Nuclear Power on the New Hampshire Seacoast

When I moved back to my home town, Washington, DC, in 1981, my friends (in Connecticut, where I was finishing training) all asked, "Why would you want to live at ground zero?"

The cold war was still on and in the back of many minds was the fear Washington, DC would be evaporated in a nuclear cloud someday.

By the time I moved to New Hampshire, the cold war was over and that fear had receded, although everyone knew some terrorist with a nuclear bomb strapped to his back, a la the movie Peacemaker, could still set off a nuclear bomb in Washington, DC. Moving to New Hampshire, I thought, well, that's at least one less thing for me to worry about--no terrorist is going to target New Hampshire.

Then I discovered my beautiful new house was just 2 1/2 miles from the nuclear power plant at Seabrook/Hampton Falls.

So much for peace of mind.

Then came Fukishima.

Now I have just received in the mail a nifty calendar from the public relations folks at the power plant with all kinds of good advice I'd like to share, about what to do in the event of an accident at the power plant. From the mailing:

1. Go inside and stay there.

Oh, and here I would have thought, get in the car and flee.

2. If you must go outside (for example to bring in a child playing outside) cover your nose and mouth with a folded, damp cloth.

Now, I can understand how this would be effective. But do you think it's important the cloth be folded?

This reminds me of those TV broadcasts from the 1950's showing US Army soldiers being marched out to the test site in the Arizona desert where they set off a nuclear bomb and the mushroom cloud is visible off in the distance and the soldiers are covering their faces with their arms, just as the authorities had trained them to do.

3. Do not use the telephone except for emergencies.

Oh, there is a mushroom plume of radioactive mist rising a mile up from the plant, and when does this constitute an emergency?

4. If you are in your car, close the windows and air vents and turn off the heater or airconditioner. Turn on "recycle air" option if available.

This is because, I presume, the nuclear experts have determined sealing yourself in your car is a good protection against radioactive fall out. Just like those bomb shelters people used to build in the 1950's. If the cars are so good, why did we build all those fall out shelters?

I am very reassured now.

Homer Simpson is alive and well and living in New Hampshire, working at the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant.