Wife has developed a fever - taking her to the hospital close-by with our Bug-Out-Bag (water & other materials) - will be out of comm for the next couple of hours.
8.8 Richter earthquake hits Japan: Tsunami, nuclear meltdown, many dead
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BREAKING:
TEPCO has now announced their findings.
Explosion was not due to breach of radioactive material. They have collected readings and confirmed that radiation levels before and after the explosion have not risen. The explosion was caused by buildup of pressure around the reactor vessel, but the reactor vessel itself is still in-tact and undamaged. They are confirming that there has been no leak of radioactive material.
TEPCO has also reported that following their recovery procedure, the background radiation levels have dropped from an earlier reported 1000+ mSv, to approx 800 mSv shortly after 6pm (local time), and to approximately 70 mSv currently.
More info as I get it.
TEPCO has now announced their findings.
Explosion was not due to breach of radioactive material. They have collected readings and confirmed that radiation levels before and after the explosion have not risen. The explosion was caused by buildup of pressure around the reactor vessel, but the reactor vessel itself is still in-tact and undamaged. They are confirming that there has been no leak of radioactive material.
TEPCO has also reported that following their recovery procedure, the background radiation levels have dropped from an earlier reported 1000+ mSv, to approx 800 mSv shortly after 6pm (local time), and to approximately 70 mSv currently.
More info as I get it.
nuclear meltdown at Fukushima 1 has been officially confirmed by government and TEPCO, reactor temperature at ~ 1800° to 2000°C.
Please take care for your life and health, guys. And that of your families and neighbors.
edit: a step back - they (government / prime minister) are only talking about that they are in great concern reg. the situation at Fukushima 1 - they did NOT confirm a nuclear meltdown (yet).
Please take care for your life and health, guys. And that of your families and neighbors.
edit: a step back - they (government / prime minister) are only talking about that they are in great concern reg. the situation at Fukushima 1 - they did NOT confirm a nuclear meltdown (yet).
Well, I think there's a strong possibility that the fuel rods have already been severely damaged. There may have been a limited amount of meltdown within the reaction chamber, but at this point there is no report of a catastrophic meltdown.
About 30 minutes ago, a C130 military plane was in the process of transporting a diesel generator to the plant. They have decided to cool the reactor using sea water, and between cooling the rods directly (pouring water into the reaction chamber) or cooling the chamber as a whole (submerging the exterior of the reactor), they have chosen to cool the rods directly (using sea water).
There is a risk of serious explosion if not done properly, so they are proceeding cautiously. Preparation for cooling is happening right now.
About 30 minutes ago, a C130 military plane was in the process of transporting a diesel generator to the plant. They have decided to cool the reactor using sea water, and between cooling the rods directly (pouring water into the reaction chamber) or cooling the chamber as a whole (submerging the exterior of the reactor), they have chosen to cool the rods directly (using sea water).
There is a risk of serious explosion if not done properly, so they are proceeding cautiously. Preparation for cooling is happening right now.
Last earthquake a few minutes ago was Scale 6 - not horrible but certainly enough to get my heart beating.
As a result of the quake, one tectonic plate shifted 18 meters. Japan has moved about 8 feet. The earth's entire axis has shifted 4 inches.
We are still getting about 3 after shocks an hour, progressively soft. I'm looking forward to sleeping a couple h...ours soon.
As a result of the quake, one tectonic plate shifted 18 meters. Japan has moved about 8 feet. The earth's entire axis has shifted 4 inches.
We are still getting about 3 after shocks an hour, progressively soft. I'm looking forward to sleeping a couple h...ours soon.
22:43
Futaba Hospital near Fukushima I plant has just reported that 3 patients have confirmed radiation poisoning. I didn't catch whether or not those patients were the workers who were at the plant during the afternoon explosion.
In between news bulletins, many news stations are reporting about Sanriku-cho, a small sea-side town north of Sendai. Of its 17,800 residents, only 7000 have been accounted for thus far. It is feared that the town may not have received adequate warning of the tsunami. The entire town has been completely destroyed, with only 3 concrete buildings remaining.
The current casualty numbers have already surpassed 1000. If other small coastal towns similarly did not receive adequate tsunami warnings, the number of casualties could escalate very quickly in the coming days.
Futaba Hospital near Fukushima I plant has just reported that 3 patients have confirmed radiation poisoning. I didn't catch whether or not those patients were the workers who were at the plant during the afternoon explosion.
