One Week from Kumamoto Earthquake

A week has passed since a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Kumamoto and other cities around. The earthquake caused thousands of evacuees, who are suffering from high heat in midsummer. The people who are vulnerable to disaster, including aged or handicapped people, need helping hands to survive. It is expected that the government of Japan takes appropriate measures for evacuees to spend comfortable life as much as possible.

At the time of 6 p.m. on August 3rd, 38 people have died with the earthquake, including an aged woman who died in her car while she was evacuating, 98 were injured, and 8,262 have evacuated, being unable to return their home. 12,276 houses and buildings were damaged, out of which 700 were totally broken down. 45,280 houses lost water supply. 155 shelters using schools or other public facilities were established in Kumamoto prefecture.

 

The evacuees are forced to have uneasy life in shelters without air conditioner, kitchen or bathroom in a good condition. They need to move to somewhere more comfortable. Kumamoto government started registration for moving to hotels, which are designated as an emergency shelter. It began setting up temporary houses for evacuating families in some cities.

 

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made her first visit to the devastated area in Kumamoto on August 3rd. After encouraging the evacuees in a mid-school in Hikawa town, Kumamoto, Takaichi told that her government would grapple with disaster management and support for reconstruction of the people’s life. She was serious about having a victim who had been in evacuation.

 

Takaichi announced that she would designate Kumamoto Earthquake 2026 a “disaster of extreme severity,” to which the national government offers financial support for local government to accelerate reconstruction measures. Her visit to Kumamoto was necessary to assess how the devastated area needed governmental support.

 

There are some laws to support local reconstruction efforts from a disaster. But designation as disaster of extreme severity enables the government super-high ratio of financial support for reconstruction of infrastructure such as roads, water supply or parks, public facilities such as schools, public housings or nursery buildings, farmlands and small and mid-size businesses.

 

If it is not the time of natural disaster, a local government needs to spend for 40 percent of all the cost for building infrastructure or public facilities. Under a devastated situation of disaster of extreme severity, the percentage of cost for local government is reduced as low as 0.8 percent. It becomes 0.4 percent for farmlands. Small and mid-size businesses can receive support for cash management or special credit guarantee.

 

“I will do everything that I can do,” Takaichi insisted to evacuees in Kumamoto. She also announced mobilization of 20 billion yen of fiscal reserve for Kumamoto earthquake. Former prime minister Naoto Kan failed in disaster management in severe accident in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in East Japan Great Earthquake in 2011, causing his resignation. Takaichi needs to be careful not to expand damages on life of sufferers in Kumamoto.

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