Radiation Plumes and Earthquake Preparedness
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It's been a long time since Southern California's last big earthquake. Are we ready for the next one? Is local government staying up to speed? How about you? Would you remember to fill up the bathtub? We get some useful tips. We also hear what LA's vast Japanese-American community's going through right now, and about indirect effects on the local economy. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, Japan's ongoing disaster and the future of nuclear power.
Banner image: US Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne (C) and US Geological Service (USGS) Seismologist Lucy Jones (L) participate with Stevenson Elementary School students during the Great Southern California ShakeOut earthquake drill on November 13, 2008. Photo: David McNew/Getty Images
Making News
Which Way Is the Radioactive Wind Blowing? ()
Nobody knows how much radiation will be spewed into the atmosphere by Japan's damaged nuclear power plants. We do know that the prevailing weather patterns might bring it in this direction. Jeff Masters is Director of Meteorology at WeatherUnderground.com, an online forecasting company.
Guests:
- Jeff Masters: WeatherUnderground.com
Main Topic
Earthquakes on the Pacific Rim: Are We Next? ()
We all know that Southern California is earthquake country and occasionally we get rude reminders. But the last big shaker was the Northridge quake back in 1994. We speak with experts and emergency responders about how individuals and their families can prepare. What about local government?
Guests:
- Chris Ipsen: City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department
- Linda Bourque: UCLA School of Public Health
Links:
Reporter's Notebook
Southland's Japanese Community Reacts to Events in Japan ()
The toll of the dead and injured in Japan since Friday's earthquake and tsunami is more than 10,000 and still rising. An estimated quarter-million Japanese-Americans live in the southland, along with more than 100,000 Japanese nationals. We hear what they're going through and what they're doing to help those back in Japan.
Guests:
- Toshio Handa: Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California
- Douglas Erber: Japan America Society of Southern California
- Akemi Kikumura Yano: Japanese American National Museum
Links:
Main Topic
Japan's Ongoing Disaster and the Future of Nuclear Power ()
There hasn't been a nuclear power plant constructed in the United States since the 1970's, but the Obama Administration has approved federal loan guarantees for two new reactors in Georgia. They are not yet licensed, and the staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has raised questions about their safety from aircraft attacks and their vulnerability to earthquakes. Now comes the crisis at Fukushima. We update the situation in Japan and explore the future of nuclear power in the US.
Guests:
- Robert Alvarez: Institute for Policy Studies
- Eileen Supko: Energy Resources International
- Dan Hirsch: Committee to Bridge the Gap
- John McGaha: American Nuclear Society
- Ellen Vancko: Union of Concerned Scientists
- Michael Levi: Council on Foreign Relations, @levi_m
Underwriters
Which Way L.A.? is made possible in part by the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, which supports study and research into policy issues of the Los Angeles region.
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