In between news bulletins, many news stations are reporting about Sanriku-cho, a small sea-side town north of Sendai. Of its 17,800 residents, only 7000 have been accounted for thus far. It is feared that the town may not have received adequate warning of the tsunami. The entire town has been completely destroyed, with only 3 concrete buildings remaining.
The current casualty numbers have already surpassed 1000. If other small coastal towns similarly did not receive adequate tsunami warnings, the number of casualties could escalate very quickly in the coming days.
Just got hit with another small quake less than 2 minutes ago - govn't on TV already claiming this one was a 5.5
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It was centered in Chiba this time - a completely different fault line
-edit-
It was centered in Chiba this time - a completely different fault line
I remember a Japanese family visited my grandfather-in-law's house in 1995. Hope they alright.
The pollution of the nuclear power station is dangerous.
The pollution of the nuclear power station is dangerous.
One last update before I go to bed and hopefully sleep throughout the night. Please feel free to leave comments on the forum and peruse through the galleries via the main page - any comments are welcomed. Goodnight and wish us luck tonight.
http://www.pozland.com/journal/
http://www.pozland.com/journal/
Some reports of infrastructure damage (which will slow down relief efforts) coming in:
Regarding the Fukushima-I reactor 1 cooling operation: the process of cooling the reactor with sea water has been under way for the past couple hours, and is expected to be completed within the next hour. The sea water is being poured into the containment vessel (but not the reaction chamber). The decision to use sea water means the containment vessel will become contaminated with impurities (eg: salt from the water) that would weaken the structure and prevent the reactor from being able to be run safely in the future. This means that the operators have decided that after taking care of the situation, Reactor 1 (having seen almost 40 years of service already) will be decomissioned permanently.
Edit:
Report from TEPCO, various radiation readings have been taken from around the Fukushima plant area. Around 23:00 local time, background radiation measurements dropped to around 3.3 mSv. By comparison, a standard chest x-ray measures 0.05 mSv; 6.9 mSv for a CT scan; 2.4 mSv for standard year's worth of natural radiation.
- 405 sections of main roads/highways across 10 prefectures
- 43 bridges in 3 prefectures
- 5 embankments in 2 prefectures
- 56 landslides in 6 prefectures
- 9 sections of railway in 3 prefectures
Regarding the Fukushima-I reactor 1 cooling operation: the process of cooling the reactor with sea water has been under way for the past couple hours, and is expected to be completed within the next hour. The sea water is being poured into the containment vessel (but not the reaction chamber). The decision to use sea water means the containment vessel will become contaminated with impurities (eg: salt from the water) that would weaken the structure and prevent the reactor from being able to be run safely in the future. This means that the operators have decided that after taking care of the situation, Reactor 1 (having seen almost 40 years of service already) will be decomissioned permanently.
Edit:
Report from TEPCO, various radiation readings have been taken from around the Fukushima plant area. Around 23:00 local time, background radiation measurements dropped to around 3.3 mSv. By comparison, a standard chest x-ray measures 0.05 mSv; 6.9 mSv for a CT scan; 2.4 mSv for standard year's worth of natural radiation.
I hope your wife has a speedy recovery,
and a belated goodnight, and I will wish all the people good luck, my thoughts are with you
Places to Donate
When I last looked for places to donate, this is what I came up with:
redcross.org is definitely on the ground with assistance
mercycorps.org has a Japanese affiliate called peace-winds that's providing assistance
salvationarmyusa.org is preparing to send relief workers and is collection donations for relief items
shelterboxusa.org
americares.org
globalgiving.org are also collecting donations for relief kits to be sent
This is what I was able to find in news stateside. If anyone knows of organizations in Japan who are closer to the crisis, please let us know.
Aside from any Japanese relief organizations that may come up, the best bet is probably to donate to the Red Cross.
PS: Anyone who donates should exercise caution if dealing with an organization you don't know very well. Apparently, there are already fake donation pages showing up. Only donate to places you trust!
When I last looked for places to donate, this is what I came up with:
redcross.org is definitely on the ground with assistance
mercycorps.org has a Japanese affiliate called peace-winds that's providing assistance
salvationarmyusa.org is preparing to send relief workers and is collection donations for relief items
shelterboxusa.org
americares.org
globalgiving.org are also collecting donations for relief kits to be sent
This is what I was able to find in news stateside. If anyone knows of organizations in Japan who are closer to the crisis, please let us know.
Aside from any Japanese relief organizations that may come up, the best bet is probably to donate to the Red Cross.
PS: Anyone who donates should exercise caution if dealing with an organization you don't know very well. Apparently, there are already fake donation pages showing up. Only donate to places you trust!
