Resource Pages

Jun 19, 2011

Fire and Flood at Nebraska nuclear plant remains closed; details remain few

BusinessInsider - A fire in Nebraska's Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant briefly knocked out the cooling process for spent nuclear fuel rods, ProPublica reports.  The fire occurred on June 7th, and knocked out cooling for approximately 90 minutes. After 88 hours, the cooling pool would boil dry and highly radioactive materials would be exposed.
On June 6th, the Federal Administration Aviation issued a directive banning aircraft from entering the airspace within a two-mile radius of the plant.
Fort_Calhoun_Nuclear_power_plant_centrale_Nucleaire_Missouri_Nebraska_14_06_2011
"No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM," referring to the "notice to airmen," effective immediately.
Since last week, the plant has been under a "notification of unusual event" classification, becausing of the rising Missouri River. That is the lowest level of emergency alert.

The OPPD claims the FAA closed airspace over the plant because of the Missouri River flooding. But the FAA ban specifically lists the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant as the location for the flight ban.
local NBC affiliate, reports on its website
Also see: