What, me worry?

 

Russellville, Jonesboro and (upper right) New Madrid.

Just when I was starting to calm down over my concerns about moving into the heart of the New Madrid Fault earthquake zone, I discovered this morning that our new home in Jonesboro, Ark., is downwind from a nuclear power plant.

Reactors designated Arkansas 1 and Arkansas 2 are in operation at Russellville, Ark., which is about 100 miles west-southwest of Jonesboro and about 200 miles southwest of New Madrid, Mo., the epicenter of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in the United States.

Depending upon who you choose to believe, the next "big one" could happen today or not for another 400 years. Since the last series of major quakes there were in 1811 and 1812, I prefer the 400-year scenario. But just about everyone agrees it's a matter of when, not if.

A BBC website refers to the Russellville nuclear power plants as among the most dangerous in the U.S., but there is no supporting information or attribution for that statement and I haven't been able to corroborate it in any of my internet searches. Arkansas 1 went online in December, 1974 and Arkansas 2 started producing electrical power in March, 1980.

A nuclear power plant in Japan, one of the largest in the world, rode out a major earthquake with only a minor radiation leak. Experts believe, however, it will take several months to get the plant back online.

My reading suggests Russellville is far enough removed from the epicenters of the 1811-1812 quakes that a well-designed and well-maintained nuclear facility there could survive a quake of 7.1.

Emergency management personnel from throughout the region participated in a simulated major earthquake exercise last June. The Russellville facilities were not included in the exercise, which I hope means nobody thinks they're at risk. At least not from earthquake. There's always that human error thing and also the outside chance of a terrorist attack.

Of course I have to balance this against the knowledge that there is no such thing as "absolutely safe." I obviously accept this premise, since I ride motorcycles. And it is the nature of life that nobody gets out alive.

So I'll suck it up, put on a happy face and continue house-shopping in Jonesboro. But you can bet your ass it will be a frame house and that the water heater will be secured to the wall.