1. Officials Told Residents They Would Return In Three Days
Not only did Soviet Union officials tell the residents of Pripyat that they had an hour to collect a few necessities, but they would be allowed to return to their homes in three days. Of course, over three decades later, we know that the residents would never really be allowed to go back to their homes, even though some did and some refused to leave. However, the Soviet Union officially downplayed the disaster so much that residents believed they would be able to return within a few days.
According to victims, the officials told residents that they needed to leave so everything could be washed, which would make it safe for them to return. Victims stated they felt that they had been given a vacation and looked forward to the opportunity as officials made everything seem like it wasn’t a big deal as long as they washed everything correctly. So, the kids packed up their school books as parents packed up a couple of smaller belongings they needed and left. It would be well over three days before the residents learned that they would never return to their homes.
Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“Chernobyl Accident 1986.” World Nuclear Association. April 2018.
“What Happened In The Immediate Aftermath Of The Chernobyl Disaster.” Stephan Roget, Ranker.
“Chernobyl disaster.” The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica. February 2005.
“Nuclear disaster at Chernobyl.” History.com Editors, History. April 2018.
The Guardian – Chernobyl 30 Years On: Former Residents Remember Life in The Ghost City of Pripyat
Geo History Today – Chernobyl: A Short History of the Human Impact on Ukraine and its Neighbors
Express UK – Chernobyl: Why Did They Use Boron at Chernobyl?
CNN – Inside Slavutych, The City Created by The Chernobyl Explosion
The Atlantic – Visiting Chernobyl 32 Years After the Disaster
Indian Express – How Scientists Used a Robot Dog to Sniff Out Radiation Levels in Chernobyl
Science Daily – Crops Near Chernobyl Still Contaminated
Reuters – Locals Eating Radioactive Food 30 Years After Chernobyl
CS Monitor – Chernobyl Will Be Unhabitable For At Least 3,000 Years
Time Magazine – Chernobyl at 30: How Attempts to Contain the Radiation Failed
Mental Floss – 8 Facts About the Animals of Chernobyl
Bustle – The True Story Behind The Devastating Dog Deaths In ‘Chernobyl’ Is Equally Harrowing
The Conversation – Chernobyl Has Become a Refuge for Wildlife 33 Years After the Nuclear Accident
National Geographic Channel – Chernobyl: After 35 Years After the World’s Worst Nuclear Accident
Nautil – Chernobyl’s Hot Mess, “the Elephant’s Foot,” Is Still Lethal
Chemistry World – Chernobyl’s Intensely Radioactive ‘Elephant’s Foot’ Lava Recreated in The Lab
Haaretz – I Was Drafted to Clean Up Chernobyl – and Lived to Tell the Tale
VOX – I Was A Child Of Chernobyl
Euro News – Chernobyl: Why The Nuclear Disaster Was An Accidental Environmental Success