>> reporter: the nearby made civic provides one of the great charms of living in the neighborhood, but now many of the homes are decimated. the ocean they say has turned against them. the city has spent an enormous amount of money to build this elaborate series of sea walls, 30 feet tall, to protect its neighborhoods from flooding. but not surprisingly, when the tsunami came, these walls made very little difference. they have no idea how to even start figuring out whether they can ever live in this house again. >> translator: this is a nightmare, but we are alive. >> reporter: a for that, they are grateful. gary tuchman, cnn, japan. a lot of americans are reaching out to the victims. the christian aid organization samaritan's purse is sending a plane filled with 90 tons of relief supplies. last hour i talked with franklin brown, the organization's president, and asked what he would say to those who wonder