Turkey Point and St. Lucie Power Plants May Shut Down Due to Irma

Hurricane Irma just got a lot worse.Already, the category 5 hurricane is pounding the Caribbean and wreaking havoc on the U.S. Virgin Islands. Ten deaths have been reported, and it has actually made the tiny islands of Barbuda and St. Martin uninhabitable.

If that isn’t bad enough, the state of Florida is preparing for a walloping. Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency, as well as President Trump.

Now the biggest worry has arrived: The Turkey Point and St. Lucie nuclear power plants may have to shut down should Irma continue to barrel towards Florida.

“Based on the current track, we would expect severe weather in Florida starting Saturday, meaning we would potentially shut down before that point,” Peter Robbins, a spokesperson for the utility company Florida Power and Light, told Reuters.

Both plants, despite being situated near the East Coast, have weathered severe storms before, including Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Robbins was confident that both plants were prepared for the storm.

Here is St. Lucie:

And here is Turkey Point:

Even so, Irma is already one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded. There’s no telling what damage it will rain down on Florida.

Energy issues aside, a tropical storm hitting a nuclear power plant could have devastating effects on the surrounding area, not to mention possible fallout.

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