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🇸🇬 Singapore /Disasters & Emergencies

Kumamoto earthquake: 8,000 remain evacuated 1 week on as heat persists

From The Straits Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Over 8,000 people remain evacuated in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, one week after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake, facing extreme heat and water outages.
  • The Japanese government plans to designate the quake a "disaster of extreme severity" to provide increased subsidies and special measures for reconstruction and victim assistance.
  • The earthquake has caused significant building damage, with the death toll at 38, including suspected heatstroke deaths among those sleeping in cars, highlighting urgent life-saving needs.

A week after a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, over 8,000 residents remain displaced in evacuation shelters, grappling with persistent water outages and scorching heat. The disaster, which hit on July 28, has left approximately 12,000 buildings damaged, according to prefectural authorities.

Amidst temperatures soaring above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas, concerns for the well-being of evacuees are mounting. A suspected heatstroke death among those sleeping in cars underscores the urgency of life-saving measures. The national and prefectural governments are working to mitigate heatstroke risks by improving drinking water transportation, providing more portable toilets, and deploying spot coolers.

the government will designate the quake a “disaster of extreme severity”, which enables affected local governments to receive higher subsidies for reconstruction work, and take special measures to assist victims.

— Sanae TakaichiJapanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated the government's intention following a visit to an evacuation shelter.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced plans to designate the earthquake as a "disaster of extreme severity." This classification will enable affected local governments to receive higher subsidies for reconstruction efforts and implement special measures to aid victims. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to construct temporary housing in the hardest-hit municipalities of Uki and Hikawa, and secondary evacuation to hotels has begun.

Water service remains disrupted for about 45,000 households across five municipalities. Water trucks from around Japan are supplying affected areas. The death toll from the earthquake and its aftermath stands at 38, including seven fatalities from an explosion at an Aeon shopping mall and nine at a Nippon Paper Industries plant where a chimney collapsed. The full extent of people sleeping in cars is still being tallied.

water outages throughout the city have made it difficult to maintain proper hygiene for residents.

— Midori TagataMidori Tagata, director of the Miyabien nursing home, expressed gratitude for donated supplies and described the challenges posed by water outages.
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Originally published by The Straits Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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