Japan Earthquake and Tsunami!

[GreasyMonkey]

http://www.iaea.org/press/
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/index-e.html
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_Battle_to_stabilise_earthquake_reactors_1203111.html
@arclight on twitter.

Better sources re situation at Fukushima Daiichi... Mainstream media will put their own less than accurate spin on things.

The world-nuclear-news .org site is probably more scary that the mainstream news, since it is much more succinct and direct with the technical aspects of the issue.
The staff at the sites have their hands full, and having to make judgement decisions on whether to do controlled releases or not - not a position I would like at any time.....

 

[craig1985]

I was thinking about visiting that part of Japan myself. I guess not now. I have to say I'm glad this didn't hit Tokyo.

 

[Ferminal]

Japanese authorities have informed the IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC) that, starting at 9:00AM local time, they have started the preparation for the venting of the containment of the Unit 1 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi plant through a controlled release of vapour. The operation is intended to lower pressure inside the reactor containment.

Evacuation of residents living within ten kilometres of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is reported to be under way. An area with a radius of three kilometres around the plant had already been evacuated.

http://www.iaea.org/press/?p=1138

 

[Hugh Januss]

Those photographers swept out to sea are great candidates for Darwin awards. I'm sorry, but it's very difficult to have sympathy for someone that stupid. After all the warnings, sirens and all the police and everyone else working overtime to warn everyone and keep them off the beach... not only did they go there, when doing so they didn't even try to photograph it from high ground. Unreal.

Probably be some awesome pictures if the cameras ever bob up.

 

[jens_attacks]

it's getting way worse

BREAKING NEWS: Explosion rocks Japan's quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

probably huge radioactive leak if it was an explosion indeed...

 

[BroDeal]

Uh-oh. Cesium has been detected. The fuel must be exposed and melting.

 

[jens_attacks]

there are reports saying that the centre of the reactor is melting.

hope it's not true.

 

[thrawn]

there has been confirmation of radiation leaks now.

 

[jens_attacks]

i hope they get them locked down and it does not turn out to be a nuclear disaster,

unfortunately locking down nuclear reactors is not as simple.it's not like you have a key and a padlock for that.

there are rumours saying that if situation is worsening,one million people will be evacuated.

 

[Le breton]

unfortunately locking down nuclear reactors is not as simple.it's not like you have a key and a padlock for that.

there are rumours saying that if situation is worsening,one million people will be evacuated.

Maybe not, but so far the vessel containing the core is intact, so we are not yet anywhere near the Tchernobyl situation where everything exploded at once.

 

[kukiniloa]

13: soorry that i didnt check back in, i waited for the NOAA tide data from wake, guam, and midway before sleeping. Those data suggested a deep ocean wave of crest to trough height of about 4-5 feet. Not that hawaii was entirely free from damage, though...

 

[The Hitch]

I dont get it. You guys are saying theres about to be a nuclear disaster. Usually when theres a really big story the newspaper websites will have it displayed across 100% of the page at the top of the website. No other stories on that bit, as this one is too important. For example when a new US or UK leader is elected, when the Chillean minors were rescued, when Spain won the world cup (im serious).

But here most of the newspapers have it at the top as their main headline, but not as their only headline. If you go on Guardian Telegraph or Times you will see other stories to the side and underneath.

Is the thing not that bad or do these ******** just not know their priorities.

 

[rhubroma]

I dont get it. You guys are saying theres about to be a nuclear disaster. Usually when theres a really big story the newspaper websites will have it displayed across 100% of the page at the top of the website. No other stories on that bit, as this one is too important. For example when a new US or UK leader is elected, when the Chillean minors were rescued, when Spain won the world cup (im serious).

But here most of the newspapers have it at the top as their main headline, but not as their only headline. If you go on Guardian Telegraph or Times you will see other stories to the side and underneath.

Is the thing not that bad or do these ******** just not know their priorities.

No nobody's saying that there is a disaster, just that these are the real concerns.

We don't know officially how much actual damage was done and how much the population is or isn't in real danger.

What we do know is that there was a major earthquake that hit one of the most nucularized nations of the planet (Japan gets 30% of its electrical power this way), and that these are everyone's concerns.

This is, in itself, don't you think, a cause for serious reflection?

