think it s going to be i think it will be fine really. reporter: yeah? what makes you think it s going to be fine? i don t know. i i m just guessing really. reporter: hopeful? just looking at this right now, it s pretty bad. reporter: but we re stopped by a street full of mud and debris and water. we can t get through. what do you think? we can go around that direction. reporter: we could try. at every turn, the road impassable. your parents must be frantically thinking about you. yeah. reporter: we find a way across glass and splinters of wood beams. watch the nails, though. be careful. but again we can t get through. he s so close but so far, and the closer we get, the more anxious paul gets. suddenly, out of the blue rachel, hey! how are you? how are you?
to their core. but this morning the ferry to and from the tiny island of oshima was running again and dozens of people lined up hoping to get to their loved ones, some who had been stranded for days. on board, paul famiilsz. he turned 25 on thursday, by friday a survivor of japan s worst earthquake ever. a lot of buildings were collapsed a lot like this. cars were smashed here and there, broken glasses everywhere. i tried to get closer, but everything was such a mess. there was no way for me to even get close. everything was strewn about. reporter: an assistant teacher on nearby oshima island, his classes room was on high ground so he was safe. now he was back in the town where he lives to witness the devastation firsthand, starting with a visit to his apartment, a five-minute walk. how worried are you that your apartment is wiped out? from looking at this, i don t
how s david? have you seen david at all? reporter: it s his friend rachel shook, also a teacher. she s his neighbor, too. the three of us set off to find a way into the apartment, walking past the oddities, the stunning power of a tsunami brings, like a boat perched on top of a car. after twists and turns, we re finally there. rachel takes a moment to update the list she keeps on her front door. friends who have made it. then paul tries his key, and he s in. inside he tries to salvage medicine and food, but mostly it s a lost cause. back outside, while we re set up for an interview, paul borrows my satellite phone to call his parents. hi, mom. hi, dad. it s paul. just saying i m alive and i m safe right now in katsanuma. reporter: he leaves a message on voice mail.