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9.0 Earthquake/Tsunami/Fukushima

I reached the house in the safety.
I returned on foot from the company to a house.
I walked for four hours,It was very cold.
In Tokyo, a small earthquake still continues several times.
Because the office was the 19th floor of the building, the building shook very much.
We saw that a fire occurred in the Shinagawa area.
However, the fire was deleted immediately.
The railroad of Tokyo restored this morning.

I'm glad you're okay, Hiroyuki Hagashima! Please post here if you hear from HalfnHalf. The Miyagi Prefecture was heavily affected by the tsunami, and that's where her profile says she lives. I'm concerned. ._.

Hope that helps make things a little clearer.

It definitely made it clearer for me. Reuters wasn't going into the details very much, they probably thought hole was a good enough description, which it clearly isn't! When I heard a hole had been torn 150 miles long;50 miles across, it sorta made me think to myself, "what does that mean?".

Update: Tony Tharakan reports on Reuters that an explosion was heard at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and then that several people appear to be injured, and now that the outer structure in which the reactor is housed has blown off. The Tokyo fire department is apparently sending a special nuclear rescue team to Fukushima. That doesn't mean much at this point, probably that they're going to be on standby in the area in case the situation grows worse. Government officials of the Fukushima prefecture are saying the reactor's ceiling collapsed. There are apparently two containment walls between the reactor and the environment outside. Unsure if it was the secondary wall or both. The situation seems to be growing dire, will confirm when information becomes available.

31a4178731544aea92599f47addda475_500-1.jpg


Another derailed train has been found in Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture.

Update 2(2:49 AM CST)
: The Jiji news agency has said there had been an explosion at the Daiichi #1 reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant and TV footage is showing vapor rising from the plant. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano has increased the evacuation area around the #2 plant to 10 km. Looking for information on what nuclear power plant the former is referring to, unsure if it's another reactor at the Fukushima power plant or otherwise. Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano has confirmed that there is a radiation leak at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. All four workers injured in the explosion at the nuclear power plant do not have life-threatening injuries, that's good news!

A Japanese guy is dubbing live feeds in English here.
 
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Oh my God!

It's really terrible!
I was glued to my PC on Facebook to have news from my friends...

Thanks God, they are all safe, and their families too!
 
Evacuation around the Fukushima nuclear power plant has increased to 20 km from 10 km. Looking for more information as it's made available..
 
Has anyone heard from Mars Man? I was assuming he's OK, but after this second quake affecting Nagano I got worried again :(
 
Thanks for this thread and all the updates. This is a huge disaster and I can only imagine how much worse it would have been if Japan weren't so strict about its earthquake building codes. Fortunately it seems that everyone in my immediate sphere of family and friends is relatively unaffected, but it's small consolation in face of the huge loss of life we're facing so far. Hope everyone is doing alright, and I'll continue to check for further updates.
 
Japanneucleorblast2-1.jpg
Japanneucleorblast1-1.jpg

Huge blast at Japan nuclear power plant :O !!!

Japan earthquake: Explosion at Fukushima nuclear plant
(^ includes video footage of explosion!)

"The term "meltdown" raises associations with two nuclear accidents in living memory: Three Mile Island in the US in 1979, and Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986.
In both, excess heat in the reactor caused the metallic core to melt. The question is whether the same thing has happened in Fukushima.
It appears that the reactor was shut down well before any melting occurred, which should reduce considerably the risk of radioactive materials entering the environment.
However, the detection of caesium isotopes outside the power station buildings could imply that the core has been exposed to the air.
Although Japan has a long and largely successful nuclear power programme, officials have been less than honest about some incidents in the past, meaning that official re-assurances are unlikely to convince everyone this time round."



But Walt Patterson, of the London research institute Chatham House, said "this is starting to look a lot like Chernobyl".
He said it was too early to tell if the explosion's aftermath would result in the same extreme level of radioactive contamination that occurred at Chernobyl.
The explosion was most likely caused by melting fuel coming into contact with water, he told the BBC.


SH*T :O !!! I hope this doesn't turn into a Chernobyl on top of everything else :O !!!
 
