Moving away, staying together / 1,400 households in Miyagi Pref. willing to relocate inland en masse

[AsahinaKimi]

The Yomiuri Shimbun

About 1,400 households in nine coastal areas in Miyagi Prefecture that were pummeled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami are considering shifting en masse to inland parts of the prefecture, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey.

Many of the households' rice and vegetable fields suffered extensive salt damage due to the massive tsunami, and many of the residents remain terrified that another tsunami could strike the region.

The nine areas are in four coastal cities. About 180 of the households from three of the areas--Higashi-Matsushima, Natori and Kesennuma--have already decided to relocate.

These households hope to take advantage of a Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry project to facilitate the relocation of disaster-stricken residents, using national government subsidies. The four city governments and the prefectural government intend to support the envisaged relocation.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110426005056.htm