Photo/Illutration Seven-year-old Hibiki Miura recognizes his grandfather Takeshi's name inscribed on a memorial on March 9. The memorial honors the municipal workers of Minami-Sanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, who lost their lives while responding to the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami. (Sayuri Ide)

MINAMI-SANRIKU, Miyagi Prefecture—A ceremony was held at the town hall here on March 9 to unveil a memorial dedicated to the 39 municipal employees who perished or went missing during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. 

Thirty-three of the victims were at the town's three-story disaster response headquarters coordinating evacuation efforts on that fateful March 11 day.

The employees were swept away by a 15-meter-high tsunami after seeking refuge on the roof.

Former town officials who survived led a campaign to create a memorial honoring their fallen colleagues. It took 14 years before their names were engraved on the monument.

The inscription on the memorial reads, "We will never forget that day." Many relatives of the victims stood silently before the monument, reflecting on their loss.

Among those gathered was Hiromi Miura, 65, who lost her husband, Takeshi, 51, who was part of the town's crisis management team.

Together with a colleague, Takeshi continued to issue evacuation orders over the emergency warning system until the very end.

"My husband had a strong sense of responsibility. I hope the memorial will serve as a reminder to current municipal workers of the importance of saving their own lives during disaster response," Hiromi said with tears in her eyes.

Another mourner, 33-year-old Aya Inoue, lost her brother Tasuku, 23, who had been working for the town for less than a year when the disaster struck.

Inspired by her brother's memory, Aya joined the town's workforce two years after his death and worked there for six years.

"Now, my brother's name is on the memorial, serving as a tribute to his dedication to the community," Aya said, holding back tears.

The memorial project was led by Kenji Endo, 76, who was the deputy mayor of Minami-Sanriku at the time of the disaster. He was one of 11 individuals who survived the tsunami by clinging to the guardrail on the building's roof.

Losing many of his colleagues was an incredibly difficult experience for Endo. Amid the chaos and grief following the disaster, he even faced accusations from the families of some of his fallen colleagues, questioning why he had survived while others had not.

There was also a divisive debate among the locals about whether to demolish the remnants of the disaster response headquarters building or preserve them as a monument.

As the community grappled with the aftermath of the catastrophe, tensions made it hard to even consider the idea of a memorial for the fallen municipal workers.

Finally, Mayor Jin Sato made the decision last year to preserve the ruined building to pass on the lessons of the disaster to future generations. Sato, 73, is another survivor who was at the building.

This decision helped Endo fulfill his campaign to build a memorial for his deceased colleagues, with the families of all but two of the victims agreeing to have their loved ones' names inscribed.

The memorial’s unveiling ceremony was attended by around 150 people, including bereaved families and current and former town employees.

“I reflect on what happened on the rooftop that day, recalling the faces and voices of each of the deceased colleagues,” Sato said after delivering a speech at the ceremony.

“Finally, I’ve completed my long-standing task, fulfilling my part in the town’s recovery,” Endo said.

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