Heat, Water Cuts Deepen Hardship in Quake-Hit Kumamoto

Mashiki, Kumamoto Pref., Aug. 1 (Jiji Press)–Scorching heat waves and widespread water outages are adding to the hardships faced by more than 9,000 evacuees in areas devastated by Tuesday’s powerful earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan. With the quake-hit areas marking their first weekend since the disaster, volunteer activities have begun in the town of Mashiki in Kumamoto. The death toll from the quake, which registered a seismic intensity of up to 7, the highest on the Japanese scale, reached 36, including two deaths that may be linked to the disaster, according to the prefecture’s disaster response headquarters. The prefecture has confirmed the identities of 27 victims, and plans to release their names after obtaining the consent of the bereaved families. As of 7:30 a.m. Saturday, 9,228 people were staying at 229 evacuation centers across the prefecture. While power has been largely restored, many residents have continued sleeping in their vehicles to escape the heat and use their cars’ air conditioning. The Japan Meteorological Agency forecast daily highs of at least 35 degrees Celsius through Friday, with temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees or higher on Monday. It warned that dangerous heat would persist and urged residents to take precautions against heatstroke. About 72,000 households remained without water, with no timetable for restoring the water supply. The disaster response headquarters has stepped up emergency water distribution by compiling information from national, prefectural and municipal authorities to prioritize water truck dispatches. A volunteer center opened Saturday in Mashiki, where work began to remove household items damaged by the quake as part of recovery efforts. At the Aeon Mall Kumamoto shopping facility in the town of Kashima, where an explosion occurred following the earthquake, police, firefighters and Self-Defense Forces personnel continued searching for anyone who may be trapped while clearing debris. The earthquake struck at about 4:27 p.m. Tuesday with its epicenter in the Kumamoto region, recording an intensity of up to 7, the highest on the Japanese scale, in the city of Uki and the town of Hikawa, and up to upper 6 in the city of Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture’s namesake capital, the town of Kashima and elsewhere. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]