How are my family? Young Fukushima evacuee

Kasumi is 14. She drew the house where her great grandmother, father and brother are still living in Nishi Aizu, north west Fukushima. She is looking down on them and wondering how they are, as she misses them and the countryside. Kasumi evacuated to Hiroshima with her sister Narumi and mother. Kasumi is a good volleyball player.
Scroll down for writing by her mother

Her situation

Although levels in Nishi-Aizu were a little lower than areas very near the plant, long-term risk from radiation is a concern for parents. Nishi Aizu receives heavy snow each year. This is hard work to deal with, and there is an avalanche risk. There is occasionally extreme rain and flooding, for example in July 20ll. There is now extra worry because this heavy snow and rain washes down radiation from a large mountainous catchment area and can concentrate it in rivers, drains and rice fields as time go by. Irradiated tsunami debris and incinerated sewage ash from Nakadori were secretly dumped in an area that drains into the river that flows through Nishi-Aizu. It is hard to find food from safer areas, as shops stock local produce from Fukushima – and schools serve it. It is expensive to order food from less contaminated areas.

Her mother wrote:

昨年九月、私たち家族はバラバラ生活をスタートしました。
年をとった祖母、病気の夫、高校入学目前の息子は、自宅に残り、
私と、二人の娘は、広島へ引っ越して来ました。
お金が必要でした。先の見えない不安定な生活を続ける余裕もなく
生きて、家を回して行く責任が、私にはありました。

雪、雨、地震、次々襲う天災が、私たちには耐えれなかった、
もう、未来が見えませんでした。
頑張るから、離れても、家族だから・・・

月日は、どんどん過ぎていきますが
田舎でしか暮らしたことのない子どもたちは、なかなか慣れません。
いつも、福島に心を寄せています。
いつかきっと・・・

今、多くの人たち、暖かい広島の街に支えられて
夜勤の仕事をしています。
辛いこともたくさんありますが、前向き元気に頑張ります。
いつかまた、家族六人で暮らせる日が来ることを信じて。

　　　　　　　　　　にしあいづ町より　広島へ

"My family began living separately in September 2011.
My elderly grandmother, my husband who is ill, and my son who was just starting high school, stayed at home in Fukushima prefecture. My two daughters and I moved to Hiroshima.
We needed money. I had a responsibility to look after my family and to live. We could not afford to keep living such an anxious life.

Snow, rain and earthquakes; we could not keep on enduring the natural disasters which kept happening. I could not see our future.
Even though our family has separated, still we are family.
I will do my best.

Time is passing, but my children are still not accustomed to living in Hiroshima. They have only lived in the countryside before. They constantly miss Fukushima. I believe one day we will be……

We are now supported by warm-hearted people in Hiroshima and I work night-shifts. I have so many difficulties. However I am going to be positive.
I believe that we, all six of us, can live together again one day.

From Nishi-Aizu to Fukushima"