Volunteer work in central Japan has been stalling over a month since the Noto Peninsula was hit by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake, with few people permitted to assist each day amid insufficient accommodation facilities and poor road conditions.
While approximately 23,000 people have registered to volunteer in Ishikawa Prefecture, only around 250 are currently permitted to help in the hardest-hit northern region of the peninsula each day, according to the local government.
The New Year's Day earthquake on the Sea of Japan coast claimed over 240 lives, sparked fires and left a trail of destruction in its wake. The prefectural government said Friday that the number of damaged homes has reached 60,236 while more than 13,000 people were living in evacuation centers. In addition, the area's water supply was still cut off for about 34,000 households and about 1,500 households remain without electricity.