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As Hurricane Irene approaches, feds take precautions to protect nuclear plants
As Hurricane Irene barrels up the East Coast, federal officials said Friday they were taking extra precautions to secure a slew of nuclear power plants along the storm’s path.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has dispatched extra inspectors to nine plants in North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York.
“NRC inspectors have verified that the plants have made the necessary preparations for Hurricane Irene,” the NRC said in a statement. “The agency has pre-positioned staff to monitor events and respond before, during and after the storm. Actions have been taken to ensure continuous communications with NRC-licensed facilities along the projected path of the storm.”
As of Saturday morning, the storm, a Category-1 hurricane, was approaching North Carolina and moving up the Atlantic coast. President Obama cut his vacation short Friday because of the storm and warned the public to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves.
The NRC said it has confirmed that nuclear power plants in the storm’s path are prepared for the hurricane, including the possibility of a loss of offsite power and flooding.
Hurricane Irene comes just days after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake caused two nuclear reactors at the North Anna Power Station in Louisa County, Va., to shut down. The plant also lost offsite power.
Though plant operator Dominion Virginia Power said the facility suffered no damage and offsite power was restored, nuclear critics pounced on the incident, calling for stronger regulations to protect reactors from earthquakes.
