Wind damage power lines at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion plant. Photo provided by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Damage assessment continues at storm-damaged Paducah nuclear fuel plant
Company work crews and state and federal officials on Monday continued to inspect storm damage to the shut-down Paducah nuclear fuel factory that was struck by an apparent tornado Sunday, officials said.One of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant’s four enrichment production buildings was damaged, as well as adjacent cooling towers and a nearby electrical switch yard, said Jeremy Derryberry, a spokeswoman for plant operator, USEC Inc.
He said there was no release of hazardous or radioactive materials, and that the plant’s safety and monitoring systems were in full operation. The damage was to the exterior of the building only, he said
.http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20131118/NEWS01/311180021/Damage-assessment-continues-storm-damaged-Paducah-nuclear-fuel-plant
Emergency officials take stock of storm damage in western Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Emergency managers in western Kentucky are taking stock of damage from a belt of tornado-laden storms that passed through the area.
Kentucky Emergency Management officials said the storms that came through Sunday damaged some homes, blew down trees and left about 3,000 homes without power, but didn't injure anyone
The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a uranium enrichment site, sustained some exterior damage during the storms, but no one was hurt. Most of the damage was confined to one of the plant's four enrichment production buildings, where the high winds tore off some outer paneling and damaged electrical wiring, according to a statement from the U.S. Enrichment Corp, the company that operates the plant.
The plant ceased enrichment operations in June and only inventory work was going on at the facility when the storms hit, the statement said.
Officials were continuing to monitor the facility on Monday morning but there had been no hazardous material releases, according to the statement. USEC spokeswoman Georgann Lookofsky said cleanup at the plant would take several days.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/0079d39e112d46d6b9c87f11b1994d6d/KY--Severe-Weather-Kentucky
Kentucky Emergency Management officials said the storms that came through Sunday damaged some homes, blew down trees and left about 3,000 homes without power, but didn't injure anyone
The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a uranium enrichment site, sustained some exterior damage during the storms, but no one was hurt. Most of the damage was confined to one of the plant's four enrichment production buildings, where the high winds tore off some outer paneling and damaged electrical wiring, according to a statement from the U.S. Enrichment Corp, the company that operates the plant.
The plant ceased enrichment operations in June and only inventory work was going on at the facility when the storms hit, the statement said.
Officials were continuing to monitor the facility on Monday morning but there had been no hazardous material releases, according to the statement. USEC spokeswoman Georgann Lookofsky said cleanup at the plant would take several days.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/0079d39e112d46d6b9c87f11b1994d6d/KY--Severe-Weather-Kentucky
