About 13,000 people sought shelter at a total of 768 evacuation centers set up in Hokkaido following the powerful earthquake that hit the island on Sept. 6, according to the Hokkaido Prefectural Government.
With the magnitude 6.7 quake triggering a prefecture-wide blackout and paralyzing traffic, the number of evacuees continued to increase until the following day. The number has gradually declined since power was restored to households, but 652 people continued to stay in evacuation centers as of Monday, and some appear to be suffering from so-called economy-class syndrome, in which blood clots develop due to inactivity resulting from cramped conditions.
In the tourist-heavy prefectural capital of Sapporo, many foreign nationals had been left in the streets with no information immediately after the quake. A total of six facilities — including gymnasiums — in the city center were later opened up to tourists, and information was provided in English and Chinese. Up to about 1,250 people used the facilities.