Waves hit SONGS at high tide
Diane Edmonds
A wave crashes into the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) during high tide.
Deadly Hurricane Melissa displaces thousands across the Caribbean
Five hundred thousand Jamaican Electricity customers are without power after Hurricane Melissa ravaged the Caribbean nation on Tuesday, October 28th, 2025. On average, energy customers in Jamaica are households of three, meaning that approximately 1.5 million Jamaicans are without access to electricity in the wake of the nation's strongest-ever stormfall. Jamaica Public Service (JPS) restored power to 52,000 customers in the twenty-four hours leading up to Thursday morning. According to an article published by the Jamaica Observer on Thursday, October 30th, 2025, Jamaica's Minister of Energy and Telecommunications, Daryl Vaz, "reported that 70 percent of transmission lines are currently out of service." Vaz noted that portions of just four cities were receiving power.
Aerial view of a Florida mobile home residential area after a hurrican
Wind-damaged private houses after a 2024 hurricane swept through the Florida mobile home residential area.
Aerial view of a Florida mobile home residential area after a hurrican
Wind-damaged private houses after a 2024 hurricane swept through the Florida mobile home residential area.
It was just five days before Vas' bleak updates that the Minister had "assured that Jamaica’s electricity system remains stable" at a special October 25th press briefing ahead of Hurricane Melissa's deadly October 26th landfall. Vas, in a memo released by Jamaica Information Service (JIS), "noted that approximately 550 personnel are currently positioned and responding, including JPS employees, local contractors, and overseas line workers." 275 power outages had been reported before the October 25th special briefing. Vas attributed these outages to "trees on lines due to the high soil saturation levels." Importantly, Hurricane Melissa was forecast to make landfall as a Category 4 storm, not a Category 5 at the time of the briefing.
Manasota Key house wrecked by Hurricane Milton
A Manasota Key house sits in ruin along the coastline following Hurricane Milton in 2024.
Manasota Key house wrecked by Hurricane Milton
A Manasota Key house sits in ruin along the coastline following Hurricane Milton in 2024.
Transmission lines sprawl across farmlands
Transmission lines sprawling across a field on a cloudy day. Transmission lines are used to transport electricity from power plants across long distances for use.
Transmission lines sprawl across farmlands
Transmission lines sprawling across a field on a cloudy day. Transmission lines are used to transport electricity from power plants across long distances for use.
Prime Minister Andrew Hollness has stated that "there is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5" according to a report by the Associated Press. The Prime Minister's sentiment is nowhere to be found in the information that JIS and JPS have disseminated. JIS presents the JPS's preparation efforts as a sound and trustworthy operation. Yet, according to an article written by Staff Reporter Tanesha Mundle of the Jamaica Gleaner on November 5th, 2024, the JPS has been caught misrepresenting information in the past. The 2023-2024 Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) report asserts that JPS's explanation for a 168% increase in forced outages between December 2019 and the report's publication is in stark contrast to the report's findings.
Overhead power lines curve in front of a glowing sunset
Overhead power lines send electrical energy from a power plant to consumers at sunset.
Overhead power lines curve in front of a glowing sunset
Overhead power lines send electrical energy from a power plant to consumers at sunset.
The JPS attributed the outages to inclement weather. While the OUR acknowledges that inclement weather contributes to some outages, they assert that "forced outages driven by equipment issues and vegetation interference 'far exceed' what should typically result from storm impacts," according to the Mundle. The report alleges that JPS attributed the outages to COVID-19 and a series of tropical storms that had considerably weakened by the time they reached Jamaica, but "the data show that these events were not the main drivers of JPS’s deteriorating reliability performance.”
An aerial view showing flood-affected areas of a small town.
An aerial view showing the flood-affected areas of a small town on March 10th, 2025
An aerial view showing flood-affected areas of a small town.
An aerial view showing the flood-affected areas of a small town on March 10th, 2025
Hurricane Milton wrecks coastal homes in Manasota Key, FL
Hurricane Milton causes storm surge, destroying coastal homes in Manasota Key, Florida.
Hurricane Milton wrecks coastal homes in Manasota Key, FL
Hurricane Milton causes storm surge, destroying coastal homes in Manasota Key, Florida.
