Photo/Illutration Lamps on tilted utility poles cast light on a street in quake-stricken Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 29. (Koichi Ueda)

KANAZAWA--Electricity will be restored to most earthquake-impacted areas of Ishikawa Prefecture by the end of the month, prefectural officials announced on Jan. 29.

Workers in Wajima were busy on Jan. 29 repairing electric wires and restoring power to homes, despite several tilted utility poles.

“I’m relieved the power is back on,” said Tateo Okizaki, a 68-year-old carpenter, as the entrance light of his home flickered to life. “Next, we need water.”

About 2,700 households across six municipalities, mainly in Wajima and Suzu, were still without electricity as of 7 p.m. on Jan. 29, according to the prefecture and Hokuriku Electric Power Co.

Although that figure has dropped significantly from the 40,000 at its peak, blackouts are expected to continue into February in some coastal and mountainous areas that are inaccessible due to damaged roads.

Water is still cut off from 42,000 households, posing a major challenge for the affected areas.

The prefecture also announced on the same day that the quake’s death toll has increased by two in Suzu, bringing the total to 238.

However, for the first time since the disaster struck, the number of people staying at local shelters fell below 10,000, compared to more than 34,000 at the peak.

The first 18 temporary houses for displaced people will be completed on Jan. 31 in Wajima.

(This article was written by Tomoyoshi Kubo, Eriko Nami, Takeshi Shimawaki and Ryo Ikeda.)

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