8.8 Richter earthquake hits Japan: Tsunami, nuclear meltdown, many dead
- Thread starter example100000
- Start date
-
Akiba-Online is sponsored by FileJoker.
FileJoker is a required filehost for all new posts and content replies in the Direct Downloads subforums.
Failure to include FileJoker links for Direct Download posts will result in deletion of your posts or worse.
For more information see this thread.
Twenty hours later and IT'S STILL SHAKING!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Oh and I just got home after 19 hours on the road which should have taken 1.5 hours)
(Oh and I just got home after 19 hours on the road which should have taken 1.5 hours)
Here's my interview with a Canadian radio station:
http://www.newstalk1010.com/shows/ryandoyleandtarekfatah/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10214710
http://www.newstalk1010.com/shows/ryandoyleandtarekfatah/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10214710
It's shaking again - construction has stopped again across the road from me and people are stepping into the middle of the streets rather than beside the buildings (average height around me is 10 floors)
We're not out of the woods, yet.
Fukushima Nuclear power plants 1 and 2 are in critical condition. The reactor cores are not damaged and there are no leaks. But the reactor cores require active cooling to keep the radioactive material at safe levels. At the moment of the earthquake, both plants automatically shut down their reactors. However the radioactive material remains hot and requires cooling for up to 48 hours.
At Fukushima 1, cores 1 and 2 are at critically high pressure. The local electricity grid has failed, which means the pumps which supply cooling water are unable to operate normally. Backup diesel generators were damaged in the earthquake. The plant is currently relying on backup batteries, but they are only expected to last 8 hours.
At Fukushima 2, cores 1, 2 and 4 are 100℃ above normal operating temperature.
Without adequate cooling, the last option is to vent radioactive steam into the atmosphere to avoid catasrphic meltdown. Prime Minister Kan has declared a state of nuclear emergency, the first in Japan's history.
Radiation levels are 70x above normal at the plant, and 1000x above normal in the control unit have been reported at Plant 1.
Residents within 10km of Plant 1, and within 3km of Plant 2 are urged to evacuate the area.
Fukushima Nuclear power plants 1 and 2 are in critical condition. The reactor cores are not damaged and there are no leaks. But the reactor cores require active cooling to keep the radioactive material at safe levels. At the moment of the earthquake, both plants automatically shut down their reactors. However the radioactive material remains hot and requires cooling for up to 48 hours.
At Fukushima 1, cores 1 and 2 are at critically high pressure. The local electricity grid has failed, which means the pumps which supply cooling water are unable to operate normally. Backup diesel generators were damaged in the earthquake. The plant is currently relying on backup batteries, but they are only expected to last 8 hours.
At Fukushima 2, cores 1, 2 and 4 are 100℃ above normal operating temperature.
Without adequate cooling, the last option is to vent radioactive steam into the atmosphere to avoid catasrphic meltdown. Prime Minister Kan has declared a state of nuclear emergency, the first in Japan's history.
Radiation levels are 70x above normal at the plant, and 1000x above normal in the control unit have been reported at Plant 1.
Residents within 10km of Plant 1, and within 3km of Plant 2 are urged to evacuate the area.
Oh merciful Jesus, I have seen enough. I feel sorry for the people at Sendai. It's time to send the Navy and save them. I hope you guys in Japan are okay.
Wishing for your favourite av actress or whatever doesn't make you an asshole providing you aren't merely concerned about the industry over peoples lives.
Everyone on here has been very respectful so far, wishing the country well.
Two points about the nuclear problem:
http://cnic.jp/ has recorded a long history of misreporting and data falsification surrounding Fukushima I and II. See attached timelines.
They've proceeded with venting of the containment at Fukushima I, but the surrounding TEPCO radiation monitors are conveniently offline and the webpage showing real-time data appears to be missing. That sounds deliberate to me. Priority #2 should be thorough and continuous measurement of radiological levels!
Source: http://www.nirs.org/reactorwatch/accidents/Fukushimafactsheet.pdf
http://cnic.jp/ has recorded a long history of misreporting and data falsification surrounding Fukushima I and II. See attached timelines.
