2012 Photo Contest, General News, 3rd prize

Japan's Nuclear Refugees

Photographer

David Guttenfelder

The Associated Press for <em>National Geographic</em> magazine

09 July, 2011

An unmade bed, in Okuma, less than five kilometers from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, is testament to a hasty exodus. Evacuation orders were broadcast during a televised news conference before dawn on 12 March.

About the photographer

David Guttenfelder

David Guttenfelder is a photojournalist and National Geographic Explorer focusing on geopolitical conflict, conservation, and culture. Guttenfelder has spent more than 25 year...

Background story

Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan

An unmade bed, in Okuma, less than five kilometers from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, is testament to a hasty exodus. Evacuation orders were broadcast during a televised news conference before dawn on 12 March. The Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan damaged vital cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Blasts occurred in a series of reactors, leading to nuclear meltdown and a release of radioactive material, in what was seen as the world’s most serious nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. A 20-kilometer exclusion zone was declared around the plant, and more than 80,000 people were evacuated. The exclusion zone remained in place for months after the incident, with the Japanese government predicting it could take 40 years to fully decommission the plant and clean up surrounding areas.

Technical information

Shutter Speed
1/125 sec
Focal length
24 mm
F-Stop
f/2.0
ISO
1600

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