Photo/Illutration Neighborhood women prepare rice balls at Juzojinja shrine in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 3. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The full extent of the devastation caused by the gigantic earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula on Jan. 1 remains unclear.

People are still trapped beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings, and many ravaged areas have yet to receive relief aid. Some communities remain isolated.

Residents are helping each other while grappling with the crippling aftermath of the killer quake amid the biting cold. Some of these quake survivors have made touching and inspiring remarks that deeply moved me.

“The lives of residents are at risk.”

Driven by the critical situation at a senior care facility, a male staff member stood on the shoulder of a prefectural road in the hard-hit city of Wajima in Ishikawa Prefecture on Jan. 4, showing drivers a whiteboard with handwritten messages asking for help.

The Hokkoku Shimbun, a local newspaper, reported the scene.

Although his own home was swept away, he continues working to care for the residents. A driver who stopped offered two bottles of water, saying, “This is all I can do.”

When my colleague made a phone call to the facility on Jan. 6, another staff member shared that people with family members once cared for at the facility and others who didn’t even give their names brought kerosene after seeing the news report.

Without electricity and running water, this kerosene helps to keep the residents warm. “We are grateful. We felt the warmth of people,” the staff member told my colleague.

Ayuko Noto, a priestess of Juzojinja shrine, which boasts a 1,300-year history, was working with neighbors to make and distribute rice balls.

The Shinto shrine in Wajima was damaged, but she said: “During past flood disasters, our ancestors prepared and distributed food. We always receive help from many people, so it’s a mutual thing.”

At a supermarket that reopened on Jan. 4, Toyoharu Omichi, a senior executive of the store, said, “I wish to help the customers, no matter how little.” Most items were priced at 100 yen ($0.69). “Thinking about profit can come later,” he said.

So many people are gritting their teeth and doing everything they can for others. Yet, the heartrending fact is that their desperate efforts fall far short of catching up with the overwhelming scale of the disaster.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 7

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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