And thats where he headed, right into that hell. Willing to risk his life to try to save hers. Fire on the water. But could he get there in time . I never loved someone the way i loved georgia. Im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres Keith Morrison with swept away. Who can say what lurks throughout, past the horizon, waiting imporousinally, uttererly at random. And simple coincidence. A young man from Middle America made a single decision. Could you imagine back there in indiana you were about to make your life flip on its head in this way . No. No, never. How could he know that on the other side of the world a young woman made exactly the same decision. Or that theyd meet practically on the eve of one of the biggest natural disasters in recent memory. Or how could he know that in the middle of disaster hed lose her. I wouldnt know what id do without her. So coincidence, love, disaster. There is no fairness about these things. They just are. Zack brown it turned 23 in 2010. I just picked up a degree in history from a college in indiana. No idea what to do next and then he saw an offer for a job in japan. A twoyear stint teaching english to Elementary School students. Why japan of all places . I think it was just offered to me and i jumped on it. The town they sent him to in japan was a long, long way from his home town of nashville. Nashville, indiana. On sundays he skyped with his parents, john and terry. John is a musician and tarry a School Guidance counselor. It was rough at first. The language thing was the big thing. You were a stranger in a strange land . Yes. Was it a lonely feeling . Yeah. It was. But it was made better by the fact there were other foreign teachers in town. Along with the teachers there was one other person, a volunteer who helped the foreign teachers adjust. A local English Speaking businessman, kenji. A pretty accomplished guitarist learned zach was too. I was amazed by his song. His ordinary songs and he played guitar very well. Kenji pulled out an old gibson and said consider this yours. I would play music for them. I think that helped break down that barrier a bit. Reporter but just three weeks in, overwhelmed by homesickness he called his parents. He had had enough. As embarrassing as it is, i was actually crying and i said i want to come home. And we said no. You made a commitment. Youre a man. You gave your word. How hard was it to say that . It was really hard. I may have hung up the phone a bit angry at him because it wasnt the answer i wanted to get but in retrospect, im really glad. And then one night when the teachers got together, there was someone new, another teacher just returning from sunny vacation. There was this beautiful tan georgia coming back from croatia. 23yearold georgia robinson from new zealand. Shed been teaching and living in a nearby town on the coast. In october, they all went to a karaoke bar. Found out she was a huge fan of kiss and that sparked my interest. Did it seem to be the same the other way around . No. Because i didnt hear anything from her after that night. No idea that back in new zealand georgias cousin, chelsea, started hearing about a guy named zach. She said he was really out going and really nice person who was interested in all the same sort of things as had her. The same music and same movies. And then a few weeks later, she called him. Here they are practicing with the other teachers for december dance performance. And then from then on we ended up spending progressively more and more time together. It was a happier young man who went home to indiana for christmas. Zach introduced his parents to georgia sort of. I met her on skype and bless her heart she had the flu and had her bath robe on and was not feeling well and what a way to meet us. What did you think about this relationship with a girl so far away . We werent putting that much stock in it. We were grateful he had had someone to spend time with. I was talking to my mom. And shes like so you really care for georgia, dont you . And i was like yeah and my mom got choked up and was like what happens if you move to new zeala zealand . And i had to assure my mother and say thats never going to happen, mom. Reporter zach seemed eager to get back to japan and then friday, march 11th, 2011, the day before his fathers birthday. I had spent a lot of the day writing my dad a nice big birthday email. I had hit send and was talking to georgia on g mail chat, ill see you after this rehearsal. And. Boom. Boom. Everything just began to shake. I was in an office chair with wheels. So immediately as it started, the chair began to slide. And things began falling off the shelves. Zach had never been in an earthquake but his co workers knew this one was big. Worried the building might collapse, they ran down stairs and out to the parking lot. But soon they were told it was okay, its over. But the disaster was just beginning. There was a monster over the horizon called fate. And it was coming very fast. Almost as soon as zach got back to his desk, warning sirens went off and even zach knew what that meant and if the tsunami was heading to his town, two miles inland, what was it going to do on the coast in noda, where georgia was . What had happened to georgia . Had anyone in her town survived the tsunami . It was unrecognizable. The buildings were destroyed. Zach knew he had to find her and a world away zachs parents still hadnt found him. This cant be happening. Are you sure its where zach is . Guys, thanks for making our new french toast so authentic, youll swear it came from a fancy brunch place. Its 100 real. Just like my favorite sport pro wrestling. Um. Yeah, about pro wrestling. Its fake. What . Lies its. All. Lies why didnt you tell me . sorry jack, i thought you knew. Try my new grilled french toast plate with syrup and Hickory Smoked bacon. The newest addition to my brunchfast menu. Hit me with this, youll feel better. Gus is a handful. We dont know what this thing is, but someday, gus will because this is the thing that gus will build that will change the world. And this is the thing that could change gus world. Gus doesnt know what this thing is, but we know what this thing is. This is the thing well help gus get rid of. And without this thing, gus can grow up to build this thing, whatever that thing is, because thats what we do. We do health things, and we do those things for northern california, birthplace of pioneers. Frooiiday morning, march 20. They had barely had a sip of their morning tea when the news jolted them awake. An epic earthquake had hit northern japan. 