The Natori area of the town was completely destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami that followed. Fires burn in the neighborhood as civil servants are finally able to enter the area to look for the dead on March 13. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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A family looks over what is left of their destroyed home in the Natori neighborhood hit hard by the tsunami on March 13. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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An aerial view shows a mass of cars burned by fires in Sendai on March 14. The earthquake and tsunami damage could have a profound effect on JapanÂ’s production sites and economic institutions. (Noboru Hashimoto / AFP/Getty Images)
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A man waits as firefighters pry open his car to look for missing family members on March 14 in Natori. There was no one inside. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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The town of Ishinomaki is flooded and the cityÂ’s downtown area remains deserted on March 15. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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A Japanese Self-Defense Force soldier prays before removing the body of a tsunami victim found in debris in Otsuchi. (Takashi Noguchi / AFP)
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Government officials walk down a recently cleared roadway where the earthquake-spawned tsunami caused a massive fuel spill and fire on March 17. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
On March 11, a shallow magnitude 9 earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan. It rocked and toppled buildings and a tsunami sent a wall of water hurtling inland. Thousands died and a nuclear power plant was heavily damaged.
