The coastal town of Rikuzentakata in southeastern Iwate Prefecture became an international symbol of the devastation wreaked by the tsunami that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. Lashed by waves up to 13 meters high in places, the sections of the town closest to the sea were decimated and some 1,700 citizens lost their lives.
Showing unusual foresight, Mayor Futoshi Toba turned to social media, updating the world on the situation and keeping the town on the international radar. He also appointed American Amya Miller as the town's global public relations director, who now acts as liaison between his town and the rest of the world.
Having spent her childhood in Japan and attending Japanese school, Miller is fully bilingual and holds a great love and respect for the country and its culture. Miller was living in the United States when the tsunami struck but quickly made her way over to Japan to offer help in any way she could. In what she likens to "an alignment of the stars," she happened to be in the area when Toba came up with the idea of appointing an English speaker to handle global relations, and she willingly accepted the role.