Concerns on the rise as Hurricane Sandy expected to hit 26 nuclear power plants
Russia Today
October 29, 2012
Cape May Lighthouse can be seen as heavy surf from Hurricane Sandy pounds the shoreline on October 29, 2012 (AFP Photo / Mark Wilson)
Millions of Americans are preparing to lose electricity as Hurricane Sandy speeds up the East Coast, but downed power lines might be the least of their worries: the projected path of the storm has Sandy hitting as many as 26 nuclear plants.
More than two dozen nuclear facilities up and down the East Coast could be ravaged by a storm expected to be of epic proportions this week. Arnie Gundersen, the chief engineer of energy consulting company Fairewinds Associates, warns in a recent podcast that even if engineers at plants from North Carolina to New England say their plants have been shut down and are safe from disaster, it may already be too late.
During a recording uploaded to the Fairewinds website on October 28, the nuclear expert explains that facilities that are shut-down in preparation of severe storms like Sandy could still contain dangerous radioactive materials in their cooling pools for as long as two days.
“The plant can withstand relatively high winds, but the transmission grid can’t — that’s all those transmission towers that are all over the states,” Gundersen says. “So what’s like to happen is that power lines will go down and the plant will suffer what will call loss of offsite power,” the same thing that happened at Fukushima, Japan.
Gundersen says that once offsite power is shut down, plants will automatically halt its nuclear chain reaction process because that energy will have nowhere to go. “The plant needs to drop its power immediately because there is no wire at the other end to send it anywhere if the offsite power is lost,” he says.
“There’s 26 power plants in the East Coast that are in the area where sandy is like to hit, and hopefully as the storm track becomes better defined, the plants that are most subject to it — likely New Jersey and Pennsylvania — preventively shut down,” Gundersen says. Assuming those facilities preemptively put their nuclear plans on hold, he adds, “will of course minimize the impact: the jarring to the nuclear reactor and its safety systems.”
But even if plants are shut down, though, onsite power will need to be pushed somewhere, which then raises an entirely independent question of how to handle a surplus of radioactive, intense energy.
“When offsite power is lost, the plant is forced to dramatically reduce power real quickly and then it still needs to be cooled,” he says.
“You’ll hear in the next two days, ‘we’ve shut down the plant,’” he says, “but what that means is they stopped the chain reaction. But what Fukushima taught us was that that doesn’t stop the decay heat. There is still as much as 5 percent of the power from the power plant that doesn’t go away when the plant shuts down, and for that you need the diesels to keep the plant cool,” referring to the diesel-powered generators that will control the reservoirs.
“Some of these plants have two diesels, and some of these have three diesels, and they are designed so that if one of these fails then they can still get by,” he says. “As the plant operator, as the people running the plant, it’s a little bit of a nervous time to realize that you’re on your last fall-back,” he warns. “You just hope that’s your last fall-back.”
Even if pools can still be powered and cooled, that doesn’t mean that a chance of a disaster is nil: according to a McClatchy report from 2011, the cooling pool used in the US contain much more nuclear material on average than those in Japan.
Some facilities in the storm’s trajectory, such as the nation’s oldest nuclear plant — Oyster Creek in Lacey, New Jersey — have already pulled the plug for other reasons. In that case, routine maintenance has already allowed the facility a few days to cool down and will likely spare South Jersey from any otherwise imminent disaster. Across the East Coast, though, other sites might still pose a risk.
Speaking to Bloomberg News, Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Neil Sheehan says the agency is prepared to see “an impact to coastal and inland plants” and is planning on stationing inspectors at plants expected to be hit.
[hat tip: LittleSisMedia]
BC Teen Arrested For Photographing RCMP [video]
Press For Truth
October 29, 2012
Today on Press For Truth TV we are joined by Jakub Markiewicz, a young aspiring journalist who was arrested by the RCMP for taking their photo and for photographing mall security guards during an arrest. This rude awakening to the Canadian police state has not detoured Jakub from wanting to document news worthy events. A flash mob is being organized in Vancouver as an act of civil disobedience which is aimed at letting the authorities know that when you pick on the free press, you can expect a response.
