One Year On: The State of Recovery on the Noto Peninsula

On January 1, 2024, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, triggering tsunami along the Japan Sea coast. A year later, collating announcements from the national government, the Ishikawa prefectural government, and other sources indicates that there were 228 direct fatalities and a further 261 related deaths, caused by the physical and mental toll of evacuation and post-evacuation life in shelters, as of December 24, 2024. In Ishikawa Prefecture, there are 200 more cases where people are seeking to have deaths classified as disaster-related. Two people remain missing. Heavy rainfall in September led to 16 more fatalities in the area.

Fatalities

• Due to earthquake: 489 (including 261 disaster-related); 2 missing
• Due to heavy rainfall: 16 (Ishikawa Prefecture)

Collapsed houses and the aftermath of landslides still remain. Some 150,000 houses were damaged, of which 6,445 were completely destroyed and 23,225 partially destroyed. According to the prefectural government, demolition at public expense was 30% complete as of the end of November. It is scheduled to continue until October 2025.

Damaged homes

• Due to earthquake: 150,000
• Due to heavy rainfall: 1,688 (Ishikawa Prefecture)

All 6,882 temporary housing units due to be constructed for earthquake victims in 2024 were slated for completion by the end of 2024. The 286 units in Wajima and Suzu for those affected by heavy rain are scheduled to be completed as of the end of March 2025.

According to the Ishikawa prefectural government, 41 earthquake evacuees and 244 evacuees from heavy rain are still living in shelters as of December 24. One year after the earthquake, many residents are yet to rebuild their lives.

Evacuees residing in shelters

• Due to earthquake: 27 (51,605 at peak)
• Due to heavy rain: 346 (1,548 at peak)

Temporary housing units

• For earthquake evacuees: 6,882 (completed in 2024)
• For heavy rain evacuees: 286 (under construction)

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, 76 of 87 roads that became impassable due to the earthquake and 40 of 48 due to heavy rain were scheduled to reopen by the end of 2024. All settlements, fishing ports, and other locations should thereby become accessible, excluding those subject to long-term evacuation.

As winter sets in, the next concern is heavy snowfall. The national and prefectural governments plan to deploy 298 snowplows, which is 33 more than last year.

(Translated from Japanese. This article was written by the Nippon.com editorial department based on data taken from materials from the Cabinet Office, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the Ishikawa prefectural governments, and other bodies, as of December 24, 2024. Banner photo: Signs of the New Year’s Day earthquake still remain in the Noto Peninsula, as here in Suzu. Photograph taken on December 9, 2024. © Jiji.)