誰かが言わなきゃならない

1. “Voluntary evacuation,” a confusing notification

Upon expanding the evacuation zone (March 12) from 10km to 20km from the Fukushima Daiichi NPP, the zone beyond up to 30km was designated as the indoor sheltering zone. Part of the zone was further designated as the “Voluntary evacuation” zone. Minami-Soma-city is an example.
The people in the “Indoor sheltering zone” have hardships in life: Very limited supply of daily commodities from outside, no services in the supermarkets, insufficient fuel supplies, etc. Hospitals, schools and public facilities are not working in the area as they were destroyed by the big tsunami. Some people left the zone one after another because of such
difficulties in living, concerns about radiation, and the economic activities lost the energy.
The government decision of “Voluntary evacuation” gave other confusions among the people including the mayor. What is meant by the “Voluntary” evacuation? The people must make their own decision to evacuate or not to evacuate?
Ordinary citizens with little nuclear knowledge cannot make such a decision if the evacuation is hinted to avoid contamination due to radioactive materials.
If it hints the evacuation due to hardships in living in the area, does it mean no government support or no later compensation? People believe this is an excuse of the government to avoid responsibilities.
The number of residents in the “Indoor sheltering” and the “Voluntary evacuation” zones is much bigger than that of the “Evacuation” zone. The government’s follow-up announcement on the possibility of reviewing (redefining) the evacuation zones added further confusion among the people, despite the fact that some people started to return home and the community hospitals resumed their work.
The mayor started to take a preparatory step for locating where to evacuate, in case being instructed to evacuate by the government. This leads to a suspicion among the people that the evacuation would be likelihood.
“Voluntary” evacuation is a real hardship which keeps the people in agony for indefinite duration. Personally, I am strongly against this concept of the government.

2. Hygienic concerns in the Big Palette

As many as about 2,000 refugees live in the Big Palette. People walk around in shoes on the pathways just next to the place where other people sit or sleep on the blankets. The shoes bring mud in all the time. Sunlight in the morning or evening shows full of dusts in the air. Masks are indispensable, but not everybody wears it.
Toilets are usually cleaned. With so many people, cleaning cannot be dispensed with. A concern is norovirus and respiratory health. Nurses and doctors have no good ideas to deal with, either. Smoking and pets are prohibited in the building. Bottled water has little concern, but without refrigerators foods distributed or stocked in private spaces could decay or breed bacteria.

3. Outdated bread

A trouble on outdated foods: I noticed a couple of days ago that the sweet buns distributed for breakfast were outdated. They were not distributed by a mistake. The distribution of outdated breads lasted for days. I found at the disaster headquarters that the town staff in charge had distributed them, being aware.
To my complaint of risks of food poison, he lost his words. After minutes, he said “I would take responsibility.” What did he mean? Minutes later he promised, by consultation with other staff members, to distribute from the next day before they outdate.
According to his explanation why such a thing happens, he receives a lot of breads for use-by date from the prefectural headquarters by a forwarding company, too many to distribute on the day. Some of them are left for the next day distribution.
Further in the upstream, I inquired the bread-maker why we got outdated breads at the evacuation camp. The response: “We deliver, on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery,about 60, 000 pieces of bread to the prefectural distribution points: The products leave our factory at 3.00 p.m. and reach each distribution point by midnight.” That means we should have three more days before they outdate.
For allocating and distributing to each evacuation camp, this three days are wasted. Distribution at one time for two day use is also a matter of concern. Why can’t the bread-maker directly deliver the products to the evacuation camps
with many refugees? Insensibility and laziness of public servants are to blame. From the next day, we could get the pieces for use-by date, and from April 5 we can get the one for use-by next day.

4. Schools

New semesters started at primary and junior high schools. A week ago, an orientation was held at the evacuation camps, too. All children
seem to know by now which school they go. A lot of concerns, though: no desks for preparatory and review homework; an environment with TV sets switched on all the day; insufficient school supplies (bags, textbooks and others), etc.
Some families decided to leave the camp and rented a nearby apartment or moved to a new settlement.Stronger hardships tend to go weaker groups: aged
people, handicapped people or children. Families with children should be given a priority to get a rent-house or temporary house. It is disappointing that nobody seems concerned in the legislation and proactive for improvement. What is the prefectural education board doing?
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) does nothing.Nothing is heard of what the Teachers Union is doing.