Key Issues
Nuclear Plants’ Structural Strength, Emergency Plans Perform Well Through Hurricane Katrina
Three nuclear power plants lay within the area affected by Hurricane Katrina.
September 2005
Key Facts
September 2005
Key Facts
- The design and structural strength of nuclear power plants in the path of Hurricane Katrina helped them bear the effects of the storm without sustaining serious damage.
- Emergency preparedness programs developed for nuclear power plants helped the communities near those three plants prepare for and respond to Hurricane Katrina. Because these plans are exer-cised regularly by local and state officials, the emergency plan for Entergy’s Waterford nuclear plant near New Orleans—the nuclear power plant nearest the storm’s land-fall—worked as intended.
- The emergency restoration plans used by Entergy and Southern Company, working in concert with emergency preparedness plans activated by the companies’ nuclear power plants, helped them restore electricity quickly after the storm.
- Nuclear power plants are one of the few power sources relatively unaffected by destruction of surrounding infrastructure and interruptions in fuel supply because of transportation limitations and other factors.
