11 March 2013

The sun's been trying to shine all day here in Koriyama but there's an icy cold wind with the odd flurry of snow. Just like that fateful day two years ago.

We remember those who died in the earthquake and tsunami, over 20,000. In Fukushima prefecture the death toll is just over three thousand. That includes 211 missing and over 1,300 officially recognised  'disaster-related deaths' - suicides, being moved around in the evacuation, stress etc. The families get a one-off payment like the other victims of the disaster and some have won compensation from Tepco though it's often difficult to establish a direct link. The vast majority of these deaths took place in the first few months after the disaster but there were 40 between March and September last year and with the prolonged evacuation the figure continues to rise.

It may be true that no one died as a direct result of the nuclear accident but that doesn't mean there have been no deaths.
 

Like these swans in Inawashiro yesterday battling
against the gale force winds, we don't give up easily ...



... we remember the dead ... 

 

... and look forward to a brighter tomorrow.