Fukushima on US soil anyone? Nebraska's Ft. Calhoun in danger

The Missouri flooding is affecting Fort Calhoun nuclear plant in Nebraska. The plant is completely surrounded by water, when photos were published it freaked everyone out. It is said to still be dry thanks to an aqua berm. However there was a 'notification of unusual event' posted, and since then rumors have taken off.

 The officials are saying, 'it's safe, I tell ya!'

Flood notes: Guard sends copters, crews to Eppley
'Nuclear regulators and the utility that runs the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant said again Friday that there is little cause for immediate concern from Missouri River flooding.  The plant, encircled by a giant rubber barrier against the water, has been shut down since April for scheduled maintenance. Omaha Public Power District said the complex will not be reactivated until the flooding subsides."

No, there have been no radioactive releases, I tell ya!

Radioactive Releases Not Expected at Omaha Nuclear Power Plant
"Officials at the Omaha Public Power District say there have been no releases of radioactive material since flooding from the Missouri River caused them to declare a low-level emergency June 6 at the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant. The emergency level, declared as "a notification of an unusual event," is the lowest possible of four standard emergency classifications set by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and, as of now, there has been no risk to the public."

OPPD Dispels Nuclear Meltdown Rumors In Ft. Calhoun
"Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman toured the flooded Missouri River this week and saw the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant, seemingly inundated by water. The same image that the governor saw reached the Internet and had led to a wave of rumors. But Omaha Public Power District officials said the images don't tell the whole story. They said the flood water pumped into a giant donut around the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant was put there to keep flood water out. Officials called it an "aqua berm." The OPPD showed videos taken almost two weeks ago to demonstrate the efforts to keep the facility dry. "I want (people) to understand the plant is safe (and) will continue to be safe," said Dave Bannister, an OPPD nuclear plant officer. Officials said on Friday that the plant is on the lowest emergency status, but they are prepared if it rises another 10 feet."

So what if there was a fire?! All is well I tell ya!

Electrical Fire Knocks Out Spent Fuel Cooling at Nebraska Nuke Plant
A fire in an electrical switch room on Tuesday briefly knocked out cooling for a pool holding spent nuclear fuel at the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant outside Omaha, Neb., plant officials said. Officials at Fort Calhoun said the situation at their plant came nowhere near to Fukushima's. They said it would have taken 88 hours for the heat produced by the fuel to boil away the cooling water.  Workers restored cooling in about 90 minutes, and plant officials said the temperature in the pool only increased by two degrees."

Obama orders news blackout over crippled nuke plant in Nebraska
"A shocking report prepared by Russia’s Federal Atomic Energy Agency (FAAE) on information provided to them by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) states that the Obama regime has ordered a “total and complete” news blackout relating to any information regarding the near catastrophic meltdown of the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant located in Nebraska. According to this report, the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant suffered a “catastrophic loss of cooling” to one of its idle spent fuel rod pools on 7 June after this plant was deluged with water caused by the historic flooding of the Missouri River which resulted in a fire causing the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) to issue a “no-fly ban” over the area."

Aw, that last report was from The Nation in Pakistan. Pakistan hates Obama. They lie all the time. They would say anything, even if it wasn't true, wouldn't they? Well, ahem, the 'no fly' order is...true.

Airspace Over Flooded Nebraska Nuclear Power Plant Still Closed
"On June 6th, the Federal Administration Aviation (FAA) issued a directive banning aircraft from entering the airspace within a two-mile radius of the plant. "No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM," referring to the "notice to airmen," effective immediately. The OPPD claims the FAA closed airspace over the plant because of the Missouri River flooding. But the FAA ban specifically lists the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant as the location for the flight ban. Asked about the FAA flight ban, Hanson it was due to high power lines and "security reasons that we can't reveal." He said the flight ban remains in effect."

If any of the dams upriver from Fort Calhoun break, and they are all full as of now, a wall of water will cascade into the Fort Calhoun plant. And we have seen what a wall of water will do to a nuclear plant.

OPPD (Omaha Public Power District) has set up a web page to rebut the rumors. It is here. But no doubt, people are jittery over Fukushima.

This week green tea was sent back.

Japan's green tea contaminated with radiation
JAPANESE green tea, esteemed around the world for its purity and health-enhancing properties, has become contaminated with radiation, as fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant continues to blight Japan's agricultural heartlands, authorities revealed today."

Worse than that, the first birth deformities are showing up. This week a rabbit was born near the plant that had no ears. Rabbits have a faster life cycle so it makes sense that any deformities would show up in that mammal first. "The rabbit was born on May 7, according to its owner, Yuko Sugimoto, in the town of Namie, which is just outside the 18-mile exclusion zone that has been imposed around the crippled plant. The town has, however, been identified as a radiation hot-spot."

Is it any wonder the Americans looking at photos of a nearly inundated nuclear plant, hearing of fires, lack of cooling, no fly zone and news blackout from a less than honest government are NERVOUS?? And I'm not talking about Japan here, I'm talking Nebraska.

Oh, and PS? Cooper Nuclear Station in Nebraska just posted a "Notification of Unusual Event" due to the rising flood waters. According to that Nuclear Plant's emergency procedures, "The plan's procedures dictate when the Missouri River's water level reaches 42.5 feet, or greater than 899 feet above sea level, a notification of unusual event is declared. Should the river's level increase to 900 feet above sea level, plant personnel will also barricade internal doorways as another layer of protection for facility equipment. If the river's level increases to 45.5 feet or 902 feet above sea level, plant operators would take the station offline as a protective safety measure. The plant was built at 903' MSL, which is 13 feet above natural grade."

Comments

  1. I just read about this from another website and wondered if you had heard about it yet. I actually listened to nuclear engineer Arnie Gunderson address this issue during an interview.

    Here is a link to the interview and some more information on this topic:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSvvmrB7qEg&feature=player_embedded

    What they didn't mention, that you brought up, is that Obama wants to cover this up. I think that is the most unsettling part of the story so far. That other countries know more about our problem than we do.

    Thanks Elizabeth for the thorough report.

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  2. I heard about it when the lodged the 'notification of unusual event' and then watched as the issue progressed. The no fly zone is what got me. I like Arnie Gunderson and I've seen the clip of him talking about it. His information on all the dams upriver was startling. I was also upset to see the Nebraska television station report that the local officials (didn't catch which ones) told the news crew not to go near the place, but because the river is a public waterway, they went anyway. Good for them. I guess I just have an inherent abhorrence to government telling me where I can go and can't go.

    I looked into the US no-fly zones and there have been 59 of them with only half the year gone, this year, last year there were 5. Half the reasons for no fly at certain locations have been "security." Some seem legitimate, providing safe zones for firefighting, but it still is startling to see so many and most of those have been in June, this month. Here is the link to he list of Federal Aviation Administration called no-fly zones:
    http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html

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  3. Oh, and your comment about reading things in other media: I get upset and embarrassed when that happens. I read about the Boise-Chinese industrial city in Der Spiegel and I read a LOT in the UK Daily Mail which reports more thoroughly on US events than all our media combined. They really do a very good job. I think all US media is pretty well useless, and I used to be a member of it.

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