Metrotown Photography Flash Mob on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/events/359447394148920/
Follow Jakub on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/vangrafics
Press For Truth Assaulted By Security Thug While Covering Al Gore Event/Climategate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fI28DcXRHw
Press For Truth – Follow Up Video For Al Gore Event/Climategate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JffvOrRr_pc
Get updates like this everyday and support independent media by joining Press For Truth TV: http://pressfortruth.tv/register/
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Hurricane Sandy: Photos and first-hand accounts from across the Northeast
The Week
October 29, 2012
As the devastating Frankenstorm roars toward New York City, residents in the storm’s path chronicle the destruction
Hurricane Sandy is making its way toward some of the most heavily populated cities in America, threatening some 60 million residents with 90 mph sustained winds, strong storm surges, and potential power outages. For more background, check out our guide to the storm, and watch the Weather Channel’s live Hurricane Sandy coverage. As the Frankenstorm approaches, many people have taken to social media to share what’s happening in their area. Below are some of the most telling posts. To share what’s happening in your area, tweet us @TheWeek or leave a comment on our Facebook page.
[hat tip: LittleSisMedia]
Hurricane Sandy Exploding Transformers and Causing Fires in NY and NJ – Oct. 29, 2012 [video]
Sheila Aliens
October 29, 2012
Various sources from youtube.
Superstorm Sandy reaches US East Coast
Russia Today
October 30, 2012
A view of the corner of 34th Street and 1st Street in Manhattan during rains from Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012 in New York City. (AFP Photo / Michael Heiman)
The center of superstorm Sandy has reached the US state of New Jersey. The hurricane, which was downgraded to the “post-tropical” storm, has already left over 2 million along the East Coast without power.
The storm, packing torrential rains and wind, made landfall along the New Jersey coast near Atlantic City, the National Hurricane Center says.
Earlier, the NHC said the category 1 Hurricane Sandy had lost tropical characteristics, becoming a “post-tropical cyclone” with maximum sustained winds near 85 mph and gusts reaching 115 mph.
The storm has heavily affected many parts of New York City, with power outages and several feet of water hitting large areas of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The Statue of Liberty’s torch has gone out, apparently due to extreme weather conditions.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned that conditions are expected to worsen, urging New Yorkers to stay inside. “Conditions outside are dangerous, and they are only going to get worse in the hours ahead,” he told a press conference.
At least one man has been killed after a tree fell on his house in the Queens section of New York City.
New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that subway and bus networks are suspended and will remain closed for an unknown period of time. “Service will be restored only when it is safe to do so, and after careful inspections of all equipment, tracks and other sub-systems and bus routes. Even with minimal damage this is expected to be a lengthy process,” the MTA said in a statement.
MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota told WABC Television that subway service could be crippled for “at least a week.”
Meanwhile, social networks users on Manhattan’s Lower East Side have reported a “huge explosion” that preceded the neighborhood’s power going out. Lower Manhattan now appears to be without electricity across the board.
