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Fukushima disaster: first residents return to town next to nuclear plant
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/10/fukushima-disaster-first-residents-return-to-town-next-to-nuclear-plantFukushima disaster: first residents return to town next to nuclear plant
A town next to the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant partially reopened on Wednesday, eight years after a triple meltdown forced tens of thousands of people in the area to flee.
About 40% of Okuma, which sits immediately west of the plant, was declared safe for residents to make a permanent return after decontamination efforts significantly reduced radiation levels.
However, media reports said just 367 people from Okuma’s pre-disaster population of 10,341 had registered as residents, suggesting that very few people will return to neighbourhoods that have been abandoned since a deadly earthquake and tsunami triggered a triple meltdown at the nuclear plant in March 2011.
Most of Okuma, however, remains off-limits due to high radiation levels. Residents have been permitted to make daytime visits to maintain their homes, but Kyodo news reported that only 48 people, belonging to 21 households, had so far registered to stay overnight.
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