Iitate – Outside the Exclusion Zone, But Still a Ghost Town
NTV’s “Bankisha” checks out the situation in the village of Iitate, which lies on the edge of the 30-kilometer exclusion zone around the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant:
As the above map shows, although most of Iitade lies outside of the 30-kilometer zone, relatively high radiation levels have been recorded there. The government has not ordered an expansion of the evacuation zone, but that hasn’t stopped most of Iitade’s residents from taking precautions.
According to the TV report, a majority of the townsfolk are still there, but many have left. The roads, which are usually busy during the daytime, are empty. One rarely sees people walking outside. When residents do go outside, they try to wear coats, masks, and gloves.
The people who have not left the village have a variety of reasons. Some are farmers who do not want to abandon their crops or animals. Others are elderly and frail, so they do not want to undergo the stress of relocating to an evacuation center, where they feel like they will just be a burden upon everyone else.
Until recently, the tap water in the area exceeded Japanese safety standards for radiation. Residents have been drinking only bottled water.
Related Link: Radiation levels in Iitate have fallen, notes the Japan Times:
In a briefing, the experts explained that based on analyses of several dosimeters, iodine-131 levels in Iitate fell to an average of 7 mega-becquerels per sq. meter in 15 soil samples taken between March 19 and 29.
“This value is lower than what was reported Wednesday,” said Gerhard Proehl, an IAEA radiation expert, adding that iodine-131 decays by 8 to 9 percent a day.
On Wednesday, the IAEA said levels of iodine-131 measured in Iitate indicated one of its operational criteria for evacuation was exceeded. At the time, measurements showed a level of 20 mega-becquerels per sq. meter of iodine-131 in soil samples collected from March 18 to 26 in the village, twice the level of one of the agency’s criteria for evacuation.
Despite the decline in radiation, the serious situation at the nuclear plant still continues, so it’s doubtful that many residents who left will want to return home now.
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