Is the world actually ending? Japan hit by quake and tsunami

[The Peeps]

That vid is awesome and terrifying at the same time.

 

I'm guessing the buildings are designed to sway like that to counter Earthquake damage?

[MoogleViper]

That vid is awesome and terrifying at the same time.

 

I'm guessing the buildings are designed to sway like that to counter Earthquake damage?

 

That wasn't an earthquake, the cameraman was just drunk.

[Jimbob]

If i had any spare money, i'd donate.

[MoogleViper]

If i had any spare money, i'd donate.

 

You don't really care, you only care because they're japanese and they make your precious computer gam...

 

 

...sorry.

[Dante]

Before & after images.

 

 

You don't really care, you only care because they're japanese and they make your precious computer gam...

 

 

...sorry.

 

I was going to ask how do you know that he doesn't care but then I saw first his post in the thread :

I reckon they should call these guys

 

 

And, what do you expect. Building a civilization upon plates which are more prone to cause quakes?. I blame the high-speed reliable transportation system they use, probably causes the plates to move unexpectidly.

 

Still, pretty aweful natural disaster though.

[flameboy]

If i had any spare money, i'd donate.

 

You had spare money to buy that stupid fucking fez!!!!

 

Also Jimbob do you actually have any proof that high speed rail systems affect plates that form the entire earth?! There's a ton of science research that goes into this stuff never once hear thats what causes more earthquakes on an area that is has been prone to them since forever. I don't see how you say I blame "blah blah blah" that's like me saying I blame the ice cream sales man on the street corner, its just stupid.

 

Anyway...

 

Japan nuclear plant faces new threat

The emergency cooling system at a second nuclear reactor has failed, raising fears of a serious accident, but officials have said the low radiation levels pose no risk to human health

 

Japan is struggling to contain a growing crisis at two nuclear power plants damaged in Friday's huge earthquake and tsunami, as officials revealed that the emergency cooling system at another reactor had failed, raising fears of a serious accident.

 

Officials said the negligible radioactivity levels near the plants in Fukushima prefecture posed no threat to human health. Screening centres were being set up for people worried about exposure.

 

Tokyo Electric Power [Tepco] described the situation at the Fukushima No 1 power plant as an emergency after the cooling system failed at a second reactor at the plant.

 

Tepco said radioation levels at the plant had exceeded the legal limit on Sunday morning. Hourly radiation at the site was measured at 882 micro sievert, in excess of the allowable level of 500, Japan's nuclear safety agency said. The government's chief spokesman, Yukio Edano, said the level had briefly risen 1,204 micro sievert.

 

"There was no sudden rise in radiation because of the ventilation activities," Edano said, adding that there was no immediate threat to human health.

 

"We are doing the two things at the same time – venting air out of the reactor and supplying water into the reactor," he told reporters.

 

As authorities released steam to relieve pressure from the second overheating reactor, efforts were under way to evacuate 210,000 people living within 12 miles (20km) of the two plants.

 

Among those waiting to leave was Reiko Takagi, who lives in Iwaki, about 18 miles from the No 1 plant.

 

"Everyone wants to get out of the town. But the roads are terrible," she said. "It is too dangerous to go anywhere. But we are afraid that winds may change and bring radiation toward us."

 

Edano said: "There is no confusion at this point, although we appreciate that people will have to leave their homes and livelihoods behind, but there is no panic."

 

Efforts were also under way to cool off three reactors at the firm's No 2 nuclear plant also at Fukushima, about 150 miles north of Tokyo.

 

The complete failure of more cooling systems has added an additional level of danger to what was already one of the worst nuclear accidents in Japan's history. The government has classed the accident as level 4 on an international scale of levels 0-7.

 

At least 22 people are known to have been exposed to radiation and were being treated in hospital, but Japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency said that up to 160 people may have been exposed.

 

Tepco confirmed that the No 3 reactor of the quake-hit No 1 Fukushima plant had lost its cooling functions. A small amount of radiation leaked on Saturday after similar problems hit the facility's No 1 reactor.

 

Nineteen people have been exposed to radioactivity today; three more were exposed when the roof over the No 1 reactor exploded on Saturday.

 

Tepco said the No 1 reactor had partially melted – the first time this has happened in Japan – and was continuing efforts to cool the reactor with seawater, a procedure a British nuclear expert described as "an act of desperation".

 

The company notified the government on Sunday morning that the No 3 reactor had lost the ability to cool the reactor core, and that radiactive steam was being released. Kyodo News quoted Tepco as saying that up to 3 metres (10ft) of MOX fuel rods were exposed above water at the plant.

