Traffic jams slow Kumamoto cleanup as Hikawa Town nears 40°C; secondary evacuation advances

Cleanup after the Kumamoto earthquake is underway, but heavy traffic around temporary disaster-waste sites is slowing progress, as Hikawa Town nears 40°C. Hikawa Town's sole waste drop-off point is busiest in the morning; one salon-owning family has already taken eight truckloads of damaged heirlooms from their ancestral home and expects more debris. Meanwhile, secondary evacuation is advancing: on Aug. 6, the prefecture began accepting applications for 29 free public-housing units, available for up to six months to residents whose homes were half-destroyed or worse.