Society

Passenger Ferry Off Ishikawa Coast Begins Disaster Relief Operations

Ishikawa, Jan 15 (News On Japan) - As prolonged stays in evacuation shelters continue, a large ferry moored off Nanao in Ishikawa Prefecture began accepting disaster victims around 3:00 PM on Sunday, with about 60 people, who were previously sheltering in a nearby elementary school, now resting onboard.

'Hakuou', chartered by the Ministry of Defense for a two-day rest period, plans to accommodate up to 200 people.

The ferry is heated and equipped with private rooms. The restaurant onboard also provides warm meals.

As water outages continue in Nanao city, the ferry offers a large public bath, and many expressed their relief at taking their first bath since the earthquake hit on New Year's Day.

A grateful female evacuee aboard 'Hakuou' said, "I haven't had a bath or anything for these two weeks, so I was really looking forward to that."

While the ferry is expected to play a role in reducing stress for people, some disaster victims mentioned, "We're too busy clearing up our houses to even think about going to the ferry."

by Brian Dentry

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