The Miami Herald reported Wednesday that the plans for 3 nuclear plants in Florida are indeed safe. What nuclear expert said that they were safe? Apparently the expert was Governor Rick Scott who reviewed the plans and "declared the facilities and emergency responders prepared to face any 'natural or man-made disaster' -- from a quake to far-more-likely hurricanes and storm surges."
Doesn't that make you feel reassured? A hospital flimflammer/businessman is our new nuclear expert. When did Rick Scott get a degree in Nuclear Engineering?
Weren't Japan's reactors deemed safe as well, by far more qualified experts? If anything, Japan's experience is a wake-up call against having more than one reactor in any one place. Do we want 4 reactors in South Miami-Dade, like Japan? We had better rise up and revolt because otherwise, that is just what we are going to get.
I updated our map (above). I approximated 20 miles for evacuation. We are now into very populated areas. What is Japan up to now...25 miles? I wrote this on Wednesday...could be more by now.
14 comments:
When was the last time a 9.0 'quake hit South Florida?
Or a tsunami?
Even a 210 mph hurricane coulnd't do it.
What am I missing?
The fault line off the west coast of Africa has a tsunami with our name on it. When, not if because it will happen one day, the underwater mountain side gives way Florida will be swept by a wave that will wash across 2/3rds of the state. More than likely it will render the state uninhabitable so what threat will nuclear be anyway?
Two anon's above, I think you're really missing the point here. Do you work for FPL or Bercow?
How many "minor" emergency's have we heard about at Turkey Point - days or weeks later.
The people in Japan are in the middle of a major radioactive fall out, not matter how someone wants to spin it. In the Herald this morning there was an article about the special suits to prevent radiation exposure, and how even the most seemingly "minor" event, it not "minor" at all.
If Nuclear Reactors are built in an area where there are not people for 100 miles, I'd be supportive.
Turkey Point ignores the salt water intrusion and raising sea levels. Ignoring those issues doesn't mean they don't exist.
Evacuations will be a nightmare, even within the 10 miles zone. And, for what? To increase capactity to service whom? You'd have to be blind not to put the transmission lines along US1 together with these two new reactors. The increased capacity will be providing electric to areas outside of South Florida, but puts South Florida at risk.
Dear Anon, what you are missing is a 20 foot storm surge that could knock out much of South Dade in the vicinity of the power plant. I suggest passing a law right now that would require elected officials and FPL executives to be first responders to any nuclear crisis at Turkey Point. The guys manning the fire hoses in Japan right now? They should all be politicians forced by law to do a job that puts their lives in immediate jeopardy of radiation poisoning.
Two words: shit happens.
OK, so who gives an obese rodent's posterior what happens to Turkey Point.
According to the gloom and doom forecast from all you anonymous Republicans, we're all gonna die!!!
Here are the common threads for me:
1. water - lots of it
2. Aging reactors
3. Multiple reactors in one location
50 miles is more like it folks, so pack your bags in Coral Gables if something happens. You need to leave too.
Add to this an agency (NRC) that is no more effective, perhaps, than the MMS, rubber stamping what the industry wants.
Is there a place for nuclear? Most likely "yes". Is this a good place for FOUR REACTORS, probably that is a big fat "NO".
As for how honest this company is, go study Port St. Lucie with the instances of brain cancer in children. the data suggests that something is going on there.
Just so you know - NRC leaves it to the individual states and cities as to whether they should stock pile Potassium Iodide pills. Now, they are cheap, easy to get, have a long shelf life if stored in a dark dry place.
So, if our plant were to have a "situation" we should shelter in place, waiting for FPL to tell us the truth (in real time) about what is floating about in the air and then, of course, we will have to wait for the government to save us (like they did for Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina or like they did in getting those skimmers out on the gulf so quickly after the big oil spill). Yeah, great.
Imagine having to abandon your house because of some fool FPL executives who paid off the county commission to give up their right to ask tough questions.
with the blessings of the nrc
All the spent fuel from these plants are still on site. Most from the first day of operation.
Any storm surge that can disrupt water cooling will eventually result in a meltdown. They should close all these plants until they can arrange long term storage for high level waste.
http://www.japannuclear.com/nuclearpower/program/waste.html
I am from central florida and have a few questions about sea level rise. We are conservatively expecting 1 foot rise by 2050. By 2100 we can expect 3 feet. I was wondering if this is factored into any studies. I also wonder if the port tunnel will end up being a tunnel to nowhere.
Nuke plants are all safe. Unless something bad happens.
@scrooge - that's definitely a conservative estimate. Miami-Dade is planning 1 foot in 50 years and 3 or more by 2100.
And as f#ed up as FPL is on many other fronts, the one thing they aren't leaving to chance is sea level rise. The proposed new reactors factor in SLR and will require gargantuan amounts of rock to bring them up to 25 feet above sea level. Now the old units will still be at 9 ft as will the spent fuel...
As for the catastrophe in Japan, I'm struck by the horror facing the workers in the hot zone. Those poor people are doing nothing more than pissing on a hot griddle hoping to keep several of the reactors from going into a complete meltdown. They all have death sentences now.
Readings last night from the area where they were trying to reconnect power were the equivalent of a year's radiation exposure every 8 minutes.
The parallel to TP is the notion of a natural disaster leading to a failure of multiple backup systems - which is what has doomed at least one reactor there. The Japanese run a tight operation, ESPECIALLY when you compare it to FPL. Is it really worth the risk? Remember, you're paying for it. Maybe you should have a say.
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