Nebraska Nuclear Power Plant Threatened by Flooding | Gather

Nebraska Nuclear Power Plant Threatened by Flooding | Gather

Nebraska Nuclear Power Plant Threatened by Flooding
June 16, 2011 02:20 PM EDT

Flood waters from the swollen Missouri River are surrounding the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant in Nebraska, and the status has been classified as "notification of an unusual event," a low-level emergency.

While officials insist that there has been no release of radioactive material, the situation is very frightening. Every nuclear power plant is vulnerable to natural disasters and has the potential to create a devastating catastrophe, as is currently playing out in Japan in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. Citizens are rightly concerned that the Fort Calhoun plant could be breached by flood waters, causing radioactivity to be released.

The Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) has denied rumors regarding the situation, including the rumor that the Fort Calhoun plant is actually at a level 4 emergency. A no-fly zone has been set up by the FAA around the plant, causing concern that it is because radioactivity has been released into the air. According to OPPD, the flight restrictions are in place because of the flooding. But this raises the question, why would flooding cause them to restrict planes from flying over a certain area? In spite of these assurances about the safety of the nuclear power plant, public concern remains high.