UKI, KUMAMOTO PREF. – Temperatures in Kumamoto Prefecture rose above 40 degrees Celsius for the first time ever on Monday, adding to the plight of people in the prefecture hit by a powerful earthquake last Tuesday.
In the city of Kumamoto, the temperature reached 40.3 C on Monday afternoon.
As more than 8,500 people are staying in evacuation shelters following the earthquake, which measured at magnitude 7.1, or shindo 7, the highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, the prefectural government has started procedures to move them to hotels and other lodging facilities in the cities of Uto, Uki and Yatsushiro and the town of Hikawa for secondary evacuation.
According to the prefectural government, all affected people are eligible to relocate to such secondary evacuation facilities. Related leaflets were distributed at current evacuation centers on Monday. Relocation is expected to start on Tuesday at the earliest.
“We will make preparations so that evacuees can relocate as soon as possible,” Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura told reporters Sunday.
In addition, 50 makeshift housing units will be built in Uki and 20 in Hikawa, where damage was especially heavy. They will become available in September or later.
Earthquake debris are brought to a makeshift collection site in Hikawa, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Monday. | JIJI
As of Monday morning, the death toll from the quake stood at 38, including cases under investigation for possible links to the disaster, according to the prefecture’s disaster response headquarters.
Among the victims, a woman in her 70s who is believed to have died of heatstroke may be recognized as the first casualty related to the latest disaster.
The number of damaged houses has reached 4,622 while water supply has been disrupted at 46,700 households. A total of 8,556 people are staying at 206 evacuation centers. Some evacuees are using their cars.
In Hikawa, the town began accepting debris from the disaster at a makeshift collection site on Monday.
Akio Hatano, 80, arrived at the site early in the morning, bringing in broken potteries and shoji sliding screens. “I’m glad we can finally bring these in, but it’ll take a long time to clean up everything,” he said.
A 71-year-old man from the town brought in wrecked furniture, including a shelf and a chest of drawers. “It’s still a huge mess inside our home,” he said.
