What will happen to the evacuees after March 2017?

2017年3月に避難指示解除になる区域の避難者はどうなるのか？

今年3月末に（富岡町のみ4月1日に予定）多くの市町村で避難指示が解除され、住宅支援と精神的損害的賠償も遠からず打ち切られる見通しです。それまで強制避難者だった方々が「自主避難者」になることになります。3月以降、この方達の生活は一体どんなことになるのでしょうか。

At the end of March, 2017 (except for Tomioka village for which the date will be April 1st), the evacuation order will be lifted from many towns and villages accompanied by the end of  housing aid and mental damage compensation.  The people evacuated by order will become « voluntary evacuees » , those who evacuate even though they are not obliged to.   What will happen to them after March ?

答えにはなりませんが、2012年8月に精神的障害賠償が打ち切りになった川内村のみなさんの（川内村の一部はその後も避難指示維持に伴い精神的損害賠償も続行）状況をお伝えさせていただきたいと思います。

To have an idea of what is likely to happen, we shall have a look of the situation of the people of Kawauchi village, where the mental damage compensation ended in August 2012.

以下は大河原さきさんの今年1月16日のFBの投稿です。そのあとに郡山市にある川内村の仮設住宅の自治会長、志田篤さんのコメントが続きます。

We will start with a Facebook posting of Mme Saki Okawara dated January 16th, 2017, followed by a comment of Mr Atsushi SHIDA, president of residents association of  Kawauchi villagers living in temporary houses in Koriyama city.

***

送られてきた、帽子、マフラー、ベスト、ひざ掛け、約２００製品を郡山にある川内村の仮設住宅に運ぶ。友人が新宿区の環境学習情報センターで、ニットカフェを主宰していて、被災した人たちに手編みのニット製品を贈る「あったかを贈ろうプロジェクト」をやっているが、福島にも贈りたいと５箱に分けて送ってくれた。

I brought about 200 knitted items, such as caps, mufflers, vests, knee blankets, to a temporary housing complex of Kawauchi village.  A friend of mine running a knitting café at the Environment Study Information Center in Shinjuku, Tokyo, sent them to me.  She has a project named “Sending the Warmth” which is to send hand-knitted items to disaster victims. She wanted to send them to Fukushima too, and I received 5 boxes.

川内村は村長による２０１２年１月の帰還宣言により、避難指示が解除になって同年８月には精神的賠償が打ち切られ、２０１３年１２月に米や毛布がなくて年が越せないと、郡山市にある仮設住宅の自治会長さんがネット上にＳＯＳを発信したのを読み、支援物資を持って行ったのがきっかけで時々訪ねるようになった。

The evacuation order was lifted from Kawauchi village following the mayor’s return declaration of January 2012. Consequently, in August 2012, compensation for mental damage came to the end.  The president of the residents association of the temporary housing in Koriyama city issued a call for help on the internet in December 2013, for the residents were lacking such necessities as rice and blankets to get through the winter.  I read the message, brought some materials to help, and since then I visit them from time to time.

仮設住宅や借り上げ住宅に住んでいる人たちは、避難指示が解除になると、自治体から「帰れるのに帰らずに勝手に避難している人たち」というレッテルを張られ、強制避難だったのに解除後は自主避難者になってしまった。そして福島県が今年の３月には住宅の無償提供を打ち切ることにしているが、その対象になってしまった。

When the evacuation order is lifted, people living in the temporary housing or in private / public housing considered as “temporary housing” and thus qualified for housing aid, are regarded as “those who continue to evacuate because they want to do so, whereas they can return”.  Although they were evacuated by order, they have become jishu hinansha “auto-evacuees“, those who evacuate “voluntarily”.  Fukushima prefecture is going to stop the housing aid at the end of March this year.  This applies to these people too.

現在、川内村民で仮設住宅に住んでいる人は150人ほどで、その多くは高齢者や病気があって郡山の病院を利用している人たちだ。

Currently, about 150 people from Kawauchi village are living in temporary housing.  Most of them are using the hospitals in Koriyama city because of their frail conditions related to their age or disease.

