Regional Differences in Miyagi Prefecture Road Recovery Following the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake

We evaluate regional differences in road recovery in Miyagi Prefecture following the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. We divided Miyagi Prefecture into three areas, i.e., Inland, Northern Coastal, and Southern Coastal areas. According to the results of our study, we conclude that the recovery conditions of regional roads in different areas of Miyagi Prefecture following the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake differed. In the Northern Coastal area, 80% of the road distance was usable by April 15, 2011 and 90% was usable by May 27, 2011. In the Southern Coastal area, 80% of the road distance was usable by March 31, 2011 and 90% was usable by April 8, 2011. Recovery in the Southern Coastal area was much faster compared to that in the Northern Coastal area. We assume that this is due to the shape of the coastlines. The coastlines in the Northern coastal area are primarily rias. The coastlines in the Southern coastal area are mostly sandy. Furthermore, we have concluded that the recovery conditions of the regional roads following the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake in the Northern Coastal area of Miyagi Prefecture were similar to those in the Southern Coastal area of Iwate Prefecture. In the disaster regions, similar recovery conditions were found according to geographic positions and features.