FUKUSHIMA POWER plant operators TEPCO have been ordered to pay compensation to the tens of thousands of families living nearby who had to evacuate as a result of the damage caused to plant by last month’s earthquake and tsunami.

The emergency compensation is being offered to people who received official evacuation orders due to leaking radiation from the damaged plant and will range from 750k yen to 1m yen per household (€6,263 – €8,351).

TEPCO said in a statement today that it will be consulting with local government officials and will then distribute information and application forms to places such as evacuation shelters.

The statement ends: “We deeply apologise for the anxiety and inconvenience caused by the accident in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station to all the society”.

Evacuees react

Some evacuees say this initial compensation figure is far too low in comparison for the financial difficulties they have already suffered.

Mother-of-two Kazuko Suzuki, 49, said she felt “like this is just a way to take care of this quickly”. She and her teenage sons have been living in an evacuation shelter outside Tokyo for a month.

Akemi Osumi, 48, said the money is a “small step” forward, but does not compensate larger families fairly. “One million yen doesn’t go very far,” she said.

A group of evacuees from the Fukushima prefecture had travelled to TEPCO’s headquarters to lobby for compensation. After pressure from the government, the company announced its compensation plan today and said it hopes to begin distributing funds by 28 April.

Fukushima surroundings

Initially prohibited from searching the exclusion zone for bodies due to radiation exposure fears, Japanese police began combing for remains the area last week. Over 14,000 people are still missing a month after the 9.0 earthquake struck, generating the tsunami which hit the north-eastern coast and the Fukushima plant.

Some Japanese experts have advised workers at the stricken plant to store blood cells now in case they need them later for treating a radiation overdose. High doses of radiation can destroy the blood-making cells of the bone marrow.

Yesterday, it emerged that it might take until June to fully stabilise the Fukushima plant.

- Additional reporting from the AP