Tsunami Handling at a Nuclear Power Plant

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Introduction

Human life is full of uncertainties that occur as a result of their interference with the ecosystem. However, sometimes these happenings occur due to forces beyond human intervention. In this case, human beings have little or no control over calamities that tend to make human life unbearable. These calamities include earthquakes, landslides, mudslides, floods, lightning, and tsunamis. This research paper will focus on tsunamis and their effects on human beings.

Purpose of the Study

This research paper will explore four key areas that are associated with tsunamis. The first aspect outlines the characteristics of tsunamis including how they are formed, travel, move, and their sizes. The second point involves a study on the tsunami that hit Japan in 2011 and its impacts on the victims. The third aspect involves how a nuclear plant ought to prepare to handle tsunamis as soon as they occur. Lastly, this paper will explore the necessary training that nuclear plant employees should undergo in order to handle tsunamis and their impacts.

Problem Statement

This research paper aims at answering the following questions. Why do tsunamis continue to occur despite efforts to try to control them? Are responsible parties doing enough to fight against the effects of tsunamis? Are nuclear plant personnel trained to handle tsunamis?

Significance of the Study

This study will enable the audience to know how tsunamis are formed and their characteristics. The paper will give an insight into the tsunami that occurred in Japan in 2011 and the resultant effects it had on the environment. In addition, this paper will identify the necessary safety equipment for emergencies at a nuclear power plant located near costs. Lastly, this paper will address the necessary training and awareness programs that will enable nuclear power plant staff to handle tsunamis and their effects.

Methodology and Literature Review

The information presented by this research paper is obtained from online sources that include the national geographic website and other online environmental-related organizations. Other information is obtained from Geography books used by various learning institutions.

Scope and Limitations

This research is based on the findings recorded in various forms ranging from websites, books, and video recordings of the occurrence of tsunamis. It focuses on all aspects that relate to tsunamis and to some smaller extent the ocean tides and earth movements that have a link with tsunamis. However, the paper is limited to nuclear power plants as emergency response units to tsunamis even though there are other units that take part in the fight against tsunamis and their effects.

Procedure and Time Frame

The results presented in this paper are collected from literature presented in various forms since 426 BC from the Greek’s understanding of tsunamis to the recent discussions on the findings of meteorologists. However, for purposes of understanding the tsunami, this information is not presented in a chronological manner.

Analysis, Reliability, and Validity

The information presented in this research paper has been analyzed and proved to be the actual content obtained by various parties that participate in the study of tsunamis. These parties undertook these steps as a way of either educating the public (including learning institutions) or for purposes of trying to find out ways of fighting tsunamis through understanding more about them.

Findings and Observations

Characteristics of tsunamis

Tsunamis refer to a collection of large water waves in a large water mass like a lake or ocean. Research has shown that tsunamis are triggered by a number of factors that contribute individually or collectively to the occurrence of tsunamis. It is necessary to note that tsunamis occur as a result of the disturbance of large water bodies by forces that force the normal water waves to exceed their normal length and strength. The most common known causes of tsunamis include internal and external land forming processes (Boyce 2007). These include volcanic activities, landslides, glaciations, and earthquakes. Sometimes underground explosions in water bodies may trigger tsunamis.

However, it is necessary to note that tsunamis occur as a result of powerful forces originating from either below or above large water bodies. Sometimes these forces act on the water directly or on land far away from these water bodies (Sergeant 2012). Tsunamis resemble ocean tides but with major differences in sizes, length and strength. A typical tsunami is usually a rising tide that does not seem to break and consists of waves that last for considerable periods of time. The wavelengths of tsunamis are higher ranging from tens to hundreds of meters. This means that whenever tsunamis leave devastating effects when they break on coastal lines. Large tsunamis are more prone to cause damages since their force propels them much further inland than ordinary waves and tides.

Contrary to popular beliefs, tides do not have anything to do with the occurrence of tsunamis. As discussed earlier the presence of tsunamis is triggered by displacement of large volumes of water in a large water body like ocean, sea, or lake by one or a combination of the factors mentioned. However, the force of gravity helps in maintaining the displacement of water and thus giving the tsunami more momentum as it moves towards the land.

