Pre-tsunami Japan: 2010

Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture

Minamisanriku (population ~ 18,000) is an important fishing (silver salmon) and aquaculture (scallops and oysters) township. Historic tsunamis that have impacted Minamisanriku were the 1960 Chilean and 1896 Meiji-Sanriku events. The town lies at the northwest corner of an east-west trending boxed-shaped embayment.

The township was severely impacted by the March 11 tsunami as shown in this vertical aerial photograph (below; see a larger version; photo courtesy of Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, GSI).
A traditional Moai statue from Chile (Easter Island/Rapa Nui) was donated to the people of Minamisanriku at the 30 year anniversary of the 1960 Chile tsunami which caused hundreds of deaths in the township. Arrow shows location of statue. [For larger version, click each photo]
Automatic tide gates were installed around the city to control the flow of water during inundation events. [Larger version]	Sign at the automatic tide gate. [Larger version]
Aquaculture is an important industry in the waters off Minamisanriku. [Larger version]	Much of the township is low-lying on a fluvial plain protected by canals. [Larger version]
Vertical evacuation in the event of a tsunami is achieved through structures designed to withstand earthquake shaking. [Larger version]	The sites shown in the photos on this page appear to have been heavily damaged by the March 11 tsunami. [Larger version] Photo courtesy of Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI).

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