When Hurricane Katrina threatened the US coast, a nuclear power plant in the storms path was shut down as a safety precaution. But, as last December's tsunami showed, there isn't always advance warning of floods. Experts from 16 countries gathered in Kalpakkam, India, this week to discuss whether international safety standards for nuclear plants in flood-risk areas need to be modified. Kalpakkam is the site of India's prototype fast-breeder reactor, still under construction, which was partly flooded by 2004's Indian Ocean tsunami (see Nature 433, 675; 2005). After that disaster, India's nuclear authorities hastily organized about a dozen national meetings to discuss lessons learned. This week's workshop, organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was the first time Indian scientists and officials shared their experiences with the international community.
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