Japanese town struggles to rebuild
- 13 years ago
Miyako City, Japan, six months after the deadly tsunami caused by Japan's magnitude 9.0 earthquake.
While parts of the town seem to be getting back to normal, there are reiminders of the devastation everywhere.
Six months on, Miyako City and its residents are struggling to recover.
63-year-old Mitsuko Fujisawa is amongst those who watched the tsunami destroy her town.
""It's true that the things are gone and the town is cleaned up, " she says. "But it's so lonely. It's okay during the day like this, but at night it's just completely dark. It's so lonely I always close the curtains at night."
With the tsunami wreaking havoc on fishing and other coastal industries, it's unclear where or how those remaining will find work.
Miyako's deputy mayor says the government needs to urgently decide on unified reconstruction standards.
(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) MIYAKO CITY VICE MAYOR ICHIRO NAGOSHI SAYING:
"There's many people who ask if the population isn't flowing away. If there aren't steps taken to restore industries or to build new industries, then I honestly think the situation will only get worse and gradually make the city poorer."
Six months after the quake, nearly 10,000 people across Japan are still living in evacuation centres with many more in temporary housing.
Sunita Rappai, Reuters
While parts of the town seem to be getting back to normal, there are reiminders of the devastation everywhere.
Six months on, Miyako City and its residents are struggling to recover.
63-year-old Mitsuko Fujisawa is amongst those who watched the tsunami destroy her town.
""It's true that the things are gone and the town is cleaned up, " she says. "But it's so lonely. It's okay during the day like this, but at night it's just completely dark. It's so lonely I always close the curtains at night."
With the tsunami wreaking havoc on fishing and other coastal industries, it's unclear where or how those remaining will find work.
Miyako's deputy mayor says the government needs to urgently decide on unified reconstruction standards.
(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) MIYAKO CITY VICE MAYOR ICHIRO NAGOSHI SAYING:
"There's many people who ask if the population isn't flowing away. If there aren't steps taken to restore industries or to build new industries, then I honestly think the situation will only get worse and gradually make the city poorer."
Six months after the quake, nearly 10,000 people across Japan are still living in evacuation centres with many more in temporary housing.
Sunita Rappai, Reuters