Ishinomaki & Onagawa - 6/13 & 14

Thought maybe a photo essay would be helpful this time...

David, Mike, & Sylvia learn the layout of Ishinomaki from Masahiro Takata,  co-leader of the Ishinomaki outreach.

Onagawa clean up - the two cars are gone from the roofs.

Mike and Sylvia chatting with Masami who lost his parents in the tsunami.

Mark & Sylvia, Hiro & Masami, Mike, and Andy & Lorna Gilbert (leaders of Ishinomaki outreach).

Memorial flowers at Onagawa

Masahiro explaining about English classes at the school.

Meeting Aoyama Sensei, the English Department head for Onagawa schools.

Aoyama Sensei showing the new temporary library for the kids who survived the disaster.

Sylvia, Andy, and Mike with an Army captain at the relief supplies area in Onagawa.  His white and red patch was an exchange with a US Army soldier on "Operation Tomodachi".

"Hang in there, Onagawa!" in the Tohoku dialect on a bumper sticker.

Surveying a possible building to renovate for a community center.  It used to be a dentist office.

Mr & Mrs Saito in front of their home in Ishinomaki - the downstairs is completely ruined, so they will have to tear the whole thing down.  He is a brother to Sylvia's friend, Shizuko Sensei.

Sylvia translates to David as Mrs Saito tells how she was at home when the tsunami hit, and her foot got trapped as the water was rising.  She was completely underwater when somehow her foot was freed and she climbed up to the 2nd floor and safety. 

The Saito's neighborhood in Ishinomaki.  They pointed out 3 homes on all sides of them where occupants died.

In front of Mr Saito's seafood transportation business.  This location is 100 meters from the shoreline, and he lost 20+ of his 47 delivery trucks, but all his employees are safe.

Standing on the beach embankment where the tsunami came from - the ocean is just yard behind the camera.

Mike surveys the neighborhood.  Ironically, the sign has instructions of where to go in case of a tsunami.

Saito-san's office and transportation yard.  The high-water mark is one foot below the upper joint of the post on the left,  just above the top of this warehouse opening.

The Saitos treated us to some of the best sushi in Japan.

Yummm!