Thursday, October 01, 2015

Hurricane Joaquin: South Carolina Nuclear Plant Flooding Threat

10/6 update

18 dams have failed so far. All rather small ones.
Update 10/5: It is good news we don't have any South Carolina nuke plant event reports this morning. It is a once every thousand year precipitation event.  
*** I’ve been told to ask this question: imagine the mixture of known hot shorts and bum flooding plans and components not occurring to licensing? 
It is highly doubtful Joaquin can strike South Carolina. But the cat 4 hurricane is going to pump unprecedented tropical ocean moisture into south Carolina. Up to 20 inches of water in a very short time.

If I were a nuclear plant in the vicinity of North Carolina, I'd be checking the precipitation licensing bases.

I am surprised the NRC hasn't got a blog web up on Hurricane Joaquin...



The Weather Channel:
South Carolina
Governor Nikki Haley declared a state of emergency Thursday evening in advance of any potential impacts from Hurricane Joaquin and flooding from a separate weather system.
In an Area Forecast Discussion released Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service's Greenville-Spartanburg office warned residents of a, "Historic ... potentially life-threatening rainfall event expected this weekend" for northern South Carolina.
South Carolina's Emergency Management Division said in a Thursday release that residents should review emergency plans and prepare to take further action if the storm threatens the Palmetto State.
“Even if Hurricane Joaquin heads out to sea, the entire state could experience significant flooding from heavy rains that are predicted,” SCEMD Director Kim Stenson said in the release. “We’ve already seen flooding in many parts of South Carolina, these storm systems could make conditions worse.” 
One person was killed Thursday morning in Spartanburg, South Carolina, after several cars were submerged in floodwaters underneath a bridge.
VC Summers: Broad River, Monticello reservoir
HB Robison: Lake Robinson


Oconee:  Lake Keowee and Keowee River
"The maximum amount of precipitation expected would be 46.6 inches of rain over a 72-hour period, according to the report" to burst upstream dams and meltdown the plant.
Catawba: Catawba Reservoir and River
Vogtle: Savannah River.  
More Than a Foot of Rain Is Possible on the East Coast With or Without Hurricane Joaquin







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