Communication Failure

Exercise
FUKUSHIMA REACTOR DISASTER
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Introduction

• Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant is one of the

biggest power plants in the world

• Situated in North – East part of Japan along coastline

• The plant had 6 reactors

• The plant is owned, controlled and run by Tokyo Electric

Power Co. (TEPCO)

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What happened and causes
What Happened?
• It was March 11, 2011 (Friday)
• Earthquake and Tsunami caused
automatic shutting of units 1, 3 and 4
• Offsite power lost
• Emergency power back-up power lost
• Radioactivity spread in entire North-
East region of Japan

Causes of accident:
• An earthquake with magnitude of 8.9 hits the pacific in
the northeast of Tokyo
• Generated 10m+ Tsunami
• One of the biggest earthquakes since 1900
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Communication Failure (Regulations)

• Nuclear Power plants are regulated by government agencies in Japan

• Ignorance and callousness

• Leads to communication failure

• System – wide failure at Fukushima with evidence of collusion and

incompetence
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Communication Failure (Warning Signs)

• Ignored warnings by experts, especially for Fukushima

• Height of sea wall was advised to be increased

• Based on study of earthquakes, Tsunami and Pacific Ring

of Fire of last 1000 years

• Communication failure due to not responding and acting in

time
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Communication Failure (Response)

• Response is related to citizens as well as authorities

• It covers the response of the government in :
• Effective communication to affected people
• Media and other interested party
• Sharing up to date information
• Initial system failures in containing and managing the
loss
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Impact of Communication Failure

• An area of 20 – 30 kilometers was affected

• Compulsory evacuation of people within radius of 20 km

• Voluntary evacuation with in 20 – 30 km

• Redefining the regulations governing the nuclear power plants

• Failure in effective communication can lead to such disasters

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Possible Reasons of Communication Failure

• The responsible authorities ignored the warning signs

• The authorities at Fukushima or TEPCO were irresponsible

• There was lack of clear communication between experts and TEPCO

• The communication framework was not robust

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Discussion Questions

• What could have been done better in this case?

• Is post – disaster communication equally important?

Why?