誰かが言わなきゃならない

1. Two volumes of inhabitant registration

The Tomioka-cho town office was closed upon evacuation. All staff moved to Kawauchi-mura, together with us. Two volumes of inhabitant registration were the
only valuable brought together. This means, the town office also thought the evacuation would not be too long, which made the decision of evacuation. They had not much time before evacuation after the decision, the same with the people who were instructed to evacuate.
They noticed the needs of essential information after moving to the Big Palette. Some staff members returned to the town office, wearing protective gears, and brought back the data server, under special arrangements for being assisted by the Self-Defense Force.
No written manuals were in place what to bring out, when the whole office evacuation is needed in an emergency. They also live in the town and have families. They must have been under strong stresses for fulfilling the roles as a town servant.Construction of a provisional town office building of Tomioka-cho and Kawauchi-mura started yesterday (April 11) on the parking lot of the
Big Palette. It is due to be completed by April 13 or 14. Some vehicles were told to leave. Such development gives us an impression that the evacuation would last long.

2. Coaches for evacuation

Only 10 coaches were available to Tomioka-cho for evacuation. About 500 people would fill them. Others needed private cars. The town office could charter additional three coaches from a tourist company in next town Naraha-cho. That’s all for evacuation. Fukushima Dai-ni in Tomioka-cho might have had some available coaches.
Usually they have many for employee’s commuting. On Saturday of evacuation, the number might have been less. But there was no means to contact them on a weekend. No coaches were available anyway from Dai-ni.Media reports often on disaster prevention drills that people evacuate by coaches.
No coaches can carry 15,000 inhabitants. Even 50 coaches have to shuttle 6 times for 15,000.Even if plenty coaches are available, there will be also some people who want to use private cars: to carry valuables and personal belongings, or bring their pets together.3.
People are scattered The biggest evacuation camp Big Palette accommodates about 2,000 refugees from Tomioka-cho and Kawauchi-mura. Still this is only part of the whole towners/villagers on evacuation. Other people have evacuated to three other camps in the prefecture and other farther prefectures. Some others moved to their relatives in Tokyo and its surroundings.
It is not easy to contact all of them. Some other people are moving from one place to the next.Once they contact the town office, they will be tracked. As of now, not everybody of the town can be tracked.

4. Traffic to Tokyo

Current options are two: A highway coach from Koriyama; or a coach to Nasu-Shiobara and then a Shin-Kan-Sen train to Tokyo. No Shin-Kan-Sen services beyond Nasu-Shiobara to Sendai (it is scheduled to be back to normal from April 12). On the coastal side, the Joban Line between Ueno and Sendai is still paralyzed between Iwaki and Sendai.
This sector may need more than a couple of years to be back in full service, since the stations and the railways have been damaged by the tsunami and torn to pieces. Construction of the Joban Express Highway is complete up to Tomioka-cho, almost ready to open.
But the sectors beyond Iwaki to the north are in the evacuation zone. Unless the evacuation is lifted, the traffic is stopped at Iwaki, no more to the north. Even the restoration work of the Joban Line and the Joban Express Highway is halted until the evacuation is terminated.

5. What is a WBC?

The refugees are afraid of radiation risks. But they seem to be aware clearly of the difference between internal and external exposures. The information disseminated is the radiation levels at each point in the area concerned. They remain stable or decreasing recently with no hydrogen explosions or vents.
External exposures of the refugees do not seem very significant. Recent concerns are about vegetables and drinking water. They may cause internal
exposures. Protective gears and masks are to avoid internal exposures, but many refugees seem to believe that they protect them from radiation.
A Whole Body Counter is needed to measure the amount of radioactive materials taken into bodies. WBCs are normally used at the NPP for monitoring their radiation workers on a regular basis. WBCs will be an effective means to ease the refugees by measuring their internal exposures.
But they are normally available only at some special research institutes such as the National Institute of Radiological Sciences.Seeing is believing. I wonder if there can be a practical system to measure and control the
individual’s external and internal exposures.