tonight on "nightline" -- nuclear jeopardy. a fire is creeping close to an american nuclear lab and a flood surrounds a nuclear plant in the midwest. could our government get people out in time if what happened in japan happened here? happy feet. the incredible story of a world traveler. an emperor penguin stranded thousands of miles from the south pole. we check out the team effort to give him a cool trip home. and madam candidate. the controversial tea party candidate turned serious contender michele bachmann declares she's running for president. >> we can win in 2012 and we will win! >> and she's topping the polls already. but what kind of president would she make?

good evening. i'm terry moran. when an earthquake and tsunami fatally compromised a nuclear plant in japan in march, americans asked whether a similar disaster could strike here. well now only three months later we've got the spectacle of an american nuclear power plant surrounded by floodwaters and thousands are evacuating the area around the los alamos nuclear lab due to a wildfire nearby. officials say the appropriate safeguards are in place. but a new investigation suggest existing evacuation plans are inadequate. so could it happen here? here's abc's jim sciutto. >> reporter: we now know all too

well what it looks like when natural desaflters and nuclear power plants collide. today, a fast-growing and unpredictable wildfire in new mexico came within one mile of the nation's pre-eminent nuclear lab, the los alamos nuclear laboratory. at the same tie, massive flooding of the missouri river has turned fort calhoun nuclear power plant in nebraska into an island. >> we have stranger, bizarre weather patterns that are unpredictable. we may have to re-evaluate the risk that we engaged in. >> reporter: in this year of unexpected, devastating weather, many are asking are our plants completely safe from mother nature. >> at fort calhoun, if water levels surge just a few feet higher, at that point, we're talking about short circuiting all the pumps leading to a loss of coolant. water levels could drop exposing the core. then we could have a three mile island. we could have a fukushima all

over again. >> reporter: fort calhoun station issued this statement saying, fort calhoun remains safe and secure, despite the elevated river levels and flooding conditions in the area. river levels are not expected to exceed 1,008. as he surveyed fort calhoun today, the chairman of the nuclear regulatory commission told us that both fort calhoun and los alamos are safe. >> so there's absolutely no reason now to do any type of emergency evacuation at these sites? >> reporter: and yet we now know any accident would put more people at risk than ever before. across the country, according to a new investigation by the associated press, as plants have grown older, the once rule areas around them have grown more crowded. and crucially more difficult to evacuate. populations within the ten-mile evacuation zones up 162% around the pilgrim plant in plymouth,

massachusetts. up 283% around the plant in los angeles. and around turkey point plant near miami, up 302%. and how good are the existing evacuation plans? the ap found emergency drills didn't involve any actual people and little accounting for bad weather or earthquake damage to roads or bridges. >> as these population centers have grown, have the evacuation plans grown with them? >> evacuation plans have been updated but in my view they have not taken into account the issues associated with this uncontrolled population growth very close to these plants. >> reporter: take new york's indian point power plant just north of new york city. evacuating a 15-mile radius would mean moving more than 17 million people. 6% of the u.s. population. really stricted by two lane roads and busy bridges. >> frankly, the idea you can ask a population let's say within 50 miles of indian point in new

york city to evacuate within a matter of hours is absolutely ludicrous. >> reporter: 50 miles happens to be the evacuation distance recommended for americans in japan after the fukushima disaster. today, we asked him why the requirement for the u.s. remains just ten miles. >> even in japan, it was multiple days to a week before we really saw the significant types of challenges. in the united states, we anticipate the same kind of situation. you would have time to adjust and expand evacuation zones if necessary. >> reporter: another investigation by the ap found radioactive tritium has leaked from three quarters of u.s. nuclear power sorts. >> it's kind of destroyed our whole life. >> reporter: tom and judy zim had just moved into their home near the nuclear power plant outside chicago in 2000 5. plant owners showed up on their doorstep. >> i knew anything radioactive was no good for you.

>> reporter: today, the zimmers can't sell their house and judy has developed cancer. they cannot prove a cause. the plant's owner, exelon, says it has nearly finished cleaning up the leak. nationally, plants are inspecting equipment and pipes more often to spot leaks before they happen. but it's what the strae cannot predict that worries its critics. the powerful natural disasters that no one can prevent. i'm jim sciutto for "nightline" in washington. >> could it happen here? thanks to jim sciutto for that report. just ahead, we're going to take a look at a world traveler who took a wrong turn and how rescuers are scrambling to get him back on ice. oh, we call it the bundler. let's say you need home and auto insurance. you give us your information once, online...

