A 9.1 magnitude earthquake also caused a tsunami in the city of… See more

he photos below show glimpses of the devastation and damage as well as recovery efforts one year later.

This combo shows an image (top) taken by a Miyako City official on March 11, 2011 of the tsunami breeching an embankment and flowing into the city of Miyako in Iwate prefecture and the same area (bottom image) on January 16, 2012 nearly one year after the March 11 tsunami devastated the area. (Photo credit: Toru Yamanaka, AFP/Getty Images).

In this composite image, (bottom photo) the devastated town of Otsuchi is seen prior to the sixth month anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and massive tsunami on September 10, 2011 in Ostuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. (Top photo) The Hamayuri, a catamaran sightseeing boat, sits atop a two-story building among the tsunami debris on April 3, 2011 in Ostuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. (Photo credit: Athit Perawongmetha, Getty Images).