The differences of poor SRH among municipalities in Iwate after the Great East Japan Earthquake

The health of communities has been observed to recover at differential rates in the wake of disasters. In the present study, the 5-year trends in poor self-rated health (SRH) in three municipalities of Iwate Prefecture following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami were compared. Annual surveys were conducted from 2011 to 2015 in three municipalities (Otsuchi, Rikuzentakata, and Yamada) that were heavily damaged by the tsunami. We tracked the prevalence of poor SRH in 10,052 participants (mean age, 61.0 years; 39.0% men). Trends in the prevalence of poor SRH were analyzed using generalized linear mixed effect models with control for covariates. Immediately after the disaster (2011), all three municipalities reported similar prevalences of poor SRH (around 15%). Among people under the age of 65 years, there was a gradual improvement in health for residents of Rikuzentakata and Yamada, but the prevalence of poor SRH remained persistently high in Otsuchi. Among people over the age of 65 years, the prevalence of poor SRH remained constant in Rikuzentakata and Yamada but increased over a 5-year follow-up period in Otsuchi. The delayed health recovery in Otsuchi may be due to the characteristics of the local health system. Examination of the variations in health recovery may provide clues about the sources of disaster resilience.

Case Study on the Use of the Leaf-Count Method for Drip Fertigation in Outdoor Cucumber Cultivation in Reconstructed Fields Devastated by a Tsunami

Drip fertigation was tested in fields using a nitrogen fertilization method based on leaf increments, with the aim of increasing the cucumber yield in outdoor fields restored after the tsunami disaster in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, in 2011. The 2016 test site (Takata field) was restored as a paddy field, and there were problems with water retention and gravel contamination. The condition of the 2017 test site (Yonesaki field) was better than that of the 2016 site. The drip fertigation method increased cucumber yield by 93% and 27% in the Takata and Yonesaki fields, respectively, when compared to the yield from fields cultivated conventionally. Drip fertigation enables the constant supply of liquid fertilizer to the rhizosphere, and the easy application prevents the scarcity of fertilizer, especially at later stages of growth. In contrast, a real-time soil diagnosis, using the Dutch 1:2 soil–water extract method, was unsuccessful due to flooding, especially in the Takata field. As the purpose of this method is not to reduce the amount of nitrogen provided, but to increase the yield, and because it is difficult to precisely control the application of fertilizer due to precipitation, we suggest that the real-time soil diagnosis and feedback should be omitted to further simplify fertilizer application.