The World’s Worst Nuclear Disaster
April 26, 1986 01:23:44
Reactor number four of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant begins overheating steam. A surge of power during a reactor system test is caused by a series of mistakes made by inadequately trained personnel. Flames engulf the reactor, radiation leaks triggering a massive explosion of radioactive debris into the atmosphere. The explosion rains poisonous ash; silently covering every inch of land with harmful radiation which will eventually be carried by the wind through borders across Europe. The worst nuclear disaster in history had just taken place while thousands of men, women and children were fast asleep in the eye of a nuclear storm.
At the time of the accident Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union. The original dream was to build the biggest nuclear power plant in the world. There where thousands of families living and working in the surrounding area. The accident was caused by a severely flawed reactor design and coincidental human error.
More than 30 years later, I found myself at the security checkpoint of the exclusion zone in Chernobyl, Ukraine. The officers filed paperwork, studied my passport and rummaged through my backpack. The time had come to place my own eyes on the aftermath of the historic catastrophe. I asked a myself more than once what I was doing in such a strange, “risky” place. After passing the compulsory radiation test I can say for certain what I experienced here was worth the risk and the lasting impressions are so much more than I had anticipated.
Radiation Demystified: What is it and what does it do?
Radioactive materials are comparable to dust, after the explosion a deadly dust cloud coated everything surrounding the area. Imagine how difficult it would be to ‘safely’ clean dust off of literally everything outside. This is why there are only sanitized roads and walkways through the exclusion zone, if you were to step away from the path you would be contaminated. Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on improving the conditions at Chernobyl. Radiation does not simply go away, the area will not be completely safe for minimally thousands of years.
The reported health impacts of the disaster vary greatly from source to source. Many people believe, including my Ukrainian guide, that the fatalities were relatively limited apart from the first responders and plant operators. Some sources say more than 100 people were diagnosed with acute radiation syndrome and many of those people died within weeks of the accident. Acute radiation syndrome (radiation sickness) is caused by a high dose of radiation exposed to an unprotected body. The symptoms are fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, comas most likely resulting in death. An increase of childhood thyroid cancers have also correlated with the accident.
Something my guide Igor said lingered in my thoughts, “The first firefighters who came to Chernobyl disaster didn't know about the radiation and had no special equipment. They died in agonizing pain within days. They are all regarded as national heroes of Ukraine” Igor then said, “It's easy to become a national hero if you don't know what you're doing.”
Two people died immediately from the impact of the explosion, their bodies never recovered. Dozens more firefighters died within a few days or weeks after exposure. The total number of fatalities is unknown. It is impossible to quantify whether the people who were exposed to the radiation eventually died years later due to natural causes or if it was directly related to the exposure. This is one of the only accidents in the history of commercial nuclear power to cause fatalities. Almost all of Europe was affected with varying levels of contamination; large areas of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia being the most severely affected. Disaster knows no borders.
Vast areas of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone are still very dangerous and will be for the rest of the foreseeable future. However, many people are still working in and around the Chernobyl power plant today because the radiation levels have stabilized.
Chernobyl Today and Tour Information
My personal experience in the exclusion zone
Chernobyl is an active working site, even within the exclusion zone. Chernobyl reactor number four is now enclosed in a large concrete shelter or sarcophagus. Thousands of people work with the remaining reactors, decommissioning and providing security. The authorities aren't enthusiastic about the tourism industry taking interest in Chernobyl but they have allowed day passes/overnight visits since the late 2000’s. To visit Pripyat you must enter the 30 km exclusion zone. This must be arranged ahead of time through a tour operator based in Kiev which is only a few hours away.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I decided to go to Chernobyl but its significance and photographic intrigue proposed an offer I couldn't refuse. I am so glad that I decided to go somewhere so out of the ordinary, I will never forget the things I saw in Pripyat. Every moment a tourist is in the exclusion zone is preplanned and kept to a strict schedule so there is no wandering around without supervision from a licensed guide. The environment felt very regimented but I didn't feel intimidated, it was more of a sense of genuine isolation. The landscape was lush and green with forests of tall trees and rolling hills. Nature has begun to consume the buildings and hundreds of homes are vanishing beneath the brush. I did not see one other tourist the entire time I was there. This was the most bizarre place I have ever experienced alone.
The ghost city of Pripyat was once home to thousands of families of the men and women who worked at the power plant. Every person in the town was evacuated within days. It was difficult for the government to admit to the people the extent of the total meltdown. During this time people had also been taught to not ask questions and to do what they are told. They were told to leave everything behind after being reassured they would soon be back to recollect their belongings from their homes. They had no idea it would be months until they were allowed to return and salvage what was left of their lives. This resulted in what you see here today, a post apocalyptic scene where everything was left behind in a hurry. Being in Pripyat felt like stepping into the memories of the people that used to live here.
