One of my friends lived in an old two-story house, which the earthquake crushed flat. Her husband died an instant death. My friend managed to survive, being wedged between a very thin space but could not move at all. Her neighbors came to look for them, calling out their names loudly but her replies could not be heard by those outside. Just after 3 o`clock in the afternoon, her daughter-in-law managed to get there to look for her. The daughter-in-law shouted very loud and my friend thought this was her last chance.
She raised her voice as high as she could. Because her daughter-in-law had put her ears to the rubble to listen fou a reply, she could hear a faint sound. She asked the neighbors and they removed the rubble one by one to find her. She was rescued . Tears still well up in my eyes each time I think about it.
(Female,aged 74,Higashinada Ward)

Fire Deperment Advice
Rescue activities become increasingly difficult as time passes. We in the fire department, in order not to miss any small voice or sound, put our ears outo pillars and stuck our heads into gaps between rubble when carrying out our rescue activities. This may sound primitive but was a very effective way.
As we were trying to pick up these faint sounds, we often heard media helicopters hovering above our heads. (Helicopters used for transporting supplies do not circle in the air.) Such helicopter noise will prevent us from catching the life signal of those survivors buried alive. Many people pointed out that this was one of the lessons that must be learned from the earthquake disaster.