Nuclear crisis evacuees briefly return to homes in no-go zone
May 11, 2011
Residents of the village of Kawauchi, designated as part of a no-go zone due to the ongoing crisis at a nearby nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, briefly returned home Tuesday to pick up personal belongings.
The evacuees were the first among residents of nine municipalities located in the legally binding no-entry zone, which covers areas within a 20-kilometer radius of the radiation-leaking Fukushima Daiichi plant, to be allowed to visit their homes since the government designated the area as off-limits on April 22.
A total of 92 evacuees, aged between 21 and 85, from 54 households made the two-hour trip and were allowed to retrieve items that could be put into plastic bags measuring 70 centimeters in both length and width, according to Kawauchi village officials.
The evacuees wore protective suits, masks, goggles and gloves for protection against radiation exposure and returned home on government-chartered buses.
After returning from the brief trip, all 92 underwent screening tests each lasting three to five minutes for radioactive substances but were found not to require decontamination, officials of the central government said, adding that none of the belongings they brought from home required decontamination.
''We'll continue giving the highest priority to safety in moving ahead with such visits,'' said Motohisa Ikeda, senior vice minister for economy, trade and industry. He added the government will also consider giving evacuees opportunities to retrieve their cars from the no-entry zone as soon as feasible.
Kawauchi Mayor Yuko Endo said, ''I'm relieved that their wish (to go back home) has been fulfilled. I want to get myself and residents of the town back to living normal lives as soon as possible.''
The total radiation amounts the 92 received during their two-hour visits ranged from 1 microsievert to 10 microsieverts on a provisional basis, according to a government official. In the areas where they returned home in Kawauchi, the per-hour radiation in the air measured 0.12 microsievert to 5.80 microsieverts.
Three women said they felt ill after their brief trips but soon recovered.
The Fukushima prefectural government and the Environment Ministry brought nine dogs and three cats out of the no-go zone on Monday.
Before leaving for home, residents at one point staged a protest against the government's request for them to sign a document confirming they would be entering the zone on their own responsibility, with some saying they were the ''victims'' in the situation.
A government official said both the state and the village had agreed to ask the residents for their signatures, adding, ''We wanted the residents to understand there are risks, including exposure to radiation.''
Similar brief visits will be carried out in stages for residents of the eight other municipalities who have been forced to evacuate due to the nuclear crisis triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which has also sparked worries about food safety due to possible radioactive contamination of crops.
In a separate move, the village of Iitate, also in Fukushima Prefecture, plans to evacuate the first group of its residents, possibly this weekend, in accordance with a central government request, local officials said.
Around 400 people from about 140 households -- mainly those with pregnant women, babies and children up to kindergarten age -- will leave the village for hotels and housing facilities in the city of Fukushima and other areas, according to village officials. The Iitate village office submitted its evacuation plan to the Fukushima prefectural government on Monday.
In late April, the central government designated Iitate as one of the areas where residents would be required to leave in roughly one month's time as cumulative radiation exposure is expected to exceed the yardstick of 20 millisieverts during the course of a year.
Despite the government's call, however, it could be difficult for all residents of the village to evacuate by late May as the village has not been able to secure enough facilities to accommodate all of its inhabitants and some of them have refused to leave.
(Distributed by Kyodo News on May 10, 2011)
The evacuees were the first among residents of nine municipalities located in the legally binding no-entry zone, which covers areas within a 20-kilometer radius of the radiation-leaking Fukushima Daiichi plant, to be allowed to visit their homes since the government designated the area as off-limits on April 22.
A total of 92 evacuees, aged between 21 and 85, from 54 households made the two-hour trip and were allowed to retrieve items that could be put into plastic bags measuring 70 centimeters in both length and width, according to Kawauchi village officials.
The evacuees wore protective suits, masks, goggles and gloves for protection against radiation exposure and returned home on government-chartered buses.
After returning from the brief trip, all 92 underwent screening tests each lasting three to five minutes for radioactive substances but were found not to require decontamination, officials of the central government said, adding that none of the belongings they brought from home required decontamination.
''We'll continue giving the highest priority to safety in moving ahead with such visits,'' said Motohisa Ikeda, senior vice minister for economy, trade and industry. He added the government will also consider giving evacuees opportunities to retrieve their cars from the no-entry zone as soon as feasible.
Kawauchi Mayor Yuko Endo said, ''I'm relieved that their wish (to go back home) has been fulfilled. I want to get myself and residents of the town back to living normal lives as soon as possible.''
The total radiation amounts the 92 received during their two-hour visits ranged from 1 microsievert to 10 microsieverts on a provisional basis, according to a government official. In the areas where they returned home in Kawauchi, the per-hour radiation in the air measured 0.12 microsievert to 5.80 microsieverts.
Three women said they felt ill after their brief trips but soon recovered.
The Fukushima prefectural government and the Environment Ministry brought nine dogs and three cats out of the no-go zone on Monday.
Before leaving for home, residents at one point staged a protest against the government's request for them to sign a document confirming they would be entering the zone on their own responsibility, with some saying they were the ''victims'' in the situation.
A government official said both the state and the village had agreed to ask the residents for their signatures, adding, ''We wanted the residents to understand there are risks, including exposure to radiation.''
Similar brief visits will be carried out in stages for residents of the eight other municipalities who have been forced to evacuate due to the nuclear crisis triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which has also sparked worries about food safety due to possible radioactive contamination of crops.
In a separate move, the village of Iitate, also in Fukushima Prefecture, plans to evacuate the first group of its residents, possibly this weekend, in accordance with a central government request, local officials said.
Around 400 people from about 140 households -- mainly those with pregnant women, babies and children up to kindergarten age -- will leave the village for hotels and housing facilities in the city of Fukushima and other areas, according to village officials. The Iitate village office submitted its evacuation plan to the Fukushima prefectural government on Monday.
In late April, the central government designated Iitate as one of the areas where residents would be required to leave in roughly one month's time as cumulative radiation exposure is expected to exceed the yardstick of 20 millisieverts during the course of a year.
Despite the government's call, however, it could be difficult for all residents of the village to evacuate by late May as the village has not been able to secure enough facilities to accommodate all of its inhabitants and some of them have refused to leave.
(Distributed by Kyodo News on May 10, 2011)
