誰かが言わなきゃならない

1. Home return rush

Today Prime Minister Kan visited the Big Palette. Today many of us visited their houses in Tomioka, one of my friends, too. He told me later:
In Tomioka, many private cars were running. He did some temporary repair work on his house damaged by the earthquake and brought back nine packs of rice. The Tomioka-cho is re-designated as a caution zone instead of an evacuation zone, and as of midnight today the access to the point within 20km comes under control.
Till today, main roads to the town were gated at their main points, but the gates were half-open and the policeman on duty let us go in, if we asked him, “Let us take back personal belongings just a minute.” Frequent visitors, first-time visitors, many people made today their last minute visits to the
town, own houses, filling all the roads to Tomioka-cho and O-kuma-cho.
From tomorrow, “authorized” short visits take effect, but under conditions: transfer by coach, not much time for stay, only one from each family, etc. All we can do is limited to check the house conditions and take back limited amount of personal belongings. Most houses of Japanese style lost their roof tiles
due to the earthquakes and covered by blue sheets for protection. But they are very likely to be damaged due to rain leaks in the rainy season to come in a month or two.
Nothing can be done in a limited time of short home visits. Pet owners, who
had left them behind, returned home once or twice earlier for feeding, but now have no choice other than taking them back, unless they can desert them.
Diary farmers, who own cows, are miserable. If today is the last day for feeding, all the cows will certainly die shortly. Couldn’t it be possible that the National Self-Defense Force, for instance, feed them regularly? It is strange that nothing can be heard from the animal protection groups, who cry out against killing whales or dolphins

2. Job seeking or not?

Most refugees had a job, except aged people and children. They lost their jobs when the area was designated as an evacuation zone. In the Big Palette, many “Want ads” are on the message board, but most of them are from other prefectures. People have to leave their hometowns in Fukushima, if they take the option.
Town office decided to recruit some staff, but the number is quite limited. People can survive here in the Big Palette, as long as they compromise with free
frugal meals of bread, omusubi and volunteer catering services, and free accommodation. It may be easier to stay here, rather than working with stresses.
Farmers and shopkeepers may get compensation for lost incomes by showing their past turnout results, but part-time workers may have a problem.

3. How the compensation will be paid?

I contacted the TEPCO customer service center in Tokyo on April 18 and requested to send by post the application forms and the instructions for compensation (US$10,000 per family). Nothing arrived so far. I contacted the center again and learned the delivery would be around April 27.
Ten days for s simple delivery only?! Concerns develop for the future smooth process! The center claims that the center simply forwards the applicant’s information to the corporate headquarters for further processing. At the camp, the Big Palette, the application forms are distributed two days ago.
The processing here may proceed earlier. One of my friends also made his application on the telephone, and got nothing, too. The people at the camp are a minority among the refugees. Delayed processing of the applications by phone is a problem. My hope to get compensation by the end of month may be unlikely.
A bigger problem is the application by the people in the “indoor sheltering” zone. They can apply for compensation by phone, but the application forms are halted at the post office. The post office even does not inform the recipients that the forms are ready for pick-up. The people have to visit the post office often, sometimes for nothing.
And the people are in the “indoor sheltering” zone. This is a headache for those who keep themselves from going out. Tokyo people can’t imagine even such a thing.