NAGAOKA, Niigata Pref. -- Never before has Miyo Igarashi longed for the arrival of spring so strongly.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='200' ALIGN='right' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='/images/photos2005/nn20050120f3a.jpg' WIDTH='200' HEIGHT='162'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Survivors of the Oct. 23 earthquakes in Niigata Prefecture shovel snow from the doorsteps of their temporary housing units in Ojiya, Niigata Prefecture. </B> AKEMI NAKAMURA PHOTO</FONT></TD> </TR> <TABLE> </PHOTO> <PARAGRAPH>'When the snow melts, I want to return to my village and begin growing crops in my fields,' said the 65-year-old resident of Yamakoshi, Niigata Prefecture, who is currently living with her husband in a temporary public housing unit in Nagaoka.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>'I've enjoyed working in my fields for decades,' she said. 'It will take time to reopen our –

store, but (once it's spring), we'll be able to start plowing our fields."

The strong earthquakes that hit the Chuetsu region of the prefecture on Oct. 23 displaced thousands of residents.

Currently 2,870 households live in temporary housing units, either because of the extensive damage to their homes or because some mountainous areas still do not have water and electricity.

Yamakoshi, a mountain village of about 2,160 people, was completely isolated after its only road was buried by a landslide. All its residents were evacuated to Nagaoka by helicopter right after the quakes.