Jarold McWilliams <oldja...@hotmail.com> wrote: Fukishima disaster? How many people died in this disaster? 3 so far, 0 > from radiation. >
It was more an economic disaster, like Three Mile Island (TMI). TMI nearly bankrupted the local Pennsylvania power company, and cost billions of dollars. Fukushima effectively bankrupted TEPCO, the largest power company in the world, and it will probably end up costing approximately a trillion dollars after 40 years. I believe the cost will be higher than all other industrial accidents in Japanese history, combined. That's a disaster! It is also an ecological disaster of unknown proportions. A significant fraction of Japan's land area -- 4,000 square miles or 0.3% of all the land in the country -- has been abandoned for 30 to 50 years. 90,000 people are homeless, and have lost their farms, businesses, schools, livestock autos and all other possessions. It also triggered the shutdown of all but 2 Japanese power reactors, which is 18% of their capacity. It destroyed the nuclear power industry in Japan. I think there is no chance additional plants will be approved. The event was unimaginable beforehand. I am pretty sure that if you were to describe such a thing, most politicians and all power company officials would have said, "that would be a disaster, but it is impossible." I would have said that. How much was the damage to property? > About a trillion dollars, as I said. It is unclear whether the costs will be borne by TEPCO and the government, or by the 90,000 people who lost their houses, businesses and farms. Knowing Japan as I do, I predict the victims will end up paying most of the cost. I predict there will be trials lasting decades into the future. TEPCO and it successor companies will use delaying tactics until the victims die of old age. > How many people died when a renewable energy dam broke? > That seldom happens nowadays. Retaining dams made from earth sometimes break, but not power dams made from concrete. About 1,000 and probably about the same economic damage with the homes > washed away. > When and where did that happen? I have never heard of a dam destroying 4,000 square miles. > There were also fires at oil refineries that killed more people than the > nuclear plants. > Not when you take into account people killed by pollution from uranium mining. Fortunately, that has been greatly reduced in recent decades. > Also, the nuclear plants were built in the 1960's. > The 1970s actually, but the accident was caused by the overall facility layout rather than the reactor itself. The emergency power fuel supplies and generators were destroyed by the tsunami. That would destroy any fission reactor, of any current design. The overall design was much more vulnerable than most experts thought possible. Next generation reactor plants may also be vulnerable. We'll never know; they will never build one. At least, not in Japan. - Jed