There are three common ways through which tsunamis are generated. The most common way involves seismicity. The sea bed usually consists of horizontally lying plates of the earth above which water is held. Whenever these plates are displaced by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, one side of the plate breaks away and moves vertically in an opposing direction (Senauth 2011). Consequently, the level of water above these plates is displaced by massive energy from the eruptions. This, in turn, pushes water above these plates at a very high speed causing the effects to be felt as huge volumes of water rise high above sea level.

The second way through which tsunamis are generated is through landslides. This case usually originates from islands as internal and external land forming processes take place. Huge volumes of sand and debris are deposited in water bodies at a rate that is much faster than the water body can handle. This causes an upward displacement of water as the debris plunge into the water at high speed. However, most tsunamis of this nature rarely cross the ocean unless it involves very huge landslides that occur as a result of collapsing volcanic islands. Tsunamis that are generated through these means are commonly known as megatsunamis.

The third way through which tsunamis ate generated is through the falling of meteors that leave huge depressions on the earth’s surface. The force of these meteors as they hit water bodies results in tropical cyclones that are capable of generating storm surges (Kajikawa 2009). These surges cause meteo tsunamis as tides are forced to rise above the normal levels of ordinary waves by several meters.

Generally, tsunamis have devastating effects on the environment in two ways. The first form of destruction occurs when the water surges forward at high speed and smashes against the coastline hitting everything it comes in contact with. This is usually very destructive since the water is pushed by massive pressure from the waves originating from the sea.

The second way through which tsunamis cause destructions is through the sweeping action of the water and debris deposited on land. This water usually recedes at high speed especially in areas where the coastal strip is open, inclined, and submerged by water (Parker 2012). Water sweeps everything along its path as it finds its way back into the adjacent water body.

It is not easy to predict the occurrence or presence of tsunamis especially when the ocean is deep in the area adjacent to the mainland. This is due to the presence of the huge volume area that hides the tides and their magnitude. In these areas, there are usually no visible signs to differentiate tsunamis and normal tides. Therefore, when tsunamis occur, they find people unprepared, and this accounts for their devastating effects. In addition, such tsunamis usually break at high speed forcing water to move very fast deeper into the mainland.

The 2011 Japan tsunami is among the world’s deadliest disasters to ever occur. On Friday11th March 2011 one of the greatest earthquakes on earth occurred at Tohoku. This earthquake originated east of the peninsula approximately 70 kilometers from the scene of the tragedy. This earthquake led to extremely powerful tsunamis that reached about 40.5 meters above sea level and traveled to about 10 kilometers inland. This earthquake moved the earth’s axis by about 10-25 centimeters.

The Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant complex experienced one of the worst disasters to ever hit its three reactors. This earthquake caused power shortages that resulted in system failures; afterward, there was the massive build-up of hydrogen gas in the containment buildings. This caused any people to be evacuated as buildings collapsed. It is estimated that people who resided within a twenty-kilometer mile radius of this power plant were evacuated while those residing within a ten-kilometer radius of the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant were evacuated too.

The National Police Agency of Japan confirmed grieving statistics of the aftermath of the earthquake and the tsunami (McNeill 2012). It was confirmed that fifteen thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven people died while six thousand one hundred and nine were injured while two thousand nine hundred and nine people went missing. The statistics showed that about one hundred and twenty-nine thousand two hundred and twenty-nine buildings collapsed beyond repair while two hundred and fifty-four thousand two hundred and four buildings were partially destroyed.

In addition, most roads and railways in the northeastern parts of Japan were adversely affected. There were also various cases of fire outbreaks as a result of destruction in the power cables and the short-circuiting effects caused by the disaster. In addition, a dam also collapsed due to the impacts of the earthquake.

Moreover, about four and a half million people in the northeastern part of Japan were left in the dark after their electricity supply was cut short by falling poles or collapsed buildings that hampered the supply of electricity (Kingston 2012). The statistics also showed that about one and a half million residents were left with no water as the earthquake broke the water supply pipes.

