Its hall opened to offer refuge to the newly homeless.

Thousands of the newly homeless, covered in blood and dust and wrapped in blankets, wandered the devastated streets in search of increasingly scarce food, medicine and - above all - water.

With nowhere to stay and too scared to sleep on the streets, many newly homeless have set up illegal encampments known as 'tent cities'.

Rescue efforts were led by municipal governments, which also provided shelter and amenities for the newly homeless, often in schools.