Japan S Fukushima City Lifts Evacuation Order 11 Years After Nuclear Disaster

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck the east coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami that caused a nuclear meltdown at the power plant and a large release of radioactive material. It was the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Futaba is home to the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) complex and a train station. Public facilities, such as the newly reopened municipal office, are scheduled to reopen next Monday. Photos from the city show empty shops, houses and temples, many with exterior damage such as collapsed roofs and broken windows. The streets are largely empty. Abandoned cars and trucks sit in a field, covered in dirt and rust. Before the nuclear disaster, Futaba had a population of about 7,100. As of the end of July, more than 5,500 people remain registered as residents, according to the municipal office spokesman. Residents have been allowed to enter the northeastern Futaba area — but not live there — since March 2020, when experts said radiation levels were no more than 20 millisieverts a year. This level is equivalent to two full-body CT scans and international safety monitors recommend that it should be the limit of a person’s annual radiation exposure. Authorities began preparing for the reopening of the city this year. In January, they started a program that allowed former residents to return temporarily, but only 85 people from 52 households participated, the Futaba official said. Photos from March also show workers tearing down collapsed structures and preparing to rebuild them. It remains unclear, however, how many people will return — and how long it will take the city to recover. More than 80% of the municipality has been designated a “difficult to return” zone that still shows high levels of radioactivity, the spokesman said. And a survey last August found that 60.5% of residents had decided not to return — far outstripping the 11.3% who wanted to. Futaba has no official timetable for when other areas of the city will be fully disinfected. However, the spokesman expressed hope for the city’s future, saying Futaba aims to increase its population to 2,000 by 2030. “The evacuation order has now been lifted, but we cannot give a specific number on how many people will return,” the spokesman said. “Of course, we’d like people to come back and support their ability to do it as best we can.” If other Japanese cities affected by the 2011 nuclear disaster are any indication, Futaba has a long way to go. Even places that lifted evacuation orders several years ago continued to face challenges. For example, the village of Katsourao, which is about 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the plant, reopened to residents in 2016, but some households are still waiting for parts of their village to be decontaminated. Others may still be concerned about radiation. Despite cleanup efforts, a 2020 survey by Kwansei Gakuin University found that 65% of evacuees no longer wanted to return to Fukushima Prefecture — 46% feared residual contamination and 45% had settled elsewhere. CNN’s Kathleen Benoza contributed reporting.

title: “Japan S Fukushima City Lifts Evacuation Order 11 Years After Nuclear Disaster Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-22” author: “Betty Tarver”

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck the east coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami that caused a nuclear meltdown at the power plant and a large release of radioactive material. It was the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Futaba is home to the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) complex and a train station. Public facilities, such as the newly reopened municipal office, are scheduled to reopen next Monday. Photos from the city show empty shops, houses and temples, many with exterior damage such as collapsed roofs and broken windows. The streets are largely empty. Abandoned cars and trucks sit in a field, covered in dirt and rust. Before the nuclear disaster, Futaba had a population of about 7,100. As of the end of July, more than 5,500 people remain registered as residents, according to the municipal office spokesman. Residents have been allowed to enter the northeastern Futaba area — but not live there — since March 2020, when experts said radiation levels were no more than 20 millisieverts a year. This level is equivalent to two full-body CT scans and international safety monitors recommend that it should be the limit of a person’s annual radiation exposure. Authorities began preparing for the reopening of the city this year. In January, they started a program that allowed former residents to return temporarily, but only 85 people from 52 households participated, the Futaba official said. Photos from March also show workers tearing down collapsed structures and preparing to rebuild them. It remains unclear, however, how many people will return — and how long it will take the city to recover. More than 80% of the municipality has been designated a “difficult to return” zone that still shows high levels of radioactivity, the spokesman said. And a survey last August found that 60.5% of residents had decided not to return — far outstripping the 11.3% who wanted to. Futaba has no official timetable for when other areas of the city will be fully disinfected. However, the spokesman expressed hope for the city’s future, saying Futaba aims to increase its population to 2,000 by 2030. “The evacuation order has now been lifted, but we cannot give a specific number on how many people will return,” the spokesman said. “Of course, we’d like people to come back and support their ability to do it as best we can.” If other Japanese cities affected by the 2011 nuclear disaster are any indication, Futaba has a long way to go. Even places that lifted evacuation orders several years ago continued to face challenges. For example, the village of Katsourao, which is about 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the plant, reopened to residents in 2016, but some households are still waiting for parts of their village to be decontaminated. Others may still be concerned about radiation. Despite cleanup efforts, a 2020 survey by Kwansei Gakuin University found that 65% of evacuees no longer wanted to return to Fukushima Prefecture — 46% feared residual contamination and 45% had settled elsewhere. CNN’s Kathleen Benoza contributed reporting.

