Image by arditpg via Flickr

From the Japanese press: Sendai to bar new housing in areas threatened by flooding in future tsunami.  Sept. 18.

Housing construction will be forbidden in areas of Sendai thought to be at risk of over 2-meter-high flooding during a tsunami, according to the city’s draft recovery plan.

After the massive tsunami triggered by the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake caused catastrophic damage to the coastal areas of Sendai, the city is drawing up a reconstruction plan aimed at mitigating damage from future natural disasters.

According to the draft revealed on Sept. 15, construction of additional houses in coastal areas of Sendai thought to be at risk of flooding of over 2 meters if another tsunami strikes will generally be prohibited. Furthermore, main coastal roads will be elevated using debris and sand left by the March 11 quake and tsunami, making them “secondary breakwaters.”

Thanks to Phil Palin, blogger at www.hlswatch.com, for pointing this article out to me.

Related articles

• Reflections on a visit to Sendai, Japan (fhrelief.wordpress.com)