Posted on 02/15/2002 10:16:49 PM PST by Shermy
From FDNY's Battalion Chief John J. Salka, Jr. "Initial Report on FDNY's Response to the World Trade Center Attacks":
When the first plane crashed the incident was already a "gigantic, once in a lifetime operation." However, the already enormous operation was instantly multiplied by the second plane attack and the ensuing collapse of each tower.
Massive fire was visible in the towers, burning throughout five-floor sections in some areas and in locations as far as 20 floors below the places of impact.
The fire came down with the collapses and created secondary fires all over the surrounding area in buildings and cars. The most involved was the 47-story building next to the WTC, of which 35 floors were on fire.
Because so many water mains had been destroyed, two fire boats were vital in pumping enough water from the Hudson River to supply the firefighting operations at Ground Zero.
You've got a time machine?
Since the scrap is being shipped to CHINA, I guess we'll never know, will we...
I'm not an engineer, so I don't really know. But I would think not since the fire burned so hot and so long. I'm just wondering (speculating) if the terrorists weren't taking any chances and disabled the sprinkler system to ensure maximum casualties.
Have you considered how vulnerable it is where it is -- in 130 (or more) separate storage facilities or waste pools?
Yep, sure do. It starts today. You have a pile of stuff no one wants. You move ahead when you stop adding to it. Tomorrow will soon be today.
A large amount of "Nuclear Waste" is extremely low-level stuff that isn't a danger to anyone, but public preception of radiation dangers requires that special measures be taken in disposal.
Most of it could be washed, shredded, and recylced without danger. Technology is quickly providing us with more options for waste handling annd disposal.
We've been moving nuclear materials for a long time, whether they be fuels, medical materials, waste, or the weapons grade flavor. Nuclear material transportation is pretty well thought out and executed. You would not believe what goes into moving the weapons grade stuff. A small (and well equipped) army would have trouble getting their hands on one of those shipments (yes, this is beside the point as we are talking about waste materials..).
On a personal level I am more concerned that the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality often associated with burying it all away will prevent us from being able to better process our existing wastes into a more stable and safe form.
Move them by rail.
Fewer movements, safer routings.
The '93 WTC bombers allegedly added cyanide to their explosives, but it burned up in the explosion and did not poison anyone. I wonder why they didn't use poison gas on 9/11.
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