CBS News' Lucy Croft reports from Tokyo that Japanese television began the day showing scenes of utter tragedy: houses with their roofs ripped off, at least two villages destroyed, a forest thrown like a pile of chopsticks onto a bunch of houses.

 

 

Aerial scenes of the town of Ofunato showed homes and warehouses in ruins. Sludge and high water spread over acres of land, with people seeking refuge on roofs of partially submerged buildings. At one school, a large white "SOS" had been spelled out in English.

 

 

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said an initial assessment found "enormous damage," adding that the Defense Ministry was sending troops to the hardest-hit region.