04/04 Quake-hit coastal residents reluctant to evacuate hometowns

Quake-hit coastal residents reluctant to evacuate hometowns

Evacuees leave the tsunami-ravaged town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture by bus. A tearful Kiyoko Takeyama says, "I cannot think of the future now." (Mainichi)

Less than 10 percent of displaced residents along the tsunami-ravaged coastal region of Iwate Prefecture, who have been ordered to evacuate to inland areas, have done so as of April 3, Iwate Prefectural Government officials say.

As life in temporary shelters continues, the prefectural government has initiated a collective evacuation program in consideration of evacuees' health conditions. But some residents of coastal communities hardest hit by the tsunami that followed the March 11 earthquake are choosing to stay at shelters.

Many people are stubbornly resisting to leave their communities, leaving prefectural government officials thinking, "We simply want them to live in a better place."

Iwate Prefecture has secured rooms for 9,500 people in the prefectural capital Morioka, Ichinoseki and other inland areas. But so far only about 900 people have moved in.

A 73-year-old woman who is taking shelter in the heavily battered coastal city of Miyako said, "Local residents are members of my extended family. I don't want to be separated from them. It's fine if all of us relocate together."

A 75-year-old woman in Miyako relates her difficult life in a shelter but has opted to stay. She says she has found the footprints of strangers in her damaged house. "I am so worried about it. I cannot leave," she said.

Evacuees rest at the main floor of a high school gymnasium that has turned into an evacuation center in Watari, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan Tuesday, March 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Some people initially expressed their readiness to leave but changed their minds at the last minute, according to prefectural government officials.

Of the first group of 460 potential evacuees from the city of Kamaishi and the towns of Otsuchi and Yamada under the mass evacuation program, about 30 percent decided to remain on March 26 and only 296 of them left. The second group of displaced residents on March 30 followed roughly the same pattern, with a similar percentage of people favoring to stay despite a prolonged life in shelters.

Meanwhile, about 230 people are taking shelter in Oushuku hot spring in the town of Shizukuishi.

A 63-year-old fisherman from the town of Yamada said, "I am really thankful," giving a broad smile after taking a bath. He has a private room and receives three meals a day. "I did not have a chance to take a hot bath (after March 11). We did not know when water will arrive."

Many people expressed their appreciation for hospitality shown at newly relocated communities.

But a man in his 30s from Yamada returned to his hometown after only five days. "I could not simply sit still. I didn't have anything to do except watch TV." He now collects dishes and engages in other volunteer work at a temporary shelter.

Motoyuki Ushiyama, an associate professor at Shizuoka University's Center for Integrated Research and Education of Natural Hazards, says, "We should not see evacuees simply as 'subjects of protection' but need to draw up a framework to encourage them to participate in recovery and reconstruction projects."

Click here for the original Japanese story

(Mainichi Japan) April 4, 2011

東日本大震災：苦悩の内陸避難　想定９５００人、移動１割－－岩手

　◇「故郷離れたくない」
　東日本大震災で壊滅的な被害を受けた岩手県の沿岸部から内陸部へ被災者を移す集団避難で、実際に移動した人は３日現在、県の想定の１割未満にとどまっている。厳しい避難生活が長期化する中、被災者の健康などを考えた異例の取り組みだが、避難所へ戻る人すら出始めた。地域コミュニティーを離れることへの抵抗感は強く、県は「少しでも条件のよい所で過ごしてほしいのだが」と戸惑い、避難対策の難しさが浮かぶ。宮城県南三陸町でも３日、約１０００人が県内３市１町へ移る集団避難が始まった。

　岩手県は、内陸部の盛岡市や一関市などの宿泊施設に９５００人分の部屋を確保。これまでに沿岸部の被災地から計２回、バスによる移送を行ったが、移動したのは約９００人にとどまっている。

　宮古市の避難所で暮らす７３歳の女性は「地域の人は家族。離ればなれになりたくない。みんな一緒に動くならいいのだが」。宮古市の７５歳の女性も「つらい」と言いつつ、地元での避難所生活を選んだ。震災後、家の中に他人の足跡が残っていたこともあり「心配で離れられない」。

　県によると、移動を希望しても直前で取りやめるケースも少なくない。２６日の第１陣の希望者は釜石市、大槌町、山田町の３市町で４６０人いたが、直前に約３割がキャンセルし、移動したのは２９６人だった。３０日の第２陣もほぼ同様。避難所生活の長期化に苦しむのに、「離れたくない」という揺れる心情が透けて見える。

　一方、約２３０人が避難する雫石町の鶯宿（おうしゅく）温泉。山田町の漁師（６３）は「本当にありがたい」と、風呂上がりのほてった顔に笑みを浮かべた。個室で３食付き。「これまで風呂もろくに入れなかった。水もいつ届くか分からないような状態だったから」

　移動後、感謝の言葉を口にする避難者は多い。ただ、山田町の３０代の男性は移動してから５日目には町に戻った。「じっとしているのがしんどくて。テレビを見るしかなく、やることがなかった」。今は避難所で食器回収などのボランティアをしている。

　岩手県は９日までに計５回の移送を予定している。避難所では寒さで体調を崩す人も多く、高齢者らにとって環境の厳しさは否めない。

　担当者は「特に高齢者や子ども、健康に不安を抱える人には少しでも条件のいい所に移ってほしい。ふるさとを離れたくない被災者の揺れる心情を十分読み取れなかったのか……」と話す。

　静岡大防災総合センターの牛山素行准教授は「大局的には現地から少しでも落ち着いた場所に移すことはいいと思うが、現地に残りたい人を無理やり引き離すことはできない。現地で仕事を再開したい被災者はおり、高齢者でも働きたいと思っている人もいる。避難者を単に『保護の対象』と考えるのではなく、復旧・復興作業に参加してもらうような仕組みを考えることも必要だ」と話している。【有田浩子、三木陽介、熊谷豪、長田舞子、樋岡徹也】