Delays in Prefecture’s response make it difficult to implement Disaster Relief Act Heavy rains damage the northern main island of Okinawa, unable to support disaster victims with national funds – Ryukyu Shimpo Digital

Since the 12th, it has been announced that it is difficult to apply the Disaster Relief Act, which removes the burden of disaster relief costs on municipalities, regarding damage caused by heavy rain in the northern part of the main island of Okinawa .

The prefecture implemented the policy to the Cabinet Office on the 11th, but it did not meet the requirements because the weather had already improved and the situation was not at risk of further damage. to do

The Cabinet Office contacted the relevant department of the prefecture on the morning of the 9th to inquire about the application, but the call was not answered. The prefecture is currently investigating ways to provide relief to disaster victims.

If the Disaster Relief Law is implemented, the prefecture will bear less than 50% of the cost of setting up evacuation shelters, providing food such as soup kitchens, and the national government will cover the rest, reducing the burden on municipalities. For houses that are partially or more destroyed, emergency repair costs of up to 717,000 yen will be provided.

In addition to cases where more than a certain number of dwellings are damaged as a result of a disaster, it can be applied to “cases where there is a risk of injury to life or limb,” to provide a quick response.In response to the recent heavy rain damage, Kagoshima Prefecture imposed this requirement in Yoron City on the 8th.

After a disaster, there are relevant standards such as cities with a population of less than 5,000 people with 30 or more homes with their homes destroyed (completely destroyed), but with this heavy rain it seems in which these standards are not met, and the Disaster Relief Act The situation is so great that it is difficult to apply.

Governor Denny Tamashiro said on the 12th that he had ordered the establishment of a single point of contact regarding the lack of communication from the Cabinet Office, saying, “There may be another typhoon this weekend. I have given instructions to respond promptly.’ ‘. The prefecture’s Department of Life Safety and Security said, “With so few evacuees, we could not have expected the damage to extend to this extent,” adding that they would like to consider applying the system more aggressively in the future.

(Okita Yugo)