» Situation of the Evacuees

After one year and seven months from the accident of Fukushima No.1 Nuclear Power Plant, still at least 160,000 people has been evacuated their original home because of fear of radiation.

According to Fukushima prefecture, 56,920 people have fled their home in Fukushima pref. and stay in other prefecture as of March 7th, 2013. The biggest number of evacuees, 9,420, is living in Yamagata prefecture, the north west neighboring prefecture of Fukushima. The second is Tokyo, 7,415 people, and the third is Niigata, 5,688. As these numbers are only reported number to the government, it is assumed that the actual number should be more.

Among 56,920  people evacuating from the surrounding area of the Fukushima No.1 Nuclear power plant to another municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture, 46,107 people lives in the temporary housing complexes including apartments  paid by the government or civil servants housings, and the rest of 10,681 people are living at their relatives and friends house.

Soon after the accident, because of the frequent change of the government instructions, many residents from the surrounding area of Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant were forced to move several times. In addition, as the result of System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information (SPEEDI) had not been released, many people were displaced in the highly contaminated area.

For example, in IItate, the village existing about 39km northwest of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the government had not ordered nor warn the villagers to evacuate from the highly contaminated area for more than 1 month after the accident. As a result, a lot of villagers remained and were exposed to radiation.

Not only the residents from the evacuation zones, but also many residents from outside the evacuation zones had fled their homes voluntarily in order to avoid exposure to the radiation.

Photo: Temporary housing in Aizu District

The Number of Evacuees from Fukushima Prefecture to Other Prefectures
(as of July.5,2012 – Nov.28,2013)

(Click picture PDF file will open in a separate window.)

Tags:evacuation, evacuees

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