Contingency Emergency Exigency

The Aftermath of Hurricane Irene and Future Hurricane Emergency Management Issues

Hurricane Irene caused at least $1 billion dollars in damages within New York State alone. The New York City subways were shut down for a day and many areas near waterways were evacuated by local residents. Thousands prepared for the hurricane by boarding up their homes and purchasing emergency kits and supplies. Some citizens chose to stay behind and remain in their homes despite the dangers. At least 46 citizens lost their lives in 13 states due to the hurricane. In many places, reconstruction efforts could take months or even years. The government response to the hurricane was generally well coordinated for government at the federal, state and municipal levels. Many television networks devoted large blocks of time to report the evolving status of the hurricane and the governmental response to the exigency in real time .

FEMA provided very detailed instructions on how to handle the hurricane. FEMA recommends maintaining an emergency supply kit, having a family emergency plan and purchasing flood insurance. Major insurers also offer earthquake insurance and policy riders. The Saffir Simpson Hurricane Scale cites a Level 1 hurricane with winds of 74-95 miles per hour. On a sliding scale, a Level 5 hurricane has winds of 155 MPH with severe damage to virtually everything in its path. 1)

There are lessons to be learned from Hurricane Irene. In 2009, the American Society of Civil Engineers graded American infrastructure a "D" overall with a $2 trillion dollar investment needed in the next 5 years. The most urgent needs are for improvements in drinking water, levees, inland waterways, roads and wastewater. This investment alone would create thousands of new jobs. 2)

In anticipation of a major hurricane, the offshore oil rig senior operations personnel should require the deployment of a Contingency and Disaster Recovery Plan in order to empower the staff the moment critical problems from the hurricane begin to escalate. The Offshore Installation Manager is the ultimate authority on shifts and makes the essential decisions regarding the operation of the offshore oil rig platform. There may be a hierarchy of team leaders to facilitate continuous operations. The Offshore Operations Engineer is the senior technical authority on the platform. Operations coordinators manage crew personnel assignments and backup personnel in an emergency.

(3/2011) Nuclear Power Plant Contingency Plan

A nuclear reactor is in the nature of a cylindrical  pressure vessel.  The facility contains fuel rods, control rods and a moderator. The fuel rods are comprised of fission materials and release large amounts of energy when bombarded with slow moving neutrons. The moderator consists of graphite rods which surround the fuel rods. The control rods are made of cadmium and these are inserted into the reactor.     1) The nuclear reactor must have a contingency planning capability to ensure the orderly recovery of nuclear power generating capabilities in case of an exigency like a fire, flood, earthquake, tsunami, primary power failure or other out-of-the norm operating condition or scenario. The contingency plan should outline the methodology to make certain that the needed personnel, facilities, backup, data files, redundant computers and facility supplies/suppliers return to normal operating conditions as soon as possible after an unplanned disaster or major interruption of operations. Automatic shutdown capabilities should be triggered in the event that the exigency consists of external environmental conditions that preclude the return to normal operating conditions. When the control rods are pushed in deep enough, they absorb most of the fission neutrons so that few are available for a chain reaction.  When the control rods are being withdrawn, more and more of these fission neutrons cause a greater chain reaction.     So, the act of pulling out the control rods, increases the power of the nuclear reactor.  Conversely, pushing the control rods back in will reduce the power of the nuclear reactor. When the chain reaction is not controlled, the result will be an explosion due to the uncontrolled increase of energy released.  In practice, a method of cleaning control rods may be employed to enhance operational performance. For example, graphite seals in the control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) wear gradually, and corrosion products build up inside the drive. The drive must be cleaned to reduce contamination levels and maintain performance.    If regular maintenance of the CRDM is not performed, excessive seal leakage may lead to operational difficulties or inoperative CRDMs.