there were many stories of devastation,loss of life and of survival. Here is one survival.
hiromitsu was at work near the northeastern coast of japan when the 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit. he ran home to his wife. they fled their house, but then ran back there to get some belongings. that turned out to be a fatal mistake. just then a huge wave hit,and shinkawa was covered in a swirl of water. he managed at one point to lift his head see a piece of roof and grabbed on to it. the roof acted like a raft and he was swept out into the pacific ocean amid the debris. he was floating for hours, then days. he was about to give up hope. he had seen helicopters and boats, but they all passed him by. Finally on his third day out at sea, a rescue boat spotted Shinkawa far away waving a piece of red cloth. the boat went and picked him up,and Skinkawa thought that he wouldn't have lasted through the day without water. Skinkawa's wife was not found,and he did not return to live in the village. When he did back there to visit relatives,he said that he was too scared to look at the ocean