Case Studies: Fukushima Study Guide Questions And Correct Answers

How did the company react? {Ans: - Criticised for poor handling of the crisis - It was revealed they had previously concealed safety incidents - Faced bankruptcy with £37 bn in damages}Why did it happen? {Ans: - While the plant shut down as intended due to the earthquake, the cooling system had only been built to withstand a 5m tsunami. Instead it was hit by a 14m tsunami. - Evidence suggested there was awareness of the inadequate flood defences of the emergency generators - History of poor safety culture at the plant, TEPCO previously convicted of false reporting - Shortage of qualified experts in regulatory agencies}How did the public react? {Ans: - Deaths resulted from widespread evacuation - Chaos in the country already after the devastating earthquake and tsunami}INES Rating {Ans: 7}How did the press react? {Ans: - Information release was slow due to widespread destruction from earthquake and tsunami, and led to media speculation of cover-up}Overview {Ans: A magnitude 9 earthquake struck off the Japanese coast, causing the Fukushima reactors to shut down. Unfortunately the subsequent tsunami flooded the emergency generators, causing loss of cooling and a meltdown.}Series of events {Ans: -