Chernobyl: Thirty Years Later

UAH Pripyat Carnival

 

Chernobyl. Only one word is needed- disaster. The worst nuclear disaster in history. On April 26 1986, an explosion occurred in Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and its fire sent radioactive particles into the earth’s atmosphere. Pripyat, once a bustling town in the former USSR (now Ukraine), lays abandoned, but not forgotten.

 

Early in the morning and during a scheduled testing procedure for the emergency cooling system, Reactor 4 endured a catastrophic increase in power, which led to its explosion. Burning radioactive materials lit the graphite moderator aflame, which continued burning for days. Since the reactor wasn’t immediately encased in a containment vessel (sarcophagus), the burning graphite moderator continuously sent destructive radioactive particles into the atmosphere.

UAH Chernobyl Sign

Welcome to Chernobyl Town.

 

The radiation levels were so high that robotic equipment stopped working, so in order to contain the disaster area of Reactor 4, incredibly brave workers (called liquidators) built a large concrete sarcophagus around the explosion site to minimize the spread of radiation into the atmosphere. Chernobyl liquidators could only work up to 2 minutes to avoid lethal contamination. Entire villages and 300,000 cubic meters of soil were buried and covered with cement. The thirty-year lifespan of Chernobyl’s first and current sarcophagus expires this year, and a new safe confinement shaped like an arc will be placed over the existing sarcophagus.

UAH Chernobyl Reactor 4

Chernobyl’s current cement sarcophagus possess a life span of thirty years. Expiring this year, is to be encased in a large containment arc in the fall.

 

UAH Chernobyl Arc

Photographed here in 2013, the new containment arc is an incredible structure that will cover the current sarcophagus completely and protect the atmosphere from destructive radiation.

 

The initial disaster and cleanup of Chernobyl tragically took many lives. Today, twenty-five percent of Chernobyl’s liquidators have passed and 90% of those who are still surviving have health problems such as cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

 

Following the disaster and quick construction of the sarcophagus, the local government let the remaining reactors run due to the massive shortage of electricity in the area. While two reactors were pulled offline in the 90s, the entire Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant wasn’t officially shut down until 2000. The need for electricity far exceeded the need for safety.

UAH Chernobyl Memorial

A memorial in the shape of a hazard symbol lies near the entrance to the exclusion zone.

 

Today, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone extends 30km (19mi) around the disaster area. Other than the approximately 200 residents that have refused to leave the area, the Exclusion Zone remains mostly uninhabited. Nature has reclaimed the area. Trees grow inside crumbling apartment buildings, and animals have made their homes in old schoolhouses. It is estimated that the area will remain uninhabitable for another 20,000 years. Even in 2016, those employed to construct the new containment arc, and those who give guided tours in the area, are only allowed to work for five hours a day for one month before having a minimum two weeks of rest away from the area.

 

The disastrous explosion at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant happened thirty years ago, and I celebrated my 30th birthday in March, which inspired me to finally write about my wonderful experience in the late fall of 2013 visiting Ukraine and learning more about Chernobyl. Visiting the Exclusion Zone remains one of the most memorable and fascinating things I’ve ever done.

UAH Sickle Hammer Apartments

Nature has reclaimed Pripyat in an eerily beautiful way.

 

UAH Pripyat Doll

When government evacuations began, citizens were required to leave the exclusion zone with such haste that many beloved household items were left behind.

 

In 2011, the Ukrainian government opened up the Exclusion Zone to a limited number of visitors who are interested in learning more about the disaster. Even today, tour groups are extremely limited and heavily regulated. A lot of documentation and paperwork is required.

UAH Pripyat Bleachers

This football (soccer) field and its stands in Pripyat was a place of happiness before the disaster. Today, radioactive moss covers the decaying structure.

 

There are a couple of tour groups permitted to guide visitors through the Exclusion Zone. After careful consideration and reading reviews, I chose the company Solo East (and no, this is not sponsored or promoted – I paid for my tour). Chernobyl tours begin in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, and small, comfortable buses take tourists north towards Pripyat. The bus ride takes approximately 2.5 hours (the bus I rode had no bathroom and we made no stops). There are numerous checks to enter different areas of the Exclusion Zone – make sure to have your passport and paperwork ready at all times. During the daylong tour, tourists are taken to Reactor 4, commemorative sites, abandoned schools, the community pool, Pripyat’s square (which once was vibrant but is now part of the forest), and to the famous Ferris wheel. The information I received during my tour captivated me and was far more detailed and emotional than any documentary. Our local tour guide was able to answer questions from a much more personal perspective. I would visit Chernobyl again.

UAH Pripyat Wheel

Seeing this Ferris wheel, which was intended to celebrate May Day but never used for that purpose, gave me chills.

 

That being said, as awesome as Chernobyl is, my favorite part of Ukraine was its people.

UAH Chernobyl Masks

Hundreds of nuclear fallout masks line the floor of an abandoned schoolhouse in Pripyat. Contrary to some beliefs, these masks were spread out on the floor by looters long after the disaster occurred.

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