Pripiat

Pripiat (in Ukrainian: Прип'ять, Prypiat) is the town of Ukraine (Oblast of Kiev) close which is the site of the Nuclear plant of Tchernobyl, with ten kilometers in the north of Tchernobyl (). The town of Pripiat is in the zone of exclusion of 10 km around the power station (it is exactly with 2 kilometers).
Pripiat is from now on a phantom Ville.

Pripiat is also the name of the river which runs in this city and which joined the Dniepr. This river was seriously contaminated at the time of the catastrophe.

Before the catastrophe

Before the Catastrophe of Tchernobyl which occurred the April 26th 1986, the city counted 49.000 inhabitants. It was a city model Soviet architecture; the roads were correct there, the almost new residences. The plays, the sporting grounds, cinemas, theaters were present and in good state.

After the accident, unconscious people of the danger observed visible radiations of the power station since the roof of the buildings.

Evacuation of the city

Quickly, the population learns the dangers from radiations and a short period of panic is established. The Soviet Union then decides to make evacuate the city as fast as possible.

It will be evacuated in 30 hours on April 27th, the shortly after the explosion. The evacuation was done in the urgency. The instruction had been given anything to carry, the authorities announced a departure for 3 days. One needed a convoy of 20 km long bus to evacuate all the population.

Buildings, swimming pools, hospital: all remained such as it is and even the objects more pain-killers (toys of children, newspapers, etc) were abandoned in the urgency.

One finds also many vehicles of the army, firemen who were abandoned in the neighborhoods of the city. Indeed the vehicles more easily absorb the radioactivity and they were contaminated too much to be able to be re-used.

Today

Pripiat is a abandoned city today and almost became a museum testifying to the end of the Soviet era. For this reason the city is often compared with Pompeï.

Pripyat and all the neighborhoods will not be livable before several centuries (the scientists estimate that the radioactive elements most dangerous should reach their half-life in 900 years and the remainder of radiation will remain during 48.000 years theoretically).

Contrary to Tchernobyl, where several inhabitants, often old, returned to live in their hearths, Pripiat remains a completely deserted city. On the central place of the city, the large wheel and the bumper cars do not move any more, they rust and rotted under the vegetation. The wild trees invaded the edges of road.

Since a few years, all that has value (television stations in particular) stolen and is resold, in spite of radiations and the check-points. The police force already cut down several plunderers on the site. But today still, one can find, with same the ground, of the books or the abandoned headstocks. In addition the buildings - buildings dormitories, standard HLM - are abandoned. Dispossessed of their doors and their windows, they can be “visited” at will.

The danger is very large there, in particular for the children. The most rate of radioactivity is reached besides in Pripiat (and not in Tchernobyl or the site of the power station, partly decontaminated: the authorities in particular buried with one meter of depth the most sensitive stocks, as the grass or foam, which is not the case with Pripiat). The danger can however evolve/move according to the weather and of the places: thus in rainy weather, dust (which transports the radioactivity) remains on the ground and the place is “surer”. Contrary, the zones invaded by foam reach rates of 2.000 Bq (certain points with 6.000 were recorded). As comparison, a human means receives, by day, an amount of 10 Bq.

Satellite sight

To look at the photographs satellite of Pripiat

External bonds

a site in memory of the city
a woman, fan of motor bike, returns in its birthplace
Photo of the abandoned city of Pripiat by Yann-Arthus Bertrand
Photos of the abandoned city of Pripiat 2006
Photos of the abandoned city of Pripiat by Swedish Radiation Protection Authority

Simple: Prypiat, Ukraine

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