Evacuees forced out of their homes by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami have begun a fresh exodus to escape the threat of radioactive fallout from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Evacuees forced out of their homes by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami have begun a fresh exodus to escape the threat of radioactive fallout from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
At least 21,000 people had left evacuation centers for other prefectures as of Saturday, according to a count by The Asahi Shimbun. Most of the evacuees are from Fukushima Prefecture.
The Fukushima prefectural government said a total 16,286 residents had taken refuge in the five adjacent prefectures of Niigata, Yamagata, Tochigi, Gunma and Ibaraki, as well as Saitama and Chiba prefectures further south, as of Saturday morning.
Niigata Prefecture accepted 8,478 people, Yamagata 3,627 and Tochigi 2,277.
Residents of Minami-Soma and Iitate, which are both within a 20-30 km radius of the plant, are leaving the prefecture, Fukushima prefectural government officials said.
People living within 20 km and 30 km of the plant have been advised by the central government to stay indoors. Those living within 20 km have been told to leave.
Five towns within the 20-km zone and one town and two villages within the 20-30-km zone have moved their administrative headquarters further from the plant.
The Tokyo metropolitan government and Aichi Prefecture have offered 600 public residences to the evacuees between them. Hokkaido says 1,942 residences were available.
In Saitama, about 1,200 people from Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, evacuated to the Saitama Super Arena in about 70 vehicles on Saturday.
Futaba's Mayor, Katsutaka Idogawa, 64, thanked Saitama for accepting them and said the functions of his town hall would be transferred to Saitama city, which is about 200 km from the stricken plant.
Futaba, which has a population of about 6,900 people, is home to the No. 5 and No. 6 reactors of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the only two reactors that have so far not been causing major problems.
On the day after the quake and tsunami, about 2,200 Futaba residents fled to Kawamata, a town in Fukushima Prefecture more than 30 km from the Fukushima No.1 plant. Futaba town officials decided to move again as the nuclear disaster escalated.
Most of the evacuees who arrived at the Saitama Super Arena on Saturday were carrying large backpacks and blankets and looked exhausted. Saitama prepared 3,000 boxed meals for them.
The Saitama prefectural government says it will try to care for all of Futaba's population except those wishing to evacuate to other locations.
Idogawa said: "We have been wary after the disaster, but the Saitama governor and people in the prefecture have extended a warm welcome."
He said evacuating to one location in a single large group would make it easier for town officials to respond to the needs of their people.
A 38-year-old female evacuee said she was worried how much longer her life in evacuation shelters would last. But she said she was deeply grateful to their hosts: "We escaped with little more than our lives, so we really appreciate the warm welcome they have given."
A 75-year-old woman in the arena said: "I have many relatives with me. It feels reassuring with them."
Idogawa admitted he had no clear plan for the future. He said he had been completely preoccupied with efforts to protect his townspeople from the developing crisis.
The Saitama prefectural government reported that 1,050 more people from Fukushima Prefecture and 10 people from Ibaraki and Miyagi prefectures checked into the arena as of 5 p.m. Saturday.