Japan quake survivors battle thirst, heat as death toll rises to 25

YATSUSHIRO, Japan – The 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Japan toppled houses and split open streets in the small city of Yatsushiro, but there was mounting concern about invisible threats from the lack of water and power amid the punishing summer heat.

Many of the port city’s roughly 58,000 households were still without running water or power on July 30, two days after the quake hit Kumamoto prefecture.

Akio Matsushita, a local official helping lead relief efforts, said he had no idea whether it would take days, weeks or months to repair the badly damaged water mains. “Because of the summer heat, the lack of water is especially difficult,” he said in the city hall.

With the city hall’s toilets out of order, officials erected emergency toilets over sewer manholes outside, in temperatures of around 35 deg C and stifling humidity. “It will require painstaking work, and there is currently no timetable,” Matsushita said.

A Kyushu Electric Power representative said the utility was aiming to restore power by the evening of July 31.

The Kumamoto prefectural government said the death toll from the quake was now at 25, the majority of deaths occurring at Nippon Paper Industries’ paper mill, which suffered major structural damage, and at Aeon’s shopping mall, where a possible gas explosion occurred.

Nine other deaths in the prefecture were being investigated to ascertain if they were linked to the quake, it said.

One of the victims of the quake was a newly-wed Vietnamese factory worker, survived by his wife and seven-month-old baby, according to Vietnamese news site Kenh14.

In an interview with the news site, Vu Thi Thuy recalled her last conversation with her husband the night before the tremor struck.

“Every time we video-called, my son never wanted to look at his dad, but that night, for some reason, he stayed glued to the screen, wanting to be with his dad,” she said. “It was after 11pm when I finally told him, ‘Let’s hang up so dad can get some sleep. He has to work tomorrow.’ I never imagined that would be our last call.”

Authorities warn of heatstroke

While rescue and relief efforts continue, a Kumamoto official warned of the risk of heatstroke with temperatures forecast to reach close to 40 deg C on the weekend.

The Self-Defence Force (SDF) – Japan’s military – is installing about 300 air-conditioning units in evacuation centres and other key sites around Kumamoto.

Immediately after the quake, SDF trucks towed water tanks to community centres and schools across Yatsushiro city, returning to city hall to refill them from emergency tanks beneath the building. Residents were limited to three litres each.

Among them was Masahiro Miyamoto, who had been helping clear rubble from a temple gate that had toppled. He returned home after the late-afternoon quake to find his house still standing beside the collapsed remains of his neighbour’s home. But with no running water, he was forced to rely on military water bowsers.

The few shops still open were packed with people searching for supplies, he said, while cars formed long queues at petrol stations. “It would be better if disasters did not happen. But this is Japan, so perhaps it is something we simply have to live with,” Miyamoto said.

Production halt hits major manufacturers

Japan sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes and ocean trenches that account for about a fifth of the world’s large earthquakes.

Strict building standards and regular disaster drills reduce casualties, but powerful tremors can still cripple the regions in which they occur.

Kumamoto and other parts of the Kyushu region have increasingly become key production sites for automobiles and semiconductors, raising concerns over a possible hit to the economy.

The quake on July 28 has forced manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Aisin and Sony to halt some production and prompted Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to evacuate workers and briefly suspend operations to assess damage.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said it was hard to estimate the impact on the economy now. “Our immediate priority is to restore and repair infrastructure, including ports and other key facilities. We will also closely monitor the impact on economic activity, particularly supply chains in sectors such as semiconductors and automobiles,” he told reporters.

Miyamoto and many residents of Yatsushiro and nearby Kumamoto city have endured major quakes before.

Two powerful quakes in April 2016 killed more than 260 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

But the latest one, which toppled shelves and hurled computers to the floor, was worse in Yatsushiro than anything Matsushita experienced a decade ago.

Miyamoto said: “I had never experienced the world moving like that before. It felt as though my body became weightless and was thrown through the air.” REUTERS