Kumamoto quake evacuees face inadequate conditions at some shelters
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In Uki, the opening of some evacuation shelters was delayed for a few days for reasons such as safety checks.
PHOTO: AFP
- Some evacuation shelters in Kumamoto are overcrowded and lack adequate facilities, forcing evacuees to sleep closely on the floor with poor air-conditioning.
- The central government updated evacuation shelter guidelines in 2024, setting minimum space and facility standards, but local governments prioritise food and water over other supplies.
- Over 13,000 houses were damaged, and with limited temporary housing available, officials urge using privately rented housing to help evacuees settle quickly.
AI generated
KUMAMOTO – More than a week after a devastating quake struck Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture, some evacuation shelters still fail to offer adequate living conditions to evacuees.
In Uki city, the opening of some evacuation shelters was delayed for a few days for reasons such as safety checks. As a result, evacuees became concentrated at other shelters.
More than 500 evacuees flooded into one shelter despite it having a capacity of only 450, forcing people to sleep crowded together on the floor with insufficient air-conditioning.
“(Some evacuation centres) are unexpectedly overcrowded. We would like to find out what the problem was,” said the head of the city’s welfare department.
In December 2024, the central government revised guidelines for local governments to manage evacuation centres following the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, in which the number of quake-related deaths, meaning those who died later due to effects of the disaster, exceeded the number of those who were killed directly in the disaster.
In line with what are known as the Sphere standards, which provide international benchmarks for the living environment that needs to be ensured at shelters, the government is urging local governments to meet the following conditions:
3.5 sq m of living space per person
one toilet per 20 people
one bathing facility per 50 people
However, a Cabinet office official said local governments put priority on food and drinking water, so they do not have enough other stockpiled materials, such as cardboard beds.
Evacuation may be prolonged
There is also concern that people may have no choice but to take shelter for a long time.
According to Kumamoto prefecture, as at Aug 4, more than 13,000 houses were reported to have been damaged in a series of quakes. Of those, more than 1,700 houses were completely or partially destroyed.
The prefecture began building emergency temporary housing on Aug 3. But the number of units is limited to 70 and there is no prospect of building additional temporary housing.
A prefectural government official said: “We would like to help evacuees settle down in other places as soon as possible by promoting the use of privately rented temporary housing.” THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
