Record-breaking rain in the northern part of the Noto Peninsula has led to 621 people seeking refuge at 37 evacuation centers in Wajima, Suzu, and Noto in Ishikawa Prefecture. Many of these evacuees were already affected by the Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, leaving them unsure of how to rebuild their lives after being forced back into evacuation once again.
In Wajima, the body of an elderly woman was discovered on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to nine. Approximately 20 evacuees have sought shelter at the Kawarada community hall in Wajima.
One resident named Tomoe Yachi had her two-story house swept away by the heavy rain. Yachi, a 64-year-old resident of Wajima who had just returned home after evacuating due to the earthquake on Jan. 1, expressed her despair: “I lost everything again and feel like I’m below zero.”
The community hall currently lacks running water for its occupants. While drinking water can be obtained from water trucks, bathing and laundry facilities are unavailable, making life difficult for those seeking refuge there. Haruo Noda, an 85-year-old who evacuated from his home near the hall remarked that it feels as if they have regressed back to life immediately following the earthquake.
In Suzu’s Otani district, which was cut off due to heavy rain causing landslides and damaging a water purification facility resulting in a loss of power supply and water access for approximately 50 people taking shelter at Otani Elementary and Junior High School’s gymnasium. However, a power-generator truck recently arrived restoring electricity around the gymnasium area.
Osako Anyachi is an 84-year-old resident from this district who had sought shelter at her daughter’s home in Aichi Prefecture after her own house was partially destroyed by the earthquake on New Year’s Day. Anyachi returned to Suzu in May but has been sleeping at an evacuation center while tidying up her damaged house during daytime hours.
