Japanese officials are still trying to grasp the full extent of damage caused by a powerful earthquake that struck central Japan on New Year's Day. Eighty-four people have now been confirmed dead in the hardest-hit prefecture of Ishikawa. At least 179 people are unaccounted for.

Rescue workers are combing damaged houses in search of survivors. A woman in her 80s was rescued on Thursday after being trapped under a collapsed home for about 72 hours.

Japan's Self-Defense Forces are bringing in assistance by sea. Two landing craft arrived on a beach in Wajima City loaded with heavy equipment to clear debris blocking roads into affected areas.

Professor Watanave Hidenori of the University of Tokyo used aerial photos of the hardest-hit areas to create a 3D map tracking damage from tsunami and landslides.

The map shows roads are blocked in more than 10 locations. It also shows access to a harbor has been obstructed by rocks that were not seen before the disaster. This suggests the earthquake caused the seafloor to rise.

Officials in Ishikawa say nearly 800 people in the prefecture remained cut-off as of Thursday afternoon.

More than 33,000 people are staying at temporary shelters in that prefecture alone, requiring a massive relief effort to be mobilized.

Officials say they still need more people to help distribute supplies.

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says his government is doing everything it can to help those affected. He told reporters on Thursday there's concern the evacuees will be unable to return to their homes for an extended period of time. He added what's needed is a sustained, long-term effort to support their livelihoods.

Some people and small businesses are stepping up to provide for those in need.

A fishing store near Wajima suffered damage in the quake, but the owner is taking time to offer sanitary goods and hot food to others.

Hundreds of tremors have shaken Ishikawa's Noto area and places along the Sea of Japan coast since the magnitude 7.6 quake on January 1st. The Meteorological Agency is warning people to be on alert for seismic activity over the next several days.