What is Higashi Matsushima Reconstruction Town Development Plan?

SL-13000 crane at work building the belt conveyor

Higashi Matsushima Reconstruction Town Development Plan, which is already under way, will move the tsunami-wracked areas to Nobiru North Hill, Higashi Yamoto Station Kita, and other higher areas, then use the spoil from construction to reclaim flatlands. The flat areas along the seashore in Nobiru were hit hardest by the tsunami in terms of human lives and destroyed structures. Even if the seacoast protection structures were measurably reinforced, planners think it would be very difficult to guarantee complete protection of human life in the event of a comparable tsunami. Within the area are several small hills, but they don’t provide enough escape places to accommodate the entire area south of the Touna Canal. So planners are urging residents in the area to move their entire community to higher ground. Of course, the plan takes into account people like fishermen, who depend on the ocean for their living, and strives to provide them with livable choices. Plans are going ahead to move residential areas, build inland dikes, create drainage systems, and provide ample emergency escape areas.

Landfill work north of Higashi Yamoto Station, where new residential areas will be built

The plan to move residential areas is a massive one, including some 91.5 hectares, 488 homes, and about 1,370 residents. The planners say they will build a compact residential area around the JR Sengoku Line, and that the renewal area will be scenic with an environmental-friendly and plenty of -support facilities. The plan reflects the concerns of citizens as expressed in town meetings, reconstruction planning meetings, and others. It also relies on input from professionals in the Experts Committee for the City Reconstruction Plan, along with other ideas and suggestions. Once the residential areas are moved to safer high ground or inland westward, planners can go ahead with building residential areas that will be safe far into the future. That’s the objective. Another important project is rebuilding the JR Sengoku Line where it goes through the Nobiru area, as it was most severely damaged there. Railways are lifelines, and rebuilding this lifeline as quickly as possible is vital to the recovery of the communities along the railway.

The residential areas will be moved to the southwest area of Higashi Matsushima and to a hilly area that overlooks Matsushima, a scenic site on Japan’s Pacific coast. Here, a safe, comfortable residential and business area will be built to replace destroyed homes, public facilities, and the JR Sengoku Line, and people will be allowed to move in as soon as possible.

*Reference: The Higashi Matsushima Reconstruction Town Development Plan