It has been 16 days and a month since the earthquakes that observed shaking with a maximum seismic intensity of 6 or higher in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures.
In Fukushima Prefecture, the number of damaged houses has exceeded 10,000, but few people are living in evacuation shelters, and due to various reasons such as anxiety about crime prevention, they continue to live in dangerous homes. Some people are.
At midnight on the 16th of last month, there was a magnitude 7.4 earthquake with an epicenter off the coast of Fukushima prefecture, and we observed shaking with a maximum seismic intensity of 6 or higher in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures.
Of these, one died in Fukushima Prefecture, 101 were seriously injured, and 37 municipalities, or 63% of the prefecture's local governments, suffered housing damage.
Investigations by local governments have gradually progressed, and the number of damaged houses has increased 4.6 times over the past two weeks to 11,584, including 73 completely destroyed, 999 partially destroyed, and 10,512 partially damaged.
In areas where the damage was severe, the number of housing damage is expected to increase further, as some local governments have not completed the disaster investigation, which is about half the number of applications.
Soma City, which observed a violent tremor with a seismic intensity of 6 or higher, was particularly severely damaged, and as of the 15th, 19 people from 14 households were living in evacuation centers. Some people continue to live in dangerous homes.
In Soma City, the provision of municipal housing to people whose homes have been damaged has not yet begun, and victims are raising concerns about rebuilding their lives.
Some people are forced to stay in the affected homes
In Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, where a violent tremor with a seismic intensity of over 6 was observed in the last month's earthquake, the entire building was distorted and it became impossible to open and close doors and windows, so it was unavoidably damaged due to security concerns. Some people continue to live in their homes.
Of these, Keiko Takeguchi (73)'s house in the Ohama area had difficulty opening the sliding doors at the entrance, and the windows throughout her house could not be locked.
Mr. Takeguchi said, "The results of the disaster investigation have not been released yet, but I think that the building itself may have been damaged because of the cracks around the foundation of the building. The walls inside the house have peeled off. It's a terrible situation, but I can't leave the house for a long time because the key doesn't close and I can steal anything if I want to steal it. "
After the earthquake, police and others were calling attention to suspicious people in the disaster area, and Mr. Takeguchi said, "The other day, a stranger who claims to be a volunteer suddenly visited us. I'd like to move to a house, but I don't know if I can move in yet, so I have no choice but to continue living in this house for a while. "
I can't forget the hardships of living in a shelter
Mieko Kikuchi (78)'s home in the Obama district of Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, was damaged by the earthquake last month when she observed a violent tremor with a seismic intensity of 6 or higher, and the foundation and the building were displaced, leaving a gap.
Because the entire building is distorted, there are gaps between the front door and the windows of the living room and the walls, which causes the wind to blow into the room.
Mr. Kikuchi said, "There is no pillar standing vertically, and when the wind blows, it makes a" miss "sound and is scary. The floor seems to be rippling, so I can't feel relieved wherever I am, and I can sleep at night. No. The person in charge of the insurance company who investigated the house said, "I can't live in this house. It will collapse in the next big earthquake."
However, her lameness and her unforgettable life in her shelter after the Great East Japan Earthquake Kikuchi couldn't move to her shelter, and she is still in this house. I continue to live in.
Mr. Kikuchi said, "The other day, when someone said,'I'm tired, I want to die,' I was scolded,'What are you thinking?', But I'm tired of this kind of life. That's it. I have no other hope. "
Difficult to secure housing for disaster victims
Both Mr. Takeguchi and Mr. Kikuchi want to move into a safe and private municipal housing to rebuild their lives, but Soma City has secured 41 units and 70 requests to move in so far. It is only about 60%.
The city has a policy of allocating limited housing to people with higher needs in consideration of the magnitude of damage and the age of the victims, and no one has decided to move in yet.
Yoshiki Ishihara, Construction Manager of Soma City, said, "I understand that many citizens are in trouble, but in order to provide the limited assets of the city fairly and fairly, I would like to make a decision while considering the priorities. It must be done. It is difficult to draw a line due to a very big disaster, and it is frustrating, but we have to make a rational decision in that. "
On top of that, he said, "In addition to providing municipal housing, we are also considering support such as rent subsidies and housing managed by the prefecture. We would like to take appropriate measures so that citizens can regain safe days as soon as possible. I was talking.