ONAGAWA, Miyagi Prefecture--For officials of the quake-hit town of Onagawa, the only connection left to the outside world is a single satellite phone.
ONAGAWA, Miyagi Prefecture--For officials of the quake-hit town of Onagawa, the only connection left to the outside world is a single satellite phone.
Its batteries were almost dead even before they were able to contact the prefecture for help.
"We have become an isolated 'island' on the land," said a senior town official.
Radio reports giving updates on the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that smashed Japan's Tohoku region on Friday offer only a few words on the situation in Onagawa: "No information is available."
The town's mayor, Nobutaka Azumi, 65, said: "We have no food, no water, no toilets, and no diapers for babies in this cold weather."
Much of the town center was wiped out by the huge tsunami that followed the magnitude 9.0 earthquake.
Train services are suspended. Roads are blocked with debris or impassable because of damage inflicted by the earthquake and tsunami.
"People are still in an excited state, but when they calm down, a lack of supplies will hit them.
"We do need help, by any means. Come and help us soon. Please convey this message," Azumi told me after I managed to reach the town on Saturday.
The town is trying to confirm the fate of its 10,000 residents. As of noon on Saturday, only 3,000 had been confirmed alive.
"Above all, we need means to communicate and road access," the senior town official said. "We would like that help to be prioritized."
Ordinary cellphones have not been working since the temblor struck Friday afternoon. No electricity is available.
The town had several satellite cellphones for use in an emergency, but most were damaged when a tsunami hit the town office, which stands on a small hill.
Only one satellite phone that happened to be out of the office was available. Town officials repeatedly tried to contact the prefectural government for help but were not successful.
There is rubble everywhere. A soccer ball, New Year's cards, a calculator and a sake flask were seen among the remains of houses.
The town center has been devastated. A three-story concrete building has been toppled. Two propane tanks are hanging from the top of a power pole.
A 60-year-old company operator, Shigeo Abe, said he saw a tsunami come over the quay wall "with ease." It rushed toward a hill where he and his family had fled by car.
They fled into a hospital nearby. The water filled its first floor almost to the ceiling. He said he had seen someone taking refuge on the roof top of a two-story bank nearby being engulfed in the water.
"It took the tsunami only one or two minutes to reach the top of the hill. It might have taken less time than that," Abe said. "It swelled and came up in only a moment."
A woman said the geography of Onagawa Bay may have contributed to the tsunami's force.
The hilly town is located on Onagawa Bay, which opens wide toward the epicenter of Friday's quake in the Pacific Ocean. The tsunami may have been funneled by the V-shaped gorge in which the town lies, increasing its height.