Three Years Since Meltdown in Fukushima

CRASH, the relief organization that I founded, sent volunteers into Fukushima from bases located 100km from the reactor soon after the disaster and later moved into Koriyama and Iwaki, two cities in Fukushima, to better serve the local churches in their efforts to support their communities. However, there has not been as much outside aid and support to Fukushima as to the other prefectures hit by the tsunami.


At a consultation for pastors in the Tohoku region in the fall of 2011, one Fukushima pastor voiced what was being felt by many at the time. He said, “While Iwate and Miyagi prefectures have certainly been through a terrible disaster (the tsunami), Fukushima is still experiencing a terrible disaster.” It felt like most of the trucks and volunteer teams drove right through Fukushima, without stopping, on their way up to help survivors further north. Because of the early uncertainty regarding radiation, most aid groups set up operations where they could and the needs were certainly great. Once they were established further north there was more than enough work to consume all of their resources, and so Fukushima ended up being neglected.

It felt like most of the trucks and volunteer teams drove right through Fukushima, without stopping, on their way up to help survivors further north.

While it was impossible to meet every need or be everywhere at once, CRASH Japan did have a commitment to bring help and hope to the whole disaster area. What this meant in practice was that we wanted to bring help to those areas that were not receiving attention from others. Although this ended up stretching us very thin at times, it helped us in regards to Fukushima as from the very beginning we were committed taking volunteers there. We never once considered whether we should be there or not, only how to do it safely and effectively. In the second year of the tsunami response we put an added emphasis on Fukushima, moving our bases from outside the prefecture to offices in Koriyama and Iwaki and opening up work in Minami-Soma, which had been largely isolated, from our Sendai office.

The Greatest Public Health Threat

In previous nuclear disasters such as Chernobyl in the Ukraine and Three-Mile Island in the United States, the numbers of individuals who developed radiation sickness, cancers or died because of the incidents were relatively few. However, the post traumatic stress of living in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster has been proven to be significant. In “Psychological and perceived health effects of the Chernobyl disaster: a 20-year review.” Evelyn Bromet writes,

"The Chernobyl Forum Report from the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster concluded that mental health effects were the most significant public health consequence of the accident.” and “General population studies report increased rates of poor self-rated health as well as clinical and subclinical depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Mothers of young children exposed to the disaster remain a high-risk group for these conditions, primarily due to lingering worries about the adverse health effects on their families.

Listening to the pastors serving in Fukushima, we find that there are many great issues that face those who are there. Not only mental health but also divisions between those who have received aid from the utility company TEPCO and those who haven’t, those who are able to return to their homes and those who are not allowed to do so, and even division in families that must make choices between career and moving to a safer location with their children.

Since the summer of 2013, Japan is facing two emergencies and they are related. The first is the water leaking from the reactor, but the second is the hopelessness of those who survived the tragedy of 3.11 only to discover that in the recovery they have very little control over their own lives. Each time the authorities keep back information from the people that affects them, they make the situation worse from a psychological perspective. The perception that they have little control heightens their sense of helplessness and discourages trying anything to make their lives better.

While the general population can do little more than watch what happens at the reactor from afar, the ongoing release of radiation surely affects all our lives. We need to understand it, consider what kinds of actions we need to do to protect ourselves and loved ones, and hold leaders accountable to protect the common good.

(an excerpt from the book "How Christian Volunteers Can Respond to Disasters: Lessons from the 2011 Japan Tsunami")

P.S. Yesterday, I met once again with Fukushima pastors and heard firsthand how their lives have changed on a daily basis. From using bottled water for everything instead of tap water, to hanging laundry inside to dry instead of outside on windy days when radiation might be blown around, to buying non-local produce and limiting exposure time out of doors. These men and women have chosen to stay there to help others who cannot leave and yet are very concerned about the unknown long-term affects of radiation. They are heroes.

___________________________________________________________

Jonathan Wilson leads CRASH Japan, a Tokyo-based non-profit devoted to mobilizing Christian volunteers to make a difference. He is the author of How Christian Volunteers Can Respond to Disasters: Lessons from the 2011 Japan Tsunami and the OperationSAFE Child Trauma Field Manual as well as 震災ボランティアは何ができるのか, くまのリッキーとにじいろのたまご, and しあわせな結婚レッスン12

Twitter: @operationsafe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathanedwardwilson

Deb Lund

Author, Teacher, Creativity Coach

9y

My husband just sang a concert with The Brothers Four in Fukushima. The group has traveled to Japan almost yearly since the early 60.s. He's also meeting with people from relief efforts he supported these past few years as a Lutheran Minister of Music. Yesterday they traveled through some of the affected areas. I have fond memories of my three weeks in Japan doing school author visits at the Department of Defense schools in Japan. Thanks for all you're doing for this very special country.

Kimberly Burnham, Writer, Poet

Writer and Poet in the fields of Peace Studies, Brain Health, Science, Travel, Sports, Home & Garden, Blogger at Medium and LinkedIn Pulse.

9y

In the 1980's I taught English for Japan Steel and lived in Kamaishi, Iwate ken not far from the Fukushima reactor. It was a beautiful place to live and I think of it fondly.

Nicolette J.

Product @ United Airlines | UChicago Harris Public Policy Graduate

9y

For an incident that should be high-profile and ongoing, it saddens me to see how easily this was, and is, swept under the rug. We've made Japan restart once, after dropping nuclear bombs and incinerating people, wildlife, and infrastructure - which somehow did not ruin their indomitable spirit. Now, it happens again and despite how much more transparent (arguably?) sources are, it continues to be hushed, flattened to a whisper, even by their own leadership. As mentioned, the disconnect between what people hear on the ground, in front of their homes, juxtaposed against the carefully crafted portrayal disseminated by media outlets, is jarring. It's impossible to trust. I just wonder how far that can go - not only in this situation, but in other societies. It's a dangerous game, not unlike the nuclear technology and power nations are trying to harness.

Alan Lloyd

Looking at more personal projects lately, while still accepting other bookings.

9y

I remember reading a BBC article about a group of retired technicians who stepped up to volunteer with the cleanup efforts, saying they were older and were willing to absorb the radiation in order to spare younger workers. And then nothing more about them. I admired their wisdom and dedication, as well as their self-sacrifice, and wish we in the outside world had been kept informed on their actions, as they were truly heroic.

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