Nature or Nurture?

I spent a lot of time these past few days following the events in Japan. One major disaster (the earthquake) linked to a second major disaster (the tsunami) was not unexpected on an island nation situated in a geologically active area. But when you add the coolant failure that occurred at a nuclear power plant you have an event of staggering proportion.

When the plant was built it was designed to withstand a magnitude 8.0 to 8.5 earthquakes and when the 9.0 quake struck it performed as designed. The plant went into automatic shutdown and had gone off line. Cooling water to the system is delivered by electrically driven pumps that failed when the electric grid was damaged by the quake. As designed the backup system of diesel powered generators took over and was doing its job. The plant was shutting down the four piles safely and as designed.

The estimated 30 meter high tsunami wave that hit the plant was far beyond design specifications and the backup system was drowned out. A disaster such as that on top of a natural disaster is something that nobody ever considered. That was the initiating failure that has caused the present crises. Call it a lack of morbid imagination.

From what I’ve gleaned from the literature the proximal cause of the failure of the coolant system appears to be a rupture in the return system that is allowing water to escape. My feeling is that when the plant was designed the engineers merged the return systems for all four reactors into a single discharge pipe and, perhaps, did not consider the vulnerabilities of the cooling water discharge valves and piping. Technically that could be labeled a “single point of failure”.

Rather than endlessly discuss the failure of the system (both human and mechanical) I would like to focus on the resiliency of the people affected by the terrible turn of events. I haven’t seen a single report of rioting or looting or gangs running amok. Pictures show long lines of people patiently waiting tor their turn. I’m impressed by a culture that presumes that the greater good overrides the individual need.

Typical of that attitude is the story of a family that lost their home and is now living in a shelter. Their dogs had survived the earthquake and the tsunami and were found living in the ruins of the destroyed home. The owners spend a large part of each day returning to the home and caring for the dogs and will not try to bring the animals back to the shelter. The owner is quoted as saying: "There are lots of people dead and it's too much to ask to bring the dogs," said Mr. Kikuchi. "It would be inconsiderate to other people's sadness."

I have to admire a people that in times of crisis thinks first of others before considering their own needs.