They've proceeded with venting of the containment at Fukushima I, but the surrounding TEPCO radiation monitors are conveniently offline and the webpage showing real-time data appears to be missing. That sounds deliberate to me. Priority #2 should be thorough and continuous measurement of radiological levels!
Source: http://www.nirs.org/reactorwatch/accidents/Fukushimafactsheet.pdf
U
usernameinvalid0000
Guest
Glad to know everyone is alright. Let's hope everyone's loved ones and friends are ok.
This is a big F**k YOU to Pat Robertson before he invariably says something stupid.
This is a big F**k YOU to Pat Robertson before he invariably says something stupid.
Fukushima 1: Major Crisis Looming
NHK reports that the [highlight]venting of pressure from Fukushima 1's Unit 1 has been interrupted[/highlight] because the degree of radiation around one of the two container vents, which were being manually opened, is too high. Officials are now "debating what to do"(!). The container is under great pressure. Officials are just now getting around to "considering" frequent shift changes to minimize workers' exposure or employing devices to remote-control the vent. Officials are still claiming that it's "safe" if you are more than 10 km away from the plant, according to NHK.
Source: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20110312/k10014621561000.html
According to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), the level of water to cool the nuclear reactor at Unit 1 of the Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant has declined. As of 11:20 AM, [highlight]a part of the "fuel assembly" of fuel rods is now exposed above water[/highlight]. The maximum exposure as of now is about 90 cm. If the fuel rods remain exposed, they will be damaged, releasing radioactivity. That's the danger that is threatening the plant, according to NISA. So, about 27,000 liters of water, including the water that has been stored for firefighting, is now being pumped into the reactor, via makeshift pumps and other means, in order to raise the water level.
Source: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20110312/t10014621691000.html
NHK reports that the [highlight]venting of pressure from Fukushima 1's Unit 1 has been interrupted[/highlight] because the degree of radiation around one of the two container vents, which were being manually opened, is too high. Officials are now "debating what to do"(!). The container is under great pressure. Officials are just now getting around to "considering" frequent shift changes to minimize workers' exposure or employing devices to remote-control the vent. Officials are still claiming that it's "safe" if you are more than 10 km away from the plant, according to NHK.
Source: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20110312/k10014621561000.html
According to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), the level of water to cool the nuclear reactor at Unit 1 of the Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant has declined. As of 11:20 AM, [highlight]a part of the "fuel assembly" of fuel rods is now exposed above water[/highlight]. The maximum exposure as of now is about 90 cm. If the fuel rods remain exposed, they will be damaged, releasing radioactivity. That's the danger that is threatening the plant, according to NISA. So, about 27,000 liters of water, including the water that has been stored for firefighting, is now being pumped into the reactor, via makeshift pumps and other means, in order to raise the water level.
Source: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20110312/t10014621691000.html
Like all the posters above, I want to express my concern and hopes for the Japanese people as they seek to survive and recover from the devastation and destruction this earthquake-tsunami has brought to their proud isles. For nearly two days the news from there has been difficult, even grim, in its scope and unrelenting. So it was a most welcome break from those news-streams to come across this article written by a New York Times reporter who had lived in, and reported from, Japan.
As the second paragraph (and others) make clear, it's no puff-piece but rather an appreciation of the societal and individual qualities that the Japanese people will summon in the face of this disaster. Elsewhere on the Times' site there is a section of three hundred-plus comments, mostly from eyewitness/survivors.
March 11, 2011, 10:33 am
Sympathy for Japan, and Admiration
By NICHOLAS KRISTOF
Our hearts are all with the Japanese today, after the terrible earthquake there – the worst ever recorded in Japan. But, having covered the 1995 Kobe earthquake (which killed more than 6,000 people and left 300,000 homeless) when I lived in Japan as Tokyo bureau chief for The New York Times, I have to add: Watch Japan in the coming days and weeks, and I bet we can also learn some lessons.
It’s not that Japan’s government handles earthquakes particularly well. The government utterly mismanaged the rescue efforts after the 1995 quake, and its regulatory apparatus disgraced itself by impounding Tylenol and search dogs sent by other countries. In those first few frantic days, when people were still alive under the rubble, some died unnecessarily because of the government’s incompetence.