仮設住宅は県のものなので去年の９月に、県が住宅提供の打ち切りの説明に来た。今年の1月6日には川内村の職員が「仮設住宅退去手続き及び備え付け備品の譲与について」という書類を配り、仮設に備え付けてあった備品が欲しい人には譲渡するというが、条件として退去手続きに記入しなければならない。この用紙だけ目立つ黄色になっているのがあざとい。おそらく9割の人は、ここから退去せねばと思わされて、帰還するか民間のアパートなどに移るかもしれないが、1割は医療が必要な高齢者だからどこにも行きようがない。

Since temporary housing belongs to Fukushima prefecture, in September 2016, prefectural employees came to explain about the end of the housing aid.  On January 6th this year, employees of Kawauchi village handed out documents entitled « Necessary procedures to quit temporary housing and the donation of housing items ».  They say that housing items (translator’s note: air conditioner, lighting, curtains, storage units, fire extinguisher) can be given to the inhabitants if so desired, but to do so they have to leave the housing.  Only this page of the document was in yellow.  How shrewd!  Probably 90% of them would believe that they would have to leave, and might return to the village or move to private apartments.  The remaining 10% can’t move, for they are elderly in need of medical care and cannot go anywhere else.

帰れと言っても村の医療機関は週に1～2回しか診療しないし、送迎車も来ない。人工透析を受けている人が3人いるが、一番近くの小野新町総合病院では27人待ち、川内村社協のデイサービスは30人ですでに満杯、老人ホームは57世帯待ち、これでは帰れない。この状況で退去を迫れば、どこにも行きようがない人はどうすればいいのか。県が打ち切りを強行すれば、困窮する人は川内村だけではない。

The evacuees are told to return to their homes. But there are only one or two consultations per week at the village medical center. There is no transport service. There are three persons in need of dialysis here. The situation is as follows: at the nearest general hospital at Ono Shinmachi (translator’s note: about 30 minutes by car from Kawauchi village), 27 people are on the waiting list; at the day care of Kawauchi Social Service, the available 30 places are already taken; at the elderly people’s home, 57 households are on the waiting list. How can you go back there? In this situation, if they expel the residents from temporary housing by force, what will happen to people who have nowhere to go? And if Fukushima prefecture forces its way to stop the housing aid, it will likewise affect many more people beyond Kawauchi village.

***

仮設住宅の自治会長、志田さんが以下のコメントを寄せてくださいました。

Mr. Shida, President of the residents association of temporary houses, commented to us about the residents and their situation.

仮設住宅や借り上げ住宅に住んでいる人たちは、避難指示が解除されても、避難生活を継続、その理由は病院への通院、子どもの教育環境、仕事、介護の環境などよるものである。

Even after the lifting of the evacuation order, many people living in temporary housing or in housing « considered as temporary »,  cannot go back home and will remain evacuated for reasons such as follows: to have access to medical or long-term care, to keep the children in the same schools, or for employment related reasons.

90％の人が仮設住宅入居継続を望んでいる。理由は仮設のコミニティが出来てる、ここに居れば最低限の安否確認が出来る、その安心感とは、病気になれば救急車の手配、家族への連絡をして戴ける事だと思う。今年３月でそれぞれの生活再建が始まり、村に帰る者、子供を頼って村外に出る者、低線量被爆の不安から若い世代は避難を継続するもの、いよもってお別れの時期なのかも知れない。

90% of the residents are hoping to continue living in the temporary housing, because there already exists a community here. The residents support each other and check to see if everybody is all right. If you fall ill, somebody will call an ambulance to go to a hospital and get in touch with the family. You feel secure here. However, the end of March (translator’s note: with the end of housing aid) might be the moment of separation. People will try to rebuild their lives. There will be those who return to the village, others will go join their children elsewhere, the younger generations will remain evacuated because of the low-dose radiation related health hazards.

南仮設住宅自治会は27年度は住民の意向を汲み、28年度の仮設延長を村に要望したが、今回は要望はしなかった。その理由は、入居者の80～90代の高齢者が多い、又、認知症、病気の重篤化など、これ以上仮設での避難生活を継続すれば、体力面での本来の生活再建が難しくなる、又、本年の4月から行政のサービスが極端に薄くなる事が予測される、この事は老人ホームにヘルパーなしで生活する環境に近い、リスクが高くなると自治会の判断から延長要望をしなかったものである。

The residents association of the South Temporary Housing Units required an extension of the temporary housing in the 2015 fiscal year, reflecting the needs of the majority of the residents.  However, we did not require an extension this year. The reason is that many of the residents are elderly, in their 80s and 90s.  Many of them are suffering from cognitive problems and aggravation of health conditions.  If they continue their lives in temporary housing, with the weakening of their physical conditions, it will become more difficult to rebuild their lives elsewhere. Starting from April this year, it is very probable that administrative services will be minimalized.  This is like living in an elderly people’s home without helpers.  As an association, we have reached the conclusion that living in such conditions represents too much risk, and we decided not to require the extension.

