What is Kesennuma?
{{contains Japanese text}} [[Image:Flag of Kesennuma Miyagi.svg|thumb|150px|Flag]] [[Image:Emblem of Kesennuma, Miyagi.svg|thumb|100px|Seal]] '''Kesennuma''' {{nihongo||気仙沼市 けせんぬまし}} is a [[Japan|Japanese]] city. It is part of [[Miyagi Prefecture]]. Kesennuma is in the northeastern part of the prefecture and faces two coasts: the Pacific coast, and Sanriku coast. Kesennuma borders the town of [[Minamisanriku, Miyagi|Minamisanriku]] to the south. Across the border to the north in [[Iwate Prefecture]], it borders the cities of [[Ofunato,_Iwate|Ofunato]] and [[Rikuzentakata,_Iwate|Rikuzentakata]]. The city was heavily damaged on March 11, 2011 by the [[2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami]] and by large fires. Between 1 March and 31 August 2011, many people left Kesennuma. The population went down by about 2,500 people, or 5%. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/honkawa/4364.html |title=図録▽東日本大震災被災市町村の被災後の人口変化 (Population Changes by Locality after the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake Disaster: Illustrated)|access-date=2011-10-13 |publisher=Honkawa Data Tribune }}</ref> ==Damage on March 11, 2011== <gallery> File:Kesennuma earthquake damage, 2011.JPG|House destroyed by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. File:Damage of Tsunami in Kesennuma.JPG|The tsunami swallowed up city areas and left behind many large ships. File:Minami-Kesennuma Station after tsunami.jpg|Minami Kesennuma Station, damaged by the tsunami File:Searching for missing person in Kesennuma.JPG|Japanese Self Defense Force members search for missing persons after the town was damaged by large ships. File:US Navy 110322-N-SB672-673 An aerial view of Oshima-Mura, Japan, 11 days after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami.jpg|Photo of damage 11 days after the quake and tsunami on the Oshima Island section of Kesennuma, taken from a helicopter attached to the [[USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)|USS Ronald Reagan]]. File:US Navy 110401-N-8607R-356 Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1651, assigned to Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 1, embarked aboard the amphi