by Bob Zimmerman

Created on: April 13, 2011

A lot can be learned from the Japanese quake of 2011. First thing, we are always running a risk when we build our towns, cities, and especially nuclear plants next to a large body of water. I believe there should be some sort of world wide mandate that these plants are either built subterainean or high on top of a mountain. If they were built underground, then if and when they were to meltdown they would be that much easier to coat with concrete and forget forever.

If they were on top of a hill they wouldn't be hit by tsunami waves and the only risk would be collapse during a quake or the resounding aftershocks that follow. Another lesson that I think has been missed altogether by today's media is that life is short and to value every minute of it. And something else, you can't always go home.

For thousands of misplaced Japanese residents that is soon becoming a truth. It has already been a possibility for weeks now and the president of the electric company in Japan responsible for the meltdown and following evacuation has vowed to help with jobs and food. It is a very real possibility that some of those residents will never be going home due to high radiation levels in the area that would kill you if exposed long enough.

Another thing we should have learned but will not likely be taken seriously is the threat if meltdowns. It has been so long since the meltdown in the eighties that we have forgotten that this is such a serious thing. Maybe a lesson learned should be more along the lines of let's ditch nuclear power altogether. We could combine solar, wind and hydroelectric power and not have to worry about this nuclear power nonsense.

People where I live have told me the windmills are not efficient in producing power versus the cost of assembly and operation. But how cost effective was it to pay workers at the Japanese power plant 5000.00 a day to sacrifice their bodies trying to get the disaster under control? No price can be put on human life. Let's clean up our act before another quake changes us all again. We don't want to be going through the same thing generation after generation. We should be able to fix this now. And that's all we should be considering. That's all.

Learn more about this author, Bob Zimmerman.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.