Downtown Ofunato

We moved further south toward the center of the city and the mouth of the bay to work yesterday. Working all week on the canals and ditches in a considerably cleaned up section of town, we've had a false impression of the progress made.

Our new work location is in an area that hasn't been cleaned up as much. Many destroyed buildings haven't been demolished, and cars and other debris are piled everywhere. There are numerous signs of the tsunami's power.

Waiting for the crew bus

On the way to work site

Downtown Ofunato

Our assignment was to clear the rubble in an area behind a house and to demolish a large garden shed that had been deposited there by the waves. The house contained a print shop, so much of the rubble was paper.

Demolishing a shed

Reinforced cement utility pole snapped like a chopstick

Tossing rubble

There was a house nearby that had been ripped from its foundation and tossed on its side. Totally intact, with curtains still hanging, it shows how strong are the earthquake-resistant construction techniques used here. Nothing stops a tsunami though. The next three pics are of that house:






The house we were working at was on a small hill now surrounded by a landscape of destruction. Above the water line, everything is as it was before and life goes on. For those whose property was partially flooded, the cleanup continues.

Just beyond the destruction a barber shop is open for business and a functioning Coke machine stands in front.

Floating rubble was deposited on the roof of this building which stands next to the tsunami warning sirens

This house was deposited here from its original location across the street to the right and behind the photographer