Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, has decided to stop delivering supplies to voluntary evacuation centers for people whose homes were damaged in the Noto Peninsula earthquake at the end of February. Starting in March, people will come to pick up supplies at 26 supply hubs in the city. Some people who run voluntary evacuation centers say that it is a “heavy burden.” (Kosuke Oshima, Takeru Saruwatari)
A vinyl house at a voluntary evacuation center loaded with relief supplies. Starting in March, residents will go to designated evacuation centers to pick up supplies. On the 23rd in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture.
◆The city is at the stage of strengthening reconstruction and cannot allocate personnel to deliveries.
A spokesperson made this announcement at a regular press conference on the 23rd. City employees, support staff from other local governments, and members of the Self-Defense Forces are delivering food, drinks, kerosene, and other supplies to voluntary evacuation centers in 36 locations in the city housing around 380 people. The number of support personnel is expected to decrease, and a spokesperson said, “We are at the stage where we are stepping up efforts toward recovery.We would like you to understand that we will not be able to allocate personnel to making deliveries to voluntary evacuation centers.” Ta.
The city is encouraging people staying at voluntary evacuation centers to move to designated evacuation centers such as schools or community centers. Approximately 1,680 people live in all 27 designated evacuation centers, and as there is not enough capacity to accommodate them, we decided to ask people to come and pick up supplies as a preliminary step.
◆Even if it snows or rains, you have to go pick it up every day…
“I could be patient if they told me when temporary housing would be ready, but I wouldn’t be able to accept it if they suddenly told me they were going to stop shipping.” Yasuo Bou (69), who has turned his greenhouse into a voluntary evacuation center in Nagaimachi, Wajima, is furious.
After the earthquake, up to 30 people stayed there, and now 10 people from four households are staying there. They were reportedly refused a designated evacuation center due to the number of people allowed. They also drew electricity from a nearby utility pole at their own expense. “We live our lives by being creative. I think the city is making decisions without looking at the current situation.”
Supplies are delivered once or twice a day, including retort food and bread. In order to go to a designated evacuation center, even on snowy or rainy days, it would be necessary to transport 10 people in a single light truck, and Tamotsu lamented, “What should I do?”
◆Suzu City “wants to consolidate…” will continue in the future
As of the 23rd, there are a total of 111 voluntary evacuation shelters in six cities and towns: Wajima City, Suzu City, Nanao City, Noto Town, Anamizu Town, and Shiga Town. Five municipalities other than Nanao are delivering supplies to voluntary evacuation centers.
In Suzu City, which has the second largest number of voluntary evacuation centers after Wajima City, supplies are delivered once every two days. The Self-Defense Forces and support personnel from other prefectures are helping to transport the area, but “We can’t maintain it forever as it was at the time of the disaster.We want to consolidate small areas,” but “we can’t force it,” he said. Delivery will continue.
A person in charge of Noto Town also said, “If the number of Self-Defense Forces and supporters decreases, we will have to reduce the number of recipients, otherwise we will have to reduce the number of recipients.We need to consider consolidating distribution recipients.” In Anamizu Town, the number of items that disaster victims can procure themselves has increased, and voluntary evacuation centers have reportedly requested that the number and amount of supplies be reduced.
Nanao City does not make individual deliveries, instead asking evacuees to come to supply points such as community centers and gymnasiums to pick up the supplies.
2024-02-26 05:00:00
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