Onagawa is one of the many small towns sitting along the deeply indented, sawtooth shore that lines the coast of northern Miyagi prefecture. The jagged coastline has made the region ideal for oyster and salmon farming. The estuaries that make for rich sea life also allowed powerful waves to build. Seawalls built to keep out high waves also kept tsunami waters from washing back out to sea quickly, leaving whole sections of towns submerged and inaccessible.
Firefighters from across Japan are splitting Onagawa into sections to simplify the searches. Many parts of town are largely untouched by rescue crews, standing as testaments to the waves' destructive power. An upside-down car dangled off the edge of a hollowed-out office building. A bicycle twisted among cables and metal scraps.
In a subtle nuance of language to indicate the slim hopes of finding any survivors here, firefighters used the Japanese word for "search" instead of the more commonly used "rescue."
As rescuers across the area break through impassible roads and search untouched piles, the tally of the counted—including those deemed missing—climbs. A day after the big quake, Japan's National Police Agency reported 1,597 dead and 1,481 missing. The next day it was 1,897 dead and 3,002 missing. By Wednesday, the number of dead had risen to 4,314; those declared missing had soared to 8,606.
Thanks ....you are right...let’s focus on the humans, those lost, and those helping those now homeless....