Noto Quake-Hit Areas Discontent over Home Damage Assessments

Jiji Press

11:39 JST, November 4, 2024

Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref. (Jiji Press)—Residents of areas struck by the Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake in central Japan have expressed dissatisfaction over the results of local governments’ assessments of their damaged homes.

According to six municipalities in Ishikawa Prefecture that were especially hit hard by the 7.6-magnitude quake, 37 pct of houses that underwent building damage assessments received reinvestigations after complaints.

Many have noted inconsistencies in assessments and discrepancies between the results and the actual situations, posing challenges to residents’ efforts to rebuild their lives.

Masayuki Kozakaya, 76, head of the Najimi district of the Ishikawa city of Wajima, said that his house received a “semi-destroyed” disaster certificate in the first survey. But he was told by an expert he knew that the house’s foundation was tilted and that he should seek a reassessment.

His house was given the “partially destroyed” status, one level above the semi-destroyed status, in the second screening.

People with houses deemed semi-destroyed are in principle not subject to temporary housing and not eligible to have their homes demolished with public funds, and financial aid for them is limited.

“There is a huge difference compared with support for partially destroyed houses, and many residents are stressed by it,” Kozakaya said.

The six Ishikawa municipalities said that, of the roughly 38,700 houses that completed their initial damage assessments by late last month, some 14,200 buildings underwent a second assessment.

“The initial survey is focused on speed and looks at the exterior, so it can’t be helped that there are many complaints,” a Wajima city official said. Some homes have received as many as five assessments.

The fact that local government officials who are not architectural experts carry out the assessments is considered one factor behind the issue.

At a symposium on disaster damage certificates held in the Ishikawa capital of Kanazawa last month by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, participants reported that damage certifications vary widely depending on the assessor and that some deem parts of homes they have not checked to be without damage.

Masaaki Iene, 74, was initially skeptical of the semi-destroyed status given to his house in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, due to the investigation being conducted hastily. He asked a local support organization to look at his home, and was able to become satisfied with the assessment after an architect explained that, although the assessor missed two spots, this would barely change the overall view.

The third-party help was made possible by the disclosure of the survey sheet on which assessors record the conditions and area ratio of damaged parts. While Suzu and the town of Noto allow residents to receive copies of survey sheets, Wajima, the city of Nanao and the towns of Anamizu and Shika only allow people to view the sheets at local government counters unless information disclosure requests are filed.

“A damage certificate is like a court judgement,” said Kai Nagano, a lawyer who offers assistance in the region. “Without the survey sheet, experts can’t give advice on whether people should ‘appeal’ (and seek a reassessment).”

Noting that it is currently difficult for residents to voice their dissatisfaction at local government counters, Nagano said that “municipalities must stand at eye level with residents for the goal of revitalization.”