1 Week after Rain Disaster, Many Still Evacuated in Noto Peninsula

Wajima, Ishikawa Pref., Sept. 28 (Jiji Press)--A week after torrential rain hit the northern part of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, many of those afflicted by the disaster remained evacuated, with authorities preparing to help them move into hotels and other secondary evacuation sites amid health concerns.

Some parts of the cities of Wajima and Suzu in Ishikawa are still without water, and there are concerns about disaster-related deaths partly due to deteriorating sanitary conditions.

The death toll from the heavy rain that caused floods and landslides in the peninsula on Sept. 21 stood at 13 as of Saturday. Two bodies were newly found on the day as searches for the missing continued. The police are working to identify them.

On Saturday, around the Tsukada River in Wajima, where floods washed away multiple houses, some 530 fire and other officials engaged in a search for two people missing in the area, including a 14-year-old junior high school girl. Helicopters, heavy machinery and disaster rescue dogs were also deployed in the hope of finding the missing as soon as possible.

While the problem of isolated settlements caused by landslides has been mostly resolved, restoration of utilities is still an issue, with approximately 3,641 households still without water as of Saturday. A total of 456 people are staying at 27 evacuation centers in Wajima, Suzu and the town of Noto in Ishikawa.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]