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For those that don't know, today marked the 28th anniversary of the catastrophe at the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station, near Pripyat', Ukraine.
Over 600,000 men and women, from across the USSR and Europe, participated in the disaster mitigation effort, earning the unofficial title of "liquidator". Dozens died in the early days of the disaster, and its lasting health effects have likely claimed thousands of lives since.
To this day, a zone roughly 30 kilometers in
In order to prevent a possible future release of more radiation from the destroyed reactor of power unit #4, a shelter was constructed over it. It has become known as the "sarcophagus". But this shelter was hastily constructed, and has not aged well. As of three years ago, there were over 1,000 square meters of gaps and holes in the structure. A new shelter object is currently under construction, but its completion is uncertain due to the current crisis in Ukraine, and due in some part to an enormous, underfunded budget, that has swollen to more than 1.5 Billion in US Dollars.
I hope that you all appreciate, as I do, the sacrifices made by the hundreds of thousands of men and women, to keep this disaster from getting worse. Further, I hope we can all continue to appreciate the ongoing efforts of many hundreds of men and women there today, that serve to contain the lasting effects of the disaster and protect the rest of us. Most of all, I hope we can all agree that the people that died there, fighting the fire, and since then, are among the world's heroes, and among humanity's most selfless and brave.
I had the opportunity to visit the site of the disaster three years ago, in March, 2011, as the 25th anniversary approached, and as the Fukushima disaster was unfolding. And I got to visit the museum of the disaster in Kiev, as well. It was, to understate the matter greatly, a sobering experience. Against the backdrop of another ongoing nuclear disaster, sharing the trip with others from Russia and Holland and France and New Zealand and Germany, it was surreal.
April 26th, 1986. Weeks later, we were told that the fire was out, a containment was being built, and the danger was past. But that wasn't exactly true. The lingering danger to mankind may outlive our species. It may be 50,000 years or more before the site can be considered safe for long-term habitation again. Even Pripyat', a couple kilometers away, will only be safe some 300-900 years from now (when faster-than-light space ships carry battle mechs from planet to planet to fight wars between the great houses of the inner sphere, as goes the lore of our game). We may have let Chernobyl slip from the front page, but it will be newsworthy after **** Sapiens has walked off into the history books.
Sleep well tonight, and know that, in some small but very real way, someone you've likely never met or heard of has given up a LOT, that you might do so.
Edited by TheRAbbi, 10 October 2014 - 04:08 PM.
