On Monday, May 20th, we woke up early to visit the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. After getting a quick breakfast from 711 we boarded a bus bound for Fukushima Prefecture. Once we arrived we stopped for a quick lunch and then participated in a lecture at the TEPCO archive center and had a brief tour of their exhibits on the disaster. Some of the displays contained the gear that workers used to protect themselves from the radiation that was being released along with videos explaining the disaster and dioramas of the site. Shortly after we left for the actual site of the power plant. Once there we received our radiation detection gear and brief explanation of the route we would be taking through the power plant. First, they were going to take us to a platform that overlooked the first, second, third, and fourth reactors. After that they were going to take us to a second area that overlooked the fifth and sixth reactor, along with the pump that carried the treated water out into the ocean for dilution. Once we arrived at the first platform I was immediately surprised by the size of all four reactors. They were absolutely massive compared to all other buildings around. The second thing that surprised me was the level of destruction still visible thirteen years after the disaster. The ground around the reactors was overgrown and strewn with rubble and twisted metal, and the reactors themselves were burnt and blown out. However, what was most interesting was the work being done to retire the reactors entirely. Around some of the reactors you could see large covers being built to protect the environment and nearby residents from the radioactivity that could be released with the removal of the radioactive material. On the drive to the second lookout we drove past an incredible number of tanks filled with radioactively contaminated water and a water treatment plant. It was at the second lookout that we were able to see the pump that moved this treated water back out into the ocean along with a cross section of the massive pipe that they used. Reactors 5 and 6 were also visible from this location, however they were shut down when the Tsunami struck the location. Due to this they did not experience any meltdown. I think the most surprising part of our visit was still how prevalent the damage from the Tsunami was. It is very hard to gauge how bad a disaster truly is without viewing the aftermath yourself, and I recommend anyone who has the opportunity visits.
