8/10/2023 0 Comments Miki endo your name![]() ![]() I’m glad we made the trip and I know the boys are a bit more grounded because of it.The remnants of the Crisis Management Department Building where Miki Endo was swept away by the tsunami. It was humbling to see a part of an entire country that was washed away and I felt powerless to make a real impact -mostly because I don’t think the town knows where to begin the rebuilding process. We also heard tales from local fisherman who longed for traditions of days past to be handed down to the next generation and sensing their fear that it will never happen because of the events on March 11th. In the short amount of time we were there, we heard stories of heroism like that of 25 year old Miki Endo who’s voice was on the town loud speaker pleading for people to go to the mountains – right up to the time that the wave came crashing through the Emergency Management Office and swept her away. I’m not sure that they really understood the purpose of our efforts, but the fact that they contributed and took pride in what they were doing, let me know we are doing something right in how we are raising them. I was proud of my kids not complaining about the heat, pulling weeds in between potato crops, and harvesting cabbage for residents. The houses look like tin tool sheds that are poorly insulated and not meant to be a 3 year shelter for anyone.įeeling a bit helpless (sprinkled with a little bit of shame for how good my family has it), I was glad to visit the community farm and try to do something for those that are stuck in the temporary housing communities. Each temporary unit having only 2 rooms total and accommodating 3 to 6 people per “house”. There are still 240 temporary housing units filled with families that are accustomed to living 3 generations to a household on a large plot of land working a farm or running a business.Sadly, ‘fear’ is a powerful motivator and the town is split 50/50 on the decision. ![]() The city must vote on whether or not to build an 8 meter high sea wall in the bay blocking the view of the ocean (which previous to the tragedy was a big draw for tourism), and could negatively impact the oyster and seaweed farms in the area.You will see from the pictures that all around the area there are dozers piling up dirt to get to this level. All buildings must be built on land that is 10 meters higher than the current level.So if you don’t have enough capital to build your home on top of your business, you will need to find an alternate place to live. Only commercial properties will be able to rebuild within the valley that was affected by the tsunami.From what I gathered, some of the decisions include: ![]() But with a task of this magnitude you can imagine how many meetings that would take. I found out quickly that Japanese like to make decisions through consensus and will have meeting after meeting in order to achieve getting everyone on board. Our guide then talked about the process of planning the rebuild – something I was all too familiar with through my time in Tokyo. I wondered why not much progress has been made in three years since the tsunami, and then they explained that it took almost 2 years to simply clean up all of the debris. They left these frames as a remembrance of the tragedy and a place people can come pay tribute to on the anniversary of March 11th. The only two structures really visible are the dilapidated remains of the Emergency Management Office and the Town Hall where they held celebrations and large group events. We started our tour of the city which is basically just a huge empty plot of land. I wasn’t sure what to expect 3 years removed from that devastating event – and I sit here today trying to express the vastness of issues I witnessed, faced by a city that essentially no longer exists and is trying to recreate itself. 95% of the buildings washed away and thousands of residents died in a battering of waves that towered over 15 meters high (50 feet). Minamisanriku-cho was the hardest hit area from the 2011 tsunami. This past weekend we joined the Community Services group from the boy’s school to go visit Minamisanriku. Show how some places go through hardships and how the life they have shouldn’t be taken for granted. We wanted to create an awareness of how much is out there and open their eyes to a myriad of possibilities. Part of our decision to take on this experience was to expose the boys to an entirely different world from the one they knew.
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