Fatigue Peaks for Kumamoto Quake Evacuees, 1 Week On

Kashima, Kumamoto Pref., Aug. 4 (Jiji Press)–One week after a massive earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, exhaustion levels are reaching their peak for many of the 7,500 or so people living in evacuation centers in the southwestern Japan prefecture. In the city of Uki, which experienced the maximum seismic intensity of 7 on the Japanese scale in the July 28 earthquake, about 3,200 people have spent the past week in evacuation centers. “The past seven days have been tough,” said an exhausted-looking Mineko Hasegawa, 72, at a local disaster prevention center. “I haven’t been able to take a bath frequently, and I haven’t eaten vegetables,” said Hasegawa, nursing a swollen foot she had injured during the quake. She said that her body hurts from having to sleep crowded together with other evacuees. “I just want things to go back to normal as soon as possible.” Aiko Hashimoto, 84, returned home three days ago but stays at the evacuation center during daytime while her family is away. “I can’t cook rice because I don’t have running water,” she said. On Tuesday morning, people waiting to receive their share of water formed a long line at the facility. A man in his 50s said that he comes to the facility daily to get water so that he can flush his toilet at home. “I don’t know how long this situation will last,” he said. “My home was destroyed (in the quake),” said a 76-year-old woman staying at an evacuation shelter next to the Uki city hall. “I used to have so much fun having barbeques in the garden with my children and grandchildren,” she lamented. The disaster-affected areas have been rattled by numerous aftershocks. The woman said, “(The power of) nature is scary.” Flowers and messages of gratitude have been left outside the Aeon Mall Kumamoto shopping facility in the town of Kashima, where seven people died in an explosion shortly after the tremor. Shingo Watanabe, a 38-year-old corporate employee from Uki, said that he used to visit the mall once a week, and that he paid his respects to the victims. His home was partially damaged and is still without running water. “One week seems like a long time, but it went by so quickly,” he said. A man in his 40s from the town of Ozu visited the shopping mall with his 7-year-old son and put their hands together to pray. He said that he enjoyed shopping there two to three times a month. “I was surprised to see the changed landscape,” he said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]