Community recovery of Tohoku
disaster hit area and recovery
supports from outside
Yoshiteru MUROSAKI
Kwansei Gakuin University

1. Outline of the Disaster

Characteristics of the destruction
 The following characteristics

appear when we consider theearthquake disaster from aviewpoint of the recovery of thestricken area.
 （１）Wide area
Damage occurred widely. The
inundation area of the tsunami is
550 square kilometers.
 （２）Compound
Various damage like as a nuclear
plant accident and rumors
damage occurred like a chain
reaction.

Characteristics of the loss（３）Bankruptcy
They lost everything. They
lost not only the building
and the property but also
the work and the land.
Many people lose theirhometown for radioactivity
and subsidence.
（４）Function paralysis
In the local government ofstricken area, the building
was broken, and the staff
died, too.
In some governments, 2025% of staffs died．

The number of dead people Dead

１５，９６０ person （ ６，４３４）
 Missing
４，００４ person （３） Injured
６，１１０ person （４７，７９２）
ｂｌｕｅ letter・・Kobe earthquake 1995
In addition, more than 2,000 people died for the diseases
in conjunction with the earthquake disaster.
In the local government where the damage isthe heaviest, the death rate of inhabitants is10%, and the death rate of administrative staffs
is 25%.

2. Situation of the support

Outline of the support
 In the Tohoku disaster, the largest support iscarried out in history. However, there was little
number of general volunteers, and, in addition to arange of the damage being wide, the support wasnot enough.
(1) The Self-Defense Forces supported total of 1
million scales.
(2) The emergency relief team of the firefighting morethan 4,000 rushed on the next day.
(3) Local government staff of 10 times in the case of
the Kobe earthquake rushed to the support.
(4) There was the support from the overseas country
more than 50.

Confusion and blank of the support
Because it was an inexperienced large-scale disaster,
the support did not succeed.
 During one week, "the blank of the thing" that
medicine and water necessary to live did not comewas born, and during one month ,"the blank of theperson" that the volunteer who snuggled up to a
victim did not come to was born.
 The blank of the support
was dripped by the stoppageof the information that atelephone was not usable.
In addition, it was broughtby lack of the gasoline not tobe able to move a car.
The number of volunteers per day(comparison with the Kobe earthquake)

Delay of the relief and recovery
 By the support, sense of speed and scale werelacked.
 These delay of the support increased the painsof the victim.
 In the situation ofearthquake disaster
three months, removalof debris were 20％,the cancellation of therefuge were 30%.

3.Process of Recovery

Stages of community recovery
 The stage of the community recovery after

disaster is composed by a stage of the refuge（quick recovery), a stage of the temporary
residence （short-term recovery) and a stage ofthe permanent residence （long-term recovery).
１• Stage of the urgent refuge・・ｓｃｈｏｏｌ ｅｔｃ．
• Stage of the satable refuge・・ｈｏｔｅｌ ｅｔｃ．

２

• Entering to a temporary house• The use of the unoccupied house３• Home construction• Entering to a public housing

Stage of the refuge At a peak , the refuge which

exceeded 2,000 was installed, andthe refugee more than 400,000
entered.
 The refuge has which many
problems that a meal ispoor and privacy is poor.
Therefore , it is not theplace where they should
live for a long term.
 Many people gave up
living in the refuge andcame back to the risky
broken home.

Stage of the temporary residence About 100,000 households of people became able to

finally live in the temporary house after anearthquake disaster in a half year. However, 50,000
households of people still live in the refuges
outside of their hometown.
 The temporary housing complex has a lot ofproblems to be hard to make community and to beinconvenient for shopping and going to hospital.
 As a result, people shutting itself up in a houseincrease. There is a loneliness death trap.
 The action of the farm labor and the action of thetemporary store are carried out by the volunteer.

The situation of the temporary housing

Stage of the permanent residence The development of the revival plan is late,and one permanent house is not built.
 The move to the hill are planned to ensure
the security from a tsunami. However, it is
not concluded that it costs much for a moveand appropriate places are lacked.
It is not preferable toseparate the workplace
and residence.

4.Roadmap for Community Recovery

Principle to recovery Ⅰ （１） We solve the social distortion such as

aaged society problem or a medical depopulated
problem that became clear by the disaster.
 （２） The solution to a variety of problems areplanned comprehensively. We must consider
not only the safety but also the convenienceand the comfort.
 （３） In a recovery plan, we must make thoughtof the each victim dream. A process tosummarize the opinion and hope of all isimportant.

Principle to recovery Ⅱ （４） It must be a thing drawing theindependence and the spirit of the stricken
area. The support is not a thing to give and athing to draw.
 （５） We must keep it in mind for environmental
much of industrial reproduction
symbiosis makewithnature. We aim at sustained
community and the compact city.
 （６） We value memory of the history andtraditional culture in the area.
 （７） We make much of industrial reproduction
and community business.

Principle to recovery Ⅲ
We perform the final act of the connection
with the person to be similar. We try forcontinuation of the community.

 （８）