Introduction Dear Reader, On March 3*+ 2011, over 3 years ago, the city of Rikuzentakata was hit by a devastating tsunami. According to Reuters, almost 20,000 people were killed in the entirety of Tohoku. According to Dr. Peter Matanle from the University of ShefJield in his Presentation about the Tsunami, 1,691 of a total former population of around 24,000 died in Rikuzentakata. Additionally, 3,159 buildings in Rikuzentakata were entirely destroyed. This graphic novel doesn’t deal with a Human Rights Violation, but rather with Human Rights issues or concerns caused by the tsunami that the local and central Government of Japan had or still has to Jix. Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR) states that all humans have “the right to social security” and are “entitled to [its] realization, through national effort and international co-‐operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State.” After the Tsunami, the city of Rikuzentakata received aid from all over Japan and elsewhere in the world. However, the appropriate allocation of this huge amount of aid was very difJicult. Mr. Toba, the Mayor of Rikuzentakata, who got elected for ofJice only 3 weeks before the Tsunami, states that one of the biggest challenges of the aftermath was the fair allocation of aid, for both the local and the central government. Since building new apartments and infrastructure takes a lot of money as well as time, many citizens have to wait for aid a lot longer than others; the gap in between the Jirst and the last to receive new, permanent housing will be almost 8 years. The central government has the same issue, just on a bigger scale: there were so many prefectures and towns that needed immediate aid that some had to wait signiJicantly longer than others. Even for the International Red Cross, it took several weeks to only come up with a ‘fair’ plan for the allocation of donations. Article 24 states that “everyone has the right to rest and leisure.” After the tsunami, many people whose homes got washed away in the tsunami were moved into temporary houses, which are usually small, metal containers built on former playgrounds, school Jields and other public areas. Today, over 3 years after the disaster, PACT, a local volunteer organization, states that about 80% of those that moved into temporary housing still remain there. Due to the thin, metal walls, and the great amount of children in the temporary housing complexes, it is very difJicult to Jind a time to truly rest. However, the same counts for the children of the city. Since most public areas, especially play and school grounds, were either destroyed by the tsunami or transformed into housing complexes, and due to the very limited privacy and noise isolation within those housing compartments, there is very little space for children to play and leisure. This, according to a local Middle School teacher that survived the tsunami, only adds to the already existing depression of many students who lost their homes or family members in the tsunami.
Article 25 states that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-‐being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care.” As stated above, over 3,000 homes were destroyed in the tsunami. According to PACT, 2,200 of those buildings were family homes with multiple people living in them. That means that after the disaster, several thousand people were homeless without shelter nor adequate food or clothing, which was intensiJied by the fact that it had snowed the day before. Some people were able to move to family members during this transition period, however, not everybody was lucky enough to have living family members within reach. Many victims had to stay in public spaces, such as school gyms, for up to 5 months. The Jirst temporary housings were opened for residents only 3 months after the disaster. Additionally, since an area of 4.5 times 2 kilometers was completely wiped out and the water was able to reach up to 8 kilometers up the river, many farms, shops, clinics and warehouses were destroyed, meaning there was only very limited access to food and healthcare during the Jirst weeks after the disaster. This, however, has been largely Jixed due to several temporary shopping malls and markets constructed by the government. 3 years after the tsunami, Rikuzentakata is still in the very middle of their recovery. According to the Mayor Toba, the complete revival of the infrastructure will only be completed in 5 more years time and the emotional aspect (his immediate family suffered as well in the disaster) will probably never go away in its entirety. This Graphic Novel is based on the stories of three locals we met while making a documentary in Rikuzentakata in April 2014. All three stories are inspired by them, yet none of them are entirely true up to the last detail.
Sincerely, Paul Hendrik Schmidt-‐Engelbertz
Sadao This Short Story was inspired by the tale of Mr. Sadao, a local volunteer that has survived two tsunamis in his lifetime and has lost his house during both.
Sadao was serving 2 Customers at his own Gas station, when suddenly...
On March 11, 2011 at exactly 14:46 JST, The Great East Japan Earthquake hit in the Pacific off the coast of RIkuzentakata
It was the 5th most powerful earthquake since 1900, with a magnitude of
And a duration of
A tsunami Warning was issued immediately. His gas station was right at the coast; it was estimated that the tsunami would surpass 2 meters here. (It ended up being over 15 meters instead)
So, Sadao and his two customers decided to evacuate to a higher area immediately.
MY family and Friends... Where are they?
To The VAN! We need to get out of HErE!!
My Home, My Car, MY Workplace. .. will it all be gone?!
15 minutes later...
Sadao's family Fortunately was out of town that day, so he was sure of their safety
It was here he watched not only his Home, but his Gas Station, his friends' and family's houses, his entire hometown getting washed away by the tsunami At least he knew his family was safe, a luxury that most victims of the disaster did not have...
