Relax! Indian Point Nuke Plant is designed to withstand a 6.0 quake. This was only 5.9!

[garybeck]

I saw a documentary a while ago where an engineer at Indian Point Nuke Plant (just a stone's throw from the largest population center in the country) said the plant is designed to withstand a 6.0 quake.

Well today's events sure make me feel safe!

Now I understand why the advertisements say "clean... safe... reliable..." !


Nothing to worry about here. Please look the other way while we extend the license of Vermont Yankee Nuke plant for another 20 years past its designed lifetime. There will never be a 6.0 on the east coast, so there's nothing to worry about.

[uppityperson]

1. K&R.

[Poll_Blind]

2. They're perfectly safe....until something unexpected happens.

PB

[Lint Head]

3. Just watch the shiny light in the moving picture box. There are celebrities

getting married and in rehab to contemplate.

[FBaggins]

4. Indian Point is hundreds of miles away

North Anna is just a few miles from the epicenter and was likely also designed with quakes of about this magnitude in mind.

[garybeck]

6. THIS one is hundreds of miles away, and .1 less than a 6.0. The next one..... ?

I wasn't referring to this one. The problem is that a 6.0+ closer to NYC is not out of the question.

[FBaggins]

10. The design basis also isn't a cliff threshold

It isn't as if 5.9 is no problem but 6.1 means China Syndrom if the plant is designed with a 6.0 in mind.

No point in arguing about it or getting excesively paranoid. This is close to the design level for a pair of reactors. Watch and see what happens.

IIRC, there were protests/lawsuits in the 70s that this plant didn't have conservative enough estimates for earthquakes. Just think of the "told ya so" there could be if everything falls apart?

[garybeck]

11. obviously.

i didn't say 5.9 is no problem and 6.1 is the end of the world.

my point was that a big nuke plant that is very close to NYC is only designed to withstand a 6.0 and today's events show that it's possible that could happen. that's all. what would happen if there was a 6.1? a 6.5? who knows.

my point is that it is insane to build such a dangerous contraption and design it only to withstand a 6.0, even though that's exactly what we've done.

[FBaggins]

12. I think this is close to the largest earthquake in VA recorded history

The "big one" a bit over a century ago (1897) was about the same strength.

The fact that something is rare doesn't mean that it never happens.

[DianaForRussFeingold]

5. That's reassuring

I'm in Pittsburgh :scared:

[louis-t]

7. Yeah, what are the chances of that EVER happening again?

Gotta be, like, 2 to 1.

[HappyMe]

8. Well, that's no damn good.

Not all that far from Indian Point. :scared:

[Ruby the Liberal]

9. Well, thats comforting.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

13. I live 10 minutes by car. Over 20 years ago we had a 5.7 epicenter Ardsley. Close to 6.0.