Latest local news, weather and high school sports for Tri-State area

In Minami Sanriku, a town in northeastern Japan, a family photo album lay on the sodden ground, showing a beaming man holding a newborn baby -- happiness out of place amid the devastation and carnage left by a tsunami that occurred just after a massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake.

It's been estimated that some 9,500 people -- half the town's population -- may be unaccounted for.

Only a handful of buildings were left standing, with the rest a mangled mess of rubble. A boat sat on the edge of town, carried more than two miles inland by the tsunami.

When the tsunami warning sounded Friday, "Most people ran away," said Choushin Takahaski, who was working in a local government office near the water. "Some had to leave the elderly or disabled behind on the second floor. I think a lot of those left behind probably died."

As the wave hit, he said he felt as if it was happening in a dream.

"I saw the bottom of the sea when the tidal wave withdrew and houses and people were being washed out," another resident said. "I couldn't watch anymore."

Survivors were still being pulled out of the rubble -- 42 of them Sunday morning alone, according to local media. Elsewhere, survivors were also being found in the rubble in Sendai.

A dramatic rescue also took place off Japan's coast Sunday, when a Japanese destroyer rescued a 60-year-old man at sea, some 15 kilometers (9 miles) off Fukushima prefecture, according to Kyodo News Agency.

The man, identified as Hiromitsu Shinkawa of Minami Soma, was swept away with his house, Kyodo said. He was spotted floating in the sea, waving a self-made red flag while standing on a piece of his house's roof.

Shinkawa was conscious and in good condition, Kyodo said, citing Defense Ministry officials. He was quoted as telling rescuers he had left his home because of the quake, but returned home to grab some belongings with his wife when the tsunami hit. "I was saved by holding onto the roof," he said, "but my wife was swept away."

When a member of Japan's Maritime Self Defense Force handed him something to drink on the rescue boat, Shinkawa drank it and burst into tears, Kyodo reported.

"No helicopters or boats that came nearby noticed me," he said. "... I thought today was the last day of my life."

In Minami Sanriku, search and rescue efforts were frequently disturbed by tsunami alerts prompted by ongoing aftershocks.

When the alarm sounded, police abandoned their cars, rescue workers blew whistles and people rushed to high ground. "It's your life!" shouted one man. "Run!" It was a false alarm, but such warnings are taken seriously in the wake of the disaster.

In Sendai, south of Minami Sanriku, one man said his mother and uncle remain missing. They were at the family's home when the tsunami struck.

"Frightening beyond belief," the young man said. "I have no words."

Many areas of the town are simply gone -- mud and boards littering an area where a row of homes used to stand; a vehicle upside-down among tree branches. A school, which had 450 people inside when the tsunami hit, stood with its doors blown open and a jumble of furniture -- plus a truck -- in its hallways. Some teachers and students were able to escape the building, but officials said others did not.

Sendai residents said the water reached the treetops as it swept into the town. Cars were tossed like toys, windows blasted out and homes crushed or swept away completely.

"As I was trying to evacuate, the tsunami was already in front of me," another young man said. "I tried to drive, but I ended up running instead."

Some four-wheel-drive vehicles were seen on Sendai roads. Military choppers hovered overhead. Among those yet to be rescued Sunday were those trapped in a hospital, officials said.

"I've been watching TV, but it looks much worse when I actually see it in person," said a third young man. "I grew up in the house that was not close to the ocean. I didn't think it would be this bad, but I'm from the west side and I guess some people could not imagine the horror of the tsunami and couldn't evacuate in time."

Some residents of coastal Sendai returned to their homes Sunday, salvaging what they could. Others stood in long lines for limited fuel and, especially, for food and water. The line at one food and water distribution center was several blocks long.

Melissa Heng said she has many colleagues who are unable to reach friends and family living elsewhere in Miyagi prefecture, as phone service has been spotty. That, she said, is "adding to the emotional toll."

But "for a city that's seen so much tragedy in the last few days, the people seem very calm," she said. Many families are focusing on the cleanup process, she said, and there is a sense that "we're all in this together."

She said at a Sendai shelter, food was distributed on Saturday, but on Sunday the only thing available was some donated fruit.

"For two days we had no electricity, water or gas," said Simon Garcia, who is studying in Sendai and in a dorm in the mountains above the town, an area less affected by the tsunami. He said he and others were unaware of the extent of the damage until power was restored -- on a limited basis -- and they could watch television.

People were waiting two hours to get into the supermarket, he said, and once inside, there is very little left and limits on how much customers can buy. He said people in the dorms have been asked to avoid going into the central part of the city.

Meanwhile, to the south, a semblance of normalcy was returning in Tokyo although unease -- and long lines for food and fuel -- persisted. Aftershocks continued into Sunday, rattling nerves and stoking fears of another large quake.

"The news is telling us that there is a 70% change of another 7.0 or greater earthquake within three days," said CNN iReporter Gabriel Rodriguez, who lives on the U.S.' Negishi Navy housing base in Yokohama, just south of Tokyo.

Many people are attempting to stock up on food and water, he said. Fuel was being rationed to 10 gallons per customer because of delivery delays, he said, and long lines are also seen for fuel off base.

"There are a lot of the staples that are gone and, of course, the meat," said iReporter June Kathryn Jones, who is in Yokosuka while her husband is on the USS John McCain -- and unable to get on the Yokosuka Naval Base since he can't sign her in. "I've never seen anything like that. A lot of the items that don't need to be refrigerated are available, but that might be pretty comical for myself, being that I can't read Japanese."

The capital was slowly returning to normal, said iReporter David Powell, but public areas were largely deserted. He sent a photo of a policeman patrolling "a common meeting place 'Hachiko' outside Shibuya Station, that is typically packed shoulder to shoulder with people but is relatively empty."

Powell also snapped photos of empty aisles at a department store. Tokyo residents reported that stores were sold out of items like batteries and flashlights, and baked goods, dairy products and other food was hard to find.

"The supermarkets and convenience stores in and around Tokyo are still bare," James Stewart, who lives in the Kanto area of the city, wrote in an e-mail to CNN, attaching photos of supermarket shelves stripped clean of items. "Every time a delivery of food arrives, it's gone within an hour ... I've been to two supermarkets already and there is nothing to be bought. Liquor stores have been cleaned out, too."'

Because of continuing concerns regarding a handful of nuclear reactors, rolling blackouts were announced, he said, and will begin tomorrow in many satellite towns around central Tokyo. "Most will be out of power/internet for around three hours, twice a day," he said. "Mobile phone service seems to be stable again."

Elsewhere, Japanese-Americans were also concerned about their relatives, saying it's hard to contact them because of spotty phone service.

"I don't know .. if they're safe or not," said Fumi Meyer in New Jersey, who has been attempting to reach her cousin. "I have no idea. Just pray and wait, that's all we can do."

Some have been able to get e-mails to and from their loved ones. But "they still haven't e-mailed back yet," said Yuki Dodson, who is trying to reach her 86-year-old mother and other friends. "I'm really worried. Still waiting."