The spread of the novel coronavirus has delayed recovery work in affected areas. The central and local governments must quickly rebuild the lives of disaster victims while paying close attention to preventing the spread of infections.
Tuesday marked one month since torrential rain battered Kyushu and other regions. More than 6,000 homes were destroyed, severely damaged or flooded above floor level in Kumamoto Prefecture, which was seriously affected by the disaster. More than 1,000 evacuees are staying in shelters.
It is hard to say that work to remove sand, soil and debris from houses is progressing smoothly. A shortage of workers is behind the delay, as local governments have limited volunteers to those living in the prefecture to prevent the spread of infections.
In one case, a Takamatsu municipal government employee, who was dispatched to Kumamoto Prefecture to provide support at an evacuation center, was found to have been infected with the virus.
If infections spread in disaster-hit areas, restoration work will be further delayed. It may be a difficult decision, but the priority of preventing infections is an unavoidable one.
In principle, residents are required to remove sand, soil and debris from private land, but it is difficult especially for elderly households to do so without assistance.
For this reason, the central government has set up a system under which contractors commissioned by municipal governments remove sand, soil and debris on behalf of such residents. Most of the costs will be paid by the central government. Residents do not need to bear any burden. The system has been used in some municipalities this time. Local governments should cooperate in securing contractors and expedite the restoration work.
In recent years, volunteers have become an indispensable part of efforts to recover from large-scale disasters. With their activities limited due to the coronavirus crisis, how will volunteers be secured in the event of a disaster in the future? It is important for local governments, residents and companies, among others, to consider the issue in advance.
The rainy season has ended in the disaster-hit areas and the heat has become severe. It is also important to keep alert against heatstroke.
In order to prevent infections and reduce the stress on the lives of evacuees in shelters, it is necessary to advance the construction of temporary housing so that victims can leave evacuation facilities as soon as possible.
Many evacuees have sought shelter at the homes of relatives or have been sleeping in vehicles, partly because the central government has urged disaster victims not to concentrate at evacuation facilities as a measure against the coronavirus. Local governments have yet to grasp the entire situation of the victims and do not know the exact number of temporary homes needed.
It is important for local governments to cooperate with community associations and commissioned welfare workers to get a swift assessment of the actual damage caused by the disaster and tie it to the support for victims.
The amount of damage to agriculture, forestry and fisheries caused by the recent torrential rains nationwide exceeds 100 billion yen, almost half of which is thought to have been incurred by businesses in Kumamoto Prefecture.
A huge amount of money will be needed to rebuild the affected areas. The prefectural government is collecting donations under the furusato nozei system -- a tax-deductible donation program. It is hoped that people from outside the prefecture will also provide support in ways they are currently capable of.
-- The original Japanese article appeared in The Yomiuri Shimbun on Aug. 4, 2020.
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