Epic flooding on the Missouri River continues to capture news headlines as two nuclear power plants, Fort Calhoun nuclear station, north of Omaha and Cooper Station, south of the city, are slowly being inundated by the rising water. An eight foot high rubber berm around the Fort Calhoun reactor site collapsed early Monday morning sending flood water up around the walls of the reactor building, turbine hall and other auxillary buildings onsite.
Beyond Nuclear's Paul Gunter appeared today on ABC News Good Morning America with concern about the flood water potentially penetrating into the reactor building causing electrical short circuits, shutting down accident management systems and potentially igniting fires.
There are now early reports that the flood water is seeping into the Fort Calhoun turbine hall. The reactor remains shut down since early April 2011 and will not reopen until after flood waters recede. The unprecedented flooding could continue into August 2011.
Watch Paul Gunter on today's Good Morning America.
An Associated Press article now confirms that the Missouri River is seeping into the Ft. Calhoun turbine hall as the flood water continues to rise.
Additional aerial video footage of flooding around Fort Calhoun after the water berm collapsed.