News in Pictures / Earthquake-hit Noto Prepares for Rainy Season, Hot Summer; Local Govts Try to Patch Leaky Homes, Keep Food Cool

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:09 JST, June 4, 2024

Saturday marked five months since the Noto Peninsula Earthquake struck Ishikawa Prefecture on New Year’s Day.

A sports event for elementary and junior high school students was held on the day in the prefecture’s city of Suzu, which was battered by the quake. Since schoolyards and community land are being converted to sites for temporary housing, the event was planned so children could play outdoors. Family members cheered as students ran in a relay or raced while pushing giant balls.

In neighboring Wajima, about 300 paper lanterns were lit to form the number “1.1,” the date of the earthquake. Residents gathered around the lanterns, which were placed near temporary housing, and mourned the victims. The lanterns bore such messages as “Step by step, we will recover.”

In the prefecture, there are still piles of debris in many places. Residents living in damaged houses are concerned about the approaching rainy season, which usually starts in June, as heavy rainfall could cause more damage. The Wajima city government distributed about 2,000 blue tarps to residents in mid-May after there were complaints of leaky roofs.

Rising temperatures are also a concern, as food will spoil more quickly and there is a risk of heat stroke. The Suzu city government, in cooperation with local restaurants and other businesses, has been preparing about 450 boxed meals a day at a city facility and providing them to evacuation centers. The meals have been delivered with cooling packs since mid-May.

The death toll from the quake has now reached 260, including 30 people who were certified as “disaster-related deaths,” meaning they died from illness or other conditions caused by stressful living conditions after the quake.