“24 Kingdom Halls were partially damaged and 7 were totally destroyed and will be rebuilt. (see photos) One, the first structure in the city to be rebuilt, was finished this past weekend in Rikuzen Takada. Two congregations meet there and they were able to rebuild on the same property.

The Kingdom Hall is right next to high ground and the houses right behind it were undamaged by the tsunami. However all the property in front of the hall is totally destroyed. So, the brothers felt that rebuilding would be worth it as it doesn’t present a risk to the brothers even if another tsunami came, they could get to high ground in seconds. The brothers have been helping clean up the neighborhood for several weeks in preparation for the construction. Volunteers from different RBC groups from all over Japan have been helping. 

They helped demolish a community center and other buildings that were falling apart around the area and cleaned all the streets. The community is very happy they are there and when they went for permits to rebuild on the same site, the officer in charge thanked them profusely for all the help they are rendering the community. All the people living on the high ground behind the hall are cheering the brothers on. 

The brothers called on all the houses and told them that they loved the community and wanted to stay. So they hoped for the cooperation of the neighbors during the rebuild. As a result, the neighbors offered land for the support departments to use and for parking and then they watched in awe. This is the very first building in the city to be constructed since the tsunami.”