nuclear-news

Shambles of Japan’s plans for evacuation after the next nuclear accident

Not nearly enough buses for mass exodus after nuclear accident THE ASAHI SHIMBUN  by Masanobu Higashiyama and Hiroki Koike.27 Sept 14  The gargantuan task of moving residents in a nuclear crisis will fall on chartered buses, according to the local governments’ evacuation plans.

The problem is there may not be nearly enough vehicles to move huge numbers of people to safety.

Some prefectures already realize they would be lucky to assemble just half the number of buses for the job.

There is also opposition from bus companies, which say they will not subject their drivers to hazardous radiation risks.

In a 10-kilometer radius of Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, which has passed safety checks for a restart, surveys show that local governments can charter only one-fourth of buses that would be needed to evacuate residents.

Although the prefecture plans to sign an agreement with the prefectural association of bus companies to preferentially charter vehicles, a local bus drivers’ union said it will oppose the plan unless safety measures for drivers are mapped out.

According to evacuation plans submitted by Satsuma-Sendai, the city hosting the nuclear plant, and surrounding municipalities within a 30-km radius of the plant, people who need nursing care and others without family cars will have to evacuate by bus……..

In addition to the lack of buses, the void of safety measures to prevent bus drivers from being exposed to radiation during an evacuation casts a shadow on plans by local governments to use chartered buses.

Central government guidelines stipulate that ordinary people such as bus drivers must not be exposed to more than 1 millisievert of radiation annually in normal situations. However, there are no measures in place to deal with those who are exposed to higher readings.http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201409270012

In addition, rules for distributing potassium iodide tablets to protect against thyroid cancer due to radiation have yet to be devised……..

During an Aug. 29 news conference, Niigata Governor Hirohiko Izumida asked if it is realistic for residents to rely on chartered private buses in a case of a nuclear disaster. The prefecture hosts Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant.

“Is it possible to make drivers from private bus companies work in areas that are highly contaminated with radiation?” Izumida asked.

Officials at Fukushima Prefecture’s Nuclear Power Safety Division said they had not confirmed reports that bus companies refused to send vehicles due to concern for drivers’ safety during evacuation procedures for the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

But some trucks transporting relief goods did refuse to enter areas that were highly contaminated with radiation, according to the officials.

“A private company can face legal charges if its employees are exposed to radiation because of work orders,” said an official of Niigata Prefecture. “Even if we sign an agreement with bus companies, it will not ensure the efficacy of such an evacuation plan.”

October 1, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, safety