 

Shaun Burnie, an independent nuclear energy consultant and forner head of nuclear campaigns at Greenpeace, said the presence of a percentage of fuel core loaded with plutonium MOX fuel in the No 3 reactor posed a grave threat to the surrounding area.

 

"Plutonium MOX fuel increases the risk of nuclear accident due the neutronic effects of plutonium on the reactor," Burnie told the Guardian. "In the event of an accident – in particular loss of coolant – the reactor core is more difficult to control due to both neutronics and higher risk of fuel cladding failure.

 

"In the event of the fuel melting and the release of plutonium fuel into the environment, the health hazards are greater, including higher levels of latent cancer."

 

The MOX fuel was delivered in 1999 and was loaded into the reactor by Tepco only last year after sitting in Fukushima storage ponds amid opposition and delays from the prefecture's governor, Burnie said.

 

The No 3 reactor is the sixth facing risks because of loss of cooling water since Friday's devastating quake and tsunami.

 

Tepco last night filled the No 1 reactor with seawater and boric acid to prevent criticality (an uncontrolled nuclear reaction) hours after an explosion blew away the roof and walls of a building housing the rector.

 

The blast is thought to have occurred when hydrogen being released from the reactor mixed with oxygen either in the air or in cooling water

[bryanee]

Did I see it right on the news that there are 10,000 people missing from just one town?

[gaggle64]

Did I see it right on the news that there are 10,000 people missing from just one town?

 

Yeah, 10,000 out of a town of 17,000. Just thinking about it makes my gut sink to the floor.

 

I've been wondering what the damage is elsewhere. Japan has obviously taken a grievous toll but I wonder what the damage has been like on the many small islands dotted around the Pacific, places that don't have the resources that Japan has.

 

Edit: Speaking of which-

Edited March 13, 2011 by gaggle64

[flameboy]

yeah gaggle its true. I guess such number's won't come out for a very long time.

[Dante]

Volcano in southern Japan erupts. Edited March 13, 2011 by Dante
wrong url

[Debug Mode]

Volcano in southern Japan erupts.

 

...1st of February ¬__¬

 

Edit: Apologies, although the article is old, it has erupted again

[Retro_Link]

[Adthegreat]

The human mind is incapable of fathoming this kind of energy, and it certainly is extremely humbling. It makes, me at least, realize that we are not the masters of this planet, but merely tiny little ants. It's a horrible thing that happened, and I wish everybody who was affected all the best of luck.

[Debug Mode]

 

All I could think of is a new twist for an Eastenders stag night plot..

 

[Frank]

Jesus Christ, I just heard about the volcano warning as well...

Also did I hear right that Japan are refusing any aid?

 

 

As for the American 'issue', in spite of the fact that I'm not the biggest fan of the U.S.A. it's quite silly to generalise a population of over 300,000,000 based on a few idiots.

[James]

For anyone worried about the nuclear power plants blowing up and destroying all life forms, so the papers will lead you to believe. Give this a read, quite long, but reduces the worry the press inflict with not knowing the facts.

 

http://morgsatlarge.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/why-i-am-not-worried-about-japans-nuclear-reactors/

[EddieColeslaw]

There are cooling problems in a third nuclear plant in Tokai, Ibaraki prefecture (north of Tokyo).

 

Thanks for the link above, a good clear explanation of how nuclear reactors work. I've never known the specifics myself, so it was useful.

Edited March 13, 2011 by EddieColeslaw

[drahkon]

For anyone worried about the nuclear power plants blowing up and destroying all life forms, so the papers will lead you to believe. Give this a read, quite long, but reduces the worry the press inflict with not knowing the facts.

 

http://morgsatlarge.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/why-i-am-not-worried-about-japans-nuclear-reactors/

 

I'm always sceptical when it comes to headlines like 'Nuclear Crisis', 'Nuclear Contamination Inbound', etc. and I really hate the press and media when it comes to this.

 

Was a nice read. Supports my lack of fear of a crisis.

[Debug Mode]

Another hydrogen explosion at Fukushima plant number 3. No wonder scientists aren't very optimistic regarding the situation, radiation has been detected around 60 miles away whilst the local area is still above the legal limit.

[Flaight]

While we're on that subject.

 

Just to add a few notes to the situation regarding the power plants. The main problem is in cooling the core unit. The backup cooling unit has failed, probably due to the tsunami if you look at the timing of the events (they coincide). Most reactors have a functioning backup, but they run out of power after a while so you need to direct power to it, but a lot of their power is down at once due to exceptional set of events (as if you need to be told). So far most of them are stable, but they've had more problems with daiichi and daisan reactors at Fukushima.

