ICLEI: Sendai City one year on - A story of hope and resilience

ICLEI Member City Sendai was at the heart of the triple whammy of disasters - earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown.

Described as almost apocalyptic, Sendai City's skyscrapers were reduced to rubble, its streets were nowhere recognizable, and its fields, houses, properties were either destroyed or buried in mud.

One year on, Sendai has twisted this around, showing courage and resilience in every turn.

Guided by the Sendai City Earthquake Disaster Reconstruction Plan, local officials, businesses, universities and citizens alike all "moved forward as one" to rebuild their city and reduce disaster risk.

"In recovering from this disaster we cannot just rely on methods that have been in place; flexibility and new ideas will be extremely important in overcoming problems as they surface, " states the Plan.

The Plan highlights the role of every citizen, as well as the increased responsibility of local governments and involvement of universities in reducing disaster risk, rebuilding safe homes, revitalizing agriculture and livelihoods, reconstructing the coastal area, sustaining energy supply, improving urban vitality and quality of life and passing on their lessons learned.

These efforts have gathered praise from the global community. The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon recently hailed the country’s speedy recovery and highlighted the progress made to improve nuclear safety. Fifty two of the fifty four nuclear plants in Japan have temporarily been shut down.

“In Sendai alone, they are processing 460 tons of waste every day. Across the region, they are recycling. Old debris is being used for new buildings. This is very heartening,” says Ban Ki Moon.

Having worked together with the city in local sustainability, ICLEI is pleased to see Sendai regain momentum towards becoming a sustainable city - resilient to disaster, low-carbon and supplied by renewable energy.