|
The
magnitude 7.6 quake killed at least 168 people on New Year's Day
with 323 reported missing. Sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow
and rain have hampered the delivery of aid, leaving thousands
with diminishing supplies and little information.
Mudslides, boulders and cracks in the road have buried homes and
blocked access routes. Those living in areas that escaped the
greatest damage, such as Nishiaraya, a village of 1,000 people
on the outskirts of Kanazawa, brave the snow to collect drinking
water.
“When will reconstruction begin? When will temporary housing be
built? We’re not getting any information,” said Nishiaraya
resident Hiroe Kawabe. "If we can’t live here we need to think
about leaving. We want information on how long it will take.”
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday that 500 people
could be temporarily housed in a sports centre in Kanazawa but
said more evacuation centers were needed. He said the government
was also working to find hotel rooms for evacuees.
On Friday, Kishida said that the government would tap 4.74
billion yen ($32.77 million) of budget reserves for
reconstruction efforts.
But the weather makes reconstruction a dangerous task and more
snow and rain are expected in coming days.
Nishiaraya fire department chief Hisashi Ida said the biggest
risk was not being able to plough the snow.
“Machines won't be able to get in and walking on bumpy parts
where snow has accumulated will cause injuries. I think this
will be a 'secondary disaster' and I am worried.”
Japan sits on the "Ring of Fire" arc of volcanoes and oceanic
trenches that partly encircles the Pacific Basin. It accounts
for about 20% of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or
greater.
The New Year's Day quake was Japan's deadliest since 2016 when
276 people were killed in a quake that hit the southwestern
region of Kumamoto.
(Reporting by Joseph Campbell, Chris Gallagher and Anton Bridge;
Editing by Nick Macfie)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
