Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
March 11, 2021 marks ten years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
Peace Boat Disaster Relief (PBV) and Peace Boat offer our prayers to those who lost their lives in the disaster.
We would also like to express our sympathy to the bereaved families and to all those who are still in challenging situations.
Ten years ago, immediately after the earthquake, Peace Boat entered Ishinomaki and Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture and worked with many volunteers from Japan and abroad for the coming months and years. Although we went to the affected areas to help, we were greatly encouraged and heartened by the local people who accepted us.
Videographer Richard Grehan travelled to the tsunami-devastated city of Ishinomaki with Peace Boat volunteers soon after the disaster; here is his record of that time in 2011.
In the ten years since, PBV has been responding to the disasters that occur every year with the lessons and experiences from Tohoku. Through our work in many disaster-affected areas, we have realized that mutual support can alleviate hardships.
Disasters make us both “victims” and “supporters”. Disasters cannot be overcome by the efforts of any one person or the disaster area alone. Together with the people in the affected areas, we can move forward if diverse supporters put their strength together little by little.
We will continue to work together to support and be supported by each other in Japan and the world.