Cold weather in Japan hits evacuees after deadly earthquake in Hokkaido
Temperatures below 6 degrees Celsius may endanger the health of about 2,000 people still in shelters and people inside 6,000 homes still cut off from water
A sudden drop in temperatures took its toll on Tuesday on evacuees in temporary shelters following a deadly earthquake in Hokkaido that caused massive landslides last week.
With the mercury falling to 5.4 degrees Celsius (42 degrees Fahrenheit) in the hardest-hit town of Atsuma, it is feared the chilly weather could put the health of local residents at risk with about 2,000 people still in shelters and about 6,000 homes cut off from water in the area, according to the Hokkaido prefectural government.
When the magnitude 6.7 earthquake rocked the region in Japan’s northernmost main island ion Thursday, the temperature was nearly 20 degrees.
At an evacuation centre near the town hall of Atsuma on Tuesday, evacuees rubbed their hands together at a hand-wash station.
“I wore a fleece and borrowed a blanket last night but it was so cold that I could not sleep,” said Naomi Konaya, 43, who is staying at the shelter with her family. “My niece developed a fever and is sick in bed probably because of the sudden temperature change.”