When the earthquake struck, the mayor of the town, Jin Sato (佐藤仁), was talking at the town assembly. They were discussing the much smaller tsunami caused by the March 9 foreshock before the March 11 earthquake. The three-story building of the town's was covered by the tsunami. Out of the 130 people who worked at the town hall, Sato was one of only 30 who reached the roof. He was one of only 10 who survived. He returned to government affairs, founding the headquarters for disaster control at the Bayside Arena on March 13, 2011.