AP is reporting that not just "a cooling system has failed" but that all of the cooling system of Fukushima has collapsed and that the entire plant is without power with emergency power system non-functioning. This thing could go Chernobyl.
fukkkkkkkkkkkk they're heading for a meltdown
They just said on the news that they have gotten power back and the cooling system is back online.
I just read that the cooling water level is still falling, that the pressure is rising and that according to Japanese newspaper Asahi the plant is considering to release radioactive steam into the environment to lower the pressure...
The water around the plant is so contaminated with mud and debris that it can't be pumped into the reactor. This is not looking good...
The US Air Force is running to the rescue with cooling fluid... godspeed!
We had to evacuate our house and ended up camping overnight in my girlfriend's classroom. Thankfully Hawaii was not hit too hard - Ali'i Drive in Kona got ripped up and quite a few boats and canoes were sunk, but that seems to be the extent of it. Supposedly one trailer home in Kona floated out to sea.
The size of these aftershocks is terrifying to me and they are so many. It makes me feel pretty stupid for not having an earthquake safety kit living in SF
The size of these aftershocks is terrifying to me and they are so many. It makes me feel pretty stupid for not having an earthquake safety kit living in SF
I wasn't familiar with these kits so I had to look them up. Yeah, I'd say getting one is a good idea.
I've heard from all my friends and co-workers and fortunately they are all safe.
I admire the strength and heart of the Japanese people.
My friend Cho really hit me hard with this....
"The main thing for Japan as the country is how to recover from this historical disaster. This is a kind of litmus paper if Japan and Japanese are really capable country and fork which are qualified to live with you on this earth"
You'd think people would be safer in Japan, than the areas of Asia hit by the tsunami in 2004, because there aren't so many people living in lightly fabricated buildings right on the seafront. Then you watch something like this.
It's heartbraking to watch these towns swept away by a wave of nasty sludge; more so when they look exactly like the town I lived in and the towns my friends lived in and continue to live in. In fact, Shirakawa, where a friend of mine was living, has 9500 people unaccounted for, but he's in Tokyo and okay. All my friends in Japan are accounted for, I think, but that only satisfies the most tragic personal component of this... doesn't make it any easier to watch.
Omen: this is slim comfort but despite the magnitude of this esrthquake (many times greater than Haiti and similar to the 2004 Indian Ocean quake) the death toll will likely be a tiny fraction of those quakes (Haiti killed at least 100K, Indian Ocean at least twice that). That's a remarkable difference.
However, you can't design a tsunami safe city to withstand the kind of power this quake generated (except by NOT building by shore).
NYTimes has an article today about parts of the US that will be vulnerable to a major quake or tsunami. It's sobering.
"140,000 people have been told to evacuate areas near the two Fukushima nuclear power plants following Friday's earthquake, said the UN atomic watchdog. The International Atomic Energy Agency said."
This looks horrible.
I can't believe the infornation policy the Japanese government is running here. International experst have a very grim outlook on the situation judging from what little they get to know. There is now talk of a total of 5 reactors in 2 different plants with non-functioning cooling systems. The company who's running the Fukushima plant apparently has a long history of falsified reports and covered up malfunctions.
yeah, I'm hoping for the best x1,000. But, they (newsmedia) keep bringing up 3 mi. island - saying this isn't THAT scenario. But, their rhetoric is eerily similar - vague and reassuring.
But, at least, at three mile island they had functioning electricity and pumps, etc. The situation in japan is, in fact, way worse.
I hope, and assume everyone in positions of power is on top of this. Because it could be a giant flippin disaster.
yeah, I'm hoping for the best x1,000. But, they (newsmedia) keep bringing up 3 mi. island - saying this isn't THAT scenario. But, their rhetoric is eerily similar - vague and reassuring.
But, at least, at three mile island they had functioning electricity and pumps, etc. The situation in japan is, in fact, way worse.
I hope, and assume everyone in positions of power is on top of this. Because it could be a giant flippin disaster.
This can be averted though, right?
I think it's still unclear what the actual situation is. The presence of Caesium is an indicator that a meltdown already is in process... righ now they're trying to cool the reactor which had the explosion with seawater laced with boric acid which is supposed to absorb neutrons to stop a nuclear chain reaction. I heard some specialist on german TV explain how this could work but he in essence said that it's not much more but a try and it's compleltely unsure what will happen. The shady history of the operating company makes the whole thing even more unpredictable. This is just so horrible...