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antarctica is a legendary inhospitable place but for a few hardy species all that ice is a paradise. the only place on earth in fact where they can live without support. the emperor penguin is in that group. and so when one turned up last week on the balmy shore of new zealand, rescuers knew they had to act fast. here's abc's david wright. >> reporter: you can just imagine the pitch to the discovery channel. penguin 911, an emergency medical show featuring one of nature's most lovable creatures. who wouldn't want to watch? >> you don't often see surgery being done on penguins. it's kind of gross but fascinating. getting to see the view down his throat. >> reporter: this isn't the reality tv show. it's the news from wellington,

new zealand, after an emperor penguin nicknamed happy feet washed up on the beach one week ago. >> i just wanted to rescue it. poor little thing. >> reporter: the first emperor penguin in 44 years to turn up in new zealand, more than 2,000 miles off course. the hungry little penguin started gulping down wet sand by the mouthful. >> normally when he gets on the beach in antarctica, he would start eating snow. it appears in this particular case he didn't know the difference and started eating sand and that's what made him sick. >> reporter: at first conservation officials were content to let nature take its course. lucky for happy feet, the wellington zoo stepped in. >> we will try to save him but there's no guarantees. he's still pretty sick and it's quite serious having that much sand. >> reporter: today, they prepped happy feet for surgery, constructed a makeshift penguin oxygen mask and even held its foot throughout the ordeal. >> i'm not a penguin expert. >> reporter: the head of gastroenterology at the local hospital did what he would do

for one of his human patients. although granted without the peanut gallery watching his every move. >> i don't normally have tv cameras and reporters in the room. >> reporter: he inserted a camera all the way down the penguin's gulllet. and literally lassoed the biggest pieces of debris to pull them out. >> i was trying to grab hold of those twigs and pull those twigs out. so we probably emptied about half of the stomach. hopefully with a little luck the stomach will now start functioning on its own. >> reporter: inside the penguin's tummy was about 6 1/2 pounds of sand and other debris. no wonder the poor little thing was struggling. emperor penguins are the ones featured in the academy-award winning film "march of the penguins." >> in the harshest place on earth, love finds a way. >> reporter: they are the only creatures able to breed in the harsh antarctic winter. they may look funny but make no mistake, the emperor penguin is

a survivor. this is a little piece of antarctica in san diego? >> absolutely. >> reporter: to find out more about then, we went to the one place in north america you can see them. sea world san diego. and the emperor are the big ones? >> they are the largest species of penguins. >> reporter: they're about the size of my toddler. >> i think they're probably about the size of the toddler. i bet you they're a little stronger though. >> reporter: and with sharper beaks. >> with sharper beaks. pretty independent too. >> reporter: lauren, sea world's bird specialist, says it's completely possible that a lost emperor penguin, even one 2,000 miles away from its icy empire, should eventually find its way home. >> many of the birds we've seen here go to the same nest site year after year. it's similar to going back to your maternal home. you know where that is. you may not have actually remembered where it is, but there's something instinctual. they actually know. >> reporter: they have a built-in gps? >> a better gps than us.

>> reporter: penguins are resourceful. >> what are you guys doing? >> we're digging to antarctica. >> reporter: maybe not quite so reversefuled as "madagascar" wd have it. he's being offered a ride to the south pole on this russian ice-breaker. officials say the penguin would need to make a full recovery before they would consider it and that may take several months. >> he's still not out of the woods prognosiswise but his demeanor is good. we do need to get food into him sooner rather than later. he is very skinny. >> reporter: if the penguin does make it back it will have quite a story to share. for these humans too. a memorable experience. >> they're fascinated by it. they were learning about nature. they're learning about how to lack after not only other animals but each other. >> reporter: for now, happy feet is off the beach and cooling its heels in an icy recovery room. a lost traveler finding plenty

