sandy will pass over 26 nuclear power plants, each one a potential disaster like last year's haroshima disaster
The 'Fukushima Disaster' was the second worst nuclear disaster in history (after Chernobyl). It was caused by a magnitude 9.03 earthquake (the strongest ever recorded in Japan, 5th strongest recorded worldwide), which caused a tsunami with the 9th highest recorded death toll ever (in a country used to earthquakes and tsunamis). Furthermore, TEPCO's lack of maintenance and security on the power plant was so bad that it was the subject of government investigation (oh, and they ignored a court order regarding safety measures and disregarded two studies regarding tsunami and earthquake concerns).
No people died in the disaster. 39 people were injured. Estimates on radiation say that incidence of cancer will increase by 0.1%, which will give ~180 people cancer, of which ~130 will die.
In contrast, the panicked evacuation after the disaster (because ZOMG NUCLEAR DISASTER) cost the lives of roughly 600 people (and the evacuation was estimated to save ~28 people from getting cancer). The earthquake and tsunami in general caused 15,870 recorded deaths, 122 times as many as from the nuclear disaster that remained in the news for so long.
If, somehow, Sandy manages to wreck each and every single nuclear power plant in its way to a Fukushima-like state, it would (extrapolating Fukushima's data) in the long term cause 3380 deaths. A hurricane with the power to do that, though, would cause many, many, many many many many more deaths by itself, though.
Nuclear disaster risk is way overestimated.
Player
