Tsunami damage to steel school buildings due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake

A reconnaissance on the damage to school buildings caused by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake was conducted by the Architectural Institute of Japan. This paper focuses on reporting the damage induced by the tsunami along the Pacific coast of Northeast Japan. Excluding 2 collapsed gymnasiums, the rest of the buildings suffered none or slight damage to the structural components such as cracking of the base concrete or slight bending of the vertical braces. Most of the severe damage was observed in the nonstructural components such as the exterior walls which were caused from either the dynamic water pressure or floating debris.