But the Japanese people themselves were truly noble in their perseverance and stoicism and orderliness. There’s a common Japanese word, “gaman,” that doesn’t really have an English equivalent, but is something like “toughing it out.” And that’s what the people of Kobe did, with a courage, unity and common purpose that left me awed....For the rest of Mr. Kristof's article, go here:
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/sympathy-for-japan-and-admiration/?ref=asia
As the second paragraph (and others) make clear, it's no puff-piece but rather an appreciation of the societal and individual qualities that the Japanese people will summon in the face of this disaster. Elsewhere on the Times' site there is a section of three hundred-plus comments, mostly from eyewitness/survivors.
March 11, 2011, 10:33 am
Sympathy for Japan, and Admiration
By NICHOLAS KRISTOF
Our hearts are all with the Japanese today, after the terrible earthquake there – the worst ever recorded in Japan. But, having covered the 1995 Kobe earthquake (which killed more than 6,000 people and left 300,000 homeless) when I lived in Japan as Tokyo bureau chief for The New York Times, I have to add: Watch Japan in the coming days and weeks, and I bet we can also learn some lessons.
It’s not that Japan’s government handles earthquakes particularly well. The government utterly mismanaged the rescue efforts after the 1995 quake, and its regulatory apparatus disgraced itself by impounding Tylenol and search dogs sent by other countries. In those first few frantic days, when people were still alive under the rubble, some died unnecessarily because of the government’s incompetence.
But the Japanese people themselves were truly noble in their perseverance and stoicism and orderliness. There’s a common Japanese word, “gaman,” that doesn’t really have an English equivalent, but is something like “toughing it out.” And that’s what the people of Kobe did, with a courage, unity and common purpose that left me awed....For the rest of Mr. Kristof's article, go here:
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/sympathy-for-japan-and-admiration/?ref=asia
More than 1,200 dead or unaccounted for in megaquake
Saturday 12th March, 12:40 PM JST
TOKYO —
The combined number of people who died or are unaccounted for in Friday’s catastrophic earthquake in Japan topped 1,200 Saturday, according to a police tally.
The death toll reached 398, with the number likely to rise to well over 1,000 as some areas suffered devastating damage due mainly to tsunami of up to 10 meters.
Meanwhile, 805 people are missing following the 2:46 p.m. quake with a magnitude of 8.8, the strongest ever recorded in Japan.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano on Saturday expressed the government’s determination to bring relief to the disaster-hit areas, telling a meeting of the emergency disaster headquarters Saturday, ‘‘This is the largest earthquake since the Meiji Era, and it is believed that more than 1,000 people have lost their lives.’‘
In Fukushima Prefecture, radiation could have been released at Tokyo Electric Power Co.‘s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, the first leak of radioactive material into the outside air if confirmed, with radiation at more than eight times the usual level being detected at a monitoring post at the plant.
The amount of radiation reached around 1,000 times the normal level in the control room of the No. 1 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 plant, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said.
The agency said it issued an unprecedented order for the electricity firm to open a valve at the plant to release pressure in the container housing the reactor following the powerful earthquake.
The local government, acting on orders from Prime Minister Naoto Kan, instructed about 3,000 residents living within a 10-kilometer radius of the No. 1 nuclear plant and within a 3-kilometer radius of the No. 2 plant to evacuate.
The number of partially or completely destroyed buildings has now reached some 3,400, and that of fires that hit quake-affected areas totals around 200, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Meanwhile, the welfare ministry said 181 welfare facilities, including nursing homes, have been damaged.
In Iwate Prefecture, the coastal city of Rikuzentakata was virtually destroyed by a tsunami wave, with almost all of the city submerged, the agency and local police said. The coastal area of Miyako City and almost all part of town of Yamada also submerged.
Around 200 to 300 bodies were found in Sendai’s Wakabayashi Ward, but police forces cannot reach them as they are in the flooded area, the Miyagi prefectural police said.
Around 1,800 houses in Fukushima Prefecture were found to have been destroyed, according to the NPA.
