By Shelley Kofler, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-976909.mp3
Dallas, TX – Four months ago, on March 11, the most powerful earthquake in Japan's history hit near the northeastern coastal city of Sendai, a sister-city of Dallas. A devastating tsunami followed.
In Sendai alone more than 740 died or are missing. The toll reached more than 20,000 nationwide.
North Texans were among those who reached out with donations.
In the coming weeks KERA will bring you stories from Sendai and the citizens who are putting their lives and community back together.
Anna McFarland of Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth presents Sendai officials with a Messages of Hope banner signed by DFW residents. Anna is second from the left.
For this report KERA's Shelley Kofler talked with Anna McFarland as she visited Sendai. She's the executive director of the Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth. McFarland says the center of the city is nearly back to normal but residents closer to the coast still can't go home.
Some still live in shelters or schools, food still appears to be scarce in some places and people worry about the long term effects of radiation leaks at the nearby Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
But McFarland says there are also signs of optimism and recovery.
Click on the audio bar above to hear her report.
Sendai's official homepage: city.sendai.jp/language/english.html
Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth: jasdfw.org