No. 08-159 August 31, 2008

NRC MONITORING APPROACH OF HURRICANE GUSTAV; 

WATERFORD PLANT TO SHUT DOWN 

 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has dispatched additional personnel to nuclear 

power plants in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas in anticipation of the expected landfall Monday 

of Hurricane Gustav. 

One plant – Waterford, located about 20 miles west of New Orleans – informed the NRC 

it intends to shut down late Sunday evening to ensure that all safety precautions are in place 

ahead of the storm. The NRC requires plants to shut down if winds reach hurricane strength. 

Forecasts Sunday afternoon indicated maximum sustained winds at Waterford of about 88 mph 

from Gustav, beginning about noon Monday. 

The NRC requires plants to declare an "unusual event" – the first of four steps on the 

agency’s emergency response scale – 12 hours in advance of forecast hurricane force winds, and 

to raise their response level to an “alert” when winds reach hurricane strength. Plants would 

escalate to a "site area emergency," primarily for plant personnel safety, in the event winds 

exceed 110 mph. 

The NRC will activate its incident response center in Arlington, Texas, at 6 p.m. CDT 

Sunday. Agency officials at the Rockville, Md., headquarters, are also monitoring the course of 

Hurricane Gustav. 

"We are taking this situation very seriously and closely coordinating with the nuclear 

power plants that are potentially in the storm’s path," said Chairman Dale Klein. “We are 

confident in the plants’ ability to withstand tremendous natural forces, but that does not diminish 

our responsibility to assist the licensees should that be necessary to protect public health and 

safety.” 

The NRC will have to approve the restart of Waterford and any other plant that shuts 

down. Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will have to determine that 

evacuation routes in the area are passable before restart is authorized. 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 

E-mail: opa@nrc.gov 

Site: http://www.nrc.gov
NRC inspectors from the agency’s regional office in Texas were sent to Waterford as 

well as River Bend, 25 miles north-northwest of Baton Rouge, La.; Grand Gulf, 25 miles south 

of Vicksburg, Miss.; and the South Texas Project, 12 miles south-southwest of Bay City, Texas. 

Sunday afternoon the River Bend, Grand Gulf and South Texas Project nuclear plants did 

not anticipate experiencing hurricane-force winds or making emergency declarations as a result 

of Hurricane Gustav. 

Nuclear plants are very robust structures designed to withstand hurricane-force winds and 

associated storm surges. Waterford and the other plants have watertight doors at key safety 

systems. 

# # # 

Editors note: To reach an NRC public affairs officer during the holiday weekend please call 301-

816-5100. 

News releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address: 

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE 

link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.