Share |

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Chernobyl Is 23







We remember.

2 comments:

John Kalitka said...

The video links are much appreciated. This was a truly awful event, and one which I vaugely remember.... It is very important not to forget those who perished and who suffer to this day.

Chernoblyl seems so close to Kyiv. What are the lasting effects there? It appears from a map that a river of some kind near Chernobyl feeds into the Dnipro....

Taras said...

Thank you, John!

This event, and the lessons learned, must never be forgotten. Chernobyl (Chornobyl in Ukrainian) is approximately 110 km (68 mi) north of Kyiv. The river is called Prypyat.

The lasting effects are as follows:

* Increased prevalence of cancer and birth defects among people born in the aftermath;

* Badly polluted environment, shattered lives, abandoned homes; and

* Dilapidated condition of the confinement and the dam containing some 90M cubic meters of radioactive silt.

I was 6 at the time, but I do remember those days quite vividly: summer-hot weather, evening rains, soccer, rumors, media silence, Gorby’s address, empty playgrounds, difficulty leaving the city, returning to the city in late fall.

What a year.