A ferris wheel brought in for the May Day celebration Glowing trucks, mutated animals, black rain, and the ghost town “Pripyat.” Such haunting images are etched into the memories of Ukrainians who survived the 1986 nuclear explosion at the Chornobyl Atomic Energy Station. Residents were exposed to an unprecedented amount of radioactive contamination that posed serious consequences. Affecting individual health, the environment, the economy and political relationships, daily life for these people has been assaulted on multiple fronts. While some of the immediate dangers have transitioned into painful memories, many residents continue to live on contaminated land. Due to a lack of reliable information, many young families are defenseless against the invisible dangers of radioactive contamination. It seems the well-being of Ukraine’s future generations largely depends upon the initiatives of nongovernmental organizations and voluntary research.

Land surrounding the reactor is categorized into four zones. The closest area, within a 19 mile radius, is called the “Exclusion Zone” or the “Zone of Alienation” because was completely evacuated after the accident. Today, this abandoned zone remains under strict governmental surveillance. The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine regulate admittance into the territory. It certainly is no secret that this is the most dangerous location. Why, then, do people insist upon living on land that is legally deemed uninhabitable? Around 300 people continue to live in the seven villages of the Exclusion Zone. In the village of Chornobyl alone, 50 residents defy health warnings. Most are elderly residents who resettled soon after the evacuation efforts. Their reluctance eventually persuaded the government to simply accept their decision to stay.

Roughly ten years back, curious tourists could pay a small bribe to enter the Exclusion Zone. Nowadays, border control is firmly enforced, partly because the government realized the money-making potential of operating tours. With enough outside demand to visit the zone, individual day tours from Kiev now average $500. Group discounts can cut some of the cost, but the tour route is pre-planned and certain photos/videos are forbidden.

While on assignment in Ukraine, I was fortunate enough to visit the Exclusion Zone through an alternate means. Having worked closely with the Children of Chornobyl Relief and Development Fund for an upcoming NEED magazine article, I was introduced to a local professor who had the required licensure to enter the zone. Where it is all about connections, I had a free entrance pass. On February 7, 2007, my uncle and I took the two hour commute from Kiev to Chornobyl with the professor. A steady drizzle contributed to my eerie anticipation of the visit. Our first stop: Pripyat.

Pripyat

Inside an abandoned school building At the time of the disaster, Pripyat was a newly developed city for the young families of those who worked at the Chornobyl power plant. It had high-rise apartments, classrooms, parks, and everything else a community needs to thrive. When we pulled into the town, it felt as though we had entered the ruins of a war zone. Shattered glass, decomposing siding, peeling paint, overgrown weeds, and rusty framework signified the state of every building. We climbed to the top of an apartment for an aerial view of the community and I found it difficult to imagine life here just twenty-two years ago. Whose apartment room had I just passed? Where were they now? Did they have children? Where they even still alive? Everywhere, scattered personal items litter the ground. This place is a graveyard and to move anything, at this point, seems unsettling.

Reactor #4 We also visited the site of reactor #4, where a fire destroyed the Chornobyl power plant. Radiation level were still abnormal, but in the span of our brief stay, it was not a serious concern. In an information center, we learned that, currently, only one child resides in the village of Chornobyl. Apparently, a nine year old girl is allowed to live here because her parents were born in the exclusion zone. Unable to understand why people were willing to compromise their health, I was compelled to meet with an elderly Chornobyl resident. Before arriving at Novalna Maria Niloliavna’s house, we stopped at the token convenience store and bought a bag of groceries to offer as a friendly gesture. Just the essentials: sausage, bread, cheese, and some bananas for a treat. We were warmly received by Novalna Maria Nikoliavna, who answered my questions with honesty and a laid-back sense of humor.

Novalna Maria Nikoliavna greeting us outside her home. Mrs. Nikoliavna now lives alone in Chornobyl, where she has lived her entire life. When asked what she remembers from the day of the explosion, she said: “I was working. I was cleaning out the warehouse at the factory where I worked. It was Saturday, the 26th of April. On the 5th of May, they evacuated us.”

Q: But how much time did you have to pack? You couldn’t come back and get stuff if you forgot it, right?

A: You really took what you could carry. They did provide transportation, but all the big stuff, like furniture and refrigerators and everything, stayed behind. Pretty much, you could take what you could carry. When we were being evacuated, we were told we were going for three days. [laughs] Because it was just around the time of Easter, people thought they were really leaving for three days.

Q: Did you know why you were being evacuated?

A: It was always on the radio that there had been an accident, but they kept saying that it was okay. They kept saying, ‘Everything’s okay. You’ll only be evacuated for three days.’ I came back in 1988, about two years after the accident.

Q: Why did you decide to come back here?

A: I needed to continue working towards my pension. So, I started working the first of March, 1988, back here, towards my pension. Then, in 2000, that was closed down. I received my pension, but it’s not really anything you can live on. [laughs] I still needed to do other work and it was really difficult, you know, when they closed down the work. Everything was getting more expensive, but at the same time, I wasn’t making nearly enough money. I had people I needed to help.

Q: What’s a normal day for you?

A: [laughs] By the time I feed the animals and do the yard work and everything else, it’s already time to take a nap or go to bed. I have electricity, but heat is only supplied from wood.

Q: Do you have peace of mind living here with the radiation?

A: For me, as an older person, I don’t really worry about it. I’m not concerned about it. We live here, you know. Only God really knows what the true situation is.

I assumed that it would get lonely living in the Exclusion Zone, but she told us that she has a son and a 23-year-old grandson who are authorized to visit her. During the warmer months, another elderly woman lives next door with her dog to keep her company. Keeping out pesky trespassers such as wild boars once posed an issue, but now she seems to live with little complaint. This encounter was a true privilege and I pray that Mrs. Nikoliavna continues to live a long, content life.

People continue to cope with Chornobyl in different ways. The health issues it presents, however, continue to endanger the elderly, adults, children, mothers, and the unborn alike. For more on the continued health affects of Chornobyl and the hopeful work of the Children of Chornobyl Relief and Development Fund, look for a feature article in an upcoming issue of NEED magazine.

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