Extra care must be taken to look after the elderly. We urge the Niigata government staff, volunteers and others who look after the people in temporary houses to pay strict attention to the details.

Niigata Prefecture is starting to build temporary housing in the quake-hit Chuetsu region. Quake victims have spent nearly a week in emergency shelters, which are mostly gymnasiums. The victims' expressions are pained with fatigue exacerbated by the stress in dealing with aftershocks. The winter chill has started to settle in.

The temporary housing must be built as soon as possible.

The prefecture has begun building 400 houses in Nagaoka, and construction sites have been chosen in both Ojiya and Tokamachi.

Government officials say it is possible to secure a total of 3,000 temporary houses in the quake-hit area.

The people of Yamakoshi village, all of whom were forced to evacuate, will move to the temporary housing in Nagaoka. Nearly 40 percent of the villagers are elderly. They will have to start living in a city instead of a mountain village; adjustment might not be easy.

Before the quake, villagers in Yamakoshi were surrounded by familiar faces and ate rice and vegetables they grew in the area. After a lifetime of such living, the villagers now have to move to temporary shelters.

Compared with the emergency shelters, the temporary housing will no doubt give the villagers some breathing room, but their lives will inevitably be drastically different from what they were used to in the village.

Care and attention are necessary to prevent the villagers from breaking down under the stress of life in the new environment. Elderly people should not be isolated in the temporary homes.

It would be better if groups of houses were allotted according to communities in the village. That way, people who know each other can get up each morning and exchange greetings. Small, everyday things like this can do much to heal the pain and lift spirits.

After the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, many temporary shelters were built in the suburbs. People came from various parts of city centers and lived next to unfamiliar faces. Community ties could not grow, shopping was difficult and many people ended up just staying inside their small rooms. Many elderly people died alone in these shelters.

``The tragic deaths inside the temporary houses were a secondary disaster of the earthquake, but it was also human-made,'' says Hiroko Kuroda, a nurse who worked with the Hanshin quake victims in temporary homes.

``The elderly especially find it difficult to adjust to a new environment,'' warns Kuroda. ``The authorities should take care that existing groups and communities of people be allowed to relocate as a group, so as not to sever those bonds.''

Those groups of people living together in temporary houses will no doubt help look after the elderly. But it is necessary to learn from the lessons of the Great Hanshin Earthquake and establish a system where specialist help is always available.

For example, if the temporary houses have constant access to nursing care, or if a health worker is assigned to a block of temporary houses to keep watch even during the night, then a number of tragedies within the temporary shelters would be averted.

We urge the Niigata government staff, volunteers and others who look after the people in temporary houses to pay strict attention to the details.

They should check to see if water and electricity meters are active and to make sure garbage has been thrown out. If not, the person inside the temporary shelter may need immediate help.

The workers should also be on the lookout for signs of depression, such as an outgoing and friendly person who suddenly keeps his or her eyes focused on the ground.

These small signs of change from the quake victims must not be missed. And information needs to be shared.

The harsh winter will soon set in. Quake victims in Niigata Prefecture need to live in warm and friendly environments.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 29(IHT/Asahi: October 30,2004) (10/30)