Project Flood nuclear 'alert': Obama, Red Cross declare emergencies

Project Flood 2011 and tornados meet two nuclear stations

Two United States nuclear power plants are on alert and President Obama has declared emergencies in Nebraska's counties where both nuclear stations are experiencing "unusual events." The official emergency declarations apply to both counties where the nuclear facilities are threatened with flood waters. Red Cross closed its emergency shelter at Fort Calhoun, home of one of the nuclear facilities, and is now referring and transitioning evacuees to other shelters. Red Cross is due to assess Fort Calhoun when conditions permit.

View slideshow: Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant

"Massive flooding along the Missouri River has put Nebraska's two nuclear plants, both near Omaha, on alert," reported Amy Goodman for The Guardian on Wednesday.

Obama declared an emergency in Nebraska and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the area affected by flooding. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is now authorized to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide assistance in the counties included in the declaration.

Cooper Nuclear Station near Brownville, Nebraska missed shutting down its reactor by only 18 inches on Monday and is now only three inches from closing. Reportedly, due to the rising Missouri River, Cooper Nuclear Station declared a "notification of unusual event" according to officials who said this is standard procedure and that flood barricades and protections are holding. (See: http://www.wmrn.com/pages/nationalnews.html?feed=104668&article=8727028#ixzz1PyFgZOKw) The designation was made Sunday when the river reached 42.5 feet, or 899 feet above sea level, the Omaha World-Herald reported.

Then, Monday night, at least one powerful tornado and 23 others ripped through central Nebraska according to kolotv.com. It was reported that 75-85 mile an hour winds headed to Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant area in Nebraska. No damage was reported there.

FEMA made the announcement of the Emergency Declaration (EM-3323) Saturday after Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman asked for the aid Friday according to Associated Press. Aside from Washington County Other counties in the declaration are Boyd, Burt, Cass, Cedar, Dakota, Dixon, Douglas, Garden, Knox, Lincoln, Morrill, Nemaha, Otoe, Richardson, Sarpy, Scotts Bluff, Thurston plus where the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant is, Washington County.

On May 27, the Red Cross has already issued a Disaster Alert for Ft. Calhoun stating, "Heavy rain caused flooding that affected residents of Ft Calhoun located in Washington County on Thursday" and will "conduct a Disaster Assessment when conditions permit."

The Red Cross has now closed its shelter at Fort Calhoun near the distressed nuclear power plant, stating it was due to "decreased need." The Red Cross advised anyone "impacted by the flood is urged to go to a Red Cross shelter where they can get a hot meal, a safe place to stay, minor first aid, referrals and a shoulder to lean on." It directing people to go to its Shelter Locations (Open 24 hours) at Missouri Valley High School (605 Lincoln Highway, Missouri Valley, IA) or Peru State College-JF Neal Hall, (Neal Street, Peru, Nebraska.)

Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant jitters justified

"Makeshift barriers" are being used in attempt to control flooding at Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station. The New York Times reported Monday that the Fort Calhoun plant, now approximately two feet below the current river level, is using as a protective measure "makeshift barriers — including a water-filled rubber tube eight feet high and a third of a mile long" to "help keep water away from the vital buildings, including the training center, the administration building and a security building."

“It is an added level of protection,” said Jeff Hanson, a spokesman for the nuclear utility.

Protecting what? is the question needing to be asked according to the Hawaiian New Daily.The no-fly zone and the makeshift “AquaDam” at Fort Calhoun is noted by Tom Burnett. There is a "foot-deep pool next to the reactor for spent fuel rods."

Burnett furthers, however, that "the pool was so full in 2009, they were sealing the fuel rods up in dry casks and sticking them in an on-site ‘mausoleum’."

"This, of course, is why there is a no-fly zone around the plant — someone might realize that wherever the fuel casks and underground fuel pools are, they are NOT inside the condom."

Arthur Hu found the dry-storage bunker was half-submerged outside the condom.

"No one really knows what their condition is – or even if the spent fuel is still on-site. No one in the major media is asking the question, and the operators aren’t saying," reported Burnett today.

Added to the nuclear situation at Fort Calhoun is the flooding. Hanson said, “If the water were up to the plant itself, it would still be protected. The plant itself is watertight.” (Emphasis added) On June 16, however, a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) event report involving penetration and potentially water pumps at the Ft. Calhoun Nuclear Station: “Potential flooding issue in the Intake Structure,”: “There is one penetration of concern” that could impact water pumps. The report included:

"Operations identified a potential flooding issue in the Intake Structure 1007 ft. 6 in. level. The area of concern is a the hole in the floor at the 1007 ft. 6 in. level where the relief valve from FP-1A discharge pipe goes through the raw pump bay and discharges into the intake cell. There is one penetration of concern. Flooding through this penetration could have impacted the ability of the station’s Raw Water (RW) pumps to perform their design accident mitigation functions."

