Disaster, panic, and plans
While the aftermath of the Japan nuclear crisis continues to unfold, there are two good stories out today casting light on planning for a possible disaster and how the workers coped when it happened. The New York Times has a terrific piece about the first hours, based in part on a veteran plant worker who ...
While the aftermath of the Japan nuclear crisis continues to unfold, there are two good stories out today casting light on planning for a possible disaster and how the workers coped when it happened.
While the aftermath of the Japan nuclear crisis continues to unfold, there are two good stories out today casting light on planning for a possible disaster and how the workers coped when it happened.
The New York Times has a terrific piece about the first hours, based in part on a veteran plant worker who was present at the sports stadium where the emergency responders first gathered. The meeting turned into a "panic," he said, as the workers argued about how best to deal with the tsunami and the hot nuclear fuel.
The Wall Street Journal, which has also published a string of penetrating reporting about the accident, today carries a piece looking at the plant’s disaster plans. They did not envision something this big.
David E. Hoffman covered foreign affairs, national politics, economics, and served as an editor at the Washington Post for 27 years.
He was a White House correspondent during the Reagan years and the presidency of George H. W. Bush, and covered the State Department when James A. Baker III was secretary. He was bureau chief in Jerusalem at the time of the 1993 Oslo peace accords, and served six years as Moscow bureau chief, covering the tumultuous Yeltsin era. On returning to Washington in 2001, he became foreign editor and then, in 2005, assistant managing editor for foreign news. Twitter: @thedeadhandbook
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