Then and Now: Pripyat, Ukraine
In 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident forced the evacuation of nearby Pripyat, Ukraine. Pripyat, was a community of 49,000 established in 1970 to house Chernobyl workers and their families. Officials told residents the evacuation was temporary, and they would be back in a matter of weeks. They would never come back to live there. Pripyat’s buildings serve as an eerie reminder of the once thriving city. While the two images, pre-1986 and 2006 are not the exact same building, they are similar enough to illustrate how nature is reclaiming the city. But Pripyat is not completely abandoned; Public authorities, military, and scientists actively use site. There is still electricity and water running to parts of the city, and the wildlife in the area has thrived. Tours run in Pripyat on a regular basis. It has become a continually active “ghost town.”