As rescue officials have not been able to access the tsunami-hit areas as tsunami warnings are still in effect, the overall picture of the destruction remains unclear.
A municipal official of the town of Futaba, Fukushima, said, ‘‘More than 90 percent of the houses in three coastal communities have been washed away by tsunami. Looking from the fourth floor of the town hall, I see no houses standing.’‘
Kan inspected the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, where a reactor could not be cooled down, by helicopter on Saturday morning and to visit the nuclear plant, where a reactor could not be cooled down, and told an executive of Tokyo Electric Power, ‘‘I hope measures (to support the neighboring residents) will be taken at an early stage.’‘
In the quake-hit areas, around 5.57 million households had lost power as of Saturday morning, while more than 1 million households had had their water supply cut off.
Kan said the government has decided to dispatch 50,000 Self-Defense Forces officers to the quake-areas for rescue operations.
On Saturday morning, meanwhile, several strong quakes, one with a magnitude of 6.7 at 3:59 a.m., rocked an inland area on the Sea of Japan coast northwest of Tokyo, hitting Nagano and Niigata prefectures.
Saturday’s first predawn quake, which originated at a depth of 10 km in Niigata’s Chuetsu region, measured upper-6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in Nagano Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The agency said it couldn’t rule out the possibility that the latest quake was triggered by Friday’s quake.
Four trains running in a coastal area of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures remained unaccounted for after tsunami triggered by Friday’s earthquake hit the area, the train operator said Saturday.
It is not known how many people were aboard the trains that were running on East Japan Railway Co.‘s Ofunato, Senseki and Kesennuma lines on the Pacific coast when the magnitude 8.8 quake hit northern Japan.
The company said earlier that another train on the Senseki Line was found derailed near Nobiru Station after the quake. On Saturday, the Miyagi prefectural police rescued nine passengers from the train by helicopter
JR East said, meanwhile, it expects to continue the suspension of bullet train services on the Tohoku, Yamagata and Akita Shinkansen Lines through Saturday, while resuming train operations in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Nine expressways were closed as of Saturday, while at least 312 domestic flights were cancelled.
The quake measured the highest level of 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in northern Miyagi, upper-6 in the rest of Miyagi and part of Fukushima, Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures, lower-6 in part of Iwate, Fukushima, Gunma, Saitama and Chiba prefectures, and upper-5 in a wider area including central Tokyo, and part of Kanagawa and Yamanashi prefectures.
The Tokyo police said more than 120,000 people in the capital were unable to return home Friday evening due to the suspension of train operations and because of traffic jams.
source at http://www.japantoday.com/category/...-from-powerful-japan-quake-likely-to-top-1000
Saturday 12th March, 12:40 PM JST
TOKYO —
The combined number of people who died or are unaccounted for in Friday’s catastrophic earthquake in Japan topped 1,200 Saturday, according to a police tally.
The death toll reached 398, with the number likely to rise to well over 1,000 as some areas suffered devastating damage due mainly to tsunami of up to 10 meters.
Meanwhile, 805 people are missing following the 2:46 p.m. quake with a magnitude of 8.8, the strongest ever recorded in Japan.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano on Saturday expressed the government’s determination to bring relief to the disaster-hit areas, telling a meeting of the emergency disaster headquarters Saturday, ‘‘This is the largest earthquake since the Meiji Era, and it is believed that more than 1,000 people have lost their lives.’‘
In Fukushima Prefecture, radiation could have been released at Tokyo Electric Power Co.‘s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, the first leak of radioactive material into the outside air if confirmed, with radiation at more than eight times the usual level being detected at a monitoring post at the plant.
The amount of radiation reached around 1,000 times the normal level in the control room of the No. 1 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 plant, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said.
The agency said it issued an unprecedented order for the electricity firm to open a valve at the plant to release pressure in the container housing the reactor following the powerful earthquake.
The local government, acting on orders from Prime Minister Naoto Kan, instructed about 3,000 residents living within a 10-kilometer radius of the No. 1 nuclear plant and within a 3-kilometer radius of the No. 2 plant to evacuate.
