03-18-2011, 09:24 PM
Racer X wrote:
As for Japan, unless their back-up stuff was on massive towers, or some truly impressive underground and sealed bunkers, there was nothing they could have done about the tsunami.
I don't think there is a reactor complex on the planet set up to fully survive a 9.0 earthquake undamaged. Those in the US are built to about a 7.5 standard, and we put them in geologically stable areas if at all possible. Japan doesn't really have a choice.
As has been stated, the power plants survived the quake admirably well. Trouble started when the tsunami killed the backup generators powering the reactor cooling systems. Had those generators been adequately protected from the tsunami - and all accounts I've read indicate this is where the Japanese plant designs fell short - it's quite likely we would not be discussing nuclear disaster today.