This looks horrible.
I can't believe the infornation policy the Japanese government is running here. International experst have a very grim outlook on the situation judging from what little they get to know. There is now talk of a total of 5 reactors in 2 different plants with non-functioning cooling systems. The company who's running the Fukushima plant apparently has a long history of falsified reports and covered up malfunctions.
I did a whole semester last year at university about the power reactors in Japan and nuclear energy, as well as my exam and paper. There have been a lot of issues with the nuclear program in Japan. It's hard really to tell without speculating, for example, some workers were, as my lecturer explained, turned into "human dim sims" (no racist) after a leak in one of the affected plants pipelines. The plants are definitely prepared for earthquakes, however, the issue here it seems is the lack of power, and I am sure that they are doing what they can, however it is worrying that they've increased the original "no-go" zone from 3km to the current standing 12km...
I will go over my research and notes sometime later today and see what the deal is with that particular plant.
I know things like food stuffs, medicine and the like are becoming scarce over there especially in the north. Even tokyo is getting kind of bare right now.
If any japan strutters need some care packages and the mail is getting through to you then let us know. Im all down for helping out anyway i can.
things seem ok here, and ppl trying to remain positive regarding the cooling processes they have in place.......
It's a difficult feat to be dealing with reactor #2 having the main chamber potentially compromised, as well as reactor 1 and 3 rising in temperature still! on top of that, 5 and 6 are now increasing in temperature!
there is a real potential for this to turn nasty, and I pray that they can get these reactors under control over night!
anyone else in Tokyo still, make sure you have the supplies you need and try and get your hands on some potassium iodide (youhka kariumu) if things dont go so well! in addition, cover your skin and try to buffer your nasal cavities and throat with a wet cloth and face mask over that.......just sayin'
Rachel Maddow had David James Brenner from the Center for Radiological Research Columbia University. He said that iodine does nothing to protect anyone. It was the contaminated cow's milk that you have to avoid in the case of iodine posioning. Couldn't find the video of it but here's the transcript.
MADDOW: In terms of the broader population, and thinking about what might be a manageable amount of radioactive exposure???I realize it is a fluid situation. We don???t yet know how much radiation is going to be released into the atmosphere. But one of the things that has been discussed is the distribution of iodine tablets to try protect people from thyroid cancer.
Why is that important? And how important is that?
BRENNER: Well, in my view, it???s not important at all. It???s not actually the appropriate way to deal with the issue of iodine-131. The way iodine gets???radioactive iodine gets into the body is a crowd of iodine falls to the ground. Cows eat grass which has got that radioactive iodine in it. The milk that they produce has radioactive iodine in it, and we drink the milk.
So, the simple way to avoid the iodine problem is simply not to drink the milk and that works. It doesn???t work with all the other radio isotopes. For the special case of iodine, simply don???t drink the milk.
MADDOW: So, that???s???that???s not like you???re using cows and milk production as an example of one way in which all different ways you can be contaminated. That???s the specific route?
BRENNER: It???s the specific route of iodine. Yes.
MADDOW: OK.
BRENNER: So, iodine pills, they???re not going to do harm, but they???re not really going to do any good either. The real way is to stop people drinking the milk.
Comments
Had the tv on and saw one clip of a wave coming ashore in Japan. I almost vomited.
Glad so many strutter friends and family are ok.
My heart goes out to those who are not.
Dan
I just read that the cooling water level is still falling, that the pressure is rising and that according to Japanese newspaper Asahi the plant is considering to release radioactive steam into the environment to lower the pressure...
The water around the plant is so contaminated with mud and debris that it can't be pumped into the reactor. This is not looking good...
The US Air Force is running to the rescue with cooling fluid... godspeed!
http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=en
About the tool: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12711244
just didn't think of that scenario
I wasn't familiar with these kits so I had to look them up. Yeah, I'd say getting one is a good idea.
http://www.quakekare.com/5-person-deluxe-survival-kit-p-6.html
:face_melt:
still feeling tremors here in Tokyo off and on.......
Scary times >.
I admire the strength and heart of the Japanese people.
My friend Cho really hit me hard with this....
