The 11 March 2011 Tohoku Tsunami Survey in Rikuzentakata and Comparison with Historical Events

Uncertainty modeling and visualization for tsunami hazard and risk mapping: a case study for the 2011 Tohoku earthquake

“…Rikuzentakata is situated on the northern shore of the Hirota Bay which is about 3.5 km wide. It was one of the most heavily impacted areas along the Tohoku ria coast (Fraser et al 2013;Liu et al 2013). The city spreads across the northern shore of the Hirota Bay for at least 1.65 km east to west and for around 1 km in the northern (inland) direction, while at its western side it is crossed by the Kesen River.…”

“…Recent catastrophic tsunamis include the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami (Borrero 2005;Murata et al 2010) and the 2011 Great East Japan (Tohoku) tsunami (Fraser et al 2013;Liu et al 2013). To mitigate and control potential tsunami risk exposures effectively, physical protection and preparedness against anticipated tsunami events are of critical importance (FEMA 2008).…”

Post-Tsunami Hazard

“…Tsunami intrusion into rivers and fl ooding via rivers are also observed in many rivers such as the Samegawa River and the Kido River in Fukushima Prefecture, the Kitakami River in Miyagi Prefecture and the Kesen River in Iwate Prefecture (e.g . Tanaka and Nguyen 2012 ;Sanuki et al 2013 ;Liu et al 2013 ).…”

Introduction to “Historical and Recent Catastrophic Tsunamis in the World: Volume I. The 2011 Tohoku Tsunami”

“…They also show that high-speed flows induced in the gaps between structures that survived the tsunami led to enhanced and more destructive flows in these areas. LIU et al (2013) report on their detailed tsunami survey in the city of Rikuzen Takata. Located along the southern Sanriku coast, this city has experienced several destructive local tsunamis in the past, such as the 1896 Meiji and 1933 Showa Sanriku tsunamis and even far-field events such as the 1960 Chile tsunami.…”