No matter what happens, this will not turn into a Chernobyl scale event. These news networks get lots of ratings when they sensationalize events such as this. Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano has reported no large amount of radiation has leaked out, nothing lethal or seriously detrimental to human life or the environment around the nuclear power plant. And they're not expecting it to either. I'm hoping for the best in this situation.
 
guys , what happend in japan in very very bad and i think we should think more to find any way to help them , too many people ded and other's maybe sleep on the ground and covered with the sky , this topic is just a news topic , we need to think about ways to help them ,,,,,,
i start with that idea
is there's a Japanese organization to help those affected by the earthquake
if any one here know please jref admins place the address of the organization at the front of the site also the bank account and i will send them money
maybe it's too less money but maybe it help some one to buy a milk for her baby .
my heart always with you and when am praying i always as god to end this disaster
 
A Daily Mainichi article on the Nuclear Plant Explosion matter;

"Explosion at Japan nuke plant, disaster toll rises

IWAKI, Japan (AP) -- An explosion at a nuclear power station Saturday destroyed a building housing the reactor amid fears that it was close to a disastrous meltdown after being hit by a powerful earthquake and tsunami.

Friday's double disaster, which pulverized Japan's northeastern coast, has left 574 people dead by official count, although local media reports said at least 1,300 people may have been killed.

Tokyo Power Electric Co., the utility that runs the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, said four workers had suffered fractures and bruises and were being treated at a hospital. A nuclear expert said a meltdown may not pose widespread danger.

Footage on Japanese TV showed that the walls of the reactor's building had crumbled, leaving only a skeletal metal frame standing. Puffs of smoke were spewing out of the plant in Fukushima, 20 miles (30 kilometers) from Iwaki.

"We are now trying to analyze what is behind the explosion," said government spokesman Yukio Edano, stressing that people should quickly evacuate a six-mile (10-kilometer) radius. "We ask everyone to take action to secure safety."

The trouble began at the plant's Unit 1 after the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake and the tsunami it spawned knocked out power there. According to official figures, 586 people are missing and 1,105 injured. In addition, police said between 200 and 300 bodies were found along the coast in Sendai, the biggest city in the area near the quake's epicenter.

The true scale of the destruction was still not known more than 24 hours after the quake since washed-out roads and shut airports have hindered access to the area. An untold number of bodies were believed to be buried in the rubble and debris.

In another disturbing development that could substantially raise the death toll, Kyodo news agency said rail operators lost contact with four trains running on coastal lines on Friday and still had not found them by Saturday afternoon.

East Japan Railway Co. said it did not know how many people were aboard the trains.

Adding to worries was the fate of nuclear power plants. Japan has declared states of emergency for five nuclear reactors at two power plants after the units lost cooling ability.

The most troubled one, Fukushima Dai-ichi, is facing meltdown, officials have said.


A "meltdown" is not a technical term. Rather, it is an informal way of referring to a very serious collapse of a power plant's systems and its ability to manage temperatures. It is not immediately clear if a meltdown would cause serious radiation risk, and if it did how far the risk would extend."

Full Story;

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110312p2g00m0dm072000c.html

No matter what happens, this will not turn into a Chernobyl scale event. These news networks get lots of ratings when they sensationalize events such as this. Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano has reported no large amount of radiation has leaked out, nothing lethal or seriously detrimental to human life or the environment around the nuclear power plant. And they're not expecting it to either. I'm hoping for the best in this situation.

"The reactor in trouble has already leaked some radiation: Operators have detected eight times the normal radiation levels outside the facility and 1,000 times normal inside Unit 1's control room.

Ryohei Shiomi, a nuclear official, said that each hour the plant was releasing the amount of radiation a person normal absorbs in a year.

He has said that even if there were a meltdown, it wouldn't affect people outside a six-mile (10-kilometer) radius -- an assertion that might need revising if the situation deteriorates. Most of the 51,000 residents living within the danger area had been evacuated, he said."


I would doubt a disaster on the scale of Chernobyl, but a meltdown disaster coming about i wouldn't be surprised about. While the media sensationalizes things, on the other hand Edano will also want to play down the power plant fears to help keep people untrol control in this time of crisis. So middle ground between the media & Edano will probably be the most accurate picture.

This just posted;

"Explosion did not occur at reactor: Edano

Japanese authorities have confirmed there was no explosion at the troubled No. 1 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, top government spokesman Yukio Edano said.

The chief Cabinet secretary also told an urgent press conference that the operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., has confirmed there is no damage to the steel container housing the reactor.

(Mainichi Japan) March 12, 2011"

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110312p2g00m0dm073000c.html


There are 5 reactors in 2 power plants in a declared state of emergency right now. If the explosion didn't happen at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, then it must have happened at the other one right? Worrying stuff since it has been thought that the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant was the most precarious one...
 