There are people (resettlers) who returned to Chernobyl to live and die because it is where they were born. The authorities didn't allow them here but they relentlessly kept returning to their homes. Only retired people older than 55 were allowed to return. They ended up living long lives without pollution from cars, they grew their own food and enjoyed life in solitude. Children under 18 years old are not allowed past the checkpoint.
Lasting Impressions
They say the design of reactor number four was unique and thus somewhat irrelevant to the rest of the nuclear industry in regards to an incident happening again. There are many conspiracy theories regarding the cause of the disaster. It is thought that the accident was a consequence of Cold War isolation and a lack of safety culture. Some question the United States’ involvement, maybe the disaster was intended to provoke the fall of the Soviet Union. I myself doubt the truth of these theories considering how the catastrophe affected other nations irrelevant to the political situation at the time. I personally believe this accident was caused by human error but it would not be surprising if it was an act of war. People can be so unimaginably cruel when they are consumed by warped understandings of morality.
Regardless of the cause of this accident, it is a testimony to the destructive nature of human beings. We will never know exactly how many people died as a result of the Chernobyl disaster. We are merely children playing with matches and a gas can, expecting it not to blow up in our faces yet it is so easy to make mistakes. The scene at Pripyat left grim thoughts in my mind and provoked existential questions, how long until the entire planet will look like this? Pripyat is what modern life looks like after only 30 years of abandonment. One day, most likely sooner than later, only nature will remain. Eventually every place and everything we have ever known will disappear just like this. A chaotic, crumbling world left behind in a hurry, slipping seamlessly into oblivion only to remain buried deep in the recesses of our memories.
To see my full portfolio of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone go to http://living-lost.com/portfolio-item/ukraine-chernobyl/
(
)
really a great diary!
@thecruptotrader Thank you!
The second picture scared the hell out of me! Good work!
@hiroyamagishi That's what I was going for, thank you!
This is such a cool project you're undertaking. I wish you all the best! I would love to do the same one day, travel the world like you do. I will do it :)
fantastic pics! real life FallOut ;)
As there's many impostors around please consider verifying (a picture of you holding a Steemit sign) or a post to your social media confirming you are on Steemit, so we know it is really you.
@lavater yes I did feel like stepping into the video game. I will do that thank you for the advice!
Wow awesome photos .. truly an apocalyptic feel.
@hustletoparadise Thank you, that is the feeling I tried to capture through my time there.
Whole budget of 0.5 SBD has been used for rewarding voters :) Thanks @cardboard!
Click here if you wish to know more.
Wow, respect! It is an amazing experience to do this. I will do this, too. Thank you for your story.
@funny-videos Thank you, this is one of my favorite places I've traveled to, glad I could inspire.
I always visit your blog because you inspires me. Do what you do. Thank you very much for sharing inspiring content.
@keks This means so much to me! I'm so happy to hear you are enjoying my content, more to come
Stunning photos of Chernobyl. Always wanted to visit the disaster site and see how life has been decades after the incident.
@lpreap Thank you, I highly recommend this experience. It felt like being in a post apocalyptic world
this is cool! voteme! 0.5
@cardboard Thank you
Very intriguing! Haven't had the chance yet to visit myself. Thanks for sharing :)
@foilix You should check it out, very out of the way destination but so worth it!
Great photos and write up about Chernobyl! One of the places I have in my bucket list. Its significance is quite hard to sum up, and it's something that might endure even after the radiation clears out. It has such a haunting atmosphere, and I hope it would be the last of its kind in terms of the magnitude of destruction.
@jedau Thank you for reading, it was on my bucket list as well. There are no words, the radiation is under control in most public areas. People live and work there today. I hope it will be the last of its kind...
Oh wow! I didn't know that people were already living and working there. It's great that most of the harmful stuff has already been cleared out.
Great write-up! What has happened in Chernobyl was a really a horrible thing and to be honest, I felt like I know quite "a lot" about Chernobyl from playing Stalker back in the days and a few wikipedia articles. Seems like I didn't know a thing :P
Thanks for opening my eyes, you really know how to keep a viewer interested. I'm looking forward to more content!
Great stuff - keep posting about your travels and you will do well here.
Two other tips:
Consider paying to boost your post into the hot / trending page - although you may not need to given the exposure you had already. And it’s a bit of a hot topic here...
Reply to the people that have commented - say thanks, answer questions, interact, upvote some people back, just be a human basically. Many people, myself included, will comment and upvote once or twice, but likely not a third time if you just post and run...
Good luck with your travels
@holbein81 I will be sharing so much more with you all. Thank you for the advice! I'll look into the boosting I haven't learned much about that quite yet. How is it a hot topic exactly?
