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Nuclear Fallout Map Arrives At The Anniversary Of Fukushima Disaster
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 7, 2012
Modified Mar 7, 2012
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NRDC
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 7, 2012
Modified Mar 7, 2012
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Sunday is the one-year anniversary of Japan's earthquake and tsunami that led to the Fukushima disaster. As the crippled nuclear plant continues to struggle with rebuilding and containing the radiation, several workers at the plant traveled to New York this week to speak at Manhattanville College. "I came to convey the reality," one of Fukushima's relief workers, Kazuhiko Amano, told the panel. Even with years of rigorous emergency drills, the community around Fukushima was unprepared. In contrast, Indian Point lacks basic firefighting equipment, and the evacuation plan would take nine-and-a-half hours to evacuate the 450,000 people within a 10-mile radius.
Clearwater, a group that opposes the renewal of Indian Point's operating license, organized Monday's discussion. Indian Point's civil engineer has said that the plant is "designed for the worst-case scenario…even at 8.9 [magnitude] I wouldn't expect too much damage." Still, John Armbruster, a seismologist at Columbia University, told the Times that being prepared for "the worst" may not be enough. “Fukushima was prepared for every earthquake known in the last 1,000 years, but it was struck by the earthquake that happened 1,140 years ago."
Jordan Weaver, a scientist for the Natural Resources Defense Council, says in a release, “There are clear lessons learned from the Fukushima disaster, yet our government allows the risks to remain,” referring to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approach to ensuring that nuclear plants in the U.S. are adequately prepared for disaster. "It doesn’t have to take an earthquake and a tsunami to trigger a severe nuclear meltdown. In addition to human error and hostile acts, more common occurrences like hurricanes, tornadoes and flooding—all of which took place around the country last yearr—could cause the same type of power failure in U.S. plants.”
Using the weather patterns of March 11-12, 2011, when the Fukushima incident occurred, the NRDC has come up with a terrifyingnifty map projecting the fallout of an accident in the U.S. Just plug in your zipcode and curl into the fetal position. Below is the map of the Northeast in the event of nuclear disaster.
For more on the frightening conditions at Fukushima, the global debate over nuclear power, and the NRC's role in regulating the nuclear industry in the U.S., check out Frontline's excellent coverage.
Tagged
fukushima
governor cuomo
indian point
nuclear disaster
nuclear fallout
nuclear power
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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