Photo/Illutration A prefectural road has been uplifted due to liquefaction and cars are driving while tilted in Uchinada, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 9. (Shun Nakamura)

UCHINADA, Ishikawa Prefecture--Liquefaction has caused severe and widespread damage here, with houses and roads tilting due to the ground heaving and sinking following the Jan. 1 earthquake.

Prefectural Road Route 8 in the Nishiaraya district here was covered with sand and housed large cracks.

Utility poles and road signs dangerously tilted and some traffic lights have sunk to an easily reachable height.

A 45-year-old self-employee who lives on the west side of the prefectural road saw his home’s foundation lifting and pushing through the living room floor.

When he placed a ball in the tilted hallway, it rolled away.

During the earthquake, he saw the stone steps in front of his entrance raised by the erupted soil.

But a car parked across the prefectural road sank into the ground.

“I had heard that the ground in this area was weak, but I never expected it was this bad,” he said.

“No matter how sturdy a house is built, it’s futile with such ground conditions. I can’t live here anymore,” he added.

A 40-year-old self-employee who resides on the east side of the prefectural road found his home floating due to soil erosion beneath the foundation, creating a gap with the ground.

Cracks on the road in front of his home are widening day by day, making him feel as if his house is gradually sinking.

“Some residents have already moved out. With aftershocks, I can’t sleep at night,” he said.

He said he cannot think of rebuilding his home here.

An 80-year-old man who runs a maintenance factory for construction equipment saw the ground in the middle of the plant sink by about 50 centimeters.

“It’s tough in the northern Noto area, but it’s pretty bad here, too,” he said. “I shouldn’t complain, considering the residents in that area, but we feel like we’ve been forgotten.”

According to the Uchinada municipal government, liquefaction was confirmed in multiple areas of the town, particularly in five areas that include the Nishiaraya district.

If homes are damaged by liquefaction resulting from an earthquake, owners whose properties meet certain criteria, such as tilting, are eligible for reconstruction funds for disaster victims.

In addition, if an area exceeding 3,000 square meters contains more than 10 houses, ground-improvement work can be carried out as a central government-subsidized project.

As of Jan. 10, there have been 837 applications for certificates for damaged residences filed in Uchinada, and the town will soon begin surveying the extent of the damage.

Building damage has also been confirmed in areas along a prefectural road in the neighboring Osaki district of Kahoku city.

As of Jan. 10, around 700 applications for the certificates have been filed, mainly in the district, according to the city government.

Nishi Ward in Niigata city, which is far from the Noto Peninsula, has also sustained significant damage due to liquefaction.

Liquefaction became a serious problem during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, causing damage in locations such as Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture.

In the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, liquefaction occurred in areas including Minami Ward of Kumamoto city.

Liquefaction generally occurs in ground that has abundant sand and water. An earthquake’s tremors cause the sand and water layers to separate, softening the ground or causing water to erupt to the surface.

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