Boosting - you can pay an account with a lot of Steem power to vote for your posts, giving them a quick uplift and getting them more visibility. There is lots of discussion around the pros and cons of doing it - and in the last couple of days one of them - bellyrub - has been exposed as a potential scam
Check this site for more info: https://s3.amazonaws.com/yabapmatt/bottracker/bottracker.html
Having said that, with the attention your posts are getting I don't think you have any need for them
This "tragedy" that occurred in Chernobyl is one of the greatest cover-ups of the 21st century, devastating a town and ending the quality of life of its inhabitants only for their own ends, the world order is very bad
@buddamansnb77 This event is highly controversial, it devastated so much more than the town. The environmental effects have been traced to spreading throughout most of northern and Eastern Europe including much of Russia. Truly one of the worst disasters in history
Awesome post friend.
I like your all content because your content type and quality is so good.
best of luck go ahead friend.
@sojib244 Thank you so much for your support I really appreciate it!
thankyou ..your vlog are very intersting
@kartiksingh I hope to keep your interest as I continue to blog my way around the world.
In my country, France, politician said that the radiation were stuck at the border of the country... That was just bullshit: thyroid cancer heavily
increased.
@srelox Yes the health effects of the disaster are so widespread the governments have difficulty keeping track, its a multi national tragedy .
Thank you for sharing great post about The Chernobyl Atomic Recater that happend one bigest and worse happend lot people died ans suffered from that and due atomaic recator may be still people suffering that an pint where every country should consider less use are creation of atomic reactors one is also Bhopal India same kind of happened took place few back.This time where country want atomic reactores which may harm full for humanty in the future for humanty so kindly put hands togather raise voice against these things thank you.
@alidervash The first step to making a change for the better is awareness. Thank you for your feedback I hope you gained something from my work.
It was a very sad thing, but I know that I would not be anywhere around that place on purpose. At least not for another 50 years. By then I'll be over 100 and just won't care.
@johnwjr7 It was a devastating event, however the environment has been stabilized to the point where thousands of people can live and work there everyday.
Unfortunately, the effects are still driving today. a huge human tragedy. but the point I'm really sorry is that we can not learn from it at all. we are still able to continue with the same error
@manyasli Yes the effects will be present for at least another 1000 years. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and vow to do better in the future.
this is awesome! can you share more about tour guide that you use to get to those areas? I'd love to return to kiev one of these days and check out chernobyl. My last visit to kiev was a bit of a hit or miss, its a completely different world once you get into eastern europe!
@motoengineer Yes you should definitely return to the Ukraine, in my opinion Chernobyl is the most interesting place in the country today. My guide Igor was from a company called Kiev Tours. There are many tour operators based in Kiev, they do all the paperwork before and during your tour of the area. Eastern Europe is a very unique place, such a different way of life from Western European nations.
Wow, what an incredible story. The story about Chernobyl is so very sad. So much history here. Thank you for sharing with us.
I've watched about all documentaries about this. Extraordinary intriguing matter. Wouldn't dare going there. Too mich radiation around to my taste. Thank you for the beautiful pictures.
@laurensk This is definitely one of the most interesting places in the world, it felt like being in an apocalypse movie. It is safe to travel there today, tens of thousands of tourists travel there each year. I'm glad you enjoying the article.
good story about our Chernobyl disaster 👍👍👍 Did you see how big the fish grow there?
@kravtsova Thank you so much! Yes I did see the giant fish from the bridge, they looked like real life river monsters
yes, they are like from a horror movie 😱🙈
It was a terrible tragedy. Until today there is no place to live in. Despite all the security measures, nuclear power is still very dangerous.
@sorryjako It is quite dangerous and we must learn from this accident to avoid it happening again in the future.
cooool!
@ilyapk Thank you!
Great post, I visited Chernobyl two years ago and found it quite overwhelming how everything was lost in a time. You saw a sad snapshot into the people's live who were so unfortunately disrupted by the disaster, who had to leave at a moment's notice. Did you by any chance meet any of the resettlers? I think that would be an interesting story to tell.
@traveltramp Thank you, I'm glad to see you also shared this experience. I felt like I was stepping into the shoes of people who lost everything they had... I honestly did not see one other person the entire time I was there which added to the strangeness of this place. I would have loved to hear their perspective
good report, thank you. I've never been there and still not sure I want, though I live in Kiev.
after all, what was your strongest impression or feeling you can express in one word?
@zirochka If you live in Kiev you must take a tour!! I highly recommend it and the environment is stable enough so that it is not a safety issue to visit. In a word: apocalyptic
sometimes I say to myself - I must go and see, but I'm afraid it will be too much pain... like it all is too personal.
anyway, thank you so much for sharing your experience
Excellent blog and photographs. I don't personally think I would be able to ever visit such a place, for one it's to eerie for me and second I don't think I could handle it physically nor emotionally.
