The memories of Chernobyl, a disaster in which 350,400 people were uprooted from their homes, still plague people.
Photo by: Isabella Rivera, Photographer

By: Katherine Lachcik, Reporter

On April 26, 1986, Unit 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine was destroyed due to an unexpected power surge during a reactor systems test. The events that followed were catastrophic—an enormous cloud of radiation seeped into the atmosphere, exposing several people to severe radiation poisoning and causing environmental deterioration for miles around. Perhaps the most haunting memento of the accident was the abandonment of the town Pripyat, which was located near the reactor.

While the immediate effects of the Chernobyl disaster, such as abandonment, radiation poisoning, etc., were undoubtedly detrimental, the long-term effects also have important implications in the present day. The dangers of nuclear power are still highly controversial today. The Chernobyl accident is a good example of how far we’ve come in today’s modern, industrialized world in which we manipulate and use the environment and resources relentlessly, even though some people and animals may be inadvertently harmed.

AP World History teacher Mrs. Barbara Rosenberger says, “I believe the explosion made many people question whether nuclear power is a viable energy source. The devastation at Chernobyl and the long-term effects on people and the environment increased awareness on the importance of safety in the United States’ own nuclear power program, and caused new safety protocols to be implemented.”

The environmental impacts were definitely astounding. Various amounts of radiation spread across 77,000 square miles of Europe, reaching as far as the Arctic Circle. Animals and people alike were adversely affected by the harmful radiation, and some estimates say that it could take thousands of years for Chernobyl’s radioactivity levels to fall to what they were prior to the accident.

“The economic factors are that the city will plunge into turmoil, and environmentally the areas will be polluted for upcoming years,” says sophomore Raegan Pack.

Although Chernobyl’s nuclear accident happened nearly 30 years ago, it still retains great importance today in economic, environmental, and social aspects. It has made many people question the safety of nuclear power as a sustainable energy source, and people directly affected by the accident still mourn and remember the life they once lived prior to the explosion.

Despite the dangerous radiation levels lingering in Chernobyl, there are still a number of visitors every year, in addition to some 300 residents who refused to leave despite the accident. The town of Pripyat and the nuclear plant are open to tourists with safety precautions in place. Ceremonies of remembrance are held by local citizens to commemorate the disaster and its victims, and photographers are permitted to take pictures of the ghostly town.

Clearly, the Chernobyl accident, although it happened decades ago, is still an important reminder of human consequences to the environment, as well as a lasting memory to those affected by the explosion on that day. The loss of life, the abandonment of a once-bustling town, the environmental depreciation, the rising controversy on nuclear power, and the continued mourning of civilians all contribute to make the Chernobyl accident unforgettable in today’s society.