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▼ Construction of Kumamoto Quake Victim Housing Begins
- Category:Other
The Yomiuri Shimbun
KUMAMOTO — The Kumamoto prefectural government on Tuesday started construction of a large-scale temporary housing complex for quake victims in Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture, which was hit by two earthquakes that registered the maximum 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, causing a large number of houses to collapse.
The housing complex, comprising 516 units, will be the largest among the temporary housing complexes to be built in areas hit by the Kumamoto Earthquake. Construction of a total of 1,728 units had begun in 13 municipalities in Kumamoto Prefecture by Tuesday. Victims will be able to move to temporary housing as early as June. In disaster-hit areas, about 10,000 people are still living in evacuation shelters. Efforts to secure housing for victims are finally gaining momentum.
According to the Kumamoto prefectural government, the site of the large-scale housing complex is part of an industrial complex built by the prefecture in the Oyatsu district of Mashiki, which is close to the Aso Kumamoto Airport. About 170 one-story buildings with a light-gauge steel structure comprising two to four units each will be constructed on the land, which measures about 80,000 square meters. The prefecture will start seeking applicants for the housing complex in late May and people are expected to start moving into the completed units in July or later. The prefecture is also considering building a commercial facility or nursing home for elderly people adjacent to the housing complex.
In building the complex, the prefecture is applying a standard it calls the Kumamoto Method, which was adopted based on lessons learned from the torrential downpour that hit northern Kyushu in 2012 and other natural disasters. The number of units per building will be less than the about six per building seen after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Each unit will have floor space of about 40 square meters and consist of three rooms and a kitchen. The average land area per unit will be about 155 square meters including parking space, corridors and other common spaces. Lumber produced in the prefecture will be used for the interior. Japanese-style rooms using tatami mats made from rush grasses produced in Yashiro in the same prefecture, will be provided.
Other than the residential buildings, the prefecture also will construct about 10 buildings equipped with lounges and meeting rooms. Benches will be installed in the corridors to encourage social interaction among residents. The prefecture hopes such settings will help prevent solitary deaths.
In Mashiki, as of Monday, a total of 3,275 people — the largest group among other municipalities in the prefecture to be evacuated — were staying at 15 evacuation shelters. In a survey to find out the needs of the victims, a large number of respondents expressed their wish to move to temporary housing. Accordingly, the town called on the prefecture to start constructing temporary housing as early as possible.
The prefecture has also started constructing temporary housing in the Mikubo district of Aso on Tuesday. On about 3,900 square meters of city-owned land, 26 one-story wooden buildings will be constructed.
The Disaster Relief Law stipulates that for disaster victims to move into temporary housing, their homes must be completely destroyed or heavily damaged to the point at which large-scale repair is necessary. The prefectural government has knowledge of about 48,000 such homes in the prefecture. The law also stipulates that victims are allowed to stay in temporary housing for two years.
According to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey conducted one month after the first huge jolt, among the 15 municipalities hoping to have temporary housing constructed, a total of at least 2,300 units were needed. There is still a large number of victims whose needs are not known to the prefecture because they have evacuated to places other than the designated evacuation shelters.
KUMAMOTO — The Kumamoto prefectural government on Tuesday started construction of a large-scale temporary housing complex for quake victims in Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture, which was hit by two earthquakes that registered the maximum 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, causing a large number of houses to collapse.
The housing complex, comprising 516 units, will be the largest among the temporary housing complexes to be built in areas hit by the Kumamoto Earthquake. Construction of a total of 1,728 units had begun in 13 municipalities in Kumamoto Prefecture by Tuesday. Victims will be able to move to temporary housing as early as June. In disaster-hit areas, about 10,000 people are still living in evacuation shelters. Efforts to secure housing for victims are finally gaining momentum.
According to the Kumamoto prefectural government, the site of the large-scale housing complex is part of an industrial complex built by the prefecture in the Oyatsu district of Mashiki, which is close to the Aso Kumamoto Airport. About 170 one-story buildings with a light-gauge steel structure comprising two to four units each will be constructed on the land, which measures about 80,000 square meters. The prefecture will start seeking applicants for the housing complex in late May and people are expected to start moving into the completed units in July or later. The prefecture is also considering building a commercial facility or nursing home for elderly people adjacent to the housing complex.
In building the complex, the prefecture is applying a standard it calls the Kumamoto Method, which was adopted based on lessons learned from the torrential downpour that hit northern Kyushu in 2012 and other natural disasters. The number of units per building will be less than the about six per building seen after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Each unit will have floor space of about 40 square meters and consist of three rooms and a kitchen. The average land area per unit will be about 155 square meters including parking space, corridors and other common spaces. Lumber produced in the prefecture will be used for the interior. Japanese-style rooms using tatami mats made from rush grasses produced in Yashiro in the same prefecture, will be provided.
Other than the residential buildings, the prefecture also will construct about 10 buildings equipped with lounges and meeting rooms. Benches will be installed in the corridors to encourage social interaction among residents. The prefecture hopes such settings will help prevent solitary deaths.
In Mashiki, as of Monday, a total of 3,275 people — the largest group among other municipalities in the prefecture to be evacuated — were staying at 15 evacuation shelters. In a survey to find out the needs of the victims, a large number of respondents expressed their wish to move to temporary housing. Accordingly, the town called on the prefecture to start constructing temporary housing as early as possible.
The prefecture has also started constructing temporary housing in the Mikubo district of Aso on Tuesday. On about 3,900 square meters of city-owned land, 26 one-story wooden buildings will be constructed.
The Disaster Relief Law stipulates that for disaster victims to move into temporary housing, their homes must be completely destroyed or heavily damaged to the point at which large-scale repair is necessary. The prefectural government has knowledge of about 48,000 such homes in the prefecture. The law also stipulates that victims are allowed to stay in temporary housing for two years.
According to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey conducted one month after the first huge jolt, among the 15 municipalities hoping to have temporary housing constructed, a total of at least 2,300 units were needed. There is still a large number of victims whose needs are not known to the prefecture because they have evacuated to places other than the designated evacuation shelters.
- May 20, 2016
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