Tomorrow ・ The Great East Japan Earthquake will be 10 years in 11 days.
What can we do to continue to convey the memories and lessons of the earthquake?
It is the movement of the disaster area on the 10th.
"Handwritten wall newspaper" Special issue of local newspaper <Miyagi Ishinomaki>
Immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake, a local newspaper in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, which continued to report the damage situation in a handwritten wall newspaper, published a special issue for the 10th anniversary of the earthquake and posted a message that it would continue to support the local people.
The Ishinomaki Hibi Shimbun, which publishes evening editions in and around Ishinomaki City, became unable to use rotary presses due to the tsunami caused by the earthquake, and posted handwritten wall newspapers at evacuation shelters for six days to convey information on damage and lifelines. It was.
After that, the rotary press was restored and the issue was resumed to convey the reconstruction of the region and the thoughts of the people.
Then, 11 days after the earthquake, a special issue was published 10 years ago, and it was included in the newspaper on the 10th and delivered to about 8,000 households.
On the cover of the special issue, there is a message that "10 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, we will live here" against the background of photographs of the Minamihama district of Ishinomaki City, which was severely damaged by the tsunami and is being developed as a reconstruction prayer park. It has been done.
After experiencing the earthquake, he thought that he would continue to support the lives of the local people.
The eight-page page contains interview articles with people who lost their families in the earthquake, and describes their feelings for the victims who will not change even after 10 years.
Ishinomaki Hibi Shimbun, Director of the Press, Kenichi Sotodokoro (planning a special issue)
"I feel that 10 years is not the end, but just a passing point. Some elderly people live alone. We will continue to be close to the local people and tell them about the earthquake. "
New reporter at the time "Let's do everything with all our strength"
Yasuhiko Yokoi, a reporter from Ishinomaki Hibi Shimbun, who was involved in the publication of the wall newspaper, was a new reporter about five months after joining the company at that time.
When I was writing a manuscript at the company, an earthquake struck, and while I couldn't use the telephone or electricity, I headed to the flooded Ishinomaki City Hall to get information.
It is said that his family in Onagawa-cho devoted himself to work with despair that he would not have been saved.
Mr. Yokoi said, "While the boxes for the traffic cones and fish were flowing, I stepped on various things and went to the city hall. Anyway, I had to do what I could do. I thought that I could not tell unless someone got the information." I was looking back on those days.
Three days later, I went to Onagawa-cho and reunited with my family.
He felt that information such as damage status and lifelines was indispensable for living in any form.
Mr. Yokoi said, "At that time, there was a murder case, the police were robbed of a pistol, and there was false information and unfounded information. With accurate information, you can live with peace of mind. I found out. "
For the next 10 years, Mr. Yokoi has been focusing on coverage such as handing down the earthquake and disaster prevention to save lives.
In this special issue, I was in charge of an article about the thoughts of a father who lost his daughter at Okawa Elementary School, where a total of 84 children and faculty members were killed.
Mr. Yokoi wants to continue to convey the voice of the bereaved family even after 10 years have passed since the earthquake.
Mr. Yokoi said, "I will continue to convey the feelings of the bereaved family that I do not want to make similar sacrifices again. There were many people who could not live even if they wanted to live, so I will do everything I can." I was talking.
“Tsunami lessons learned” Cherry tree planting <Iwate Rikuzentakata>
In Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, volunteers participated and planted cherry blossoms in the place where the tsunami rushed to convey the lessons learned from the tsunami.
Rikuzentakata City's NPO "Sakura Line 311" has been soliciting volunteers to plant cherry trees 10 years before the earthquake to convey the horror of the tsunami and the importance of evacuation.
On the 10th, 10 employees of an affiliated company of vending machines in the prefecture participated, and after offering silence to the sea, they dug a hole with a shovel and planted 7 cherry saplings about 3 meters high. ..
