How safe are the Nuclear Plants on the New MadridFault Line

Nuclear power plant in Missouri prepared for natural disaster

KMOV.com

Posted on March 16, 2011 at 10:34 AM


(KMOV)-- In the wake of the nuclear crisis in Japan, nuclear power plants in other parts of the world are scrambling to secure their sites.

The closest plant to St. Louis is the Callaway Nuclear Plant near Fulton, which is about 2 hours from downtown St. Louis.

If the New Madrid Fault triggered a major earthquake near here, Ameren Missouri says they have a plan in place to avoid disaster.

In fact, officials are confident when they say what is happening in Japan will not happen here. Because we only live a few hundred miles from the New Madrid Fault, though, Missourians should take note of the disaster.

In Japan right now, crews are using sea water to cool reactors. The massive amount of water needed for the cooling system at Callaway comes from the Missouri River just a few miles away.

Ameren says they have taken extra precautions to avoid the problems an earthquake could cause.

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Nuclear-power-plant-in-Missouri-prepared-for-natural-disaster-118084189.html

this needs to be shut down sorry but there is no assurance that this is safe

remove the extraneous stuff at the same time.

thanks :nuke:

...Immediately cutting the supply of electricity and gas to your home, flush all medications (accidental poisoning is no joke), dispose of all sources of ignition such as matches and lighters (fire is very dangerous), get rid of your car (car crashes are dangerous), stay indoors and avoid all contact with other people (flu kills). Start with these menaces, all of which kill thousands of times more people every year than nuclear has in its' half-century history, so start there and begin now! You are in DANGER! DANGER!

Obviously, due to the "safety" lifestyle you will be adopting we wont be talking again, so good luck!

sorry but there is no assurance that this is safe.

























Do I really need the sarcasm thingy?

Most likely.

Maybe it doesn't need to be shut down immediately (or maybe that's not feasible).
But given that the situation in Japan is a reminder that many plants were built 30-40 years ago and are aging, certainly a top-down evaluation of the plant structure, its integrity and emergency procedures certainly seems to be in order.

I think the above action ought to also be fully transparent, and that anyone living near the plant should be made aware of worst case scenarios. I'm not saying you need to live in fear, but if you're going to be within a potential danger zone, you should at least be aware of all risks.

<<In fact, officials are confident when they say what is happening in Japan will not happen here.<<

There is really no way they can know that, despite the confidence of the statement. All they can do is make sure that the structures are as fortified and up to date as they can be. And then hope for the best.

Via moondust' link
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42103936/ns/world_news-asia-pacific/

1. Indian Point 3, Buchanan, N.Y.: 1 in 10,000 chance each year. Old estimate: 1 in 17,241. Change in risk: 72 percent.

104. Callaway, Fulton, Mo.: 1 in 500,000 chance each year. Old estimate: N/A. Change in risk: N/A.