THE 2011 TSUNAMI AND SCHOOLSIN DAMAGED AREAS－ What We Have Learned Through Regional
Evacuation Activities from the Tsunami Disaster －Runup height of Tsunami : 9m →← Inundation height of Tsunami : 7m

Ohkawa Primary School in Ishinomaki

Kazuoh SEO1) and Takashi ODA2)
Support Center for Revival in Education
Miyagi University of Education
1) kazuohseo@k04.itscom.net , 2) oda.tak@staff.miyakyo-u.ac.jp

Contents of Introduction★ Inundation Height Distribution during the 2011
Tsunami Compared with Those during the 1896& 1933 Tsunamis★ Different Circumstances in Tsunami DisastersSanriku Ria Coast v.s. Sendai Coastal Plain★ A Comparison of School Evacuation Activities
During the 2011 Tsunami Disaster
Successful Cases v.s. Unsuccessful Cases

Inundation Height Distribution during the 2011 Tsunami
Compared with Those during the 1896 & 1933 Tsunamis

height (m)Sanriku Ria Coast

Sendai Coastal Plain

After T. Shibayama (2011.12.25)

Different Circumstancesin Tsunami Disasters

Taro ●
Miyako ●Kamaishi ●Kesennuma ●Sanriku Ria CoastSanriku Ria Coast・ Historic experiences in tsunamis
・ Protection walls against tsunamis
・ Very high inundation and runupheight of tsunamis due to topographical effects of ria coasts

Sendai Coastal Plain・ Poor experience in large tsunamis
・ Pine groves against tidal waves
・ Moderate inundation height of tsunami, but no space for evacuation
except tall buildings

Ishinomaki ●Sendai ●Sendai
CoastalPlain
050100km

Digital Elevation Map Presented by Geospatial
Information Authority of Japan, January 2008

The 2011 Tsunami Disaster in Sendai Coastal Plain

After the local newspaper “Kahoku-Shinpoh”, April 8, 2011

Arahama and Yuriage in Sendai Coastal Plain
Namiwake Shrine●Arahama Primary School●Arahama

Teizan Canal

０Yuriage Primary School●１２ｋｍ

Yuriage Middle School●● Public Hall

Teizan Canal

Yuriage

After Haraguchi and Iwamatsu, Inundation Map of the 2011 Tsunami, October 2011

School Evacuation Activities
Taken During the 2011 Tsunami Disaster
A Typical Successful Case in Sendai Coastal Plain

Arahama Primary School in Sendai City

Arahama primary school was the only tall building in Arahama district. Evacuation
activity was currently made within school children, teachers and residents in this area.
The schoolmaster took the leadership to manage the school building as a temporary
refuge. As results, 320 people were rescued.
After an Action Report made by Sendai City Office, March 2013

Arahama Districtin Sendai City

Arahama Primary School

April 17, 2011

Sept. 2003

After the Photogravure by KahokuShinpoh, March 5, 2012

This photo was taken by a helicopter of the Fire Department, Sendai City Office.

After an Action Report made by Sendai City Office, March 2013

Arahama Primary School

Photo : April 20, 2013

Arahama Primary School

Roof Floor

2nd Floor

1st Floor
2nd Floor

South view

East view

1st Floor

1st Floor

Arahama District from the School

Photo : April 20, 2013

East view

South view

North view

West view

ArahamaPhoto: April 20, 2013

Monument for the Victims

The monument kept remaining
190 names of victims

Simple Questions about Arahama District
Population : 2,709 ( 983 families）[ Data obtained in May 2010]
Deaths : 190 [after the description in the monument]
Refugees evacuated to the primary school, and then rescued;
320 ( Residents : 233, School children : 71, School staffs : 16 )2,709 – 320 – 190 = 2,199 ？
What would happen in the majority of the residents?
How many residents met with the tsunami, and where didthey evacuate? As the tsunami took place in daytime, nota few people might go out at that time.

