Key Points
- Severe structural damage is observed in Hikawa Town, where seismic intensity reached a level 7, leaving many traditional homes in ruins.
- Infrastructure failures have cut off water supplies in Uki City, forcing residents to gather at natural mountain springs for their daily needs.
- The Hinagu Fault Zone shows visible geological displacement, with roads buckling and uplifting by up to 20 centimeters in some areas.
- Local agricultural sectors face heavy losses, as seen in pear orchards where the majority of the harvest was shaken to the ground.
- Construction workers are prioritizing emergency road repairs to maintain community access, often putting their own disaster recovery on hold to serve the public.
Full Transcript (English)
Host (Jun Hori): I am currently in Hikawa Town, where a seismic intensity of 7 was recorded. On both sides of the road, residential houses have collapsed or suffered severe damage. A very tragic scene of destruction is spreading across this area.
Host: (At a natural spring) How did you know about this spring water?
Resident: I have known about it for a long time.
Host: Right now, the infrastructure is completely stopped?
Resident: Yes, it is.
Host: Where are you from?
Resident: Hikawa Town.
Host: I am traveling on the mountain road from Yatsushiro City toward Misato Town. I found a pear orchard along the way. Please, look at this. Pears wrapped in bags—pears that had grown so well—have all fallen to the ground in large numbers.
Host: This area is where the Hinagu Fault Zone is located. Indeed, in various places, the roads have uplifted or cracked. You can see many wooden houses in the surrounding area that have collapsed.
Resident (Hinagu): I have lived in Hinagu since I was a child, so I have always known about this long fault line that bears the town’s name.
Host: (Observing a car navigating a road gap) Oh, there is a step of about 15 to 20 centimeters here. Is it okay?
Driver: Yes, thank you. I’m sorry, the other road was congested so I tried to detour through here.
Host: No problem, thank you. Be careful.
Host: This section of the road has completely uplifted. It looks as though the ground pushed in from both sides, causing it to rise up like a horn. Even here at the riverbank by the bridge, the concrete blocks lining the riverbed have collided with each other, shifting and uplifting.
Host: (To a construction worker) Are you currently working to eliminate these road gaps?
Shintaro Katsura (Tanaka Construction): Yes, we are just smoothing out the bumps for now.
Host: How large was the gap here before you filled it?
Shintaro Katsura: On the edge, it was probably about 10 to 15 centimeters, so cars couldn’t pass through.
Host: In times like this, seeing the people from the construction and civil engineering industry is truly encouraging. Thank you so much. What kind of thoughts do you have while you are out here fixing the roads?
Shintaro Katsura: Usually, our work doesn’t get much of the spotlight. But in times like this, we feel a strong sense of duty to get out here and do our part. We have some employees who are victims themselves and cannot come to work, but others have put their own situations on the back burner to come out and help. We want to do whatever we can to be of use to the people in the community.
