7/13/2011 Fukushima plant site originally was a hill safe from tsunami

Source: The Japan Times
Date: 7/13/2011
by: REIJI YOSHIDA and TAKAHIRO FUKADA
 
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.

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?
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