Key Issues
Nuclear Plants’ Structural Strength, Emergency Plans Perform Well Through Hurricane Katrina
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Emergency Plans Help Communities Respond
Emergency preparedness pro-grams developed by the industry helped those communities near nuclear power plants prepare for and respond to Hurricane Katrina. The NRC requires all nuclear plants to develop and exercise sophisticated emergency response plans to protect public health and safety in the event of a variety of accidents. These emergency plans are beneficial for the plants as well as surrounding communities. They have been used extensively across the country to respond to natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes and to other non-nuclear industrial or transportation accidents.
Waterford’s emergency plans worked as intended. The emergency planning procedures allowed Entergy personnel to coordinate closely with St. Charles and St. John parish emergency preparedness officials and the managers of other local industrial facilities. This protocol has been enhanced over years of training and exercising the emergency plan.
“Our plans are solid,” said Joe Venable, vice president at Waterford. “More notably, our people are solid. Our parish partners and our employees have been upbeat and have demonstrated the resolve to weather this storm and help each other get our community and our lives back in order. Also, as part of Entergy’s fleet, Waterford 3 has had additional support and resources from across the company to help us prepare for the storm and to help us restart and recover.”
Lessons learned from previous hurricanes, such as Andrew and Hugo, that affected nuclear power facilities, were effectively applied to enhance Entergy’s readiness at Water-ford. The industry shares this experience through the Nuclear Energy Institute and Institute of Nuclear Power Operations.
After the storm, recovery in St. Charles Parish was enhanced by the high level of expertise and cooperation demonstrated by local public officials and emergency responders.
Local and national officials noted the preparations and responses by the plants affected by Katrina. “The NRC requires all nuclear plant operators to have in place detailed site-specific plans and procedures for a variety of emergency situations, including natural disasters,” NRC Chairman Nils Diaz said.
Off-site power and some communications were lost at Waterford during the storm, but Entergy took precautionary measures, such as staging additional standby diesel generators and fuel at the plant. The plant relied on existing generators to power its safety systems for three days when the grid experienced voltage fluctuations, but the additional generators were not needed.
During the storm, Entergy staff remained on-site to ensure that the plant remained safe. After the event, NRC inspectors thoroughly reviewed the facility to make certain there was no damage and that all necessary repairs were made.
Factors contributing to NRC approval of Waterford’s restart included:
Next Page: "Utilities Restore Power Quickly" >>
Emergency Plans Help Communities Respond
Emergency preparedness pro-grams developed by the industry helped those communities near nuclear power plants prepare for and respond to Hurricane Katrina. The NRC requires all nuclear plants to develop and exercise sophisticated emergency response plans to protect public health and safety in the event of a variety of accidents. These emergency plans are beneficial for the plants as well as surrounding communities. They have been used extensively across the country to respond to natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes and to other non-nuclear industrial or transportation accidents.
Waterford’s emergency plans worked as intended. The emergency planning procedures allowed Entergy personnel to coordinate closely with St. Charles and St. John parish emergency preparedness officials and the managers of other local industrial facilities. This protocol has been enhanced over years of training and exercising the emergency plan.
“Our plans are solid,” said Joe Venable, vice president at Waterford. “More notably, our people are solid. Our parish partners and our employees have been upbeat and have demonstrated the resolve to weather this storm and help each other get our community and our lives back in order. Also, as part of Entergy’s fleet, Waterford 3 has had additional support and resources from across the company to help us prepare for the storm and to help us restart and recover.”
Lessons learned from previous hurricanes, such as Andrew and Hugo, that affected nuclear power facilities, were effectively applied to enhance Entergy’s readiness at Water-ford. The industry shares this experience through the Nuclear Energy Institute and Institute of Nuclear Power Operations.
After the storm, recovery in St. Charles Parish was enhanced by the high level of expertise and cooperation demonstrated by local public officials and emergency responders.
Local and national officials noted the preparations and responses by the plants affected by Katrina. “The NRC requires all nuclear plant operators to have in place detailed site-specific plans and procedures for a variety of emergency situations, including natural disasters,” NRC Chairman Nils Diaz said.
Off-site power and some communications were lost at Waterford during the storm, but Entergy took precautionary measures, such as staging additional standby diesel generators and fuel at the plant. The plant relied on existing generators to power its safety systems for three days when the grid experienced voltage fluctuations, but the additional generators were not needed.
During the storm, Entergy staff remained on-site to ensure that the plant remained safe. After the event, NRC inspectors thoroughly reviewed the facility to make certain there was no damage and that all necessary repairs were made.
Factors contributing to NRC approval of Waterford’s restart included:
- A comprehensive and well-drilled emergency plan, informed by lessons learned from previous hurricanes
- Excellent cooperation with local parish officials
- Shared resources and expertise from throughout Entergy’s business units.
Next Page: "Utilities Restore Power Quickly" >>
