Wajima: About 250 junior high school students left their families in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Wednesday on a group evacuation following a powerful earthquake that struck the central Japan prefecture on New Year’s Day.

The students will stay at prefectural lodging facilities in the southern Ishikawa city of Hakusan for a maximum of about two months to take classes.

The group evacuation was arranged to ensure places for students to study, after all three public junior high schools in the city became evacuation centers following the quake, according to the Wajima board of education. Heavy damage to buildings also rendered the schools unable to host classes.

On Wednesday morning, students from Wajima Junior High School carrying suitcases gathered at their pickup location. They hugged friends they had not seen in a while, and boarded four large buses. As the buses departed, the students waved to their parents from the windows.

“I’m not worried, but I’ll miss Wajima,” said Jun Morita, a 13-year-old first year student who evacuated to the school after their house tilted due to the quake. Morita’s mother, 39, said she is worried as a parent, but said it is fine because her child will be with teachers and classmates.

Haruki Yamase, a 15-year-old third year student who is preparing to take a high school entrance exam, said he has decided to join the group evacuation because he is scared of falling behind on studying.

“I want to come back to my hometown again,” said a first year female student who will evacuate for safety reasons though her family’s house withstood the quake. “I hope the town will be clean when I come back.”

“It is difficult to live in the city,” said Toyokazu Yamagishi, a head teacher in charge of first year students. “I want to take care of students’ mental health, not just their studying and daily lives.”

Similar group evacuations are being planned for students in Suzu and Noto, two Ishikawa municipalities also hit hard by the quake, according to prefectural officials.

JIJI Press