More than 14,000 people are still displaced struggling without running water in the cold of the West Coast winter. Local parishes are involved in helping, starting with a support centre that opened on 20 January in Kanazawa.
Japan, a nation accustomed to earthquakes, is still reeling after a level 7 quake hit the Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day, causing widespread destruction.
A support centre has been set up in Kanazawa parish to collect aid from other dioceses for survivors of the earthquake that struck the area on New Year Day, killing 232. In the worst-hit towns of Wajima and Nanao, restarting kindergarten services is a priority despite serious difficulties. A “restaurant” has also been set up to provide a hot meal as well as serve as a venue for people to come together.
The 65-year-old Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo said the largely rural and underdeveloped character of the area cautions against putting out calls for volunteers to assist in rescue and relief efforts.