Monday, April 11, 2011

Japan: SEEDS Earthquake SITREP # 13

 

 


# 5483

 

 

Often lost amid the international coverage of the ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan is the fact that one month after the devastating 9.0 earthquake and the ensuing tsunami that swept across the coastline of Honshu Japan, the situation for tens of thousands of survivors remains dire.

 

  • Hundreds of thousands have been displaced from their damaged homes or forced to evacuate due to radiation concerns from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi reactors. 

 

  • Hundreds of thousands more are still without electricity, running water, or means of employment. 

 

  • Tens of thousands are either dead or missing.

 

Scores of relief agencies are at work, doing what they can to alleviate the misery, but their efforts are limited by the immense scope of the disaster, continuing aftershocks, and radiation and safety concerns.

 

SEEDS Asia is a non-profit organization formed in Kobe, Japan after their earthquake in 1995, and they have published a series of Situation Reports (SITREPS) in the wake of the Tohoku earthquake that give us some sense of the scope of Japan’s disaster. 


Today via Reliefweb, we’ve installment # 13.

 

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Japan: The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake - Situation Report 13

Source: SEEDS Asia

Date: 10 Apr 2011

Full_Report (pdf* format - 468.2 Kbytes)

I. Overview

 

- 150,000 evacuees still in shelter

- 430,000 households out of gas in affected area

- first move to temporary shelter started, government to build 70,000 units by Aug

- Japanese NGOs on the ground increasing, gap-filling by city/town and sector urgent

 

With the massive earthquake and the following tsunamis happened on 11 March 2011 (14:46 JST), the death toll is still raising and reached 13,013 today. The casualties and missing are expected to exceed 27,000, and after one month from the disaster, more than 14,000 are missing. According to the Ministry of Health, 82 children became orphaned in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima.

 

There are 150,000 evacuees still staying in evacuation shelters today. People near Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants continue evacuating to surrounding Prefectures and it is expected that the number will continue to increase. After a huge aftershock on 7 April, more than 430,000 households are out of electricity in the affected area.

 

First move to newly build temporary shelters started over the weekend (36 units in Rikuzen Takata, Iwate). Prime Minister Kan indicated plans to build total of 70,000 units in the affected area. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism plans to build 30,000 units by mid May and other 30,000 units by mid August. Lack of land and building material is delaying the process.

Full_Report (pdf* format - 468.2 Kbytes)