A literally just updated (seconds ago) Mainichi article on the blast;

"Explosion did not occur at reactor: Japan spokesman

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese authorities have confirmed there was an explosion at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant Saturday afternoon but it did not occur at its troubled No. 1 reactor, top government spokesman Yukio Edano said.

The chief Cabinet secretary also told an urgent press conference that the operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., has confirmed there is no damage to the steel container housing the reactor.

Edano said the 3:36 p.m. explosion resulted in the roof and the walls of the building housing the reactor's container being blown away.

The authorities expanded an evacuation area for all local residents from a 10-kilometer radius of the Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 plants to a 20-km radius.


Officials of Japan's nuclear safety agency also said after examination that they believe there has been no serious damage to the container of the No. 1 reactor, judging from the latest radiation data monitored around the facility.

The incident came after the plant lost its cooling functions after it was jolted by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake Friday and radioactive substances of cesium and iodine were detected near the facility Saturday.

The detection of the materials, which are created following atomic fission, led Japan's nuclear safety agency to admit the reactor has been partially melting -- the first such case in Japan.

A partial core meltdown also occurred in a major nuclear accident at Three Mile Island in the United States in 1979. About 45 percent of nuclear fuel was melted in the incident, causing radioactive materials to be released.


According to the Fukushima prefectural government, the hourly radiation from the Fukushima plant reached 1,015 micro sievert in its premises before the explosion, an amount equivalent to that allowable for ordinary people in one year.

Four workers -- two from the company and two others from another firm -- were injured in the explosion, according to Tokyo Electric Power. The four were working to deal with problems caused by a powerful earthquake that hit northeastern Japan on Friday, it said.

The company said the injuries the four have suffered are not life-threatening and that they are conscious.

The operator of the quake-hit nuclear plants in Fukushima Prefecture, successfully released pressure in the container of housing one of its reactors to prevent a nuclear meltdown, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said.

Even before Tokyo Electric Power succeeded in reducing the pressure, which would involve the release of steam that would likely include radioactive materials, radiation had risen to an unusually high level in and near the No. 1 nuclear plant.

Work to depressurize the containers, aimed at preventing the plants from sustaining damage and losing their critical containment function, has been conducted under an unprecedented government order.

The agency said the core at the No. 1 reactor of the No. 1 plant may be partially melting, and the work to depressurize the container was necessary to prevent the container from sustaining damage and losing its critical containment function.


The agency said that as a result of reducing the container's pressure radioactive levels at the plant went up. The depressurizing work involves the release of steam including radioactive materials.

But the agency denied that the radiation amount will pose an immediate threat to the health of nearby residents, as wind is currently blowing toward the sea in the northeastern Japan prefecture on the Pacific coast.

At the No. 1 plant, the amount of radiation reached around 1,000 times the normal level in the control room of the No. 1 reactor, and 70 times the normal level near the main gate of the plant.

It was the first time an external radioactive leak had been confirmed since the disaster.

(Mainichi Japan) March 12, 2011"

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110312p2g00m0dm073000c.html
 
Releasing the radiation someone would normally absorb within a year from background sources is the most informative description I've read so far. That bullshit about it being 1,000 times the normal amount scared the crap out of people, mostly because they weren't being informative as to the normal amount of radiation in the area. 1 mrem or 1 rem, but the former seems to be the normal amount, and that somewhere around 1 rem is being released to the area affected by the influx of radiation.

I'm not completely believing what Edano is saying, but it's still necessary for us to be calm about the situation. You kinda worried me when you said you hope it doesn't escalate into a Chernobyl level disaster. Cool, okay, so we have that behind us! Have their been problems with the reactors in question at some point in the past? I haven't read much on that, so it's probably not the case. But still, let's try to find some info pertaining to that. 51 pages in Google and no mention is made of this power plant up until the recent problems..
 
any one her know how can we help japanese ????

I'll try to find more information on helping the situation in Japan. I'd be careful about looking online for charities in the area to donate to until reliable ones have been found. There had been mentions of the problems with the relief efforts for the Kobe earthquake in the 90's. Too many blankets, too much food, not enough of other essential supplies, so just hold on! Will be looking into it for everyone.

Timothy Abram, Professor of Nuclear Fuel Technology at Britain's Manchester University speaks in regards to the nuclear power plant issues in Japan.

It seems that the concrete building around the reactor container collapsed, causing that explosion being seen earlier. That's from Edano though, so we must continue to play the waiting game.
 
i think they need , cuz just now the news said that japan asked britain for help , also they said that more than 50 coutries preparing to send aid and relief teams
 
i think they need , cuz just now the news said that japan asked britain for help , also they said that more than 50 coutries preparing to send aid and relief teams

Yep! International efforts are underway to aid Japan. I assumed you were asking what individual people could do to help the situation.
 
