» Many residents are relactant to go back homes after the evacuation order lifted

2014/04/09

One week after the evacuation order is lifted for an eastern strip of Tamura’s Miyakoji district, few houses in the area were lit up at night as many residents are still uncertain if it is safe for them to return home.

Located near the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the area was home to 117 households with 357 residents before the evacuation order was imposed in March 2011, following the accident triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.

Of the 117 households an Asahi Shimbun reporter visited between April 5 and April 8, 26 families directly confirmed that they have decided to return to their homes, following the lifting of the evacuation order on April 1. Two other families also have reportedly returned.

Most of the returning residents are elderly. Many of the original residents are still struggling with concerns over the stability of the situation at the nuclear plant, radiation fears and the inconvenience of living in an area that is lacking in many basic services.
For exapmle, the nearest supermarket is in Okuma, 15 minutes by car from their Miyakoji home, but it remains closed due to radiation concerns.

Evacuees currently receive compensation of 100,000 yen ($973) a month from TEPCO. But the compensation will end within a year after the evacuation designation is lifted.

As an incentive to get evacuees to return to their homes, the central government has directed TEPCO to give each returnee a one-time payment of 900,000 yen.

After lifting the evacuation order in the Miyakoji area, no-entry zones remain in 10 municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture, with about 800,000 people still forced to remain evacuated from their homes.
<Media Report>
Many Fukushima evacuees reluctant to return home in former no-entry zone (Asahi Newspaper)

Tags:evacuation, news, return to evacuation zone

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