One of my best buds lives in Sendai. He owns a couple of English schools there. He was playing online games when the quake hit and his friends stateside could hear the quake through their speakers.
He and his family and in-laws are okay. He was stocked with supplies, including water and food, and so is being affected less than a lot of others around him. His school is still standing, and his students and their families are fine. There is still one close friend unaccounted for, though, and he is worried about him.
He said while the devastation is horrendous, it still isn't nearly as bad as the US media outlets are making it out to be. I guess that is a ray of sunshine on a bad day, at least.