Residents of town hit by 2011 tsunami make video of encouragement for Kumamoto

ONAGAWA, Miyagi -- Residents in this tsunami-ravaged town have created a video of encouragement for quake-hit Kumamoto Prefecture, in a show of support and solidarity.

In Onagawa, 827 people died or went missing in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, and 2,924 residences, or around 66 percent of homes, were totally destroyed. In its video, around 150 people gather to form a message reading, "Gambappe Kumamoto" (let's do this, Kumamoto). In less than a month, the video, which was posted on the Onagawa town website, garnered over 50,000 views.

The video is about one minute long and was filmed in the town's central area, which was devastated by the tsunami. It was taken using a drone when a meeting was held there last month to show residents the progress in rebuilding the town, in a vacant lot where commercial buildings are to be constructed.

The video is quiet, without any voiced narration. Captions read, "We (in Onagawa) have come face-to-face with sadness, and moved on to overcome large obstacles and made it to today."

It closes with the words, "The pain of the all the people affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake is our pain. Gambappe Kumamoto. Our hearts are with you."

After the Onagawa Municipal Government put the video on its website on May 20, it received attention on Twitter and other social media. By June 16 the video had been viewed over 50,000 times.

The Onagawa government has received many emails of thanks from the city of Kumamoto. "It gave me courage," wrote one man. Another message from a woman read, "We are widely separated from north to south, but the fact that people are there with us is emotional support." "It showed me the warmth of people," wrote another woman.

The municipal government of the town of Misato, Kumamoto Prefecture, has posted a reply on its website. Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, Misato has sent employees to Onagawa every year, and after the Kumamoto Earthquake, Onagawa sent Misato 10 workers to aid in recovery efforts.

"We will work to return our town to its pre-quake condition as soon as possible," the Misato message says.

Yasuhiro Chiba, 43, a public relations manager and head secretary at the Onagawa Municipal Government, says, "Onagawa received kind support from around the country, so we felt we had to (put out the video.)"

Yoshie Ohara, 24, who manages public relations for the Misato Municipal Government, says, "We're thankful for the support from Onagawa. We hope that residents who have seen their video were encouraged."