Lessons learned in disaster debris management of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami

Abstract

In the last 10 years, disasters like hurricanes Sandy and Katrina, earthquakes in Haiti and Japan and tornadoes in the Mid-Western US have caused communities to be overwhelmed with the amount of debris waste that is left behind. Debris management plans that address disasters like the aforementioned may vary by hazard type, geographical location and available infrastructure. However, with the common goal of effective recovery, there are lessons learned that may be gleamed from past events to better plan for future disasters. This paper presents a case study of debris management from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, considering reports and updated information up to 2016. Twenty-seven million tons of earthquake and tsunami debris was generated in the three affected prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima. The generated debris included construction/building rubble, vegetative debris, vehicles, vessels and tsunami deposits. Management of the debris proved difficult due to the variant types and large quantities, requiring the need for multiple debris operation sites for sorting and disposal. Discussed herein is the debris management of the Tohoku region including the waste disposal and processing plans developed by the affected prefectures. The long-term goal is to improve the debris management procedures, for future events (such as a potential Nankai Trough megathrust earthquake), by learning from those who have experience and knowledge in managing disasters. Several lessons learned and improvements for the Tohoku region include: the inclusion tsunami debris provisions into the earthquake management plan, preparedness literature and education tools for all ages, increased ground elevation and evacuation shelters and taller seawalls.