Mitsuko Sobata, Communications and Advocacy Officer for World Vision Japan, offers this insight:

I was at Minami Sanriku, a town severely hit by the tsunami next to Tome. Everything was washed away and I cannot even begin to describe my feelings. "It's hard for me to explain. I am overwhelmed by what I saw" .

Here, I met with a 60-year-old man who related his story of loss to me. Mr Muraoka  was one of the survivors from the earthquake and tsunami that swept away this town of 20,000 population and left half of the population dead, with more than 8,000 people displaced.
 
"The tsunami came 25 minutes after the earthquake but here, we are all used to earthquakes and tsunamis and we received trainings on what to do when something like that happens. So I ran to the evacuation place but this time, the waves were much higher than usual. I had to run further up into the hills and I remember vividly that 30 others were running with me," said the man.
 
He continued, "The night was cold and only 2 houses remained untouched by the tsunami, we stayed 2 nights there. There was no electricity, it was dark. We started a small fire and I used snow water to boil rice. It was just a small amount but 30 of us shared that meal together. There were some children too".
 
I find it hard to believe it happened to the old man when I listened to Mr Muraoka sharing his story. He told me he lost 6 relatives just that night itself. It is unimaginable what he has gone through.

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