Fukuda visits quake-hit area to encourage evacuees
SENDAI —
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Wednesday promised the utmost help for people affected by a huge tremor in northern Japan after flying into the area by military helicopter to survey the damage. Fukuda visited local residents at a shelter in Ichinoseki, one of the cities worst hit by Saturday’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake.
“You must have had a tough time,” Fukuda told the evacuees as he joined them sitting on straw floor mats wearing a blue work uniform.
Fukuda visited an elementary school gymnasium, which is being used as an evacuation shelter, and listened to the evacuees about their frightening experience and their requests.
‘‘The state, the prefecture and the city are now doing their best to help the victims. Please endure for a little while longer,’’ Fukuda said to an evacuee.
As another man expressed concerns about the continuing aftershocks, Fukuda assured him and told him to take care of himself.
Speaking to reporters in Kurihara, Fukuda said, ‘‘I would like to work swiftly to restore roads and make the rivers flow, and put all my efforts to recover lifelines.’‘
He also observed from a helicopter the roads that are closed due to landslides and the areas where search operations for the missing people are conducted.
Saturday’s earthquake, the strongest to strike inland in the tremor-prone nation in eight years, left 10 people dead and 12 others missing.
One inn was swept away by landslides, as bridges snapped and roads were buried under mud and boulders.
Meteorological officials have warned of the risk of more landslides with rain approaching the region.Ceilings and walls collapsed at 22 of the 146 public elementary and junior high schools in Iwate and Miyagi, when a powerful earthquake hit the two prefectures on Saturday, according to data compiled by Wednesday by local governments and Kyodo News. The result suggests many may have suffered injuries, had the quake—which measured magnitude 7.2—occurred on a weekday when pupils and students normally attend classes.
Meanwhile, there were a total of 14 schools in Oshu and the neighboring city of Ichinoseki in Iwate Prefecture which had ceilings and walls collapse, while there were eight schools that suffered similar damage in Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture, data by local governments indicated.
Most other schools that sustained damage had cracks on walls and shattered window panes, the data showed. At Koromogawa Junior High School in Oshu, a 2-meter section of a wall in a computer room collapsed and damaged a printer, while Hondera Junior High School in Ichinoseki witnessed two ceiling boards fall off from near a roof which is about 7 meters high.
Wire reports
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9 Comments
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northlondon
What happened to the Earthquake laws that came into place after the Great Hanshin quake ? I would have thought that public school buildings would be covered by that ?
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Himajin
Well, were they built before or after?
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northlondon
If you don't understand the importance of this news article today, then don't bother picking little arguments out of it. The Great Hanshin quake unravelled a whole catalogue of construction shortcuts and weaknesses in buildings. I would have thought that public school buildings being used by schoolchildren today should have to meet the updated construction laws.
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kirakira25
This makes me slightly nervous. My daughter attends a public kindergarten/elementary school and the building is pretty old. I was told that it would have been checked and adapted to meet current earthquake resistance requirements, but after reading this I am not so sure. Should I be worried? I know, I know, I sound like a paranoid nervous gaijin-Mom - I`m sorry! But still....
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sabinuki
Headline should read:
Fukuda visits quake-hit area to encourage support of more than 20% for his flailing cabinet.
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capone
"you must have had a tough time" ...does he think these gems up himself ?
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stanoue
What is it with people who have to bag every little thing - he went to show his support OK, better than doing nothing - damned if you do and damned if you don't with J-T posters. I'm glad I don't have your obviously miserable lives where you have to moan about everything.
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Patrick Smash
I quite like Fukuda, but he has an impossible job on his hands. He can't do jack about anything. How will raising consumption tax and lowering pension pay outs help earthquake victims exactly? The country's money is being spent on taxi rides by bureaucrats or otherwise being frittered away by the elite he is supposed to be in charge of. At least those worst affected can cheer as more people are hanged I suppose.
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thepro
"You must have had a tough time" - reads like a robot trying to sound sympathetic
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