Forced to abandon homes – Villagers resent lack of choice in government’s evacuation plan

IITATEMURA, Fukushima—Local residents are sad, and in some cases resentful, over the great disruption to their lives as they prepare to evacuate their long-time homes in this community.

Iitatemura is inside an area designated for evacuation because of the ongoing troubles at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Residents have been instructed by the government to leave the village before the end of this month.

In Iitatemura, located on hilly land in northeastern Fukushima Prefecture, about 30 percent of the workforce is employed in the farm industry. Many tractors are normally in use at this time of the year, but on Saturday afternoon there were few farmers in the fields.

Kenichi Hasegawa, 58, a local dairy farmer, stood alone in a field as unprocessed milk poured through the tap of the tank on the back of his truck into a hole in the ground.

Shipments of unprocessed milk from the village have been suspended because of concerns about radiation leaks from the plant, forcing Hasegawa to dispose of his product.

“I have to milk the cows every day, otherwise they’ll get sick. I don’t have any choice, but it’s hard to just dump the milk,” Hasegawa said. A murder of crows was flying overhead, eyeing the growing pool of milk.

Of Iitatemura’s about 6,000 residents, it is believed about 5,000 are still living in the village. Some have already begun preparing to evacuate.

Truck driver Hakaru Watanabe, 53, and his wife hope to move into temporary housing where they can keep their dog with them. On Saturday they were packing clothes into bags and fitting locks on their windows to prevent break-ins while they are away from their home in the village’s Komiya district.

“Usually, the village is so safe that we’re able to leave the house without locking up,” Watanabe said.

Iitate Home, located in the village’s Itamizawa district, is the only local specialized nursing home for the aged that is still operating. It has 107 residents.

The home’s head, Masami Sanpei, 62, said radiation levels around the facility were less than one microsievert per hour, according to tests conducted by the home at several locations.

“For people in the final stage of a terminal illness, moving them to a new location or environment can be very stressful and could be fatal,” he said.

On Friday night, about 20 residents gathered for a farewell party in a public hall in the village’s Iitoi district. A women’s association distributed its reserve funds to members during the party.

There were light moments. One partygoer said, “This seat belt thing is a real pain.” Another replied, “You mean ’sievert,’” and the room broke into laughter.

But Fumiyoshi Aizawa, 70, said, “I feel like crying when I wonder why this has happened to us.”

About 50 Iitatemura residents who had been staying at an evacuation center in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, were forced to return to the village after the shelter closed. They arrived by bus at about 6 p.m. Saturday, and will have to relocate again in a hurry.

Hideo Nochi, 59, of Sekisawa in the village, was among that group. “I want to tidy up my house, but I have to leave. In all honesty, I want to stay here, but there’s nothing I can do,” she said.

Yutaka Hojo, Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer