Great East Japan Earthquake 3.11.11
by Miho Hatanaka (’15 SH)
It has been 4 years since a disastrous earthquake hit in Northeast Japan. On Friday, March 11th, 2011 a magnitude 9 earthquake struck offshore of Japan around 2:45pm, shaking the grounds of Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures. Soon after multiple tsunami hit the coastline of Japan which caused the devastating nuclear meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Still people are suffering from this terrifying incident. Recovery from the earthquake is slow and people are still living in the temporary housing that was built at the time of the disaster.
Last December, I visited Japan and joined a disaster relief organization called “United Earth”. They are Japan’s nationwide non-profit organization working on disaster relief projects. I joined their volunteer program in the town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi prefecture.
The town experienced the earthquake but moreover, most sever destruction was caused by tsunami. Tsunami that were 52 feet high swept the town within just a few minutes.
During my volunteer service, I was responsible for distributing Christmas Sale fliers for the one-and-only shopping mall in town to the residents of temporary housing. There are 58 temporary housing sites in the town and about 2,200 houses in total. I was assigned to distribute fliers in 18 sites by the bay. It seems like a small task but with decreasing population day-by-day, businesses in Minamisanriku need any help that they can find.
The volunteer coordinator, Nozomi is a victim of the earthquake, and she shared many stories during my time at Minamisanriku. I learned that people are still living in the town because of their affection toward the land and the community. Their motto “living together with the nature” encouraged me and inspired me to help them build a strong community once again.
Since all the ground that was affected by tsunami must be raised, the recovery of the town is very slow. No buildings can be built until all the grounds are raised; therefore, people living in the town are experiencing inconvenience, living without supermarkets or hospitals.
It has been my wish to visit the disaster site since 2011, and it was a great experience to volunteer last year. I was able to help and talk with people who are living in the town, looking in the past and sharing dreams about their future. I hope to visit Minamisanriku again in the future.