Report says pandemic will threaten coal, power supplies

www.cidrap.umn.edu

Nov 20, 2008 (CIDRAP News) – A new report from the University of Minnesota warns that an influenza pandemic could disrupt the coal industry, thereby endangering the nation's significantly coal-dependent electric power system and everything that depends on it.

"Despite regional differences in coal usage, a pandemic is likely to break links in the coal supply chain, thus disrupting electrical generation. This has the potential to severely endanger the bulk electrical power system in most of the United States," says the report from the university's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), publisher of CIDRAP News.

The report says that current federal preparedness plans do not address the possibility of power supply problems resulting from reduced coal shipments during a pandemic. A key planning gap, it says, is that federal plans put coal industry workers among those last in line for pandemic vaccines and antiviral drugs.

The authors, CIDRAP research assistant Nicholas Kelley, MSPH, and CIDRAP Director Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, recommend that power plants stockpile coal to last much longer than the average 30-day supply they have now and that the nation prepare now for disruptions in the coal-supply chain and electrical service. They also urge that coal industry workers be put in the highest priority group for pandemic vaccines and antivirals.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Mod Edit: Altered thread title to reflect actual article headline.
Please review link: Breaking Alternative News guidelines


[edit on 11/25/2008 by maria_stardust]

I found this to be a interesting little story, i searched but did not find a simular page on abovetopsecret, move it if there is one. I find it interesting that we could be effected so easily by the flu bug, how close to colapse of the grid could be really be. It is scarey to see how dependent we are on mined fuels for power, in a time of crisis we should really have a better plan of defense.

www.cidrap.umn.edu
(visit the link for the full news article)

Mod Edit: Altered thread title to reflect actual article headline.
Please review link: Breaking Alternative News guidelines


[edit on 11/25/2008 by maria_stardust]

ahhhhh, you forgot about all the nuke plants also, but really , think about it . if there were a pandemic all areas , ranging from communications, fuels to run things, food and so on all will be impacted. so no one thing will be effected, it all will.

well i think if we get to the point of a ufll pandemic, i think power supplies will be the least of our worries. But all this shows how unprepared we are for worse case. I really dont know who figures these things out but just proves to me how unprepared the system is. If a little flu bug could do this damage, what would a full pandemic do to the system. It is a matter of time as everyone knows. Not if but when as the saying goes.

I find it interesting that the "Professors at the University of Minnesota or whomever published this news, took until now to corrolate a pandemic with coal supply problems.

Some may argue that if this had never been determined prior, concern regarding the abilities of these scholars and their IMO long overdue coverage of such an event.

Also, one could report similar events in many other supply chain such as,

Pandemic may disrupt the supply of gas.
" " " " " " Chinese toys
" " " " " " Solar heat panels
" " " " " " Alaskan Crab
" " " " " " etc....

Is this another fear instillation to unsettle any calmness and spiritual thoughts that fear opposes?

Why this year? why didn't someone realize this in 1918?
Why Coal? Why not KFC chicken, or Absolute Vodka? Why not Lambo 130 degree vertical rotational car doors? or Presto Logs?

If God forbid this were to occur, I'll burn cow patties and galvanized steel if that is all that is available should survival depended on a source of heat without coal.

And what about food stocks? What if Assoc. Grocers had all their drivers sick with a crippling virus? Whouldn't that be as much of a convern as coal?

I just feel that by specifying coal alone, either something big is coming or the fear and terror needed an injection into the media.

Either way, the whole thing stinks, IMO.

Not having coal would be the least of my worries during a pandemic. Heck if I'm cold I can always put more clothes and blankets on. My biggest concern would be what happens if the truckers who truck in my Cambells chunky chicken soup are to sick to make their deliveries.

I must have my chunky chicken soup when I'm sick.

I seriously doubt that. Why?

Well, Wyoming happens to be one of the biggest coal mining states in the union, and they are all churing out hundreds of train cargo cars filled above the rim with coal each day.

No there wont be any shortage of coal anytime soon.



Cheers!!!!



Mod Edit: Advertising removed. Please see Terms and Conditions of Use section 4) Advertising. Thank you - Jak



[edit on 26/11/08 by JAK]