Rebuilding a nation
The Japanese government recently updated its estimated cost of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami to 16,9 billion Yen (210 million US$).
As the worlds third largest economy Japan has a significant capacity to manage and respond to emergencies. Moreover, in the aftermath of the disaster, working alongside officials agencies, the Japanese people responded actively to their countrymen in need, not only opening up their houses for affected people, but also mobilizing an army of volunteers. In April, more than 11,000 people from all over the country were actively clearing and cleaning the streets and houses in the affected areas. Street by street, house by house, mud and debris were meticulously scraped away and carried to the streets, where trucks in never ending lines would transport everything to temporary landfills outside towns. An estimated 125,000 buildings were damaged or completely destroyed and the region was covered with an estimated 25 million tons of rubble.
As the city of Ishinomaki is cleared of rubble, a new challenge arises in what to do with the remains. Numerous landfills have opened up on government owned landed, on the outskirts of Ishinomaki. This elderly lady is desperate to get her voice heard in the city council, as her house is becoming uninhabitable with the landfill growing daily and the smell being indescribable.
The landfill is endless, but meticulously sorted in different types of trash.
More than 50 teams of volunteers take the streets of this one town everyday, clearing rubble, scraping out mud. This team consisted mostly of university students from Tokyo.
A volunteer has found wedding photos in the mud, he carefully brushes them off and puts them aside. Some of the findings from the streets are taken to evacuation centers, for the chance to reunite survivors with memories of loved ones.