While many villages were isolated due to roads being cut off by landslides and cracks caused by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, there are areas where residents themselves were able to make emergency repairs to the roads and relieve their isolation. The Shimokaragawa district is located in the mountainous area of Anamizu Town, Ishikawa Prefecture. Since there was heavy machinery in the area and some people who could handle it, they filled in the cracks and steps in the road with gravel and soil, making it passable again. (Daiko Kobayashi)
Prefectural roads restored by residents of the Shimokaragawa area on their own
On the 19th of this month, Prefectural Route 263 in the Shimokarakawa area. The asphalt road had one lane in each direction, and some of the cracks caused by the earthquake had been filled with gravel, making it possible for cars to pass.
“We were able to do it this time because we happened to have heavy equipment and people who could operate it.” Katsuhiko Tabata (65), one of the residents involved in the work, looked back on the emergency restoration work that was completed by residents alone.
On the day of the earthquake, there were many people returning home in addition to local residents. Approximately 60 evacuees crowded into the evacuation center’s Shimokaragawa Assembly Hall, exceeding its capacity.
It would be difficult for everyone to stay in the meeting place for a long period of time, and those who returned home requested to return to their homes. However, Prefectural Route 263, the shortest route from the district to the outside, has been cut off by cracks and steps. In addition to being closed during the winter, other roads were also unusable due to fallen trees and mud flowing in, leaving the village isolated.
◆I noticed an excavator in the rice field.
Mr. Tabata looked at the road and hung his head, saying, “This can’t happen.” However, I noticed that two excavators were parked in a nearby rice field. It had been used for farm road maintenance, and Tabata knew the owner. He immediately contacted me and asked for permission, saying, “Given the situation, you can use it as you like.”
Several of the evacuees, including Mr. Tabata, had licenses to operate heavy machinery. About 10 residents in their 50s and 60s, including Mr. Tabata, gathered and began restoring the road from the 2nd.
Work continued by digging up gravel and soil with excavators, transporting it to areas where there were cracks and steps in the asphalt, and solidifying it. It took three days to manually fill in the small cracks and make it possible for regular cars to pass on one side, eliminating the isolated situation.
Katsuhiko Tabata (second from left) and other residents of the Shimokaragawa area helped restore the road.
After the road was restored, Tabata reported the work to the town, partly because communication conditions had improved. The town doesn’t see it as a problem, considering it an emergency evacuation measure.
◆Pumping up water from wells and installing BS antennas
As roads were restored, more people evacuated outside the area, and the number of evacuees taking shelter at the Shimokaragawa Assembly Hall decreased to about 20 people. In addition to roads, Mr. Tabata and his colleagues are also helping to improve their living environment by pumping up water from wells to ensure a daily supply of water and installing a BS antenna in the meeting hall so that TVs can be viewed.
“Up until now, we’ve been able to do it on our own,” Tabata said. However, from now on, “administrative support will become essential,” he said, expressing hope that support activities will get underway in earnest.
2024-01-23 08:00:00
#happened #heavy #machinery #people #drive #Roads #restored #residents #isolated #days #IshikawaAnamizu #Town #Tokyo #Shimbun #TOKYO #Web
