Four weeks after their homes were damaged in the deadly Niigata earthquake, people began leaving evacuation centers Aug. 13 and moving into temporary housing in Kashiwazaki and Izumozaki.

Ten elementary and junior high schools decided to reopen as early as Aug. 22, cutting short summer vacations to make up for canceled classes. The Kashiwazaki Municipal Government plans to integrate shelters as lifeline services recover and the number of evacuees decreases, officials said.

So far, 536 people from 229 households have been scheduled to live in 262 temporary houses that have been built in six locations.