title: “Japan S Fukushima City Lifts Evacuation Order 11 Years After Nuclear Disaster Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-05” author: “Kevin Rodriguez”

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck the east coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami that caused a nuclear meltdown at the power plant and a large release of radioactive material. It was the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Futaba is home to the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) complex and a train station. Public facilities, such as the newly reopened municipal office, are scheduled to reopen next Monday. Photos from the city show empty shops, houses and temples, many with exterior damage such as collapsed roofs and broken windows. The streets are largely empty. Abandoned cars and trucks sit in a field, covered in dirt and rust. Before the nuclear disaster, Futaba had a population of about 7,100. As of the end of July, more than 5,500 people remain registered as residents, according to the municipal office spokesman. Residents have been allowed to enter the northeastern Futaba area — but not live there — since March 2020, when experts said radiation levels were no more than 20 millisieverts a year. This level is equivalent to two full-body CT scans and international safety monitors recommend that it should be the limit of a person’s annual radiation exposure. Authorities began preparing for the reopening of the city this year. In January, they started a program that allowed former residents to return temporarily, but only 85 people from 52 households participated, the Futaba official said. Photos from March also show workers tearing down collapsed structures and preparing to rebuild them. It remains unclear, however, how many people will return — and how long it will take the city to recover. More than 80% of the municipality has been designated a “difficult to return” zone that still shows high levels of radioactivity, the spokesman said. And a survey last August found that 60.5% of residents had decided not to return — far outstripping the 11.3% who wanted to. Futaba has no official timetable for when other areas of the city will be fully disinfected. However, the spokesman expressed hope for the city’s future, saying Futaba aims to increase its population to 2,000 by 2030. “The evacuation order has now been lifted, but we cannot give a specific number on how many people will return,” the spokesman said. “Of course, we’d like people to come back and support their ability to do it as best we can.” If other Japanese cities affected by the 2011 nuclear disaster are any indication, Futaba has a long way to go. Even places that lifted evacuation orders several years ago continued to face challenges. For example, the village of Katsourao, which is about 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the plant, reopened to residents in 2016, but some households are still waiting for parts of their village to be decontaminated. Others may still be concerned about radiation. Despite cleanup efforts, a 2020 survey by Kwansei Gakuin University found that 65% of evacuees no longer wanted to return to Fukushima Prefecture — 46% feared residual contamination and 45% had settled elsewhere. CNN’s Kathleen Benoza contributed reporting.

title: “Japan S Fukushima City Lifts Evacuation Order 11 Years After Nuclear Disaster Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-12” author: “Carolyn Hamilton”