School Evacuation Activities
Taken During the 2011 Tsunami Disaster
A Typical Unsuccessful Case in Sendai Coastal PlainYuriage Districtin Natori City

April 17, 2011

May 2007

After the Photogravure by KahokuShinpoh, March 5, 2012

A Map Showing People’s Behavior
Through the interviews to 542 people,
they confirmed the behaviors of 2,131
people after the earthquake motion attacked the area. Especially the behaviors of 600 people were precisely traced
for 70 minutes until the tsunami arrived.

The upper figure shows the damage
distribution in Yuriage 2-chome area.
Cover of the publication

Blue : Houses without victims
Yellow : Houses with victims
Red : Houses whole of families were lost

After NHK Special Report Team, A Huge Tsunami, How the people behaved at that time, March 28, 2013

Families

Population

Victims

Rate of Victims

Victims in Yuriage District

Yuriage 1

Why the rate of victims so high?

Yuriage 2
Yuriage 3
Yuriage 4

Legend without basis

Yuriage 5・Teizan Canal will become dry
before a tsunami coming.
・Tsunamis will not across over
Teizan Canal.

Yuriage 6
Yuriage 7

合T o t a l 計

1,826

5,078

689

13.57％

Data Obtained as Families, Population: Feb. 2011, Victims : March 7, 2013

・Only way was to use car radio, but
it didn’t provide enough information.

Yuriage 1
Primary School

Emergency radio system didn’t
work as it was broken becauseof strong shaking.

Middle School
Public Hall

Residents of Yuriage didn’t careabout tsunami at all.

Watergate

Pacific Ocean

Market・They were just talking with theneighbors, or they engaged in clearing broken glasses and ceramics, orput back scattered furniture after thestrong motions.

Residents could not remember
the existence of the monumentof the 1933 tsunami disaster.

A Photogravure by a Resident

Photos by Seishin KOSAI

The author was just arriving Yuriage by bus
when the quake took place. He took as manyas photographs before the tsunami. Such
photographs looked quite important because
the damage due to strong motions could beunderstood very clearly.

Yuriage Primary School in Natori City
March 11, 2011 16:11March 11, 2011 16:02

Photo : July 20, 2013

About 1,000 people had successfully
evacuated to the Yuriage primary school.
The clock in the auditorium shows 14:49,
almost the time when the earthquake
motion had arrived the school.

← Photos by S. Kosai, Aug.15, 2011

Yuriage Middle School

Monument for the tsunami victims

About 800 residents
were evacuated andsaved in the middleschool.
The tsunami attacked here on the half wayof the evacuation activities by the residents.
Many victims appeared in this reason.

Simple Questions about Yuriage District
Population : 5,078 ( 1,826 families）[ Data obtained in Feb. 2010]
Deaths : 689 [after Natori City Office, March 7, 2013]
Refugees evacuated to the public hall, the middle school and theprimary school, then rescued;
1,840 ( Public hall : 40, Middle school : 800, Primary school : 1,000 )5,078 – 689 – 1,840 = 2,549 ？
What would happen in the majority of the residents?
How many residents met with the tsunami, and where did theyevacuate? As the tsunami took place in daytime, not a fewpeople might go out at that time.

Comparison between Arahama and Yuriage districts
both in Sendai coastal plain;
Before, during and after the 2011 tsunami disaster
Evacuation Activities;
Arahama : Training of evacuation actions for tsunami disaster had been tried many times
before the 2011 tsunami. Arahama primary school had also prepared toaccept refugees in advance. Therefore there was no confusion to accept many
refugees during the 2011 tsunami.
Yuriage : There was no preparation against tsunami disaster. As the tsunami was larger
than they had estimated, they tried to change the refuge place on the half wayof evacuation. Not a few refugees had to lose their lives in such condition.
There was 70 minutes from the strong shaking until the tsunami arrived, butthey could not utilize this valuable 70 minutes to save their lives.

Recovery Plans;
Arahama : Sendai city has decided that the coastal area should be prohibited to live. Then
recovery works must be made in distant inland areas. Some of residents havenot agreed yet with this decision made by the local government.
Yuriage : Natori city has shown a recovery plan by lifting up the ground level more than
the inundation height of the tsunami. An objection says, for example, thatvictims are still under the ground without finding.

