I am very grateful for the opportunity to visit the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, because it allowed me to witness firsthand the aftermath of the devastating accident that occurred as part of the aftermath of the tsunami and earthquake on March 11, 2011. Exploring the facility and listening to the impact on the communities affected left a lasting impact on me. It made me caution and be speculative of expanding investments in nuclear power. I also learned about the safety procedures and lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi disaster.
When we first arrived at the facility, we were given a context to what we were seeing through videos in a very cool theater with multiple dimensions and screens. I liked the accountability and ownership that the company, TEPCO or Tokyo Electric Power Company took over the problem. They verbally state their involvement and mention the compensation they gave to the affected communities. After, we got all geared up and made sure to have all our safety equipment which included our radiation exposure meter. This recorded the total amount of radiation that we were exposed to. I thought it was interesting that it differed which pocket of the vest we placed this depended on male and female.
When crossing the bridge into the radiation exposed territory, it was scary to see all the ghosted houses and deserted stores. It was even scarier to see that it wasn’t too long since it happened as the buildings were intact, cars were left in driveways, and curtains remained open giving a peek into the past lives that used to reside there. I can’t even imagine having to evacuate my home and not being able to return even 12 years later.
As we made our way closer to the nuclear plant, the radiation meter on the bus spiked up steadily making me a bit nervous. However, I really appreciated the insight that our tour guide gave throughout the tour which provided some context to all the visuals that we were taking in. When we got out of the bus, the reactors and their containment storages were much bigger than expected. It was paradoxical to see such technology right against the shore and Pacific Ocean. I can’t even imagine the ecological impact that this accident had.
After coming back, we learned about the detailed mechanisms behind the disaster. Essentially, the natural disaster led to the loss of power and subsequent failure of the cooling systems at the nuclear power plant, triggering meltdowns in three of its reactors. One of the reactors was not in operation but was still affected. All of this not only had a profound impact on the local community but also raised global concerns about nuclear safety. The extensive cleanup and decommissioning efforts that have been going on for years and the financial investment into repairing its damage were mind blowing.