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck the east coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami that caused a nuclear meltdown at the power plant and a large release of radioactive material. It was the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Futaba is home to the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) complex and a train station. Public facilities, such as the newly reopened municipal office, are scheduled to reopen next Monday. Photos from the city show empty shops, houses and temples, many with exterior damage such as collapsed roofs and broken windows. The streets are largely empty. Abandoned cars and trucks sit in a field, covered in dirt and rust. Before the nuclear disaster, Futaba had a population of about 7,100. As of the end of July, more than 5,500 people remain registered as residents, according to the municipal office spokesman. Residents have been allowed to enter the northeastern Futaba area — but not live there — since March 2020, when experts said radiation levels were no more than 20 millisieverts a year. This level is equivalent to two full-body CT scans and international safety monitors recommend that it should be the limit of a person’s annual radiation exposure. Authorities began preparing for the reopening of the city this year. In January, they started a program that allowed former residents to return temporarily, but only 85 people from 52 households participated, the Futaba official said. Photos from March also show workers tearing down collapsed structures and preparing to rebuild them. It remains unclear, however, how many people will return — and how long it will take the city to recover. More than 80% of the municipality has been designated a “difficult to return” zone that still shows high levels of radioactivity, the spokesman said. And a survey last August found that 60.5% of residents had decided not to return — far outstripping the 11.3% who wanted to. Futaba has no official timetable for when other areas of the city will be fully disinfected. However, the spokesman expressed hope for the city’s future, saying Futaba aims to increase its population to 2,000 by 2030. “The evacuation order has now been lifted, but we cannot give a specific number on how many people will return,” the spokesman said. “Of course, we’d like people to come back and support their ability to do it as best we can.” If other Japanese cities affected by the 2011 nuclear disaster are any indication, Futaba has a long way to go. Even places that lifted evacuation orders several years ago continued to face challenges. For example, the village of Katsourao, which is about 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the plant, reopened to residents in 2016, but some households are still waiting for parts of their village to be decontaminated. Others may still be concerned about radiation. Despite cleanup efforts, a 2020 survey by Kwansei Gakuin University found that 65% of evacuees no longer wanted to return to Fukushima Prefecture — 46% feared residual contamination and 45% had settled elsewhere. CNN’s Kathleen Benoza contributed reporting.

title: “Japan S Fukushima City Lifts Evacuation Order 11 Years After Nuclear Disaster Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-13” author: “Susan Smith”

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck the east coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami that caused a nuclear meltdown at the power plant and a large release of radioactive material. It was the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Futaba is home to the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) complex and a train station. Public facilities, such as the newly reopened municipal office, are scheduled to reopen next Monday. Photos from the city show empty shops, houses and temples, many with exterior damage such as collapsed roofs and broken windows. The streets are largely empty. Abandoned cars and trucks sit in a field, covered in dirt and rust. Before the nuclear disaster, Futaba had a population of about 7,100. As of the end of July, more than 5,500 people remain registered as residents, according to the municipal office spokesman. Residents have been allowed to enter the northeastern Futaba area — but not live there — since March 2020, when experts said radiation levels were no more than 20 millisieverts a year. This level is equivalent to two full-body CT scans and international safety monitors recommend that it should be the limit of a person’s annual radiation exposure. Authorities began preparing for the reopening of the city this year. In January, they started a program that allowed former residents to return temporarily, but only 85 people from 52 households participated, the Futaba official said. Photos from March also show workers tearing down collapsed structures and preparing to rebuild them. It remains unclear, however, how many people will return — and how long it will take the city to recover. More than 80% of the municipality has been designated a “difficult to return” zone that still shows high levels of radioactivity, the spokesman said. And a survey last August found that 60.5% of residents had decided not to return — far outstripping the 11.3% who wanted to. Futaba has no official timetable for when other areas of the city will be fully disinfected. However, the spokesman expressed hope for the city’s future, saying Futaba aims to increase its population to 2,000 by 2030. “The evacuation order has now been lifted, but we cannot give a specific number on how many people will return,” the spokesman said. “Of course, we’d like people to come back and support their ability to do it as best we can.” If other Japanese cities affected by the 2011 nuclear disaster are any indication, Futaba has a long way to go. Even places that lifted evacuation orders several years ago continued to face challenges. For example, the village of Katsourao, which is about 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the plant, reopened to residents in 2016, but some households are still waiting for parts of their village to be decontaminated. Others may still be concerned about radiation. Despite cleanup efforts, a 2020 survey by Kwansei Gakuin University found that 65% of evacuees no longer wanted to return to Fukushima Prefecture — 46% feared residual contamination and 45% had settled elsewhere. CNN’s Kathleen Benoza contributed reporting.