Yamamoto-machi Disaster Memorial: Nakama Elementary School

Overview

Yamamoto-machi Disaster Memorial: Nakama Elementary School is a disaster memorial preserving the school building of Nakama Elementary School as it was after the Great East Japan Earthquake tsunami. On March 11, 2011, a tsunami over 10 meters high struck the area, causing significant damage to Nakama Elementary School. The tsunami reached the second floor of the building, leaving the interior devastated. However, the lives of 90 people—children, teachers, staff, and parents—who had taken refuge on the roof were miraculously saved. This incredible survival story is attributed to preemptive disaster preparedness measures, the calm judgment and actions of the staff, and the cooperation of the local community. Yamamoto-machi Disaster Memorial: Nakama Elementary School is open to the public as a facility to convey the threat of tsunamis and the importance of disaster preparedness to future generations. The school building retains traces of the tsunami reaching the second floor, along with the evacuation routes used at the time. Through photographs, documents, and accounts from those who experienced the event, visitors can gain a deeper understanding of the disaster and its lessons. Yamamoto-machi Disaster Memorial: Nakama Elementary School is more than just a disaster memorial; it's a crucial place for transmitting lessons for the future. By seeing the building firsthand, imagining the situation at the time, and raising disaster awareness, we can contemplate actions that will protect our own lives.