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The Soviet Union has paid out $3 billion, mainly for relocation, compensation and loss of power.

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A full report on the cause of the accident was submitted (in Russian) to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It states there was an extraordinary sequence of carelessness, mismanagement and violations of safety codes leading to the accident.

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14:00 – Evacuation of Pripyat begins.
Residents were given two hours to gather their belongings. The evacuation of Pripyat’s 43,000 residents took 3.5 hours, using 1,200 buses from Kiev. Residents remember that everyone was in a hurry, but nobody was panicking. The residents of Pripyat were asked to carry with them only what was required for two or three days, some food, a change of underwear, and their identity papers. Dosimeters are confiscated.

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01:23:44 – Explosion.
The reactor reaches 120 times its full power. All the radioactive fuel disintegrates, and pressure from all of the excess steam which was supposed to go to the turbines broke every one of the pressure tubes leading to an explosion.

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Vitali Sklyarov, Minister of Power and Electrification of Ukraine, in reference to the nuclear reactors in Ukraine, is quoted in Soviet Life magazine as saying:“The odds of a meltdown are one in 10,000 years. The plants have safe and reliable controls that are protected from any breakdown with three safety systems.”

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The Minister of Energy, Anatoly Mayorets, decrees that information on any adverse effects caused by the functioning of the energy industry on employees, inhabitants and the environment, were not suitable for publication by newspapers, radio or television.

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December – The construction of Unit 4 at Chernobyl is completed and the plant becomes operational on the 20th.

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A partial core meltdown occurs in reactor No. 1. The extent of the accident was not made public until 1985.  The reactor was repaired and put back into operation within months.

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The first of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plants four reactors is ready to operate followed by number 2 in 1978.

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Discussions take place in Kiev about the type of nuclear plant to be built at Chernobyl.

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Construction of the town of Pripyat, one of 9 “atom towns” begins, to be inhabited by future employees of the nuclear power plants.

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by Aldahir Martinez and Irvin Garcia
Period 1