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Fukushima Earthquake Research Paper

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On March 11th 2011 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake known as the Great East Japan Earthquake struck off the east coast of japan. It sparked a level 7 nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, according to the International Nuclear Event scale (INES) it remains one of the most severe accidents in history. The Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIC) concludes the meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi was preventable, deeming it as a “manmade” disaster. On the other hand, several organizations, including Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), claim the incident was caused by "unprecedented natural disasters" and therefore was inescapable due to the unpredictability of the weather. Throughout this essay will attempt to answer the question: Did Tokyo Electric Power Company take appropriate safety precautions at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, or was the nuclear meltdown preventable?
In order to assess whether or not TEPCO was at fault for the accident at Fukushima we must first acknowledge what happened when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck, and therefore discus the …show more content…
In addition, the earthquake had created a tsunami that would flood and ruin the emergency diesel generators, the seawater cooling pumps, power supply and electrical wiring system for three of the six reactors (Unit 1, Unit 2, and Unit 4). Resulting in complete power loss for all units with exception to unit six which maintained power from an external air-cooled emergency generator. The backup generators failed. The lack of electricity meant the loss of monitoring equipment and loss of function in the nuclear power plant’s control rooms, the blackout also hindered the communication and lighting throughout the

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