9. 0 near the top end of the Richter Scale and then a huge tsunami crashing up the coast. It was like watching a disaster movie. This one horribly real and john and tarrys son, zack was now right in the middle of it. Unreal. This cant be happening. Are you sure its where zack is . Are you sure its in the same region . Everything was pointing to yeah, its exactly where zach is. A and. So then we just prayed. Enormous waves were hitting kujy, the towns where zach and georgia were teaching. The frantic calls began to no avail. And what happened . It would say all circets are busy and that youd get a busy signal. And then the minutes went by and then an hour and two hours. What did that feel like . Hell. Yeah. As a parent you never think my childs been killed. You never think that. You just wait, you just wait and pray for the best. And remember zach had wanted to come home months earlier but tarry and john had encouraged him to live up to his commitment. How much did you beat yourself up about that . I did. Seemed right then. But now. It was just the helplessness of were way over here and theres not a thing we can do. Georgias family in new zealand, including cousin chelsea were just as scared and helpless. One of my friends got a text that there had been a massive tsunami in japan. George was over there. They turned on the tv and saw images from noda, the little coastal town where georgia was based. It was unrecognizable from images she had sent to us. The buildings were destroyed. There was debris everywhere. And georgia, though they tried and tried was unreachable. We really thought she had gone. Lost hope. The world is watching japan and our coverage back in indiana that night, john turned on his computer and read that last email from zach. He sent it literally two minutes before the earthquake hit. Birthday greeting. That said what . Happy birthday. Love you. It said much more than that though. Dearest rock and poppy, happy birthday. Woo hoo, the big 50. The more time we spend apart, the more i realize what an amazing father and friend you have been to me over the years and always given me a perfect example of how a man and husband should treat his wife. I thought is this the last thing i hear from my son . And its that . Uhhuh. Good morning. Disaster in japan. Saturday morning. More than 24 hours since theyver had any communication with their son. 8 30 still had hadnt heard anything and woke up to even more horrible images and thinking about the death toles and all that. It was just compounding and compounding. And then about the moment all seemed lost another email arrived, not from zach, it was from kenji, that volunteer mentor in japan. Just a few words and they meant everything. Breathe and sigh he survived. It was relief. Zach was alive. All they needed to know for now but georgia still no word. Well, his parents worried about him at home, zach was riding out the chaos in kujy. I wasnt really sure what was going on at first. After the shaking stopped, zach and his co workers moved up to the top floor of the city hall where the view of the whole city and the coastline. So if somethings going to happen, this is where youd see it. And then he saw it. Something about the rivers that split the city and normally flow out to the sea. River was beginning to flow in the opposite direction. The water began to change color. It went from blue to very murky. Even four stories up, zach could hear it roaring river. It went from having a small debris like trees and other rubbish around the harbor and stuff coming into boats, to much largerer and more substantial two things he. Cars and things yeah. That it must have picked up along the coast. , that is getting scary then, right . Yeah. Of course zach hadnt seen the footage everybody outside the country had seen. Towns wiped off the map. Thousands missing. He didnt know how bad it was. Did your mind turn at all when you were up here to whats going on down there where georgia is . I hoped she would be doing the same thing i was. That she would be in a safe location. A safe location . Was there such a thing where georgia was . As water around him began to reseed and zach and his co workers came down stairs, he realized everyone was incredibly quiet. And peoples expressions had changed so drastically to looks of genuine fear. Thats when i thought i myself was scared. Now he understood. If the wave got as far as his town furtherer inland, it had to have hit georgias town right on the coast. What happened to all those people there, to georgia . And suddenly he knew he had to find this girl, had to. I wanted to see her and comfort her as well. No idea what would be waiting for you at that end . No, not the slightest. No. Theres a moment in some lives that defines everything that comes after. A test, a trial. This was zachs test to pass or fail. Coming up i never loved someone the way i loved georgia. But sometimes love doesnt conquer all. It was complete scene of destruction. Its okay to cry, right . No more we dont want anymore [crying] ahhhhhhhhhh everyday price and no extra monthly fees, unlike cable. Speeds up to 45 megs, for 30 a month. Zach brandon didnt fully comprehend how bad it was. The tremendous earthquake and the deadly wall of water was snuffing out more than 18,000 lives, 10s of thousands of homes. Whole towns were being swept away. But zach didnt know that yet. I just wanted to find georgia, my best friend and make sure she was all right. Zach kept telling himself she was all right. The small town on the coast where georgia lived was protected by Massive Concrete sea walls and barriers. So your first thought wasnt oh, god, shes in trouble, it was more thank god there theres a wall . Yes. Its there. Theres no possible way it could have gotten over that. How did you find out that you were wrong . Well, i decided i just left work. Back in indiana, zachs parents, relieved their son was alive got another email. Zach was going to look for georgia. Now a whole new set of concerns like i wasnt even exactly sure where she was. So once we figured that out and looked it up on it map. It wasnt far away but it was even