Lessons from Tohuku: Social and psychological recovery remain key points - Rajib Shaw

"Social and psychological recovery and the social network of affected areas remain key questions." - Rajib Shaw, Professor, Kyoto University, Japan

In case of mega events like the east Japan Earthquake and Tsunami [EJET], three years is possibly the time when the communities get a bit of time to think of the future recovery, and the actual recovery would be a long-ranging process. The EJET has posed different problems, due to the scale of the disaster, level of devastation, human and economic impacts, damages to local governments, economic slowdown, large number of evacuees, amount of debris and its removal, lack of open flat spaces etc. The economy is getting back gradually, with small and medium enterprises starting their business. The fishing industry is not yet recovered fully, but gradually recovering. However, the key point that remains is the social and psychological recovery. The social network of the affected areas still remains a key question, especially in the temporary housing, where the community formation took several months after the disaster.