On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, triggering a monstrous tsunami that struck with relentless force. But nature had an even more devastating card up its sleeve: the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
This event marked a before and after, not only in the history of Japan but in global nuclear consciousness and inevitably the recent magnitude 6 earthquake that shook Fukushima again has reminded us of the tragedy of 2011.
Fukushima’s Ghost Towns
In the face of the Fukushima nuclear accident, Japan decided to make a massive and rapid evacuation, so more than 100,000 people had to leave their homes and leave their lives behind to escape from the invisible danger of radiation.
After the nightmare, the authorities established a 20 km exclusion zone around the plant, a perimeter that left several towns inhabitable and eventually became true ghost towns.
Places like Tomioka, Futaba, Namie and Okuma were frozen in time among empty houses, shops and schools that have gradually been reclaimed by nature, turning the landscape into a dreamy and even chilling picture.
And while some people have begun to return to some of Fukushima’s villages, the real question is whether this is safe, even though 13 years after the disaster the exclusion zone has shrunk.
There is no doubt that the Fukushima tragedy reminds us of the dangers of nuclear power, as some see in it a solution to climate change, while others see only a constant reminder of its potential for disaster.
This story was written in spanish by Mariana Martell in Cultura Colectiva
