OMAGARIHAMA, JAPAN - DECEMBER 5: A ship stranded on the shore next to a wiped out residential area on December 5, 2011, in the port of Omagarihama, Japan. The small town was almost wiped off the map during the tsunami Northeastern Japan's coastline was struck by an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale and a Tsunami on March 11, 2011 which destroyed villages and livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of people. Almost 16,000 dead, thousands missing, more than 700,000 properties destroyed and an estimated 387,000 survivors lost their homes. Its estimated that it will take more than five years to rebuild. The cost is estimated to 309 billion U.S. dollars, the world's most expensive natural disaster. Many children suffered especially with school destroyed, education interrupted and the loss of family members took a heavy toll. (Photo by Per-Anders Pettersson)
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