Rikuzentakata totally destroyed by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami
Rikuzentakata is a city in Iwate Prefecture, in the Tohoku region. The city suffered extensive damage from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. The town was almost completely flattened. Over 80% of its houses were swept away. Close to 2000 residents were reported dead or missing. Some reports put the number missing at over 10,000, almost half the city's population. Waves as high as 13m totally inundated the city's defence against tsunami. Many of the city's tsunami shelters were designed for waves of 3-4m. The damage was so great that a popular local lake, the Lake Furukawanuma, was totally destroyed. The tsunami destroyed the sand wall that separated the lake from the sea. As a result, the lake has now become part of the sea and its former western edge has become part of the new coastline.
Size: 4000px × 2248px
Location: Rikuzentakata-shi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan
Photo credit: © Moonie's World / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 2011, abandoned, building, canal, damage, damaged, debris, destroyed, destruction, disaster, disasters, earthquake, empty, extensive, exterior, flattened, iwate, japan, land, natural, overcast, people, rikuzentakata, rubble, sea, sky, structure, tohoku, tsunami, waterway, wop, 日本, 東日本大震災, 陸前高田
