15. When Residents Evacuated, They Had To Leave With Very Little
When the residents of Pripyat received their instruction on evacuating their city, officials told them to take nothing to the minimum of what they needed. Of course, it was dangerous to bring everything because their items were exposed to radiation by this point. The majority of what the residents took included the daily necessities, such as clothing, a couple of their children’s favorite toys, toiletries, photographs, and whatever else they felt they needed. The proof that residents did not take everything is in several aftermath photographs.
Today, the city of Pripyat is known as a ghost town as it’s unsafe for a human to live in for the next 24,000 years. However, people still tour the city, and when they do, they see personal items everywhere. The schoolrooms are filled with desks and books; homes still have toys, furniture, and pictures along the walls. Because it’s been over 30 years since the disaster, kitchen cabinets, paint, and wallpaper have fallen from the walls and ceilings. Pripyat holds the authentic look of a ghost town which was once thriving with life.