It's like a "potsun and a house" -a group relocation after the earthquake-March 1, 15:59

The Great East Japan Earthquake, in which more than 400,000 houses were completely destroyed.

Ten years after that, the government says that housing development in the disaster area has been almost completed.

In order to rebuild the house, group relocation to higher ground was promoted in more than 300 districts centered on Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima.

But now, something unexpected is happening in some areas.

I interviewed the site.

(Sendai Broadcasting Station Reporter Keisuke Sato Yugo Takagaki)

It's like a "pot and a house"

Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, killed nearly 3,700 people, the largest municipality in the Great East Japan Earthquake.

One of the heavily damaged areas is the Ogatsu area on the peninsula, which juts out into the sea.

In this area, residential land for 193 units has been developed in 16 locations by group relocation.

Here are Mr. and Mrs. Katsuo Kimura (60) and Mr. Reiko (60) who are cultivating oysters.

Four years ago, I returned to a new residential land in the area.

Mr. Kimura's house is located in a residential area completed on a hill by group relocation.

Initially, 6 units were planned to be built in this section, and it was constructed at a cost of over 400 million yen.

However, now, the life of Mr. and Mrs. Kimura alone has continued for a long time.

Mr. Katsuo Kimura

"Before the earthquake, I used to talk and drink tea when I met my neighbors by the side of the road, but they all fell apart after the earthquake."

While rebuilding a safe home

Why didn't the inhabitants come back?

Mr. Kimura's house was constructed by a post-disaster housing reconstruction plan called "Disaster Prevention Group Relocation Project".

In this project, the local government will first purchase land in areas that cannot be lived due to a disaster such as a tsunami, and limit the construction of new housing.

Then, we will improve the residential land on high ground, subsidize the purchase of land and the construction cost of housing, and encourage the relocation of the affected people.

In the Great East Japan Earthquake, the project cost was more than 550 billion yen, and about 8,400 units were constructed in 328 districts centered on Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima.

Ishinomaki City, which was severely damaged by the earthquake, decided to relocate to a higher ground in principle in order to develop a safe home that would not be hit by the tsunami again.

However, it takes a lot of time to get the residents' understanding of land development and relocation.

The city initially planned to finish its business in three years, but it took nearly seven years after the earthquake to build houses in all districts.

Former Ishinomaki City Earthquake Reconstruction Department Manager Masatoshi Hoshi

"The people affected by the disaster also wanted to live again where they were accustomed to living, so I wanted to move to higher ground in the original area as much as possible. However, the problem is time. If you want a high place, you have to open up a mountain. If you can shorten the time from the earthquake to the reconstruction, you may have responded to the mass relocation. "

There was a reality that even if the residents wanted to return, they could not.

As the "disaster prevention group relocation project" has been prolonged, there are places where many people affected by the disaster have moved.

Futago, Ishinomaki City, located in the inland area about 20 km away from the Ogatsu area.

There is a housing complex where disaster public housing is built, and about 400 households live here.

Kenichi Yamashita (73), one of the residents and chairman of the neighborhood, has lived in the Ogatsu area until the earthquake.

At first, many residents, including Mr. Yamashita, wanted to return to the familiar Ogatsu.

Kenichi Yamashita

"The sea is in front of us and the mountains are behind us. We grew up thinking that it was the best place for us because of the blessings of nature."

However, there are commercial facilities such as a roadside station and a large hospital near the housing complex where Mr. Yamashita lives.

It is said that the residents are aging and their intentions to rebuild their homes have changed as they lived in convenient places.

Kenichi Yamashita

"The hospital can be reached in about 7 minutes, and then in the city in about 10 minutes. The most convenient thing for life is that there are many elderly people."

Accelerating “marginal settlement”

Ogatsu area where group relocation did not proceed as planned.

Before the earthquake, about 4000 people lived, but now it is a quarter.

Due to the rapid decrease in the population, the number of route buses has been reduced in some areas, and the survival of the region has been jeopardized.

Experts involved in community development in the disaster-stricken areas such as Ishinomaki City point out that the government and residents may have needed to communicate more closely with each other regarding the reconstruction of their homes.

Professor Michio Maura, Graduate School of Tohoku University

"The important thing is to understand how long it will take for the disaster prevention group relocation project at the earliest possible stage, and to provide it to those who wish to relocate quickly and in detail. It is important to have a polite process to proceed with the reconstruction of the house in the way that both the government and the residents want. In addition, to make it a safe place even before the disaster. I think it is a lesson to think about reconstruction measures in advance, such as relocating a house. "

To hometown regeneration!

Young people who stood up

The Ogatsu area has declined due to a large decrease in the population.

Young people are starting to move to regenerate their hometown.

This is Akinari Abe (32), who studies community development at Tohoku University.

My parents' house in Ogatsu was washed away by the tsunami and once left my hometown, but now I live in my hometown.

When Mr. Abe interviewed the residents in his research, he said that he felt more divided than the decline of the area.

While those who remained in the area had mixed feelings toward the residents who left the area, there was a dilemma that those who left the area were not actively involved in their hometown because of their guilt.

Mr. Akinari Abe

"The emotions of the people affected by the disaster are still severely hurt and have fallen apart. While the townscape has been improved in the last 10 years, it is important to regain the connection and regenerate the mind. I feel that the future is the start. "

How will we regain the connection of the residents?

One of the possibilities that Mr. Abe feels is the traditional performing arts and events of the region.

In the Ogatsu area before the earthquake, the sounds of flutes and drums always resonate during the New Year, and it is said that many people have experienced taiko as a child.

After many discussions with young people who became involved in Ogatsu as volunteers after the earthquake, if you place the drum in the center of the town and disseminate its charm, you can attract people not only from the local residents but also from the outside. I think it might be.

Mr. Akinari Abe

"If you do nothing as it is, the area will only decline. As the support of the government shrinks, not only will the residents regain their ties, but the residents will think and act on their own to create new ones. I think attitude will be essential. "

It has been pointed out that the reconstruction of housing has not progressed as expected, and that the region is declining not only in the Ogatsu area.

It has been 10 years since the earthquake.

I would like to expect young power like Mr. Abe who will support the progress of the disaster area in the future.

Sendai Broadcasting Station Ishinomaki Branch Reporter

Keisuke Sato

Joined the

station in

2016 In

addition to the earthquake and fisheries,

we also interview foreigners who are

good at English.

Sendai Broadcasting Station Reporter

Yugo Takagaki Joined in

2014

After working at Yamaguchi Station and Akita Station,

covered a wide range of

topics

centered on the

Sendai Station

economy.