しかし、ここの高齢者、避難先を何度か変え、揉みに揉まれてここにたどり着き、6年近い仮設生活、6年暮らせば仮の生活ではないような気がする。あと何年生きるだろうか、ここで終わりたいとすれば情の面でここで生活させてやりたいと思うのは、多くの人の思いかも知れない。

Nevertheless, the elderly persons living here had to change places (translator’s note: shelters, etc.) several times and have gone through lots of struggles before finally settling down here.  Six years’ life in temporary housing!  However, when you live somewhere for 6 years, it is more than temporary life.  How many more years can they live?  Isn’t it normal that they hope to spend the rest of their lives here?  Many people would like to let them have this choice.

ただ、、自治会としては29年3月の仮設住宅の補助打ち切りに際し、仮設を出るか出ないかは入居者の判断、2～3年の猶予を求めてる事、又、引っ越し費用、県内からの移動で5万円の補助では実務的に困難ではないかと申し上げております。

Nevertheless, as an association, at the occasion of the termination of housing aid in March 2017, we are appealing for the following:

• let each person decide if they leave the temporary housing or remain;
• let us have a supplementary delay of 2 or 3 years;
• allocate more than 50,000 yen per household, as this amount proposed to cover the moving fee seems insufficient from a practical point of view.

今回の原発事故、6年経過から学んだもの、避難が長期化すると言う事、環境汚染が数十年～数百年に及ぶ事を、被災地の住民は知る事となりました。

We, the inhabitants of areas affected by the nuclear power station accident, have learned over past six years that the evacuation can last for a long period and that the environmental contamination will remain over several decades or even several centuries.

今現在、全国に避難した原発避難者、約、10万人前後、それぞれの理由を抱え一人一人が避難してる人が10万人と住民目線で見るか、新聞の活字を読むように避難者が10万人と見るかは、その人の感覚なのかも知れない。

Currently, there are about 100,000 nuclear accident evacuees dispersed all over Japan. People have different perceptions. For some, the number of 100,000 evacuees is just a simple figure you find in newspapers. For others it represents 100,000 individual lives.

今回の原発事故による住民が受けた被害は、環境汚染による環境権の侵害、20キロ～30キロ圏の賠償格差による人格権の侵害、低線量の不安からの家族の分断生活の幸福になる権利の侵害等、ではないでしょうか。

Damages suffered by inhabitants from the current nuclear accident include: the violation of environmental rights by environmental contamination; the violation of moral rights by the disparity and inequality of compensation in the areas of 20 to 30km of distance from the crippled nuclear power station; the violation of the right to have a happy family life by the separation of the family because of the low-dose radiation related health hazards.

とりわけ、賠償格差による双葉郡に住んでいた30キロ圏の4万6千人、福島県内外から全国へ避難した自主避難者約、1万1千世帯、3万数千人の人達の生活再建が懸念されるのである。

We are especially worried about the possibility of rebuilding the lives of 46,000 people from the Futaba district at a distance of 30km, and of 11,000 households (more than 30,000 souls) of so-called “voluntary” evacuees from either inside or outside of Fukushima prefecture.  Many have not been supported by financial compensation.

子供の居ない世帯、老々暮らし、老いての一人暮らし、病気を抱えた者、経済的困窮してる者等、以前から懸念されてるものである。

We have also been worried for some time about childless households, old couple’s households, single elderly person’s households, and those people who have chronic disease, or who are having financial difficulties.

原発事故から6年、被災地はこれからが支援を必要としている事を知って欲しい、その事を伝えられたらと念じて、お便りに記さして頂きました。

It has been six years since the nuclear accident. It is really from now on that the damaged areas need support. It is my strong desire to transmit this message.

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志田篤さんの2013年の支援呼びかけに関するリンク
Useful links about Mr. Shida’s 2013 appeal :

President Shida’s appeal for help on Internet in December 2013 (in Japanese)
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/donationship/e/40401a56a28f74529bfa3bcc09f2f77d

動画付き
With video image (in Japanese)
http://www.ourplanet-tv.org/?q=node/1710