Rebuilding Okuma

 March 4, 2014

Fukushima town to start rebuilding

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140304_17.html

A town that co-hosts the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has signed a deal with a government-affiliated agency to rebuild part of the town's infrastructure during the next 4 years.

All 10,000 residents of the town of Okuma were evacuated due to the nuclear accident 3 years ago.

The municipality will start work on the Ogawara district as the first step in rebuilding the community. The government's decontamination efforts have decreased radiation levels in Ogawara, in the southern part of the town. Residents are allowed to visit the district but not to live there.

The municipality hopes to have electricity, water and other infrastructure in place by the end of March 2017.

Mayor Toshitsuna Watanabe and Ikuo Kaminishi, president of the semi-public Urban Renaissance Agency, signed a memorandum on Monday to get the project under way.

Watanabe said reconstruction in the area will be the first step toward rebuilding Okuma. He said he hopes to start work as soon as possible with the agency's help.

The town and agency plan to hold further discussions so they can reach a more detailed agreement in fiscal 2014.

Mar. 4, 2014 - Updated 03:43 UTC