Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
high schools. To furnish relevant support, it is necessary to understand needs in the
affected areas. The authors received a budget for emergent research programs on the
Great East Japan Disaster, under the theme “The Clinical Approach for Developing
Support Measures for Geography Classes During the Rehabilitation and
Reconstruction Process after the Great East Japan Disaster
1
” given by the Tokyo
Geographical Society (TGS). The research was led by the authors, who began by
collecting information about affected schools with assistance from teachers in these
areas. Field surveys were conducted whereby the authors visited the affected sites
in May, June, and September 2011. Observations at the schools showed that each
area learned from previous tsunami disaster and they had protective defences
already in place. For example, regular practice drills at schools to construction of
tall wall around villages are common. For example, many schools in the Sanriku
coastal area are on hills. Given the physical geography, many students and teachers
were able to escape the tsunami by going to higher elevation; however, schools in
lowlands were the most affected.
20.3.2
Damage to Schools
Schools impacted by the tsunami were identifi ed using the tsunami inundation area
map developed by the tsunami damage mapping team. Figure
20.3
maps the tsunami-
affected schools and the nuclear power plant accident in Fukushima Prefecture.
The total number of affected schools was 101 in 34 municipalities (65 elementary, 25
junior high, and 11 senior high schools). Damage by geography comes to 30 schools
in Iwate Prefecture (20 elementary, 7 junior high, and 3 senior high schools), 64 in
Miyagi Prefecture (41 elementary, 16 junior high, and 7 senior high schools), and 7 in
Fukushima Prefecture (4 elementary, 2 junior high, and 1 senior high school).
Damages were especially severe in the plain areas, such as Ishinomaki and Sendai
City (Fig.
20.3
). Of the estimated 617 students who perished across Iwate, Miyagi,
and Fukushima prefectures in the Tohoku region, Miyagi lost 430, or 70 % of the total
student population. It was confi rmed that many municipalities and schools were to be
supported in these three prefectures. Schools in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures have
reopened despite a loss of teaching materials. Restoration of schools is progressing,
but those within the evacuation zone in Fukushima Prefecture remain closed. Satellite
schools temporarily replaced the evacuated high schools. However, most elementary
and junior high schools could not continue and function normally, because residents
and students had voluntarily left the region. Almost 2 years after the earthquake disaster,
the low student population has not changed.
Huge seawalls had been constructed at great fi nancial expense in the Sanriku
coastal area before the disaster. Those seawalls were supposed to protect schools in
1
The program team includes K. Yamagata (head), T. Shimura, Y. Umetsu (Miyagi Prefecture
Sendai Minami High School), T. Hanzawa (Iwate Prefectural Board of Education), H. Nagaike
(Fukushima Prefectural Futaba High School).