In the Licensee Event Report 2011-003, Revision 1, for the Fort Calhoun Station, NRC, May 16, 2011, it was reported, "As a result of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection conducted from January 1 to June 21, 2010, the NRC determined that Fort Calhoun Station (FCS) did not have adequate procedures to protect the intake structure and auxiliary building against external flooding events." (Emphasis added)

The May 16 report furthered:

"During identification and evaluation of flood barriers (condition report (CR) 2010-2387), in response to NRC findings previously noted, unsealed through wall penetrations in the intake structure were identified that are below the licensing basis flood elevation. These penetrations were installed during the installation of upgrades to the plant fire protection system. As a result of the penetrations not being sealed, the intake structure was vulnerable to water inflow during an extreme flooding event. This inflow had the potential to affect the operability of both trains of safety related raw water pumps (ultimate heat sink).

Back on February 4, 2011, an 8-hour Safety Significance report was made under 10 CFR 50.72 (b)(3)(v)(D) to the NRC Headquarters Operation Office (HOO) at 1717 CST (Event Number (EN) 46594), as highlighted by E

"SAFETY SIGNIFICANCE

"The Fort Calhoun Station is required to be protected from flooding within the station’s licensing basis. The safety related equipment required to mitigate the consequences of an accident were affected by these findings. The openings could have jeopardized the ability of the safety related equipment to perform their design basis function during an accident.

"Therefore, this external flooding concern has substantial importance to safety as indicated by the Yellow Finding issued for this event.

"The ultimate heat sink (UHS) is the source of cooling water provided to dissipate reactor decay heat and essential cooling system heat loads after a normal reactor shutdown or a shutdown following an accident, including a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA)."

According to a Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists article by Dawn Stover dated June 16, 2011, "Rising water, falling journalism," virtually every article about Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station flooding mentions that the plant was shut down on April 9 but none to that date explained that despite being closed, nuclear fuel remains hot.

"On May 27, the Omaha World-Herald reported, “The Omaha Public Power District said its nuclear plant at Fort Calhoun, which is shut down for maintenance, is safe from flooding.” The implication is that being shut down makes a plant safe. But as the ongoing crisis in Fukushima demonstrates, nuclear fuel remains hot long after a reactor is shut down. When Fort Calhoun is shut down for maintenance and refueling, only one-third of the fuel in the reactor core is removed." (Emphasis added)

Last week, on June 17, at Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station, an "additional penetration was identified for mitigation during walkdown and the following reported was lodged: (Emphasis added) Event Number: 46965, Current Event Notification Report for June 17, 2011, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, June 17, 2011 reported, "There is one penetration of concern that could impact pumps."

That report included:

"Facility: FORT CALHOUN

Notification Date: 06/16/2011

Notification Time: 14:46 [ET]

Event Date: 06/16/2011

Event Time: 12:30 [CDT]

Event Text: ADDITIONAL PENETRATION IDENTIFIED FOR MITIGATION DURING WALKDOWN

“Operations identified a potential flooding issue in the Intake Structure 1007 ft. 6 in. level. The area of concern is a the hole in the floor at the 1007 ft. 6 in. level where the relief valve from FP-1A discharge pipe goes through the raw pump bay and discharges into the intake cell. There is one penetration of concern. Flooding through this penetration could have impacted the ability of the station’s Raw Water (RW) pumps to perform their design accident mitigation functions.

“Efforts are in progress to seal the penetration.

This eight-hour notification is being made pursuant to 10 CFR 50.72 (b)(3)(v).”

The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector."

Mass emergency care, not renewable energy safety and jobs

The human rights issue at play is that now, instead of resources being used to increase renewable energy and jobs it could be providing, human mass care services are needed. With the president's emergency declared, the FEMA-American Red Cross partnership are now charged with the mass care services for the Fort Calhoun area.

On October 22, 2010, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and American Red Cross signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that "set the framework for Red Cross and FEMA to jointly lead the planning and coordination of mass care services, which will strengthen and expand the resources available to help shelter, feed, provide emergency first aid and deliver supplies to survivors of a disaster." (See: //www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=53086)

"By sharing the lead role, FEMA and the Red Cross will jointly assist states in their planning and coordinating of mass care services."

The Red Cross is advertising over 200 paid jobs in the Omaha, Nebraska area according to Simply Hired. Rather than funds for emergency care for survivors of unsafe non-renweable energy, those funds could be used for jobs in renewable energy that is safe, clean and healthy.

Goodman states,

"The US energy mix, instead, should include a national jobs programme to make existing buildings energy efficient, and to install solar and wind-power technology where appropriate. These jobs could not be outsourced and would immediately reduce our energy use and, thus, our reliance on foreign oil and domestic coal and nuclear. Such a programme could favour US manufacturers, to keep the money in the US economy.

"That would be a simple, effective and sane reaction to Fukushima."