1/11: Wajima City – Residents Supporting Each Other in Temporarily Isolated Area

January 11, 2024, NHK News
Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/kanazawa/20240111/3020018036.html
輪島市　一時孤立の地区 “住民どうしで助け合った”
English Translation by Walter Tsushima

Wajima City – Residents Supporting Each Other in Temporarily Isolated Area

From the occurrence of the earthquake on January 1st until the 5th, the area of Machino district in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, faced isolation. The community association leader responded to an NHK interview, describing the situation at that time when residents, amidst ongoing power outages and water shortages, helped each other and coped by using collectively gathered stoves for warmth.

In the Sosoaki district of Machino in Wajima City, the earthquake resulted in the isolation of the area as surrounding roads were cut off. On the 11th, the community association leader, Satoshi Tonoi (67), spoke to NHK about the conditions during the continued isolation.

The population of the district is approximately 120 people, with 60 to 70 percent being elderly individuals aged 65 and above. After the earthquake, nearly everyone evacuated to the city’s facilities, turned into shelters, but electricity and water were unavailable. Residents relied on stoves brought from their homes for warmth and gathered water from the nearby mountain springs using buckets for daily necessities.

Two days after the earthquake, on January 4th, Self-Defense Force support supplies arrived, and by the 5th, roads became accessible, resolving the isolation. However, around 50 people are still sheltered in these facilities, facing continued power outages and water shortages. They are unable to use flush toilets and have no access to baths, raising concerns about deteriorating hygiene conditions.

Tonoi mentioned, “Our most significant challenge right now is the inability to take baths. Since the earthquake, none of us have been able to bathe, and we’ve been managing by wiping ourselves. While residents have overcome challenges by pooling their efforts, we urgently need a place to settle down and find peace.”

On the other hand, along the coast in the Sosoaki district, the seabed rose after the earthquake, resulting in a wider expanse of land compared to before. Tonoi remarked, “It’s entirely different from the previous coastline; I was surprised. The uplifted coastline might have saved us from tsunami damage,” he added.