On Tuesday, July 28th, Kyushu, the southernmost island of Japan, was struck by an earthquake of magnitude 6.8. Local authorities in the Kumamoto prefecture, where the earthquake hit, reported on Thursday, July 30th, that the death toll had reached 34 people. Evacuees who are attempting to rescue possible survivors struggle against the rising heat in the region.
This huge earthquake caused an explosion in the Aeon mall, making the center floor collapse. The earthquake has also destroyed numerous homes, injuring dozens of people. Thousands of residents whose homes were damaged in the natural catastrophe are now forced to stay at evacuation centers, where power sources like generators are being supplied to power air conditioning/conditioners to combat the extremely hot weather.
By Friday, more than 79,000 homes did not have access to clean drinking water. More than 9,000 people moved into stifling shelters as temperatures possibly rose to even 39 degrees Celsius. Many suffer from heatstroke symptoms. Power outages have been widespread, causing many people to stay in their cars, though they struggle to keep the air conditioning running.
Hirokazu Sato, a man whose home was destroyed in the earthquake, is now forced to live in his car with his wife and three children. His family is staying there until they are able to access temporary housing. “We have to keep the air conditioner running day and night, but that uses a lot of fuel,” he said.
Search teams continue to look for possible survivors in the Aeon mall, which, when the earthquake struck, was full of people. Officials were able to evacuate around 3,000 of the shoppers until before the mall’s second floor later collapsed. When the second floor collapsed, causing several people were trapped inside. Seven people were confirmed dead while eleven were rescued.
This disaster has caused thousands of people to be forced to evacuate their homes and live in stifling shelters, where temperatures have reached extremely high points and they are forced to suffer from heatstroke symptoms. Efforts to rescue possible survivors continue as the Kumamoto prefecture reels from this natural disaster which left people stranded and without homes, water, or electricity.
