Duke Energy’s Brunswick nuclear plant, 30 miles south of #Wilmington, has declared state of emergency. Complex remains cut off by flood waters, is inaccessible to personnel. The plant has declared an “unusual event,” the lowest level of nuclear emergency. t.co/eh18VJggEd
— Strategic Sentinel (@StratSentinel) September 17, 2018
www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article218530735.html
The flooding of roads and downed trees prevented fresh crews from relieving the nearly 300 Duke Energy workers and NRC “storm riders” who have been on site for days. And the blocked roadways would make it impossible to evacuate the 10-mile emergency evacuation zone around the site if a higher level of emergency were declared, Ledford said.
“None of the roads are passable,” Ledford said. “The plant is safe. The reactors are in hot stand-by mode 3 shutdown.”
“Some employees are arriving on the site today via their personal vehicles. Others have left the site to go check on their local homes,” the company said by email.
Reached by phone Monday, Bacon said the workers are sleeping on cots and using Port-a-Potties because the water is currently shut off and the toilets can’t flush.
Brunswick is equipped with emergency backup diesel generators to operate essential equipment if the facility lost off-site power from the grid. Ledford said that the reactors never lost power and the generators never had to be activated.
www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/event/en.html#en53609
UNUSUAL EVENT DUE TO SITE CONDITIONS PREVENTING PLANT ACCESS
“A hazardous event has resulted in on site conditions sufficient to prohibit the plant staff from accessing the site via personal vehicles due to flooding of local roads by Tropical Storm Florence.”
Notified DHS SWO, FEMA OPS, and DHS NICC. Notified FEMA NWC, NuclearSSA, and FEMA NRCC via email.
Hot Shutdown on 2 reactors
h/t Zataranno