Ever wonder what the world would be like if humans suddenly disappeared? When major disasters occur, we see this phenomenon on a small scale, as all residents of a region drop what they’re doing and evacuate. It’s especially apparent when a disaster zone is left unoccupied and untouched for an extended period of time. Food rots on shelves, buildings crumble, wild animals roam the streets, plants grow out of control, and nature eventually reclaims the land.
A series of photos recently released to the internet by Malaysian photographer Keow Wee Loong illustrates the desertion of the Fukushima nuclear exclusion zone in Japan. Loong states that rather than obtain a special permit to enter this exclusion area, he snuck through a forest at 2am, avoiding police on the road. He then proceeded to enter the highly-radioactive red zone, and took photos of what he saw.
Aside from damage caused by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, much of the town appears exactly as it was on March 11th, 2011. Check out the gallery below, or visit this link to view the entire album.
Loong writes, “Everything is exactly where it is after the earthquake struck this town. The reident (sic) started to evacuate the town when tsunami warning came in ….hours later the Fukushima Daichi power plant exploded that lead to harmful radiation leaked. The radiation level is still very high in the red zone. Not many people seen this town for the last 5 years…is like it vanished … I can find food, money, gold, laptop and other valuable in the red zone….I’m amaze that nobody looted this town clean.”
Obviously, it should go without saying that walking through an irradiated area with sandals, no protective clothing, and ineffective face masks is a very bad idea. However, this photographer did so at his own risk, and provided some very insightful photos of what it would look like if everyone suddenly bugged out. It’s certainly an eerie sight.
