Fukushima – the very name strikes fear into the hearts of seafood lovers after one of the worst nuclear disasters in decades. Nearly eight years later, 50,000 households remain evacuated, and bans on fish and vegetables from the disaster area persist due to lingering radiation. Currently, contaminated water is stored to prevent further environmental radiation, and a freezing system creates an icy barrier around the site to protect groundwater.
But how did this disaster unfold? Let’s look back at the events of March 2011.
Monday, March 7, 2011: The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) submits a report to Japan’s nuclear safety agency, highlighting the plant’s vulnerability to tsunamis. With a seawall almost six meters high, the report refers to an 1897 tsunami with waves over 10 meters tall that devastated the same location. Officials note the concern and plan to review the situation later.
Friday, March 11, 2:46 pm: A 9.1 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Honshu Island. At Fukushima, emergency systems automatically shut down reactors 1, 2, and 3, while reactors 4, 5, and 6 are already offline for maintenance.
2:47 pm: Power is cut off from the grid, and backup diesel generators kick in to circulate cooling water, which prevents the reactors from overheating.
2:52 pm: Reactor 1’s emergency cooling system opens to relieve pressure inside the reactor vessel. The system is critical in averting a potential explosion.
3:27 pm: The first tsunami hits the 5.7-meter seawall, but the wall holds.
3:46 pm: A 14-meter tsunami overtops the seawall, flooding the facility and disabling the diesel generators. The plant loses all power except for a few mechanical safety systems.
6:00 pm: Water levels drop dangerously in Reactor 1, exposing the nuclear fuel rods to air. Temperatures begin to rise rapidly.
7:02 pm: Prime Minister Naoto Kan declares a nuclear emergency, though no radiation leaks have been reported yet.
9:00 pm: Fears of a steam explosion grow. The government orders an evacuation within a two-mile radius, extending it to 6.2 miles for precaution.
Saturday, March 12, 3:36 pm: Hydrogen gas buildup in Reactor 1 causes a massive explosion, cracking the containment vessel but leaving the core intact. The concrete building around it collapses, injuring four workers. Seawater is pumped in to cool the reactor, despite TEPCO’s orders to halt the process due to contamination risks.
Sunday, March 13, 5:10 am: Fukushima Unit 1 is classified as a level-4 event on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.
Monday, March 14, 11:01 am: Another hydrogen explosion rocks Reactor 3, damaging its cooling system.
Tuesday, March 15, 11:00 am: A second explosion hits Reactor 3, further damaging Reactor 2’s cooling system. Reactor 2 soon enters a full meltdown. Radiation levels spike briefly but then fall.
Brave workers continue battling rising temperatures in the damaged reactors, ultimately containing the worst of the disaster. However, the event leaves a permanent quarantine zone around Fukushima and spurs protests across Japan over nuclear power. The plant’s 40-year-old reactors, lacking modern safety features, and reports of poor maintenance contribute to the catastrophe.
