JAPAN. Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture. May 22, 2017.
Local officials and firefighters gather for a ceremony to unveil plans for the demolition and immediate re-building of the Futaba Fire Department headquarters in the town of Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture.
Futaba was severely affected by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, and the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. Besides sustaining considerable damage from the earthquake, and the tsunami (which devastated the coastal area), the town was evacuated en masse on the morning of March 12, 2011, as it is located well within the 20 kilometer exclusion radius around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
On April 1, 2017, residents were allowed to return to the town, although a poll indicated over half did not intend to do so.