Tsunami victim Hiromitsu Shinkawa, 65, waves to rescuers who spotted him floating on the roof of his home nearly 10 miles out to sea. Photograph: AP Posted on 03/13/2011 9:01:55 AM PDT by GVnana
Tsunami victim Hiromitsu Shinkawa, 65, waves to rescuers who spotted him floating on the roof of his home nearly 10 miles out to sea. Photograph: AP
A 65-year-old man has been found on the roof of his floating house nearly 10 miles out at sea, two days after the tsunami that devastated the north-east coast of Japan.
Hiromitsu Shinkawa must have resigned himself to his fate when he was swept away by the retreating tsunami that roared ashore in his home town of Minami Soma in Fukushima prefecture.
As the wave approached, Shinkawa took the fateful decision to return home to collect belongings. Minutes later he was out at sea clinging to a piece of the roof from his own home.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Wow. That was always my big fear — to fall off the flight deck at night. The ocean is dark and terrible at night. Your experience must have been terrifying.
Prayers for his wife and the thousands of others.
So, was whatever it was they went back into the house for worth the price they paid? At 65, one would think he'd have known better. Rule #1 - never, ever go back in for anything unless it's a child. Rule #2 - see #1. Things are replaceable, people are not.
That’s a bit of a miracle, there, cracker.
Exactly!!
It's heartbreaking, isn't it?
I hope he'll be OK and hope agaisnt hope that his wife will turn up somehow, but it doesn't look good.
Prayers for all of those shattered by this disaster.
Wow. You are a remarkably fortunate and blessed man.
That was probably the longest 45 minutes of your life.
I'm so glad you were rescued. I guess God wasn't ready for you to come home just yet...
I take your point! Because the Japanese love cameras, phones and gadgets we have amazing footage of this natural disaster. I know someone in Tokyo who is skyping (sic?) to her father in NYC.
Hi sweetie. yes it is beyond belief what has occurred there
I get a sense of desolation and despair just reading about it!
Here is AOL News report on the same topic. It has the advantage of including 500 photos of the quake story.
“I thought today was the last day of my life,” it quoted him as saying.
Been there in a way...extracted from a sub an upon surfacing I observed a visual version on your “alone”....versus your mental oh crap event.
Albeit I was only a short dive back to safety it was still thought provoking.
That said folks...never go into harms way for material items. Keepsakes aren’t worth ones life ....
Prayers for his wife an others lost.
God bless him! :*)
Prayers going up that he finds his wife and family members safe and sound!
God Bless him!
I’ll bet money he was a Christian... or at least is one now.
If I had been with anyone other than Ted Yocius I'd probably still be out there.
Ted and his mother got out of Lithuania when he was just a kid, he could remember both Nazi and Soviet oppression. He was one tough nut, one of the strongest men I've ever known, and brilliant mentally to boot.
Ted and I had the kind of relationship where we would both be thinking along the same lines in just about any situation, a once in a lifetime friendship.Ted shared my love of photography and nature, he had a tropical seashell he discovered named in his honor.
Ted died a couple of years ago, it was the same as losing a brother.
GOD was with you and those who rescued you. Thanks to God for protecting a fellow Freeper.
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