Kumanichi reports that, as of November, 13,314 households remain in temporary housing. In principal, this housing was made available for two years; last year, usage was extended for an additional year, and yesterday, the Prefectural government extended it a further year for those under two conditions: whose homesites are permanently damaged (liquefaction was stated as a cause); and who are unable to afford funds to rebuild, conditions (sadly) met by 7,746 households. As for the latter, Governor Kabashima was quoted as saying he’ll investigate availability of reverse mortgages “without a moment’s delay.” Considering it’s been three years since the quakes, one might hope so, but a reverse mortgage on a now-worthless piece of land belonging to a person too elderly to start over doesn’t help much.
This does mean that housing for about 50% of the population will be terminated from next April. Below is an image of how they’ve been living. - William
