Saving Fukushima

On March 11, 2011 Japan was struck by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake, the most powerful in the country's recorded history. But the real horror had only just begun. A 14-meter-high tsunami created by the seismic event followed, sending giant waves of seawater crashing into the the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, triggering a nuclear disaster. While the world watched in horror, the responsibility of containing the disaster fell on workers who had to risk their lives to salvage the plant -- and protect the planet. In this episode of Teamistry, host Gabriela Cowperthwaite takes us through the harrowing experience that no amount of training could've prepared the team for. Former plant superintendent Atsufumi Yoshizawa describes the scenes from the frontlines and how a method called "Resilience Engineering" helped his team prevent total meltdown. You'll also hear from operations manager Akira Hogyuko as he talks about how trust between team members and seniors helped them navigate the disaster. Plus Lake Barrett, a retired nuclear engineer and consultant on the clean-up effort, helps explain the major events that unfolded in those frightful moments. Teamistry is an original podcast from Atlassian. For more on the series, go to www.atlassian.com/podcast.