In addition to people living in official evacuation centers, some have moved in with friends or family, and others are sleeping in cars. Officials want to ensure they have an accurate number of evacuees so they can keep them informed.
In January, the prefecture set up a counter to deliver support services information. Flyers are also available at the post office at the prefectural government office.
LINE
People can add "Ishikawa Prefecture" as a friend on the LINE messaging app and enter their evacuation information on a dedicated form. As of February 1, more than 8,200 people had registered.
Telephone
Registrations can be made by calling 0120-247-001 between 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
According to official figures, as of February 2, the number of known evacuees stood at approximately 21,000. That is more than 10,000 fewer than at the peak in early January.
Banjo Keisuke, Ishikawa Prefecture's digital promotion chief, explains why authorities are urging all evacuees to register: "We want to prevent disaster-related deaths by having evacuees register their information so that we can get an overall picture of the evacuation, and ensure that the government is keeping a close eye on them."
