First Fukushima Residents Return Home After Nuclear Disaster

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By Melissa Goldin2014-04-03 00:49:34 UTC

Hundreds of people forced out of their homes three years ago by the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, can finally return for good.

An 8.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami destroyed many regions of northeastern Japan in March 2011. Three nuclear reactors melted down at a plant in Fukushima as a result of the damage, sending more than 100,000 residents out of a 12-mile evacuation area around the plant.

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Over 350 locals were allowed to re-enter the Miyakoji district of Fukushima as of Tuesday, when government officials decided radiation levels were low enough to deem the area safe for habitation, CBS reported.

During the evacuation period, approximately 90 residents were allowed back in their homes if they registered with the Japanese government, according to CBS. The government is currently offering locals a one-time 900,000 yen ($9,000) incentive to move back. It has been providing 100,000 yen ($1,000) a month as compensation, but these payments will stop within a year if an area is deemed safe enough for habitation.

The nuclear disaster was the worst of its kind since Chernobyl in 1986. Despite the government's all-clear and its ongoing decontamination efforts, concerns remain over radiation levels in the Miyakoji district, according to CNN. Last month, the Tokyo Electric Power Company reported that 100 metric tons of radioactive water leaked out of a holding tank at the Fukushima plant.

Although three years have passed since the nuclear meltdown, effects of the disaster are still felt, including the realization that many nuclear-power plants are not prepared to deal with such large-scale disasters; this has inspired governments to reassess safety measures at these facilities.

Approximately 138,000 residents are still living in temporary housing, according to CNN. It could be decades before some areas are fit for locals to move back in, CBS reported.

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Topics: Fukushima, Home, japan, Radiation, US & World, World

Image: The Asahi Shimbun / Contributor/The Asahi Shimbun