They prepare for the worst. Around Zaporizhia, where Europe’s largest nuclear power plant will be inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency, residents are considering all scenarios. Including that of a nuclear accident, while the plant has been the scene of bombing for several weeks.
At the Tomakivka medical center, less than 30 kilometers from the plant, for example, 32,000 iodine tablets have arrived. The purpose of these small granules: to protect the thyroid in the event of a radioactive release. They will be distributed to the population in the coming days.
“We have prepared them for each emission center. Tablets are produced in Kyiv. We give instructions to each person, they will know when and how to take them”, specifies Nina Starostenko, director of the medical center.
A plan drawn up before the war, but insufficient means
In the town of Tomakivka, everything is planned in case of an incident: the inhabitants have been instructed, for example, to gather in certain places, such as the agricultural school, where 3,760 people can take refuge.
The director of the establishment has thought of everything, even the table where the names of the evacuees are recorded. A well-established organization, although the daily bombardments in the central area make us fear the worst.
“This evacuation plan was developed before the war. It was developed in peacetime, and now it is totally different, we have to take that into account. It is very difficult, but we have to do it,” says Inna Kutsenko, responsible for the evacuation plan. evacuation. from Tomakivka.
“I try to tell him that everything will be fine”
Far from solving this type of fear, the Tomakivka city council assures that it lacks the means to deal with the nuclear threat. Those in charge of the evacuations, for example, do not have masks or enough protective suits, according to Deputy Mayor Tamara Scherbyak.
In the streets of the city, inevitably, the power plant and the bombings are on everyone’s lips. Even in the middle of arguments, between a father and his five-year-old son.
“I explain the situation to him, he’s not afraid,” says Olexandr, “but I don’t want him to think we’re talking about serious things. We’re talking about it, but in a positive way. I try to tell him he’s going to be okay.”
In total in Zaporizhia and its surroundings, about 50,000 people will have to be evacuated in the event of an incident, to which must be added 1,500 displaced persons. An additional difficulty for local authorities.
Source: BFM TV
