'Heading Towards Recovery': A Letter from Shichigahama Town Mayor Yoshio Watanabe

To our dear friends in Plymouth, thank you for your unwavering support and fund-raising activities. We are truly grateful for your good will. Thanks to you, the people of Shichigahama are slowly regaining their good spirits, and while we still have a long way to go we are slowly able to talk about positive things again.

In our previous correspondence I reported to you about the state of damage in Shichigahama after the Great East Japan Earthquake, and here is an update on the current situation. All of the evacuees who had been staying at the Kokusaimura and other locations have safely moved into temporary housing. As of August 1st there are 1,277 people in total living in temporary housing, and other residents who lost their homes are staying in private apartments or at relatives’ houses. Concerning public facilities, the damage ranges from those that have been completely destroyed to some buildings that were only marginally affected. The town hall, where the head office for matters concerning the disaster is located, was relatively unscathed, but the gymnasium was largely destroyed and Shichigahama’s
local fishery and agricultural industries took large amounts of damage.

The damage from this disaster is so great as to surpass imagination, and I am afraid that restoration and rebuilding will take a long time. However, while the progress is slow, our town is making clear steps towards recovery. Using your support as our strength, I believe that the people of Shichigahama can come together as one and work together for the revival of our town. I sincerely hope that we may continue our exchange with Plymouth, and we humbly
ask for your continued friendship.

I hope that you all remain in good health and high spirits.

Finally, I have attached a few pictures of the recovery efforts to give you a better idea of the current situation.

Shichigahama Town Mayor Yoshio Watanabe