Long-Term Recovery from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster - Post-Tsunami Hazard: Reconstruction and Restoration - page 11

houses in the low land were damaged in the EJED. An interesting feature of Aikawa
is that the bus stop is still named “resettlement site”.

1.3.5 Major Damage to Resettlement Sites

Some resettlement sites from the Showa recover plan, even those on higher ground,
suffered devastating damage. Figure 1.4 shows the recovery projects and damage
from the EJED. Ryoishi in Kamaishi (Fig. 1.5 left), Urahama in Okirai, Oofunato,
Tanigawa in Ojika, and Ishinomaki correspond to this damage type. Run up height
from the EJED at Ryoishi was 21.2 m, though that from the 1933 Syowa was 9.5 m.
(Iwate Prefecture). Moreover, neither the mound nor the sea wall for tsunami pro-
tection after the Showa Tsunami Disaster in Osabe in Rikuzentakada (Fig. 1.5 right)
could save the community. The tsunami of the EJED greatly exceeded the height of
Meiji and Showa Disasters in these communities.

1.3.6 Recovery Plan for the Showa Resettlements

Many recovering communities from the Showa Tsunami also suffered from the
2011 tsunami. In particular, expansion areas to lower land from the original resettle-
ment sites sustained severe damage. After the EJED, new resettlement sites on
higher ground are planned in many communities. For example, Onappe and Kirikiri
have opted to create mounds to raise the elevation.
There are two issues regarding resettlement projects for the 2011 tsunami
recovery. One is the scale of the resettlement sites. Five parcels are a minimum size
of the resettlement site. The way towards recovery is based on individual decisions
taken by each family and not the community. Consequently, the EJED newly devel-
oped small-scale resettlements are scattered around the area (Fig. 1.6 ). However,

Fig. 1.5 Showa Resettlement suffered devastating damage. ( a ) Ryoishi, Kamaishi, Iwate;
( b ) Osabe, Rikuzentakada, Iwate (Source: City of Oofunato)