Originally Posted by jbfield

That's a somewhat emotive word...


Srockmanjr, I do recall that this was mentioned as something they were working to fix a few days ago, but updates on it's progress were certainly lacking.

It will probably solve the problem they haven't explicitly stated: that they don't have enough mobile water pumps or power units (to connect to functioning pumps). This is what all these problem are steaming from. I know I suggested it before but I get more convinced overtime that these problems are occuring because they can only cool a few of the reactors at a time - whilst they cool one, they have to let the other ones heat up again.

There will be the ongoing problem of ensuring they have enough water, that any coolant leaks are fixed, any faulty pumps are replaced and any broken vessels are covered.

The long-term problems will then need to be addressed - such as having the right amount of equipment available to deal with these problems. I strongly suspect that they made a common error in their disaster planning by assuming that the likilyhood of problems affecting a reactor or two would be so low that they ruled out the need to prepare for problems affecting all the reactors....but in doing so, negelected to see the weak-point common to all of their plants.

...Placing all the backup disel generators in a basement locations on the ocean-facing side of the plant also points to this line of thinking.



Really this all needs to get solved as soon as possible so the relief effort can focus on those affected by the original natural disaster, not trying to prevent a human-derived one. There are people out there with their lifes already at a significant immediate risk that need the resources.