By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-08-03 08:56:38 | Updated at 2026-08-04 12:58:25
1 day ago
TOKYO – Applications opened on Aug 3 for earthquake survivors in Kumamoto prefecture to temporarily move from evacuation centers into hotels and ryokan Japanese inns after the disaster that registered a maximum intensity of 7 on Japan’s seismic scale on July 28.
With punishing heat continuing across the prefecture, officials are scrambling to prepare accommodations and improve living conditions for those displaced by the quake.
As of 7.30 am local time on Aug 3, 8,556 people were staying at 206 evacuation centres across 21 municipalities in the prefecture.
According to the prefectural government, the hotel relocation programme is open to disaster victims in the cities of Uki, Uto and Yatsushiro and the town of Hikawa. Applications are being accepted at evacuation centres and other designated locations in each municipality.
Evacuation centres and municipal offices in Uki began accepting applications on the morning of Aug 3, drawing large numbers of residents.
Through a prefectural hotel and inn industry association, the prefectural government has been working to secure accommodations, primarily in southern Kumamoto.
Officials plan to begin moving evacuees into the facilities as early as Aug 4.
Temperatures climbed rapidly from the morning of Aug 3, reaching 40.3 deg C in Kumamoto City – the highest temperature ever recorded in the city, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The oppressive conditions are expected to persist not only during the day but also overnight, with temperatures remaining above 25 deg C.
Meanwhile, efforts to rebuild lives and restore damaged communities are increasing.
All 12 municipalities that had planned to open temporary collection sites for the large amount of disaster debris resulting from the earthquake began accepting waste by Aug 3.
In Hikawa, where the quake registered an intensity of 7, a temporary debris collection site opened on Aug 3 at a field near the town hall.
In Uki, officials confirmed that a woman in her 70s staying at an evacuation shelter had tested positive for Covid-19. She was diagnosed on the night of Aug 1 and subsequently hospitalised. THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