Sadao didn't expect his house to get hit. A 2 meter tsunami shouldn't have reached it. How could he have known that it was going to be 15 meters rather than 2?
few Homes remained as they were. After the water had finally receded, Sadao went back to his Home to stay on the second floor for the night...
Konno This Story was inspired by Mr. Konno, a local fisherman and former farmer, who invited us to his temporary house, told us his story and served us delicious self-caught crabs
Konno was at Home looking after 2 of his Grandchildren when the earthquake hit...
Konno thought of his father who told him once that a "long and strong" earthquake will always cause a big tsunami.
And although he probably didn't expect a wave so surreal, he fortunately decided to evacuate immediately...
DOn't worry, we're going to be all right. You'll see your parents soon...
I'm Scared, Grandpa! What is Happening? Where is Mum?
In Reality, Konno had no idea where his son and his daughter-inlaw might be, he could only hope... When he drove by, Konno had a final look at his house, already suspecting it would be the last one..
About an hour later, Konno watched his home and the entire downtown of Rikuzentakata getting washed away by a gigantic tsunami, bigger than anybody could have ever imagined...
for 3 years, mr. Konno has been living in a temporary Housing Compartment with his wife, his son, his daughter-in-law and his two grandsons, one of them being born only 1 month before the disaster
Unknown This Story was inspired by Mr. toba, the Mayor of Rikuzentakata, who told us the story of himself and one of his employees
The Official Flag of Rikuzentakata
March 11, 2011. Everybody was in a Hurry after the strong 6 minute earthquake, there were lots of damages to be fixed. A tsunami warning had been issued, 2 meters at the shore, so rarely 50cm at their location. In short, due to no imminent danger, the City Hall staff decided not to Evacuate...
Yet Suddenly, a wall of water appeared on the Horizon. And it wasn't just 50 centimeters... Panic Broke out and everybody started running to the roof in the hope that the water wouldn't reach there.
Yet, One of the city hall employees, who shall remain "Unknown", spotted an old woman on the street. If nobody would pick her up, he knew, she would die for sure. So, against the advice of his colleagues, he decided to sprint out of the building to get her, while the gigantic wall of water kept approaching rapidly.
Out on the street, he picked her up and starting running back up the stairs with her. The Tsunami was getting dangerously close and water started to flow through the streets...
As he fought himself up the stairs, the water started to raise higher.. And higher, And higher, And higher, And higher.
Eventually, he had to realize that the water would either kill both of them or he would have to leave the old women, while he would sprint up the stairs and survive... He decided to do the latter.
Survivor's Guilt.
Visit RIkuzentakata & Become a Volunteer 'P@CT', a local volunteer Organization, for which Sadao, the main character of our first story, works for, cleanses through rubble to find the remains of peoples' loved ones Find out more Under: http://pact-rt311.org/
Write a Letter to the Rikuzentakata Facebook Page Especially now, over 3 years after the tsunami, it is crucial for the people of rikuzentakata to know that they are not forgotten. The media might have moved on, yet we still think of them and their ongoing struggles. https://www.facebook.com/ RikuzentakataCity
Works Cited "Category:Images." - Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. "Interview with Mr. Kenno, a Local Fisherman" Personal interview. 13 Apr. 2014. "Interview with Mr. Sadao, a Local Volunteer and Survivor." Personal interview. 11 Apr. 2014. "Interview with the Mayor of Rikuzentakata." Personal interview. 14 Apr. 2014. "Interview with Two Volunteers from PACT" Personal interview. 12 Apr. 2014. "Kaz Meiki." Personal interview. 14 Apr. 2014. Matanle, Peter, Dr. Before and After the Disaster. Geographical Association Manchester. National Institute of Japanese Studies, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. "Poster of the Great Tohoku Earthquake (northeast Honshu, Japan) of March 11, 2011 Magnitude 9.0." Earthquake Hazards Program. USGS, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. Recovering Hope. Dir. Mina T. Son and Sara Newens. Vimeo. Facebook Stories, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. Saito, Mari. "Japan's Tsunami Survivors Suffer in Silence Three Years after Disaster." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 01 Mar. 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. "Tohoku Earthquake Anniversary: What Is Happening at Fukushima Dai-ichi Three Years After Disaster?" International Business Times RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. "Tohoku Three Years after the 3/11 Earthquake and Tsunami | The Japan Times." Japan Times RSS. Japan Times, 10 Mar. 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. "The Noun Project." The Noun Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. "The Tohoku Tsunami and Earthquake: Three Years Later." NY Daily News. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. United Nations. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved April 17, 2014. http:// www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
Special Thanks to Mr. Sadao Mr. Konno Mr. Toba Mr. Kaz Meiki Isaac Forsland The TGS Tohoku Team All the incredible people that supported us on our Journey