Japanese nuclear plant survived tsunami, offers clues

Reuters ^ | Oct 19, 2011 | Risa Maeda

[SteveH]

When the 13-meter (40-foot) tsunami that wrecked Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant hit Onagawa to the northeast, hundreds of residents found refuge at the local nuclear plant, rather than run the other way.

It was the right call.

At Fukushima, the tsunami knocked out power supply and its cooling system, triggering reactor meltdowns and forcing 80,000 to evacuate in the world's worst nuclear accident in 25 years. The Onagawa plant, in contrast, shut down safely and its gym served for three months as a shelter for those made homeless.

"At that time, there was no better place than the nuclear plant," said Hisashi Kimura, 57, who lost his home in Tsukahama, a small community on the outskirts of Onagawa just one km from the plant, and now lives in a temporary housing.

[SteveH]

This is relatively old news but I did not see the title in an archive search and the topic is IMHO at least historically important.

[meatloaf]

I worked at a nuke that was hit by a tornado while it was under construction. The tornado did no damage to the critical structures even with a direct hit.