Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
Long-Term Recovery from the 2011 Great
East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster
Maki Norio
Abstract
Because 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
fi eld 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 signifi cant 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.
Keywords
Long-term recovery Tohoku earthquake Resettlement
