MOSCOW, October 4 (RIA Novosti), Ekaterina Blinova - TEPCO, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, has revealed that the approaching typhoon could hit the damaged, decommissioned 40-year old nuclear power facility Fukushima No.1, which was severely affected during the earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
"The deluge would likely cause seawater to mingle with the radiation-tainted water accumulating in the basements of the reactor buildings at the six-unit plant, allowing 100 trillion becquerels of cesium to escape, according to an estimate that TEPCO revealed Friday at a meeting of the Nuclear Regulation Authority," the Japan Times reports.
According to the media outlet, tidal waves from the storm are likely to reach a maximum height of 26.3 meters or more. The storm is likely to strike the Fukushima No.2 nuclear plant as well, but "its idled reactors and fuel pools" are not expected to be destroyed, TEPCO officials assert.
It should be noted that the 2011 tsunami, which preceded a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, reached a height of 15.5 meters when it hit the plant.
In order to minimize the impact of the hurricane, TEPCO "will reduce the vast quantity of radioactive water" on the site, the Asahi Shimbun notes. Citing TEPCO's officials, the media source claims that the amount of contaminated wate, which is expected to spill into the ocean, could be decreased to 30 percent "by filling in trenches near reactors."
U.S. military bases on alert as Typhoon #Phanfone heads for Japan http://t.co/eqwPwJiZbP pic.twitter.com/PxzI57qzCh
— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) 3 октября 2014
Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) plans to verify the accuracy of TEPCO's estimate and the "appropriateness" of countermeasures being taken in the face of the threat posed by the typhoon.
Super Typhoon #Phanfone heading towards #Japan as seen from space few hours ago. pic.twitter.com/5lDQ7WGgSb
— MetDesk (@metdesk) 4 октября 2014
The prospective damage which the approaching typhoon may cause has sparked a debate in the social networks. Users from around the world are expressing their concerns regarding the further contamination of the ocean which has been caused by leakages from the notorious plant.
TEPCO admits that a tsunami as high as 26.3 meters "occurs once every 10,000 to 100,000 years."
Typhoon Phanfong will be another big setback for Fukushima nuke plant cleanup efforts,& a second storm coming http://t.co/29xYGeap2E
— NC StockGuy (@NCStockGuy) 3 октября 2014
Powerful Typhoon Phanfone could strike Japan, Tokyo this weekend (So, how's that Fukushima thing coming along?) http://t.co/r3hsEObCrF
— Quaker Orts (@quakerorts) 3 октября 2014
US hit with worst fallout the year AFTER Fukushima. Radioactive cesium at highest levels ever recorded by EPA. http://t.co/ifRLHHLT5J
— Justin Byrne (@justinbyrne42) 4 октября 2014
