Post-disaster health status and coastal infrastructure reconstruction after the great East Japan earthquake and Tsunami

To understand adaptable strategies in mitigating disaster risk and protecting human health, this study aims to examine the effects of grey or green infrastructure (GI) on human health in disaster-affected rural areas. The study included four disaster-affected municipalities that were historically prone to coastal natural disaster events (e.g., tsunami, typhoon, and high tide), so that residents constantly faced disaster-related public health recovery. We firstly analysed coastal vegetation changes with special attention to coastal infrastructure conditions using Geographic Information System, then conducted an ecological study of regional, health statistics, including stress, metabolic syndrome, self-rated health, exercise habits, and obesity. For each municipality, we compared these statistics from before and after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011. This study found different mitigation strategies associated with the infrastructure conditions caused by coastal environmental changes. Also, the natural coastal environment encompassing GI was found to be more positively associated with human health than environments without GI during the post-disaster recovery phase. This study concludes that, during the post-disaster recovery phase, a coastal infrastructure encompassing green infrastructure provides a more effective and comprehensive approach to health promotion than grey costal infrastructure.