 

There is a lot of information coming out on the Japan side. I noticed that the BBC in the UK was rather misleading yesterday. They got better since, but they're still not informative enough on this, even scaremongering as a result. These are the key points:

 

(1) Radiation levels (so called 'contamination') has been so low like CAT scans. Nevertheless, the term 'contamination' is technically correct - probably the reason why the BBC loves to repeat it so many times without providing the context. Small amount of radiation can travel with the wind. The removal of the residents is more of a precautionary measure and to cut out the fuss of having to give them counter-measures. The exclusion radius officially given is not supposed to indicate the max distance the radiation can travel. Any minor radiation can theoretically fly to Russia. Makes no difference to the danger level.

 

(2) Explosions, which our media likes to focus on, have taken the shield off, but they don't affect the cooling so it isn't directly related to the actual problem they have. What matters is the reactor remains intact which they have. If not the core would literally be shining out and radiation would be detectable from far, far away. On the contrary, International Atomic Energy Agency (acting as the international observer) reports that the radiation levels have dropped following each event.

 

(3) The authorities and government officials seem to have been going straight to the residents who need to get out or be informed, and carrying on with their work, and if they still have time left, they then go to the media, so the delay in information is quite natural given the workload. BBC seems to portray this delay as a proof of a cover up ("it's worse than they claim"), but there is no reason to suspect that given the information on the radiation, which shows quite the opposite.

 

(4) On a side note, I also noticed that they like to repeatedly playback clips of some line up of campaigners who are critical of the situation, while smudging out the qualified source like one from the Imperial College who say the danger level is very low.

 

Anyway, I thought I'd share that with you lot. I would've gotten a completely different picture had I gotten all my information from BBC News.

 

The danger still exists, no doubt. The cooling is crucial to de-pressurize the reactor. For every reactor which stops receiving enough cooling for a period, they would have to release the valve to relieve pressure (a minor emission), let the consequential hydrogen explosion take place while keeping their staff safe from debris (a very hard part), then use anything around (they chose sea water for daiichi reactor) to continue the cooling. This will repeat as long as they need to depress the reactor to a dud, so I would not rule out another similar incident happening, but this is becoming almost like a routine by the looks of it.

 

One that I'm worrying about is a direct damage to the reactor. The walls around the reactor is usually designed to fall outward to avoid hitting the reactor, but those hydrogen blasts can go wrong if they get unlucky. Also the staff at the reactor must be terrified... I worry for them and their health as they're permanently close to it.

 

I'm not sure about this, but generally does the BBC tend to lean more towards anti nuclear energy side of the debate, by any chance? I wouldn't be surprised if they do given the way they're covering it. It's almost as though they're exploiting this event in Japan to propagate a certain sentiment.

Edited March 14, 2011 by Flaight

[Will]

Something to show that, even in the worst times, people can be pretty amazing.

 

http://fromdusktilldawn.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/heartwarming-indeed/

[Iun]

The sad thing is ... A LOT of the Chinese media is perfectly happy to let commenters and even some of their journalists run with the "It's a judgement on Japan for the crimes they committed during WWII!" line.

 

A man was here visiting the school from the LEC this morning, I mentioned I had some friends in Japan and he told me he thought the Japanese deserved it. That the tsunami was retribution from China.

 

I asked him what he thought the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake in China was punishment for... he seemed to be confused.

[Serebii]

I fucking hate the media and their scaremongering. I was asked on my view on it in my MA Multimedia Journalism interview, I gave it, said I'd like to change it, didn't get on the course.

 

It's really annoying :/ People trust them and they abuse it by exaggerating, showing bias and just reporting poorly.

[heroicjanitor]

Actually the first thing I thought when I heard how Japan is struggling to cope was that China would invade...

[weeyellowbloke]

I hope Hollywood gets hit by a massive earthquake. I've still not forgotten Pearl Harbour and in my opinion the whole of California deserves massive karmic retribution for inflicting such a cinematic monstrosity on a unsuspecting world.

 

Also, excellent post Flaight. I've been getting irritated by the news with their reporting. I was watching news 24 and they were having a discussion, which something like:

Guest: "We must remember not to be too alarmist here as for the moment engineers in Japan say they have it under control and experts elsewhere claim that there isn't any immediate danger of a serious nuclear disaster like Chernobyl."

 

Presenter: "Yes, but it is still a very worrying situation..."

 

*switch off*

 

I don't think it's just a BBC thing though; I think it's just generally journalists will lean towards the worst case scenario as it makes a better story.