- Title: JAPAN: Earthquake and tsunami victims in Miyagi prefecture pool their resources
- Date: 18th March 2011
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 66-YEAR-OLD TOKIKO ONO SAYING: "When I was asked 'Hey where are you going? You're home is gone!', my head just went blank. That's when they told me that everyone is over here and that I should I come in too, and so I've been here since."
- Embargoed: 2nd April 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan, Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
- Reuters ID: LVA3MFBE650VT2XF4LIG88XAZFJ4
- Story Text: Amidst the ruins of Kesennuma in Miyagi prefecture, residents who survived the earthquake and tsunami joined together on Thursday (March 17) to share food, shelter and support.
Like most here, 66-year-old Tokiko Ono lost everything. She found refuge at the this house, one of the few left standing, along with 5 other members of her family.
"When I was asked, 'Hey where are you going? You're home is gone!', my head just went blank. That's when they told me that everyone is over here and that I should I come in too, and so I've been here since."
Seventy-nine year-old Takeo Kanno says he can't find his daughter. He's been looking for her for four days and now fears she may have been swept away in the tsunami.
"I escaped by myself, and so I think that's what happened. I think she was caught somewhere while she was driving in her car, and washed away," Kanno, who turns 80 on Friday (March 18) said.
While international attention has been focused on Japan's efforts to stop damage at a quake-hit nuclear power plant from spiraling out of control, a massive salvage and rescue operation has slowly been gathering steam.
Scores of villages, hamlets and towns lining Japan's northeast coast were flattened by tsunami waves that rolled in minutes after Friday's 9.0 magnitude earthquake.
Thousands have been reported dead, and thousands more are listed as missing and the final tally is likely to soar.
About 850,000 households in the north were still without electricity in near-freezing weather, Tohuku Electric Power Co. said, while the government said at least 1.5 million households lacked running water. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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