Kumamoto quake victims begin moving into temporary housing

A total of 20 makeshift housing units were built in the town, which experienced shaking of 7, the highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, in the 7.1-magnitude quake around 4.27pm on July 28. They are the first temporary housing made available in the prefecture after the earthquake.

A ceremony to hand over keys to the housing units was held from around 9am Saturday, with Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura and Hikawa Mayor Kazuomi Fujimoto in attendance. Attendees observed a moment of silence for quake victims.

"We will do all we can for reconstruction so that all residents can regain their normal lives as soon as possible," Fujimoto said in an address. Kimura vowed to provide solid support in cooperation with the town.

Takahiro Miyagawa, 73, who received the keys on behalf of the new residents, had lived in a relative's house since the quake, which destroyed his home.

"I'm relieved that I can finally move in," he told reporters. "We'll make a fresh start."
   
The 20 single-story emergency homes, built with lightweight steel frames, stand on the site of a former town-run housing complex, with 15 having two rooms and a kitchen and the other five having three rooms and a kitchen.
   
Evacuees will be able to live in the temporary homes for up to two years in principle. Similar homes are being built in the Kumamoto cities of Uki and Yatsushiro, which also suffered extensive damage from the tremor.

According to the Kumamoto prefectural government, fatalities from the earthquake stood at 38 as of 2 pm Friday, including two whose deaths were suspected to have been indirectly caused by the disaster. A total of 64,903 residential buildings were damaged, including 1,748 that were destroyed.

The temblor struck about 10 years after two powerful earthquakes hit Kumamoto in April 2016, which also measured up to 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]