HTH -- Haiti Earthquake

May 5, 2011. Workers enter nuclear reactor building in Fukushima, Japan

SOURCE: Altegrity Risk International

Workers entered one of the reactors buildings at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on May 5th for the first time since it was struck by a powerful earthquake on March 11th, reports indicated. The 12 workers were to install a ventilation system in No. 1 reactor to filter out radioactive material from the air, working in shifts of 10 minutes in groups of four. The company operating the plant hopes to bring the site to a cold shutdown by the end of 2011, although some analysts question whether this can be achieved. Two other reactors and a spent fuel pool were affected in the disaster. On May 4th, residents evacuated from a 20km (12-mile) zone around the plant shouted down the company's president during a visit, claiming he lied about safety levels at the plant. The death toll from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami stood at 14,785 people, with another 10,271 missing.