Sorry, but after reading your last posts I have to say this is not correct.
The measured levels of radiation from all sources speak of 1015 (max) to 70 microsieverts per hour (µSv/h), not millisieverts (mSv). Further, these increased levels of radiation were measured within the building, not outside and definitely not within "10-km radius". The levels outside, but within the site were said to be "8 times as normal", which suggests 1.5-2 µSv/h. The average background radiation is ~2300 µSv per year or ~0.25µSv/h.
Currently, there is no chain reaction going on in the reactors, the cooling needs to be done to remove the heat generated by the short-lived fission products, that may constitute up to 5-10% of the total power output during normal operation. This means, even after the reaction has been terminated by introduction of neutron absorbers, the fuel rods still generate some 50-150 MW of heat.
Cs-137 is a fission product normally generated in uranium-based reactors, and during the operation. The presence of this isotope in the exhaust is not a direct indication of a meltdown. It doesn't exclude the possibility of rods partially damaged, but the real "meltdown" is a situation where the reactor is damaged so much it's no longer possible to pump coolant into it or the pressure vessel or containment breach. This situation certainly did not occur, since the containment still maintains high pressure.
The fuel rods that are not cooled by water do not go critical - it's exactly the opposite - the water is necessary as moderator to maintain the criticality, and all water-moderated reactors actually have so-called "negative void coefficient", meaning that if water starts evaporating/boiling due to high thermal output, the efficiency of the reaction falls, automatically reducing the thermal output. By contrast, the Chernobyl-type reactor ("RBMK") is graphit-moderated and has a positive void coefficient, where increase of temperature actually leads to increase of fission rate, at some point starting a run-away effect.
Looks to me like cnic.jp is deliberately reporting bullshit.
In addition to the Red Cross, the Japanese Consul General's Office lists the Japan Society as a source of information and a site where on-line donations can be made as well as an address to which checks can be mailed. The site also provides links--which I've bold-faced, below--to Japanese telco and web-sites that are assisting those trying to contact relatives and friends.
Go here:
http://www.japansociety.org/news
"CONTACTING AND FINDING PEOPLE IN JAPAN
It's important to not phone Japan so emergency calls can get through. Try to communicate as much as possible via Twitter, Skype, email, Facebook, Mixi, etc.
Google Person Finder Google has launched its Person Finder for the Japan Earthquake. Users can input information about someone in the service or search it to see if any information is available about someone who might have been impacted by the tsunami. The resource currently has 6,900 records, but it's growing quite rapidly.
NTT Docomo Safety Response One of Japan's mobile-phone providers is allowing users to input a loved one's mobile phone number into a search to confirm the safety of that person.
KDDI Disaster Message Board Similar to NTT Docomo's service, the KDDI Disaster Message Board lets people place messages on its service to find out about a loved one's condition. That loved one's safety can then be confirmed via mobile phone or on a PC.
Softbank Message Board Softbank's Message Board mimics KDDI's service, allowing users to post a message to loved ones, which can then be viewed on the person's mobile phone. They can respond from that device to confirm they're safe.
Japan Shelter Map A Google Map has been created for around Tokyo, listing lodging places for people who have been affected by the tsunami to stay the night.
Follow updates on Japan Society's Facebook and Twitter."
Go here:
http://www.japansociety.org/news
"CONTACTING AND FINDING PEOPLE IN JAPAN
It's important to not phone Japan so emergency calls can get through. Try to communicate as much as possible via Twitter, Skype, email, Facebook, Mixi, etc.
Google Person Finder Google has launched its Person Finder for the Japan Earthquake. Users can input information about someone in the service or search it to see if any information is available about someone who might have been impacted by the tsunami. The resource currently has 6,900 records, but it's growing quite rapidly.
NTT Docomo Safety Response One of Japan's mobile-phone providers is allowing users to input a loved one's mobile phone number into a search to confirm the safety of that person.
KDDI Disaster Message Board Similar to NTT Docomo's service, the KDDI Disaster Message Board lets people place messages on its service to find out about a loved one's condition. That loved one's safety can then be confirmed via mobile phone or on a PC.
Softbank Message Board Softbank's Message Board mimics KDDI's service, allowing users to post a message to loved ones, which can then be viewed on the person's mobile phone. They can respond from that device to confirm they're safe.
Japan Shelter Map A Google Map has been created for around Tokyo, listing lodging places for people who have been affected by the tsunami to stay the night.
Follow updates on Japan Society's Facebook and Twitter."