The arrival of emergency food for residents hoping that the worst is over is being hampered by the severity of the disaster, leaving them with only small rations of rice, bananas, bread and rice balls.

''We had a series of earthquakes like the Great Hanshin earthquake and measures should've been taken about how to distribute food,'' said 55-year-old Yoshinobu Ishikawa, who is staying alone at a shelter in Natori in the prefecture.

With temperatures close to zero, however, people attempted to cheer each other up. People waited patiently in long lines for their ration of water, supplied by water tanks, with very few complaints.

In Fukushima Prefecture, the nuclear crisis at a power plant, which was crippled by the mega earthquake, has added to residents' worries.

Many of the people in devastated areas have not been able to contact their families, friends and co-workers as they cannot use mobiles phones due to a lack of electricity.

In many shelters, notes posted on walls are the only means to search for loved ones. But they are also being used to keep spirits up.

Among the notes listing the names and whereabouts of evacuees, some had messages reading, ''Thank you for helping us'' and ''Let's make it through together.''

The coast of Miyatojima Island in Miyagi Prefecture was devastated by the tsunami, with residents left isolated by the collapse of a bridge linking the island to the mainland. Rescue workers have been attempting to remove debris at various locations in the prefecture but their work has not been easy.

''I have friends, relatives and co-workers but haven't heard from them,'' said Yoshihisa Watanabe, a 55-year-old man who came searching for clues on the opposite shore of the island where houses were flattened.

''I think they always had a sense of urgency because of the way the island is located. So I'm hoping that they moved to higher ground,'' said Watanabe, who came by car.

At an elementary school in the nearby city of Higashimatsushima, which has been turned into a shelter, people were packed into classrooms.

In the hallway, a junior high school student started crying out the minute she saw her friend for the first time since the earthquake. ''You're alive. I've been hoping to hear from you for so long,'' the tearful girl told her friend.

The situation of the evacuees is tough, with food supplies tight, and communication and information tools constrained. Some shelters do not have televisions and rely on radios for news and other necessary information for living in shelters.

But the evacuees' shared plight has helped them to build ties and support each other.

''There are various types of people here but we are staying as one,'' said a 30-year-old woman staying at a shelter in Natori with her husband and two-year-old son.

''I wanted information so much, but the more information I get through the media, the more I become worried as I see what has actually happened in various places. It's terrifying,'' said the woman who declined to give her name.

But seeing other people at the shelter who have also suffered terrible experiences, she realizes she is not alone. ''I know it's not only about me, it's about us.''