of help in a far-off land. i'm david wright for "nightline" in san diego. host: could switching to geico really save you 15% or more on car insurance? host: do people use smartphones to do umb things? man 1: send, that is the weekend. app grapgic: yeah dawg! man 2: allow me to crack...the bubbly! man 1: don't mind if i doozy. man 3: is a gentleman with a brostache invited over to this party? man 1: only if he's ready to rock! ♪ sfx: guitar and trumpet jam vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

in 2008 on national television she called for the media to find out which members of congress are, quote, pro america and anti-america. she's been a combative and to many inspiring leader. on the far right of the political spectrum. now, she's running for president. here's congresswoman michele bachmann for our series, the

contenders. >> reporter: michele bachmann is often compared to another heavyweight female in republican politics, sarah palin. they've campaigned only one together. but it was enough to get their tea party fans dreaming. >> how many of you would like to see a palin/bachmann ticket? >> reporter: there's a big difference between these two. with bachmann, there are no games. she is running and she's running hard. >> we can win in 2012 and we will win! >> reporter: not long ago, she was dismissed as a right-wing fringe candidate. even mocked on "saturday night live" as not quite ready for prime time. >> under our current president, we've gone from the this to this. >> reporter: but now she's suddenly emerged as the person to beat in iowa. >> i'm impressed with you. >> thank you. >> reporter: she's generating far more excitement than any of her republican rivals here in a

statistical tie for first place with mitt romney in the latest iowa poll. bachmann's trademark is take no prisoners conservative rehetori. >> we're on to this gangster government and we are not going to let them -- >> reporter: on the eave of her official kickoff be, a side of michele bachmann few people have seen. >> get comfortable. we're family. so get comfortable, we're going to have a wonderful time this evening. >> reporter: back home in waterloo, iowa, her preannouncement speech was all about family. her husband -- >> we'll be married 33 years on september 10th. >> reporter: her five children. >> and sophia -- >> reporter: even mom was there. >> i love you. >> reporter: and her brothers. >> i had three brothers, no sisters. the best preparation for politics any girl could ever have. >> reporter: for michele bachmann, the path to the white house runs through iowa. >> i often say that everything i need to know i learned in iowa

and i know what it means to be from iowa. i know what we value here. and i know what's important. >> reporter: bachmann is something of a home field advantage here in iowa. she grew up right in this house in downtown waterloo. lived here with her three brothers until she was 12 years old. >> our family was democrat. i have one republican grandmother. but we were reasonable, fair-minded people, just like all of our neighbors. and it was really a very strong sense of common sense heartland values. that's what i want to take into the white house. that's an kind of sensibility and voice that were never considered spending more money than what we have. >> reporter: bachmann has five biological children and more. >> we were privileged to raise 23 foster children in our home. so you are looking at the old woman in the shoe. >> reporter: bachmann got into politics late. running for state senate in minnesota and then making a successful run for congress in 2006. "nightline" was there. >> i do the housework. i do the cooking.

so it all worked out. >> reporter: it was a terrible year for republicans almost everywhere else. but she won that race. and every one since. >> i know you may not see it, carl, but that is a titanium spine back here. i have a titanium spine and i will stand strong for those values. >> reporter: she once had this to say about barack obama. >> i'm very concerned he may have anti-american views. >> reporter: she now says she doesn't question the president's patriotism. but bachmann has been sometimes sloppy with the facts. once for example saying obama's trip to india costs taxpayers $200 million a day. and she raised eyebrows by suggesting the founding fathers fought to end slavery. >> the very founders that wrote those documents worked tirelessly until slavery was no more. >> reporter: opposition to the president's health care law.

>> i oppose obama care. i think whether it's at the state level or the federal level. where as a condition of citizenship a person is forced to buy a health insurance pol y policy. that's wrong. that's unconstitutional. >> reporter: hometown roots aside, bachmann's style and her politics are clearly energizing the conservative voters who dominate the iowa caucuses. >> my husband and i spent a long time considering. we do things carefully. we think it through. because we want -- whatever we do, we want to succeed. we don't want to fail. >> reporter: momentum in iowa is one thing. even if she keeps it, she has a tougher challenge ahead. find a way to appeal to voters who don't share her iowa roots or her hard-line politics. for "nightline," i'm jonathan karl in waterloo, iowa. >> john karl. finally tonight, representative gab briele la giffords appeared to attend a houston ceremony honoring her husband andel