The town office of Yakushima in Kagoshima Prefecture says it will allow residents of nearby Kuchinoerabu Island to acquire daily necessities free of charge, after a volcanic eruption there last week forced them to evacuate.

The town office has distributed six certificates at three local shelters for evacuees in Yakushima, which is now home to more than half of them. The certificates can be presented at three supermarkets in Yakushima and will allow purchases to be charged to the town office.

The law states that authorities should provide evacuees from natural disasters with daily necessities such as food and clothing directly. But Yakushima officials said they are using the certificates in order to give the evacuees some choice over the goods they need to support themselves.