Heavy traffic stalls Kumamoto earthquake cleanup as free housing opens

Kumamoto Prefecture opened applications Thursday for free prefectural housing, offering earthquake victims whose homes were half-destroyed or worse six months of rent-free shelter. The 29 units, in Kumamoto City, Minamata City and elsewhere, require disaster certificates; no rent or deposit is charged. Officials said approved applicants can move in within about a week. A woman seeking wheelchair-accessible housing for her disabled husband secured a unit. Meanwhile, debris cleanup is stalled by heavy traffic around temporary waste sites, including Hikawa Town's only facility, as temperatures approached 40 degrees Celsius on Thursday.