As the aftermath of Japan’s March 11 earthquake and tsunami
unfolded, many became mesmerized by photos and videos of
desperate workers struggling against time to keep the disastrous
situation at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant from
becoming even worse. Clad in protective gear, they wrestled with
fire hoses and power cables in an effort to maintain cooling-
water levels and return power to pumping systems, only to be
pulled back, time and again, by fears of overexposure to
radiation. One question occurred to many observers during the
media coverage of events at the plant: Could a similar disaster
happen here? Many of us have only seen the inside of a nuclear
power plant on “The Simpsons.” Thankfully, though, real-world
facilities are nothing like the fictional Springfield Nuclear
Plant. In fact, nuclear plants are highly regimented facilities,
according to Elizabeth McAndrew-Benavides, manager of industry
infrastructure for the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the
Washington, D.C.-based policy arm of