Different rail lines in Japan are still recovering from the tsunami and earthquake that occurred in March 2011. While some are looking prospective, others are not. A couple days ago, a train on the Sanriku Railway was taken on a trial run in the Iwate Prefecture on the northeast part of the country's main island, Honshu, which was the first time a train operated by the Sanriku Railway Company has run there since the tsunami of 2011. This railway, while devastated, had started partial operations only 5 days after, and more than 80% of the line had resumed running within a year. Restoration and resuming operations of other lines, however, like the Minami-Riasu Line, which resumed running in southern sections (only 60% of the entire line) in April 2013, have taken longer. Two lines of the Sanriku Railway, the Kita-Riasu and the Minami-Riasu, had 5.5 km of track washed away by the tsunami, and the Yamada Line that connected the two hasn't had any restoration work and won't be resuming operations any time soon. The president of Sanriku Railway did say, however, that full service of the Kita-Riasu and Minami-Riasu line will resume on April 6th and April 5th, respectively, in time for the new school year to start and to help those students.
Through the tone of the author, I think this article was written to show some hope and optimism that Japan is slowly recovering from the tsunami and earthquake it experienced. Even though it may seem to have happened ages ago for us, people are still feeling its effects on the other side of the world, as is with most natural disasters: even after the funding and interest has dwindled, people and places are still recovering. In Thailand, for example, there is an organization called After the Wave, supporting children and families who lost one or both parents in the 2004 tsunami and don't have the basic necessities to get an education. These people are still feeling, and will for a long time feel, the effects of this disaster. It's really sad that Japan is in a place that's so vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis, and I hope that the next time something like either of these events happen, we're more prepared to prevent as much damage as possible, and afterwards able to aid people who weren't so lucky.
Source: http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001152456
I agree completely. Natural disasters are especially sad because people feel so hopeless about them, since there is nothing we can do to prevent them. I hope the railroads are rebuilt as soon as possible and that Japanese people can start feeling comfortable and at home again.
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