodic tsunamis in the Tohoku area, part of the recovery process is relocating people from tsunami-prone areas. Land use regulations in coastal areas and people’s resettlement to higher ground are usually discussed after each tsunami disaster. However, these policies usually fail because people return to vulnerable areas. This paper discusses the damage suffered from the East Japan Earthquake Disaster in the resettlement areas from the Meiji (1896) and Showa (1933) Sanriku Tsunami disaster based on historical documentation and field survey undertaken in 2011. Four types of damage patterns emerged: (1) No damage: Aneyosi, a well-known location where a stone-monument indicates that villagers should not live below the site, did not sustain damage despite of highest tsunami inundation. (2) Slight damage: Some resettlement sites of the Meiji tsunami, which remained on higher ground, did not suffer major damages. (3) Severely damaged low lands: Resettlements where the community expanded to low land areas sustained significant damage. (4) Major damage: Some sections of the Showa resettlements were badly damaged due to the unexpected scale of the tsunami.Issues related to recovery after a disaster are discussed based on studies conducted at the Showa resettlement site.KeywordsLong-term recoveryTohoku earthquakeResettlement