The NPO plans to plant 17,000 cherry trees at 10-meter intervals in areas flooded by the tsunami over 20 years, and 1800 trees have been planted so far.
Last year, due to the influence of the new coronavirus, we were forced to temporarily stop planting trees, but it means that we resumed activities in November last year.
The man who participated said, "I planted each plant while checking the weight."
"Sakura Line 311" Representative Director Shouma Okamoto
"I want as many people as possible to be prepared and aware of the tsunami through this activity."
Experience of the earthquake To prepare for the next
1. Paint the height of the tsunami Communicate the importance of evacuation <Iwate Kamaishi>
In Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, students painted the stairs leading to the junior high school in the tsunami shelter to show the actual height of the tsunami.
Ten years ago, a tsunami about 11 meters high struck the Unosumai district of Kamaishi City, where Kamaishi Higashi Junior High School is located.
Since the school has been designated as an emergency evacuation site for the tsunami, the students decided to discuss ways to encourage evacuation in class and provide evacuation guidelines on the stairs leading to the school.
On the 10th, 26 second graders gathered on the stairs and painted orange paint at a point 11 meters above sea level, which is the same height as the tsunami that actually rushed in.
At first, the students were thinking of painting with blue paint, but
▽ it was hard to see when evacuating at night
▽ because there was an opinion that it would be confused with the green color of the mountain behind the school, it was
orange. It means that I decided to paint it in color.
A second-year girl said, "Reconstruction is not over yet. I want to convey the importance of evacuation to those who have never experienced a tsunami."
Students will also install a signboard near the stairs in Japanese and English calling for evacuation by the end of this month.
2. Elementary school students Learn to prepare for disasters <Sendai / Kobe>
A class was held to connect elementary schools in Sendai City and Kobe City, which experienced a major earthquake, online so that children could learn how to prepare for a disaster.
The students who connected online and gave lessons were the 4th graders of Minamizaimokucho Elementary School in Sendai City and Seitoku Elementary School in Nada Ward, Kobe City. Started last year.
This was the third time, and elementary school students in Sendai City investigated the situation of schools and areas when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck in advance and introduced them to elementary school students in Kobe City.
He announced that "preparation for disasters is important, and it is necessary to support and help each other with the people around us."
Ayano Niitsuma (22), who was born in Sendai City and is currently studying disaster prevention education at a university in Kobe City, also participated in the class.
Looking back on the experience of the Great East Japan Earthquake when he was in the sixth grade of elementary school, Mr. Niizuma said, "I want you to tell someone what you have learned this time. That will save the lives of others." I called on the children.
"Hometown to be reconstructed" <Fukushima Tomioka Town>
In Tomioka Town, Fukushima Prefecture, an observatory constructed by locals has been completed in order to make it a place of relaxation for the affected people to see the current townscape.
The observatory was built by Yukiteru Mika (79) from Tomioka Town.
The observatory completed in front of Mr. Mika's house is a two-story wooden structure with a height of about 6 meters, and you can see the Pacific Ocean, Tomioka fishing port, and the streets around JR Tomioka station.
Also, with the wish that "a disaster will never occur again", we asked Mr. Naha's birthplace, Okinawa Prefecture, to provide the tiles left behind by the fire at Shuri Castle and make them part of the roof. In addition, a shisa that protects against evil is also displayed.
Mr. Mika has been an executive of a company in Tomioka Town that maintains and manages the instruments of the nuclear power plant for many years, but he himself evacuated to Iwaki City due to the nuclear accident and wanted to help Tomioka Town as much as possible. It means that we decided to maintain it.
Most of the evacuation orders issued to the entire area of Tomioka Town were lifted four years ago, but as of the 1st of this month, about one-tenth of the pre-earthquake population is living back in the town. I'm staying at.
Mr. Mika said, "Many people can't come back, but when they come back temporarily, such as by visiting a grave, it would be a relaxing place to see the hometown where they can recover with a calm feeling." I did.