14th Street transformer explodes(Image from instagram user @georgeweld)
Power has gone out in much of Lower Manhattan. (Image from twitter user@alananewhouse)
The remains of scaffolding from above a Starbucks lies on the ground in lower Manhattan as Hurricane Sandy begins to affect the area on October 29, 2012 in New York City. (AFP Photo / Spencer Platt)
A police car looks out over Manhattan from near the Brooklyn Bridge as Hurricane Sandy begins to affect the area on October 29, 2012 in the in Brooklyn of New York City. (AFP Photo / Spencer Platt)
Ocean Avenue is flooded caused by Hurricane Sandy, on October 29, 2012 in Cape May, The New Jersey. (AFP Photo / Mark Wilson)
[hat tip: LittleSisMedia]
The $100 Billion Storm: 17 Things You Should Know About Hurricane Sandy
By Michael
TheEconomicCollapseBlog.com
October 28, 2012
Meteorologists are warning that Hurricane Sandy could potentially be the worst storm to hit the east coast of the United States in 100 years. Do you remember “the perfect storm” back in 1991? That storm was so bad that Hollywood made a blockbuster movie starring George Clooney about it. Well, this storm is going to be much worse. When I first heard about Hurricane Sandy, I didn’t make that much of it. I figured that the east coast would get some wind and some rain and that they would whine about it a bit but that everything would be just fine. But then I started looking into this storm a bit more. It turns out that this storm is even larger than Hurricane Katrina was. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has categorized the destructive potential of this storm to be 5.8 on a scale that goes from 0 to 6. So don’t be fooled when you hear that this is only a “category 1 storm” or that the maximum winds will only be around 80 MPH. It is the unprecedented size of this storm and the mind boggling storm surges that it is producing that truly make it dangerous. It is being reported that Hurricane Sandy is more than 1,000 miles across from one end to the other. Meteorologists have never seen anything quite like this before, and we are most definitely in unprecedented territory. One meteorologist is already projecting that this megastorm could cause 100 billion dollars in damage, but the true amount of devastation will likely not be fully known for weeks. If you live in the northeast part of the United States, you definitely want to buckle up because you are about to get absolutely hammered.
The following are 17 things that you should know about Hurricane Sandy…
#1 Hurricane Sandy has been dubbed “the Frankenstorm” and many believe that this could be the worst storm to hit the east coast in 100 years.
#2 This is an absolutely massive megastorm. It is being reported that tropical storm-force winds can be felt 520 miles away from the center of the storm.
#3 It is being reported that the sheer size of this storm is absolutely unprecedented…
Since records of storm size began in 1988, no tropical storm or hurricane has been larger, reports meteorologist Jeff Masters of the Weather Underground.
#4 Hurricane Sandy has already forced the cancellation of over 5,000 flights.
#5 Mayor Bloomberg has announced a mandatory evacuation for all New York City residents that are living in “Zone A”.
#6 It is being projected that the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy could be up to 15 feet above sea level in some areas of New York City.
#7 New York City could potentially experience wind speeds of 80 MPH or higher.
#8 Subway service in New York City is being shut down at 7 PM on Sunday evening. There is a very real possibility that the New York City subway system could be severely flooded by this storm. That could be quite crippling, because about 4.3 million people ride the subway in New York every single day.
#9 It has been announced that all public schools in New York City will be closed on Monday.
#10 Schools in Boston will be shut down on Monday as well.
#11 The trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange will be closed on Monday.
#12 50,000 people living along the coast in Delaware have been ordered to evacuate.
#13 Some parts of Kentucky, West Virginia and North Carolina could get up to 2 feet of snow.
#14 It is being estimated that 10 million people living along the east coast could lose power thanks to Hurricane Sandy.
#15 A state of emergency has already been declared in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.
#16 Approximately 50 million people live in the areas that will be directly affected by this storm.
#17 Meteorologist Mike Smith of AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions is projecting that Hurricane Sandy could potentially cause a total of 100 billion dollars in damage to the U.S. economy. That would make it a far more costly disaster than Hurricane Katrina.
Many meteorologists are calling this storm a “worst case scenario”. If you live along the east coast, please take the warnings that you are getting from public officials very seriously. According to NPR, conditions are absolutely perfect for this slow moving giant storm, and it is going to take quite a few days for it to exit the region…
In this case, seas will be amped up by giant waves and full-moon-powered high tides. That will combine with drenching rains, triggering inland flooding as the hurricane merges with a winter storm system that will worsen it and hold it in place for days.
Louis Uccellini, environmental prediction chief for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told The Associated Press that given Sandy’s due east-to-west track into New Jersey, that puts the worst of the storm surge just north in New York City, Long Island and northern New Jersey. “Yes, this is the worst case scenario,” he said.
Please do not underestimate this storm. This is unlike anything that any of us have ever seen before.
If you live in a part of the country that is being affected by this storm, please feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you are seeing in your area. It is going to be a crazy couple of days.
PN 