The Condition of the Specific Spots Recommended for Evacuation

'Specific Spots Recommended for Evacuation (SSRE)' was set on June 16, 2011 referring to the areas which contain high radioactive contamination, including numerous hot spots. The defined level of radiation in the SSRE suggests the cumulative dose equivalent to 20mSv/y or higher. Unlike the Mandatory Evacuation Zone, the government support for evacuees from the SSRE is only provided for individual household units according to the radiation dose measured on their property. This means some households are not able to be evacuated while, in some cases, their neighbours are encouraged to do so. Those areas which implement the recommended evacuation over individual households are considered as SSRE such as Date City and some parts of Minami-Soma City.

However, the way in which these two cities define the criteria of the SSRE is different. In Date City, the SSRE is applied when the radiation detected either at the front door or in the backyard is equivalent to 3.2μSv/h or higher (measured at 1m above the ground). Besides, according to the criteria which Date City employs, the households having children in the age of 12 or younger and living near the areas which are defined as the SSRE are included in the condition of the SSRE. On the other hand, Minami-Soma City employs different criteria suggesting that an area with a background dose of 2μSv/h or higher (measured at 50cm above the ground) is considered to be part of the SSRE.
 
The differences in the conditions for the SSRE resulted in considerable confusion among the residents. In other words, the SSRE is bringing about a sense of unfairness by only considering the conditions of “individual” households rather than conditions of “community” which could lead to the regional evacuation. Oguni Primary School in Date City, for instance, saw a sharp reduction in the number of students from 57 in April 2011 to 45 in April 2012. (Note: Oguni Primary School started combined classes where the students of one grade are taught together with students of another grade.) This means some students were evacuated by the government policy measure while the rest are not eligible to receive government support. In some cases of the students who are evacuated, they wish to attend the same school taking extra journeys on school bus or taxi, because they refuse to leave their friends.
 

CRMS (Citizen's Radioactivity Measuring Station)

Click the link to read the report which provides a good overview of the issues of SSRE with 2 journal articles and 2 reports: The Condition of the Specific Spots Recommended for Evacuation