Located in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant experienced one of the most devastating meltdowns in Japan on March 11, 2011, due to the tsunami followed by Tohoku earthquake. Though the reactors automatically shut down after the earthquake, the tsunami disabled emergency generators cutting down the power necessary to cool the reactors. This resulted in three meltdowns and the release of radioactive material from March 12 to March 15 prompting evacuation of the nearby population and efforts to decontaminate. Five years after the incident, Arkadiusz Podneiesinski traveled to Japan to capture the aftermath and here are 21 of those photographs.
21 Deserted streets in Futaba, one of the towns in the no-go zone bordering the ruined Fukushima power station, which also has the highest levels of contamination.
Image credit: Arkadiusz Podniesinski
20 The empty Go-Kart racing track with rusting karts.
Image credit: Arkadiusz Podniesinski
19 After the evacuation, nature has taken over a car dumpsite, abandoned before the disaster but contaminated during the disaster with 6.7 uSv/h radiation.
Image credit: Arkadiusz Podniesinski
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18 Abandoned musical instruments in a school in Futaba with 2.3 uSv/h level of radiation.
Image credit: Arkadiusz Podniesinski
17 Equipment in a hairdresser’s saloon lying about haphazardly.
Image credit: Arkadiusz Podniesinski
16 A gaming saloon abandoned with all the consoles
Image credit: Arkadiusz Podniesinski
15 A gymnasium with floor partially collapsed due to the earthquake
