Dean Makes Landfall in Mexico as a Category 5 Hurricane

No media bashing here...this is a case of it is what it is...This is pure CNN 360 "Keeping 'em Honest" type media hype...MSNBC just beat them to the punch. But the headline is very flawed.

At the best, I'd give a one half chance in a trillion chance at best of a nuclear problem. The story is a ratings booster since they learned a nuclear power plant (the only one in Mexico) would possibly feel the full brunt of Dean (what ever Dean will be strength wise) on his second Mexican landfall. The effects on the nuclear plant should be small even if there is a direct hit. Also notice how the nuclear reactor only got a few light words in a full, two webpage story.

I'd like to remind everyone that Turkey Point Nuclear Power plant in southern Dade took the full force of Andrew in 1992 as a Category 5 Hurricane. A cooling tower had to be leveled and rebuilt, but there was no damage to the reactor or the containment facility.

If a hurricane is ever strong enough to breach a reactor containment dome...the nuclear plant is the least of our worries.

The Bay of Camp. Dean is not a "nuclear hurricane" by any stretch and the media went a touch too far with this one, as they tend to do when it comes to "Where news is first". Any chance to be the "firstest with the mostest" is worth the risk in the media...but they also did it without lying about the fact that Dean may bring hurricane force winds to a Nuclear Plant. It is a case of crafty wording, and a case of..."I didn't lie, I got your attention, and you just watched MY news". In other words, Dean may hit the plant head on, but there probably won't be any damage...and in the media world, the headline is such that this is accurate reporting. Happens every day.

Anyhow, back to the point of this forum...was a little surprised that Dean regained it's core over the BOC tonight in such a rapid manner...Probably a mid to strong level Cat 2 is a good bet at landfall. The core regeneration process is a mystery when things pull together this fast...Dennis did it after leaving Cuba in '05...and maybe this "D" named storm will be a category 3 at second landfall afterall. That is not cool...

Edited by dem05 (Wed Aug 22 2007 03:33 AM)

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