"The main thing for Japan as the country is how to recover from this historical disaster. This is a kind of litmus paper if Japan and Japanese are really capable country and fork which are qualified to live with you on this earth"
sad to say, the death toll is now up to 1700, and growing by the hour >.
heart goes out to all the poor folk directly affected by such a catastrophe!
However, you can't design a tsunami safe city to withstand the kind of power this quake generated (except by NOT building by shore).
NYTimes has an article today about parts of the US that will be vulnerable to a major quake or tsunami. It's sobering.
I tried looking on the NYT page but couldn't find it. Link?
"140,000 people have been told to evacuate areas near the two Fukushima nuclear power plants following Friday's earthquake, said the UN atomic watchdog. The International Atomic Energy Agency said."
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/japans-twin-disasters-march-13-liveblog#update-11071
I can't believe the infornation policy the Japanese government is running here. International experst have a very grim outlook on the situation judging from what little they get to know. There is now talk of a total of 5 reactors in 2 different plants with non-functioning cooling systems. The company who's running the Fukushima plant apparently has a long history of falsified reports and covered up malfunctions.
But, at least, at three mile island they had functioning electricity and pumps, etc. The situation in japan is, in fact, way worse.
I hope, and assume everyone in positions of power is on top of this. Because it could be a giant flippin disaster.
This can be averted though, right?
I think it's still unclear what the actual situation is. The presence of Caesium is an indicator that a meltdown already is in process... righ now they're trying to cool the reactor which had the explosion with seawater laced with boric acid which is supposed to absorb neutrons to stop a nuclear chain reaction. I heard some specialist on german TV explain how this could work but he in essence said that it's not much more but a try and it's compleltely unsure what will happen. The shady history of the operating company makes the whole thing even more unpredictable. This is just so horrible...
I did a whole semester last year at university about the power reactors in Japan and nuclear energy, as well as my exam and paper. There have been a lot of issues with the nuclear program in Japan. It's hard really to tell without speculating, for example, some workers were, as my lecturer explained, turned into "human dim sims" (no racist) after a leak in one of the affected plants pipelines. The plants are definitely prepared for earthquakes, however, the issue here it seems is the lack of power, and I am sure that they are doing what they can, however it is worrying that they've increased the original "no-go" zone from 3km to the current standing 12km...
I will go over my research and notes sometime later today and see what the deal is with that particular plant.
If any japan strutters need some care packages and the mail is getting through to you then let us know. Im all down for helping out anyway i can.
things seem ok here, and ppl trying to remain positive regarding the cooling processes they have in place.......
It's a difficult feat to be dealing with reactor #2 having the main chamber potentially compromised, as well as reactor 1 and 3 rising in temperature still! on top of that, 5 and 6 are now increasing in temperature!
there is a real potential for this to turn nasty, and I pray that they can get these reactors under control over night!
anyone else in Tokyo still, make sure you have the supplies you need and try and get your hands on some potassium iodide (youhka kariumu) if things dont go so well! in addition, cover your skin and try to buffer your nasal cavities and throat with a wet cloth and face mask over that.......just sayin'
MADDOW: In terms of the broader population, and thinking about what might be a manageable amount of radioactive exposure???I realize it is a fluid situation. We don???t yet know how much radiation is going to be released into the atmosphere. But one of the things that has been discussed is the distribution of iodine tablets to try protect people from thyroid cancer.
Why is that important? And how important is that?
BRENNER: Well, in my view, it???s not important at all. It???s not actually the appropriate way to deal with the issue of iodine-131. The way iodine gets???radioactive iodine gets into the body is a crowd of iodine falls to the ground. Cows eat grass which has got that radioactive iodine in it. The milk that they produce has radioactive iodine in it, and we drink the milk.
So, the simple way to avoid the iodine problem is simply not to drink the milk and that works. It doesn???t work with all the other radio isotopes. For the special case of iodine, simply don???t drink the milk.
MADDOW: So, that???s???that???s not like you???re using cows and milk production as an example of one way in which all different ways you can be contaminated. That???s the specific route?
BRENNER: It???s the specific route of iodine. Yes.
MADDOW: OK.
BRENNER: So, iodine pills, they???re not going to do harm, but they???re not really going to do any good either. The real way is to stop people drinking the milk.