JAPAN

Fukushima plant site originally was a hill safe from tsunami

Ground zero: Bulldozers (top) take the top off a 35-meter bluff to prepare the site for the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant in the late 1960s in this image taken from the documentary 'Reimei' ('Dawn'). Left: The construction site is seen after the leveling work. Right: An excavated area where the emergency diesel generators were installed is seen at the construction site. | TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER CO.

By Takahiro Fukada and Reiji Yoshida
Staff Writers

Jul 13, 2011

First of two parts

The March 11 monster tsunami that hit the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant destroyed the critical backup power system and triggered the meltdown of hundreds of fuel rods in reactors 1, 2 and 3.

Video of the appalling damage and reactor building explosions led many — from regular people to nuclear and quake experts — to ask: Why wasn't the coastal nuclear plant built in a location safe from all tsunami threats?

Fukushima plant site originally was a hill safe from tsunami

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