Southern California Edison has announced that it is removing all of its radiation alert sirens from nearby communities that are close the failed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). Now that the plant is closed, 3.6 million pounds of deadly radioactive nuclear waste are being buried 108 feet from the beach. When the beachfront nuclear waste dump is completed, it will contain 72 giant, thin-walled canisters of nuclear waste that’s deadly to all human life for at least 250,00 years.
Each of the 100,000 pound steel canisters contains enough radioactive material to make Southern California uninhabitable for tens of thousands of years.
The announcement that the sirens will be removed has alarmed Public Watchdogs because it is the public warning system of last resort in the event of a worst-case emergency event, such as a tsunami or earthquake that disables phone systems, and information distribution via mass media.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has stated that because SONGS is shut down, that “the plant is closed and the risks are low.”
This statement is not supported by facts. For example, the NRC never conducted a formal risk assessment for the nuclear waste dump. It is our belief that this lack of an assessment is intentional. The facts are that ordinary citizens cannot buy insurance to protect themselves from damages cause by a radiation release from the San Onofre Nuclear Waste Dump.
The reason why you can’t buy insurance is simple: It is too risky.
Not a single insurance company will insure your home or property in the event of a nuclear mishap.