#Japan #Earthquake: SOMEONE DROP THE FOOD ON THESE POOR PEOPLE (Updated with Complete Translation of the Article)

in the 30-kilometer evacuation area. Food is running out, the local officials fear that people may actually be starved to death. These people live in a gray area between 20 and 30 kilometers radius from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. In that gray area, they are not required to leave the area but to stay indoors to be safe.

Well guess what? The Nuclear Safety Committee has finally come out and shared their cherished simulation result, which shows a potentially grave exposure to radioactive materials even outside the 30-kilometer zone, and people in the zone feel they are trapped.

Food and medicines are running out, and because of the radioactive fallout scare which has been fanned by the misinformation and disinformation from their government, trucks and ambulances don't even enter these cities and towns to make the delivery or pick up the sick people to the hospitals.

Self Defense Force, don't wait for the orders from the government. Fly the helicopters, go get the food from the official depots, fly to these areas, drop the food. If the petty bureaucrats refuse to give you boxes of food, you tell them "Too bad," and take them.

US Military, please do the same.
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From Asahi Shinbun (in Japanese; 10:01PM JST 3/23/2011) is rather long, so I'll be putting out the article bit by bit. Here's the first page:

Minami Souma City, Fukushima Prefecture, north of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. Many people who fear radiation have left town. There are 20,000 people still left in the city of 70,000. The household's food is running out because of the delay in transporting goods, city officials say.

"We fear some will starve to death."

"Those who fled are afraid, and those of us who remain are afraid," says Hiroshi Suzuki, 65-year-old farmer in Kashima district of the City. Part of the Kashima district, population 11,000, is within the 20-30 kilometer radius from the Nuke Plant. There are still 1,300 people who remain in the district.

Neighborhood stores are all closed. People drive 20 to 30 minutes to neighboring Soma City to buy food. Average driving distance is 40 to 50 kilometers. Meals consist of rice that they grew, canned food, and sausages.

It will soon be the sowing time. Suzuki wonders, "What's the point of sowing if nobody's going to buy? How do I make the living?"

Minami-Soma City, with population of 70,000, has been divided into three areas - evacuation area within 20-kilometer radius, "stay infoor" advisory area between 20-30 kilometers, areas beyond 30 kilometer radius with no instruction or advice [from the government] on what to do.
The City officials have sent the residents, including those who live outside the evacuation area, to Niigata, Gunma, Nagano by bus.

"We wish the national government told us to evacuate within 30-kilometer radius," says Mayor Katsunobu Sakurai. "Stay indoors" advisory by the national government fanned the fear of radiation among the residents. "That has caused people to conclude that Minami-Soma City is in danger."

The drivers of gasoline tanks refused to come inside the city, so the city sent its employees and the residents who have driver's license for large trucks. Foods and other necessities have stopped coming, and super markets and convenience stores have closed doors, causing a severe shortage of goods in the city. City officials suspect that food in each household is almost gone. A transportation company has rented the Soma wholesale market in Soma City to provide food to Minami-Soma city 24/7. It is the city's lifeline, but the amount of food being delivered is dwindling.

(OK here's part 2)

Dr. Yukio Kanazawa, head of the Minami-Soma City General Hospital, fumes, "Even an ambulance refuse to enter the city. Right at the 30-kilometer radius, they transfer the patients from an ambulance to a Self Defense Force vehicle." People want to continue to live here, but it is getting harder. The city is on the verge of extinction.

◇ ◇

Exodus continues in Iwaki City, where part of the city has been designated as "stay indoors" area. 50,000 people have already left, out of the city's population of 340,000.

In the morning of March 23 at the Iwaki Central Interchange on Joban Highway, there are many cars heading toward Kanto. 63-year old Masao Hashimoto, who lives hear the Interchange, says "The number of cars has jumped since March 21. Everyone is leaving."

There are vending machines that dispense drinks in front of Hashimoto's house. He has talked to drivers who stop by at the vending machines before they hit the highway. They all say they are leaving because they are afraid of radiation. "Particularly those with babies are worried," Hashimoto says.

Joban Highway has opened the segment from the Iwaki Central interchange to Kanto since March 11. Gasoline supplies started to arrive, and some gas stations re-opened on March 20. Everyone was waiting for the gasoline, but there are many who, as soon as they fill the tanks, they drive out of Fukushima. The long-distance buses to Kanto are full.

Most of Iwaki City is between 30 to 50 kilometer radius from the Fukushima Nuke Plant. The radiation level of the air in the city was high at one point, but since March 17 it has been relatively low. However, when the national government instructed the residents in 20-30 kilometer radius to stay indoors on March 15, the Iwaki City officials told citizens not to go out, using public announcement system.

Vice Mayor of the City, Eiji Suzuki, explains, "It was raining on March 15, and we did not know how the radiation would be [under the rain]. We thought the residents would get confused more if the instructions within the 30-kilometer radius and and outside are different."

However, that's not what the city's residents thought. "We're 'safe', according to the national government. But the City seems to be saying we're in danger. Which is it?" A 64-year-old corporate executive is angry. He lives about 40 kilometers away from the plant. "Because of that, the rumor has spread that the entire city is in danger. There is no one who delivers goods to a city where the residents are getting out."

Increasing number of transportation companies who deliver fuel and food from Kanto area stop short, and only deliver them to Koriyama City (Fukushima Prefecture). The city employees and fire fighters drove to Koriyama City to get the delivered fuel and food, but only a limited number of trips were possible due to gasoline shortage.

60% of the households in the City still have no water. "We saw the residents within 20-kilometer radius [not Iwaki City] escape. There is no food, no water in the city. No matter what we at the City say, very few listen."

[Well, duh. If they listen to you, they will all be dead.]

(Part 3, last part)

In the past few days, supplies began to arrive gradually. At a supermarket that reopened for a limited time, there was long line of people trying to buy bread and bento (lunch/dinner box). Vice Mayer Suzuki still blames the national government. "Maybe we erred on the side of caution in calling all residents not to go outside. But the national government instruction was half-hearted and unclear."

◇ ◇

Iidate Village, Fukushima Prefecture. Part of the village falls under "stay indoors" area. There are about 3,200 people remaining in the village whose population is 6,100.

Since the Fukushima Nuclear Plant accident, an elevated level of radiation and high concentration of radioactive materials have been detected in the air and broccoli that the village produces. On March 23, Ministry of Education and Science announced that high concentration of cesium has been detected in the village soil.

Village chief Norio Sugano asks, "What happened? What are we supposed to do? There is no instruction from the national government. We don't know what to do."

There was a hightened anxiety on March 18. Radiation level in the air in the village was higher than the areas closer to the nuclear plant. The villagers were afraid.

"Now they're telling us." "I just want to get out." The village officials held a meeting that day to assist people who wished to leave.

314 people including the villagers who wish to leave and people who were taking shelters in the village arrived in buses in Kanuma City in Tochigi Prefecture. Additional 195 people left for Kanuma City on March 20. The village distributed gasoline tickets to people leaving by their own cars; the ticket would allow them to purchase 20 liters of gasoline. All 4 shelters in the village have been closed.

Kaoru Takahashi's family is divided - three of the family of 8 including her husband remain in the village. "We had a well so we didn't need to worry about water. But my husband told me to leave with our children, because there's no knowing how children will be affected. I wonder when we can go back. I'm worried about the three who remain in the village."

(That's all. What the Japanese government has been doing is a crime against humanity.)

(If people survive somehow in Japan, they'd better make sure they will never, ever, rely on any government.)

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