The number of partially or completely destroyed buildings has now reached some 3,400, and that of fires that hit quake-affected areas totals around 200, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Meanwhile, the welfare ministry said 181 welfare facilities, including nursing homes, have been damaged.
In Iwate Prefecture, the coastal city of Rikuzentakata was virtually destroyed by a tsunami wave, with almost all of the city submerged, the agency and local police said. The coastal area of Miyako City and almost all part of town of Yamada also submerged.
Around 200 to 300 bodies were found in Sendai’s Wakabayashi Ward, but police forces cannot reach them as they are in the flooded area, the Miyagi prefectural police said.
Around 1,800 houses in Fukushima Prefecture were found to have been destroyed, according to the NPA.
As rescue officials have not been able to access the tsunami-hit areas as tsunami warnings are still in effect, the overall picture of the destruction remains unclear.
A municipal official of the town of Futaba, Fukushima, said, ‘‘More than 90 percent of the houses in three coastal communities have been washed away by tsunami. Looking from the fourth floor of the town hall, I see no houses standing.’‘
Kan inspected the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, where a reactor could not be cooled down, by helicopter on Saturday morning and to visit the nuclear plant, where a reactor could not be cooled down, and told an executive of Tokyo Electric Power, ‘‘I hope measures (to support the neighboring residents) will be taken at an early stage.’‘
In the quake-hit areas, around 5.57 million households had lost power as of Saturday morning, while more than 1 million households had had their water supply cut off.
Kan said the government has decided to dispatch 50,000 Self-Defense Forces officers to the quake-areas for rescue operations.
On Saturday morning, meanwhile, several strong quakes, one with a magnitude of 6.7 at 3:59 a.m., rocked an inland area on the Sea of Japan coast northwest of Tokyo, hitting Nagano and Niigata prefectures.
Saturday’s first predawn quake, which originated at a depth of 10 km in Niigata’s Chuetsu region, measured upper-6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in Nagano Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The agency said it couldn’t rule out the possibility that the latest quake was triggered by Friday’s quake.
Four trains running in a coastal area of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures remained unaccounted for after tsunami triggered by Friday’s earthquake hit the area, the train operator said Saturday.
It is not known how many people were aboard the trains that were running on East Japan Railway Co.‘s Ofunato, Senseki and Kesennuma lines on the Pacific coast when the magnitude 8.8 quake hit northern Japan.
The company said earlier that another train on the Senseki Line was found derailed near Nobiru Station after the quake. On Saturday, the Miyagi prefectural police rescued nine passengers from the train by helicopter
JR East said, meanwhile, it expects to continue the suspension of bullet train services on the Tohoku, Yamagata and Akita Shinkansen Lines through Saturday, while resuming train operations in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Nine expressways were closed as of Saturday, while at least 312 domestic flights were cancelled.
The quake measured the highest level of 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in northern Miyagi, upper-6 in the rest of Miyagi and part of Fukushima, Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures, lower-6 in part of Iwate, Fukushima, Gunma, Saitama and Chiba prefectures, and upper-5 in a wider area including central Tokyo, and part of Kanagawa and Yamanashi prefectures.
The Tokyo police said more than 120,000 people in the capital were unable to return home Friday evening due to the suspension of train operations and because of traffic jams.
source at http://www.japantoday.com/category/...-from-powerful-japan-quake-likely-to-top-1000
Fukushima 1: Fuel Meltdown Begins
12 March 2011, 14:00: "The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) of the Ministry of Economy and Industry (MITI) has just announced that near Unit 1 of the Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant, a radioactive element called "cesium," which results from nuclear fission, has been detected, so it believes that [highlight]a part of the nuclear fuel at the reactor core of Unit 1 has melted down[/highlight]"
Source: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20110312/t10014623511000.html
12 March 2011, 14:00: "The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) of the Ministry of Economy and Industry (MITI) has just announced that near Unit 1 of the Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant, a radioactive element called "cesium," which results from nuclear fission, has been detected, so it believes that [highlight]a part of the nuclear fuel at the reactor core of Unit 1 has melted down[/highlight]"
Source: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20110312/t10014623511000.html