Subjects still remained;
In both districts, there are disagreements between residents and local governors. Before
the decision making, the local governors should have made negotiation about the recoveryplans. There are so many subjects unsolved up to now.

Additional Examples ofSchool Evacuation Activities
in Ishinomaki Plain

Nobiru Primary School in Higashi-Matsushima CityAs Nobiru Primary School was located 1 km away from the nearest seashore, theschool staffs could not estimate disastrous tsunami. They guided evacuated people
to the gymnasium, not to the upper floors of the school building. It was merely thatthey have just followed the emergency guideline. Unfortunately the 5m tsunami
attacked the school, and many victims of the tsunami were found in the gymnasium.

Photo : June 1, 2013

Daikaido Primary School in Ishinomaki CityA cameraman of KahokuShinpoh, took this aerophoto in the next morning ofthe tsunami. The refugees
expected to be rescued
immediately, because their“SOS” signal was successfully confirmed by a newspaper
plane. Unfortunately therefugees had to wait for ten
days, as the cameraman
couldn’t identify the exact
position of this photo. The
inundation height of thetsunami was about 3m inthis school.
After the local newspaper “Kahoku-Shinpoh”, June 27, 2011

Kadonowaki Primary School in Ishinomaki City

The staffs successfully guided the children uphill behind the school before thetsunami attacked the district. Soon the tsunami arrived there with 7m ininundation height. The tsunami brought the fire, but fortunately as results,
there was no victims in the school building.
Photo : Aug.11, 2011

Another Additional Examples ofSchool Evacuation Activities
in Sanriku Ria Coasts

Togura District in Minani-Sanriku Town

Isuzu Shrine as the evacuation place

Evacuation RouteTogura Primary School already demolishedTogura Primary School was attacked by the tsunami with 20m of inundation height. But theschool children immediately evacuated toward the neighboring shrine and nobody was killed.

[Photo ：July 20, 2013]

Shizugawa Bay

Togura Middle School and Temporal Refuges

Togura Primary School demolishedA view of damaged area from Isuzu Shrine

Monument installed after the 2011 tsunami

Togura Middle School↓Isuzu Shrine

Togura middle school attacked by the tsunami

An old woman kindly told me the detailwhat had happened here at that time.

Temporal refuges prepared in the middle school←inundation levelof the tsunami

Togura middle school on a hill attacked by the tsunami and not a few people were killed.

for Onagawa
公民館跡地？

Central part of Ogatsu town

Ogatsu primary school already demolished

Monument of the 1933 tsunami and damaged town office

The school children evacuated through the shrine

Ogatsu District in Ishinomaki City
According to newspapers, school children in Ogatsu
district evacuated from the tsunami successfully, butalmost nothing remained in the district.
← Monument of the 2011 tsunami and temporal shops[Photo ：July 20, 2013]

Ohkawa Primary School in Ishinomaki City

The school was located along the Kitakami river, but 4km away from the sea. The staffs
could not estimate the possibility of big tsunami, and hesitated quick evacuation. Afterall, the number of victims counted 84 among 119 ( school children; 74 among 108, andteaching staffs; 10 among 11 ).
Photo : June 1, 2013

Ohkawa Primary School
Photo: June 20, 2013

The tsunami lifted the upper floor.

← The both,earthquake motion andtsunami collapsed the structure.

Lessons Learned from the 2011 Tsunami Disaster
The further improvements should be required in the early warning system against tsunami disasters, among JMA, politicians,
local governors, local communities, and individuals.
・ JMA often overestimates the magnitude of tsunamis. The 2011
tsunami was almost an exception that JMA underestimated it.
・ People will not believe tsunami estimation made by JMA.
・ People doesn’t take action based on their own estimation that thetsunami will not be so large, and hesitates the quick evacuation.

School buildings played very important roles as urgent refuges
in Sendai coastal plain during the 2011 tsunami. In these cases,
we need as much as training how to save the evacuation time, andhow to manage the refugees for a week or so without confusion.
In case of Sanriku ria coast, we should not stay in any schoolbuildings. We need to evacuate immediately toward neighboringhigher position. Evacuation route must be prepared and madesure in advance as well as frequent practice.

Thank you very much for your attention !