 

[Ferminal]

Tweets from "Director of global communications at Prime Minister's office of Japan"... read bottom to top.

norishikata Noriyuki SHIKATA
TEPCO's efforts to depressurize the container was successful. Additional measures are now taken tonight using sea water and boric acid.
48 minutes ago

Noriyuki SHIKATA
norishikata Noriyuki SHIKATA
Trend of μ Sv/h of Unit 1 this afternoon. 1,015(at 15:29), blast (15:36), 860(15:40), 70.5 (18:58). After blast, radioactive level lowered.
1 hour ago

Noriyuki SHIKATA
norishikata Noriyuki SHIKATA
Blast was caused by accumulated hydrogen combined with oxygen in the space between container and outer structure. No damage to container.
1 hour ago

Noriyuki SHIKATA
norishikata Noriyuki SHIKATA
Expanded evacuation (from 10km to 20 km radius) from the nuclear power station decided based on precaution, no specific danger identified.
1 hour ago
»
Noriyuki SHIKATA
norishikata Noriyuki SHIKATA
The blast this afternoon at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station Unit 1 will not cause any leakage of radioactive materials in any way.
1 hour ago

Noriyuki SHIKATA
norishikata Noriyuki SHIKATA
In spite of the blast at 15:36 at Fukushima , no damage to the container housing the reactor occurred. Radioactive level fell after that.

 

[usedtobefast]

my buddy BH is living in Tokyo and said he just made it home before things got worse. he is from Socal and knows about earthquakes, as we all do here on the left coast.
this one was a whole new level. the "Charlie Sheen of earthquakes"
massive and the aftershocks are like big earthquakes here.
still trying to find out about some extended family.

 

[thirteen]

CNN Breaking News -- State of emergency declared at Japan's Ongawa nuclear plant; excessive radiation levels recorded, IAEA says.

 

[krebs303]

CNN Breaking News -- State of emergency declared at Japan's Ongawa nuclear plant; excessive radiation levels recorded, IAEA says.

Second state of emergency declared after radiation recorded at Onagawa plant
A STATE of emergency has been declared at a Japanese nuclear facility at Onagawa after excessive radiation levels were recorded there following Friday's earthquake, the UN atomic watchdog.
"Japanese authorities have informed the IAEA that the first or lowest state of emergency at the Onagawa nuclear power plant has been reported by Tohoku Electric Power Company," the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
The alert was declared "as a consequence of radioactivity readings exceeding allowed levels in the area surrounding the plant".
"Japanese authorities are investigating the source of radiation," the watchdog said.
According to the authorities, the three reactor units at the Onagawa nuclear power plant "are under control".

 

[Granville57]

Absolutely stunning before-and-after satellite photos from New York Times.
Each photo has a center bar that can be dragged left to right to change the perspective. Total destruction.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html?src=tptw

 

[thirteen]

Absolutely stunning before-and-after satellite photos from New York Times.
Each photo has a center bar that can be dragged left to right to change the perspective. Total destruction.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html?src=tptw

i am speechless

 

[flicker]

Reactor Issues

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/03/13/world/asia/100000000723890/japan-wald.html?hp

 

[krebs303]

Tokyo: Bicycles Sell Out as Stranded Commuters Turn to Pedal Power
The hurried city slowed to a mechanical standstill Friday. Most workers curled up in their cubicles to wait out the post-earthquake public transport freeze. Those who didn't likely took the long way home on a new set of wheels.

Tokyo dwellers scrambled to buy bicycles at inflated prices in the wake of the calamitous quake, some preferring to stand in snaking queues rather than face the prospect of walking. Tokyoites are well known for commuting extraordinary distances to reach their places of work; for most, strolling home once metropolitan subways were stopped was not an option. (Tales of fear and grief in Japan.)

The supermarket chain Aeon Co.'s Shinagawa Seaside branch, which lies on Tokyo Bay and sells more cycles than any other Japanese store, told the Japan Times that 89 bicycles were snatched up in three hours Friday. Typically, the shop vends 200 per week. By 8pm that evening, the market was bare of vehicles and already turning would-be commuters away.

 

[Ferminal]

Radiation levels seem to be at their largest yet, 20-30km zone still there but ordered to stay indoors etc.

#4 is the issue at the moment with some sort of fire going on and #2 with the situation a bit unknown post-explosion.

400mSv detected around #4.

 

[scribe]

Oh, man. They are boned. A fourth reactor is on fire. People within 30 km are being warned to stay inside.

I don't get how things could have spiraled out of control over so many days.

I think we'll find out it wasn't so much the tsunamis as it was the collapse of grid, infrastructure to mobilize toward the reactor problems, and human resources at the plants....all on top of reactors that were more damaged by the quake alone than the authorities are letting on.

 

[Benotti69]

a friend in Tokyo is leaving with his Japanese wife and their child. He has been living in Tokyo for the last 8 years. Luckily he has somewhere else to go. It is not looking good for Japan.

 

[Stingray34]

Here in Australia there are talking heads on the news discussing how the disaster has affected shareholders and the financial markets.

One Ar$ehole from Macquarie bank is saying while it's bad now, later in the year will bring a large reconstruction effort and new opportunities for investment.

I wanted to stuff the SOB head first into the reactor. What's wrong with these people? There are thousands of bodies washing up on the shore and he's talking about making money. Does working in finance warp your brain?

I don't know how people like this sleep at night.