Map of the study area.

<p>The gray zone illustrates the study area along the Pacific Ocean coast that was affected by the tsunami. The study area includes Yamada Town, Otsuchi Town, and Rikuzentakata City. The epicenter of the earthquake is marked by a bull’s eye. The numbers of deaths or missing people were 834 in Yamada, 1,279 in Otsuchi, and 1,808 in Rikuzentakata, accounting for 4.5%, 8.4%, and 7.8% of the total populations of those municipalities, respectively.