As the aftermath of Japan’s March 11 earthquake and tsunami unfolded, many became mesmerized by photos and videos of desperate workers struggling against time to keep the disastrous situation at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant from becoming even worse. Clad in protective gear, they wrestled with fire hoses and power cables in an effort to maintain cooling-water levels and return power to pumping systems, only to be pulled back, time and again, by fears of overexposure to radiation.
One question occurred to many observers during the media coverage of events at the plant: Could a similar disaster happen here?
This article originally ran in the May 2011 issue of Electrical Contractor Magazine