Unprepared tsunami

People here are not unfamiliar with tsunamis. Fifty-one years ago, a tsunami ensuing the Chile earthquake hit Minamisanryuku, flooding up to five meters. Last year, a tsunami alarm rang but nothing really came also after a Chile earthquake.

"Many old people who had memories of the last tsunami thought the waves will be blocked by the dyke and chose to stay at home, ignoring the warning siren," Yamauchi said.

Jin Sato, magistrate of the town, said Minamisanryuku had the best disaster-prevention projects in Japan. "We thought the tsunami 51 years ago would be the biggest ever, and all the preparation was done with an eye to that tsunami."

"But this time the tsunami is four, five times greater," Sato told reporters Wednesday. "We found that however well we are prepared, we will still be beaten by the nature. We feel frustrated."

Shelter syndrome

Many people have developed "shelter syndrome" after living in evacuation centers for nearly two weeks.

In Minamisanryuku, more than 60 medical staff are working on shifts to provide medical service to the evacuees.

"Most of the patients are the elderly who have diabetes and high blood pressure," said Nobayuku Maki, a doctor from Chiba Prefecture.

But people who developed influenza or allergy are also increasing, as well as those who suffer from insomnia and mounting psychological stress, Maki told Xinhua.

The people in shelters are encouraged to do setting-up exercises to radio every day, and to take a stroll after meals to keep fit physically. But for mental stress, there is no good way to disperse it, according to Maki.

"The problem will grow bigger for the people living in shelters, as many of them are approaching their limits," he said.