closer to the coast. Closer to the coast. Wondering what he might find when he was over there by himself and what would he do if he didnt find her . It was all those things. Zach hopped in his car and began the eightmile drive from kuji to noda. As i come down the hill, i start noticing people are walking down the side of the road. No cars but theyre just walking. Whole families walking and im just saying to myself thats odd, thats strange. As i got closer, i have could see what looked like to be house on its side just in the middle of the road. I was really confused. Because where were the tsunami walls . Police had had set up a barricade and beyond it what did you see over there . It was complete destruction. You know. There had had been, for lot of the houses theyre heated with kerosene. So kerosene tanks have been knocked over throughout the tsunami and because of the downed power lines, it actually sparked fires. Fires on the hill, fire on the waterer. Debris everywhere. Just a complete scene of destruction really. Zach almost in shock walked toward the barricade blocking the road. There was a Police Officer and he said to me, dangerous. No and just kind of began trying to escort me back towards where i had had parked my car. So zach got in his car and drove back to kuji, trying to tell himself it would be okay, that georgia was fine. But the scene behind the barricade was chaos, disaster was obvious there were many casualties. It was impossible to know how many. But zach understood as he was earn itted away that one persons anxiety could not be allowed to trump Public Safety and yet at that very moment he understood with absolute clarity, he had to find out what happened to the girl behind the barricade. He had to. If she was alive or dead or injured. Had had to because she was the love of his life. He sent message after message by text. In vein, knowing that they werent going through but just hoping. Little messages of encouragement. I love you, i hope everythings all right. Ive tried. Just know im coming. What were you thinking . I wouldnt know what id do without her. Guess thats the first time you really had to confront it in a serious way, right . Yeah. I had had i had hnever loved someone the way i loved georgia. And so i guess i hoped she was going to be fine. And i was going to rprobably didnt sleep much then . No. The after shocks went on all night, so did tsunami warnings. So youre thinking is there going to be another tsunami coming through . I didnt really sleep. At 5 30 a. M. , he left a note on his apartment door just in case georgia made it there. And i said georgia, im coming to look for you. If for some reason you make it into kuji. Stay here. If it i havent found you by sun down, im coming right back here. So know im coming back. And then he got in his car again and headed toward the coast. And i just decided come hell or high waterer i was getting into that town. But how . Hed certainly be facing hell and high water but perhaps the biggest problem was the Japanese Army blocking the road. Coming up. Was time running out for georgia . Had zach lost the love of his life . That feeling that shes not all right, it began growing as each minute went by. Its just a date. I can stay. Im good. I wont be late hey mom. Yeah. No kissing on the first date, alright . Life doesnt always stick to a plan, but with our investment expertise well help you handle whats next. Financial guidance while youre mastering life. From chase. So you can. Tonight. There were enty of tea of a navy seal who wasrecently. Including emale wmakers congesswoman nanyelosi wore white dresses for womens rights. Add on ouhomepagthe ntsb says a report on the riverside pne crash will be released in 10 days. A gro of people fm san welsee you at 11d. Two ofthem as the sun rose over the ruin coastal towns of northern japan, zach approached the barricade outside georgias town, noda. I parked a little further out this time and started walking in and they still had the Police Officers and the Defense Force with their road block but i noticed what looked like to be a group of locales with shovels and other gear. Im going in to start clearing paths to the town and i thought thats my way in. Those civilian volunteers seemed to have official permission to go in and knew where they were going. So i just pulled my hood up and hopped in line with them and no one was looking around. He snuck past the police line, followed the group oppath away from the main road. He knew where hed go first, if he could. So your First Destination was her apartment . Hoping id find her there sitting on the floor reading a book. Reporter deacceptscended ban to a horrific scene. Noda was almost unrecognizable. There were houses toppled ovboats. Just anything you could imagine. Metal electric poles bent as if someone had come through and if shead ad gone there befo the tsunami had hit, shed be all right. Everything was still left exactly the way we had hleft it from the previous morning when we both went to work. Zach could see down into the center of town. Thats where georgias office was, where she was when the earthquake hit and what he saw chilled him to the bone. What i couldnt see of the central part of the village that was so destroyed. In my mind i could not see how nobody survived in that city building. Well, yeah. Shaking that from his mind, he thought she may have gone to help out at one of the three schools she taught but when he got to the kindergarten, his heart sank. The kinder garten was completely gone. All that was left was a bit of the fence and some foundation. A kindekindgarten that was occupied . I hoped not. Now zach went to another school and found a group of teachers huddled in their office. Unable to speak japanese, he passed around georgias business cards with her photo. And i kept asking. Georgia sinsai, where is she . Have you seen her . They had not. But they did give zach some hope. They said go. Junior high. So i take that as oh, shes at the junior high. So zach sprinted there, made his way to the teachers room. And i asked them have you seen georgia . And they said they had hadnt. And i kind of lost it at that point. Zach stagered outside, out of options. His despair now total. What was happening in your mind . Just feeling so lost. That feeling ive been trying to suppress. That feeling of shes not all right. It be