@coquiunlimited Thank you, it is an extremely eerie place and not for the faint of heart.
Thank you for sharing this experience with us, having in mind it is a hard-to-get place. The pictures are unique and the story is interesting (to say the least).
As you are new around here, I just want to give you a tip when in comes to using tags. The best strategy is to check out the most used tags (which is visible on the left side of the main page) and relate them to your post. This way you get a higher chance in appearing in more searches. For instance #nucleardisaster is not a common tag, in fact your post is the only one tagged with it. Steem on! :)
@gabchik You are very welcome. I appreciate your feedback. That is a very good piece of advice and I will do that for my future posts, Thanks!
nice artical
@rajawasim176 Thank you
Congratulations @lexiealford! You have completed some achievement on Steemit and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Click on any badge to view your own Board of Honor on SteemitBoard.
For more information about SteemitBoard, click here
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOP@steemitboard Great!
what a post with impressive pictures
@asifali975 Thank you
Whaou this is awesome, thanks for sharing. It must have been quite of an experience! I'd love to see it myself somedays.
@vinceboisgard Your welcome, I highly recommend traveling to Chernobyl, Ukraine.
Nice post 👍 Thanks for sharing and and very useful information. Congratulations ✌ @lexiealford
@wihnongkaltoa Thank you and you are welcome!
cool and informative post :)
but, ever been in Estonia or when are you planning to come?
also. in my village some men have to go clean up the nuclear waste. because soviet coverment ask to. and those who went, didn't know anythink how dangerous this was. and again at home, they started to understand, when time went by, how nuclear waste really works.
@wiplala87 That is such a unique perspective, I can't believe those poor people were not properly informed about the health implications before working to help.
@wiplala87 I'm glad you enjoyed this post. I have been to Tallinn, Estonia. Such a beautiful fairytale city!
nice :D
Congratulations @lexiealford! You have completed some achievement on Steemit and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Click on any badge to view your own Board of Honor on SteemitBoard.
For more information about SteemitBoard, click here
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOP@steemitboard this is so exciting
this post is just amazing. What an inside view!! wow
@gargon Thank you so much I'm glad you enjoyed it
nice post /@lexiealford
@hasida420 Thank you
These photos looks amazing! It's like from some videogame or movie. would love to see that place once.
@andrejprochazka Thank you, that is exactly how it felt to be there, like some very elaborate movie set. I highly recommend a visit
Nice post! Thanks for sharing!
@arzt Thank you and you are so welcome, more to come soon.
Thanks for this amazing post! I have been looking into going there myself one day and your article has made me want to go even more! I will have a look at your full portfolio.
@peteveronika I'm so happy I could help inspire you to see this unique place for yourself!
“It's easy to become a national hero if you don't know what you're doing.”... Wow I just don't have words to this. What so sad all that hapen there. Your pictures are amazing, I love the article too. A big hug.
@sweetdreams Those words really stuck with me the most, quite sad indeed. Thanks for your feedback!
Congratulations @lexiealford!
Your post was mentioned in the hit parade in the following category:
@arcange That is amazing but I'm not sure what exactly that means. Could you elaborate?
Everyday, I collect and present the best performing posts in my hit-parade.
This means that your post is performing very well, especially about payout as you were ranked #1!
Kudos for that!
Thank you so much for sharing ...images give me ............feelings
@abusaleh I'm glad my post could evoke a reaction.
@hoschitrooper Thank you!
I'm glad you got to take a trip there. I've been fascinated by that place for a while. It's amazing how much of a time capsule it is. Everything's frozen in that moment, except for the slow effects of nature. Where else on the planet can we have an experience like that?
Well, hopefully nowhere else. Once is enough, for sure! But still, hauntingly beautiful photographs.
@winstonalden A time capsule is exactly what it is, the whole area has been very well preserved. Honestly I'm not sure if there is anywhere else on the planet quite comparable, the only place that comes to mind is Hiroshima, Japan but it is nothing like what you will see in Chernobyl, Ukraine. Truly unique place
I think it's doubly interesting because of the communist regime that was in place at the time of the disaster. The world that was preserved is so different than anything that exists today.
Looking at pictures of Fukushima (I think you meant that, not Hiroshima, right?) isn't quite the same because the culture that was brought to a halt there isn't different from how we live now.
Oh, what an accident! it is an exceptional experience to do that. I can do that, too. Thanks for your tale.
@zahid0406 It was such an amazing place to experience first hand. Highly recommended!
Banyak manfaat yang bisa diambil dari postingan anda
Follow me friends @mardani
Greetings from Indonesia
@mardani I can't read that but thank you!