Over 1,000 still in shelters 3 months after 7.1-magnitude quake hit Kumamoto

TOKYO – More than 1,000 people are still sheltering in evacuation centres, awaiting temporary housing three months after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture, damaging their homes.The quake occurred at around 4.27pm on July 28. As of Oct 26, the official death toll stood at 38, with 36 from confirmed disaster-related causes and two suspected to be disaster-related.The figure could rise if more deaths are recognised as disaster-related. According to a Kyodo News survey of municipalities conducted last week, 45 applications for such recognition have been filed by bereaved families.Evacuation centres remain open at 21 locations in seven cities and towns. In Yatsushiro, 579 people, accounting for more than half of the evacuees, remain in shelters, followed by 263 in Uki, 155 in Hikawa and 65 in Uto.The number of damaged homes stands at 82,223, including 2,585 that were completely destroyed.Around 1,200 temporary housing units were in use as of Oct 23, but many people remain on waiting lists for such housing.Yuka Miyazawa, 54, who is living in an evacuation centre in Yatsushiro, had her apartment partially destroyed. She did not apply for temporary housing because only those whose homes were at least half-destroyed are eligible.“I feel I’ve been left behind these past three months. I want people to pay more attention to those in need,” she said.Yoichi Yamaguchi, 74, who has been staying at an evacuation centre in Yatsushiro, said, “I can’t sleep well, and I just feel exhausted all the time.”His home was half-destroyed, and although he applied for temporary housing, he was not selected. “I don’t know how many more months it will take before I can leave here.”Kumamoto Prefecture released a draft restoration and reconstruction plan on Oct 27, outlining measures to help residents rebuild their lives, including providing temporary housing as quickly as possible.Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura said on Oct 27 at a meeting on reconstruction, “We must make this plan a ray of hope for the disaster-stricken areas.”The prefecture has drawn up a road map through fiscal 2028 for measures aimed at rebuilding people’s lives and restoring social infrastructure.For example, in the light of challenges including extreme heat and water outages that took a month to resolve, the plan outlines measures such as revising evacuation shelter operation manuals, strengthening water and sewer systems, and providing physical and mental health care for disaster victims.The plan also includes new tsunami countermeasures amid concerns that a fault segment extending offshore near the quake’s epicentre did not rupture during the earthquake. KYODO NEWS