Tsunamis do not necessarily arrive as a single wave.

A later wave can be larger than the first.

And even after the main flooding begins to retreat, dangerous currents can continue.

So emergency personnel repeated the warning:

Stay away from the water.

The coastline was not safe.

---

The City Was Almost Unrecognizable

From higher ground, Miyako looked different.

The familiar coastline had disappeared beneath a broad expanse of muddy water.

Buildings stood partially submerged.

Vehicles were scattered across roads

Pieces of wood, roofing material, furniture, and household belongings floated through flooded streets.

Some structures had survived.

Others had suffered severe damage.

The roads no longer looked like roads.

They looked like channels.

The places where residents had walked to work, school, restaurants, and shops only hours earlier were now covered with debris.

A playground was buried beneath mud.

A convenience store had broken windows and water inside.

A small fishing facility had been badly damaged.