Black Wave


  • Photographer
    Cam Wrigley
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention
  • Company/Studios
    Cam Wrigley Photography
  • Date of Photograph
    May 23/2011 - June 1/2011

Black Wave In March 2011, a black wave of destruction struck the coast of Japan, taking thousands of lives and causing extensive damage. My photos are about the aftermath, as people struggled to return to normality amongst what was still a chaotic environment. This event will come to define an entire generation of Japanese people.

Story

It was the biggest earthquake I’d ever experienced. It was so strong you couldn’t even stand up.
I was at work, so my first responsibility was making sure the customers were safe. We evacuated the building and locked up. At that time we still didn’t know a tsunami was coming.
I didn’t think one would come, so I wasn’t really hurrying.
Then the traffic lights and the cell phones stopped working. The fire department announced that a tsunami was coming and that the breakwater had been breached.
I tried to escape in my car, but with the traffic lights being out and so many people trying to get away, the roads were totally clogged. I could see the tsunami behind me and it was throwing up huge clouds of dust. I decided to abandon my car and run to higher ground.
Some of the people who didn’t believe a tsunami would come never ran away. When I looked behind me, I could see people being swallowed by the waves.
I still see those people in my dreams. Now whenever there’s even a small earthquake, I get nervous. I don’t sleep well anymore.
I made it to Takata Junior High School, and I could see the entire city covered in water. But even when the water receded I knew there would be nothing left. I worried about the future.
At that time, there was no electricity, water, or gas and for the first few days I lived on one sembei cracker per day. Then, everyone pooled their money and bought a little food. Some people slept in their cars in the parking lot. I couldn't sleep for the first few days.
I spent the whole time watching the city from on top of the hill.

-Tsunami survivor Kei Kanno, 23, from Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, Japan.
Translated and transcribed from an audio interview taken on June 1, 2011.





You can create multiple entries, and pay for them at the same time.
Just go to your History, and select multiple entries that you would like to pay for.