The inconsistencies in JPS's explanation & the country's 2023-2024 OUR report may sound familiar to Southern Californian residents living near the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). This nuclear power plant, decommissioned in 2013, sits vulnerable to tsunamis, earthquakes, landslides, and sea level rise on the Southern California coastline. According to a March 2012 article written by then-KPBS Investigative Journalist Amita Sharma, "Southern California Edison failed to tell regulators about equipment changes at the San Onofre nuclear power plant." The equipment changes in question refer to "new tubing carrying radioactive water wears out at alarming rates," which was thought to create a greater risk for radioactive leaks.
The tubing was installed in 2011, outside the watchful eye of any meaningful oversight, and leaked in January of 2012, causing San Onofre to go offline. Then-Chief Engineer of Fairewinds Associates Arnold Gunderson warned that if design changes don't occur, "the net effect could be that they have to shut down I-5 for an extended period of time, or the beach...they would have to initiate their emergency plan if their tube were to break." These design changes ultimately led to the permanent decommissioning of SONGS, yet removal is nowhere in sight. It is important to note that there is no existing emergency plan for a radioactive leak at SONGS.
View from Dog Patch of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS)
Diane Edmonds
View from Dog Patch of the nuclear waste canisters at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).
View from Dog Patch of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS)
Diane Edmonds
View from Dog Patch of the nuclear waste canisters at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).
According to San Onofre Safety:
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) no longer requires even a [ten-mile] evacuation zone and does not require a current safe emergency plan for San Onofre. An exemption to NRC Regulation 10 CFR 50.47 was granted to Southern California Edison based on the false assumption nothing can go wrong.
Waves crash into SONGS at low tide
Diane Edmonds
A family walks their dogs at Dogpatch, a surf spot at San Onofre State Beach that neighbors the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).
Waves crash into SONGS at low tide
Diane Edmonds
A family walks their dogs at Dogpatch, a surf spot at San Onofre State Beach that neighbors the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).
Since decommissioning, SONGS and its contents have become central to the nuclear waste crisis. 3.5 million pounds of spent nuclear fuel are stored on-site in thin-walled canisters feet from the ocean. Those canisters were given a half-life of twenty years in 2003, and nary a solution has presented itself in 2025. This is a high-risk storage scenario due to the nature of nuclear waste, the area's seismic activity, and the region's population size and density. Without a centralized repository in the U.S. for the permanent storage of spent nuclear fuel, communities are forced to serve as de facto nuclear waste dumps nationwide. The lack of a permanent, centralized, geological repository in the US has forced communities nationwide to become de facto nuclear waste dumps.
San Onofre (SONGS) front seawall damage
Diane Edmonds
San Onofre (SONGS) front seawall damage adjacent to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
San Onofre (SONGS) front seawall damage
Diane Edmonds
San Onofre (SONGS) front seawall damage adjacent to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
Concrete monoliths for radioactive waste canisters at SONGS
Diane Edmonds
Concrete monoliths used to store radioactive waste canisters sit ready for use at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in San Diego County, California.
Concrete monoliths for radioactive waste canisters at SONGS
Diane Edmonds
Concrete monoliths used to store radioactive waste canisters sit ready for use at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in San Diego County, California.
This unacceptable reality fuels a nationwide movement led by the Samuel Lawrence Foundation (SLF), the primary non-profit demanding that the nuclear waste issue be solved. SLF acts as a persistent scientific voice for communities affected by SONGS. Through tireless white paper releases, lobbying officials, and constant engagement with affected communities, SLF leads the fight to establish a permanent, defensible, off-site repository for nuclear waste. The mission is one that no political group publicly opposes, although none are willing to step on any toes in pursuit of a permanent solution either.
A King tide at San Onofre
Gary Headrick
A King tide at San Onofre is causing additional damage to the front seawall adjacent to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
A King tide at San Onofre
Gary Headrick
A King tide at San Onofre is causing additional damage to the front seawall adjacent to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
While group after group acknowledges the nuclear waste problem, they all kick the can down the road in one way or another. SLF President Bart Ziegler and his team hold the line, working tirelessly to ensure that a permanent solution is reached before it's too late. For more information about making solving the nuclear waste issue a top national priority, visit the Samuel Lawrence Foundation website. Donate, get involved in your own community, and make your voice heard in Congress.
#SamuelLawrenceFoundation #NuclearWaste #SONGS
A King tide at San Onofre
Diane Edmonds
A King tide at San Onofre is causing additional damage to the front seawall adjacent to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
A King tide at San Onofre
Diane Edmonds
A King tide at San Onofre is causing additional damage to the front seawall adjacent to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
