WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — Thousands of people left homeless overnight are living in fatigue and uncertainty on Japan's west coast, a week after a powerful earthquake left at least 168 people dead and dozens missing.
Rescue efforts since the 7.6-magnitude New Year's quake have drawn thousands of troops, firefighters and police who searched collapsed buildings on Monday in the hope of finding survivors.
Authorities warned of the risk of landslides across the quake's epicenter on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, which would be exacerbated by heavy snowfall. The landscape, draped in fluffy white, showed burnt and crumbling houses, ashen city blocks and highways with gaping holes and cracks.
Among the deaths, 70 people were in Wajima, 70 in Suzu, 18 in Anamizu and the rest were spread across four other towns. At least 323 people were still missing, an increase from around 100 the day before, as rescuers combed through a tally of the area's population. Another 565 people were injured and 1,390 houses were destroyed or seriously damaged.
The first large earthquake was followed by a tsunami several meters high, which increased the damage. The aftershocks continued daily.
Japanese meteorologists warned that strong quakes could last another month. Although their frequency gradually decreased, they remained high compared to previous quakes, totaling more than 1,000.
For residents, the restoration work has just begun. Shuji Yoshiura, a fisherman, said his boats were damaged and he could not go out to sea.
Before the earthquake, Wajima was a tourist town with a shopping street offering seafood and traditional crafts. Much of it was destroyed in the fires that broke out after the January 1 disaster.
Kentaro Mitsumori, who runs a corner grocery store, slept in his car with his wife to protect himself from looting. Her shop is still standing, but has no lock, no electricity and no running water. Everything was sold out within three days. But he plans to close his business.
“Even if I manage to renovate the place, there just won't be enough customers. I don’t know how Wajima can survive,” he said.
Nearly 30,000 people staying in schools, auditoriums and other evacuation centers worried about infections as cases of COVID-19 and other illnesses emerged.
In the emergency shelters, people were still sleeping on cold floors. After the initial aid of a piece of bread and a cup of water per day for each person, some facilities can now start serving hot food cooked in huge pots with further aid.
People enjoyed the temporary bathing facilities set up by soldiers sitting in the hot water they had missed for days.
Still, exhaustion and stress wear her down. Many are mourning. The largest quake occurred on New Year's Day, a time when families gathered in Japan. Some survivors said they were completely alone because they had lost their loved ones.
Mizue Kaba, 79, was lucky to survive, as were her daughter, son-in-law and grandson, who were visiting from Osaka in central Japan over the New Year.
Kaba sleeps in a school and no one knows what will happen when the schools open a week after the New Year holidays.
Three stoves were not enough to heat the school's large hall, so additional heaters were added.
“It’s so cold,” Kaba said.
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Kageyama reported from Tokyo. Keep following her https://twitter.com/yurikageyama