The losses incurred were tentatively placed at between fourteen to thirty-four billion United States dollars (Amidon 2011). On the other hand, the World Bank put the cost incurred at about two hundred and thirty-five billion United States dollars. This has gone down the annals of history as the most expensive disaster to have occurred.

This 9.0 magnitude earthquake that lasted for about six minutes left the Japanese government in a state of mourning for several days. However, the early warning signs that were transmitted to the seismometers helped the Japan Meteorological Agency to broadcast an impending disaster. This helped many people to relocate to safer grounds and in turn, saved many lives.

There are several emergency safety equipment and measures that must be put in place to enable the staff working at these nuclear reactors’ power plants to do their work effectively. There must be a reliable power backup system to provide an alternative source of energy should there be a shortage of power not only due to the destructive effects of tsunamis or earthquakes but also cushion the plant against instances of power blackouts. In addition, these alternative energy sources will play vital roles in running the nuclear reactors to avoid overproduction and build up of hydrogen gas in the buildings that house these containers. There is a need for the power plants to develop an effective communication system to ensure emergencies are communicated to the staff and the neighborhood to avoid or reduce the number of causalities. As seen in the above discussion, the timely communication of issuing alarm signals for an impending tsunami ensured many lives were saved as people had time to relocate to safer grounds (Hiroshe 2012). In addition, these power plants need to have effective evacuation plans that will ensure people are evacuated within the shortest time possible to save lives. These plants should have aircraft and well-connected road and rail networks to ensure many people are evacuated in case such disasters happen.

Employees at a nuclear power plant should be given general knowledge regarding tsunamis and earthquakes. They should be informed on the causes, effects, and solutions to problems associated with tsunamis. This will equip them with adequate knowledge regarding safety measures that have to be taken to combat the effects of tsunamis. Secondly, there is a need to educate them on their own safety. This will ensure they not only save the lives of other people but also their lives. It is not wise for these employees to save the lives of other people and lose their own. In fact, the first safety measure they should be educated about is how to keep themselves safe from tsunamis.

Lastly, they should be educated about the nature of all sectors of the plant. They should be aware of the side effects of each component in the nuclear plant should it come into contact with human or plant life (Luke 2012). In addition, they should be aware of the necessary steps to be taken in order to avoid further disasters like explosions in the nuclear reactor plants when earthquakes or tsunamis occur.

Conclusion

It is extremely impossible to stop the occurrence of natural disasters. Even though some of them are partially triggered by human activities, when their effects begin to take a toll on human beings it is impossible to stop them. However, people can take some steps to avoid or limit the effects of disasters like tsunamis. This will be possible if there is proper equipment to predict the occurrence of earthquakes or tsunamis and advise people accordingly. States should have efficient response units to ensure there are no or few causalities should these disasters strike.

References

Amidon, M. (2011). The 2011 Japan Disasters (Essential Events). New York: Essential Library.

Boyce, N. (2007). Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #15: Tsunamis and other Natural Disasters. New York: Random House Books.

Hiroshe. (2012). Fukushima Meltdown: The World’s First Earthquake-Tsunami-Nuclear Disaster. Charleston: CreateSpace.

Kajikawa, K. (2009). Tsunami! New York: Philomel.

Kingston, J. (2012). Natural Disaster and Nuclear Crisis in Japan: Response and Recovery after Japan’s 3/11. New York: Routledge.

Luke, E. (2012). March was Made of Yarn: Reflections on the Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Meltdown. New York: Vintage.

McNeill, D. (2012). Strong in the Rain: Surviving Japan’s Earthquake, Tsunami and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster. New York: Palgrave McMillan.

Parker, B. (2012). The Power of the Sea: Tsunamis, Storm Surges, Rogue Waves, and Our Quest to Predict Disasters. New York: Palgrave McMillan.

Senauth, F. (2011). Earthquake – Tsunami – Disaster in Japan 2011. Bloomington: AuthorHouse.

Sergeant, W. (2012). Fukushima: Nuclear Disaster on the Ring of Fire. Charleston: CreateSpace.

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