“Because of the summer heat, the lack of water is especially difficult,” he said in the city hall. Immediately after the quake, SDF trucks towed water tanks to community centres and schools across Yatsushiro city, returning to city hall to refill from emergency tanks beneath the building. He returned home after the late-afternoon quake to find his house still standing beside the collapsed remains of his neighbour’s home. Residents receiving water aid at a community centre in Yatsushiro, Japan. PHOTO: REUTERSMiyamoto and many residents of Yatsushiro and nearby Kumamoto city have endured major earthquakes before.