Have their been problems with the reactors in question at some point in the past? I haven't read much on that, so it's probably not the case. But still, let's try to find some info pertaining to that. 51 pages in Google and no mention is made of this power plant up until the recent problems..

Dunno about those plants specifically, but Japan does not have a good Nuclear Safety Record....

(1999) Nuclear leak in Japan;

Almost 90 tonnes of radioactive water has flooded a nuclear reactor at a power station in western Japan after a pipe broke, but officials say no radiation escaped into the atmosphere.

BBC News | Asia-Pacific | Nuclear leak in Japan

Not isolated incident


The reactor involved in Monday's breakdown started operating in 1987.

It had leaked water once before in December 1996. No radioactive leak was reported in that accident either.

There have been a number of previous similar accidents at Japanese nuclear power stations.

Japan, a nation poor in natural resources, relies on nuclear power for about one-third of its electricity.

Correspondents say public trust in Japan's nuclear industry has fallen in recent years after a number of accidents and cover-ups by plant operators.


The worst incident was a fire at Tokaimura power plant in 1997, which exposed 37 workers to radiation.

BBC Tokyo correspondent Juliet Hindell says this latest incident is likely to renew the debate on the safety of nuclear energy in Japan.


Japan Nuclear Reactors – Coverup of Cracked reactors, 2002;

http://nuclearhistory.wordpress.com...ar-reactors-coverup-of-cracked-reactors-2002/

2007 Japanese Nuclear Power Company Admits Leak Caused by Earthquake Is Bigger Than First Reported;


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,289721,00.html

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan ― The operator of an earthquake-ravaged nuclear plant said Wednesday a radioactive leak from the plant was 50 percent bigger than first reported two days ago. The mayor ordered the facility closed until its safety could be confirmed.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. also said about 400 barrels containing low-level radioactive waste at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant were knocked over, and the lids had come off 40 of them, as a result of Monday's deadly 6.8-magnitude quake. The announcement revised the company's earlier estimate of 100 tipped barrels."


"The malfunctions and a delay in reporting them fueled concerns about the safety of Japan's 55 nuclear reactors, which have suffered a string of accidents and cover-ups. Nuclear power plants around Japan were ordered to conduct inspections.

Adding to the urgency of any investigation was new data from quake aftershocks that suggested a fault line may run underneath the mammoth power plant.

The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, located 135 miles northwest of Tokyo, has been plagued with mishaps. In 2001, a radioactive leak was found in the turbine room of one reactor. It is the world's largest nuclear plant in power output capacity. '

Signs of problems after the quake Monday came first not from the officials, but in a plume of smoke after the quake triggered a small fire at an electrical transformer. Twelve hours later, the company announced the quake also caused a leak of about 315 gallons of water containing radioactive material.

Later Tuesday, it said 50 cases of "malfunctioning and trouble" had been found. Four of the plant's seven reactors were running at the time of the quake, and they were all shut down automatically by a safety mechanism.

Meanwhile, TEPCO spokesman Hiroshi Itagaki said that information accumulated by studying aftershocks shows that a fault line stretches under the ocean near the coast, which is not far from the plant. He declined to say how close to the plant the fault might come.""



"For residents, thousands of whom work at the plant, the controversy over its safety compounded already severe problems, which included heavy rains and the threat of landslides, water and power outages.
"Whenever there is an earthquake, the first thing we worry about is the nuclear plant. I worry about whether there will be a fire or something," said Kiyokazu Tsunajima, a tailor who sat outside with his family, afraid an aftershock might collapse his damaged house."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,289721,00.html
 
Here is a page too full of facts about Nuclear Energy in Japan- the article also lists all the major Nuclear accidents in Japan up until 2009 (this article was written in 2009) of which there are shockingly many;

http://factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=845&catid=23&subcatid=152

I found this particular section of the article quite interesting;

"Concerns About Nuclear Power in Japan"

Japan's nuclear power plants are getting old. Under their normal lifetime schedule many that should have been shut down have continued to operate. Many plants have cracks in vessels containing the core caused the long-term bombardment by neutrons. Building new plants is prohibitively expensive.

There have been both environmental and security concerns over the transportation of nearly weapons-grade plutonium waste from nuclear plants. The nuclear waste is placed in huge shock-proof canisters and moved slowly by truck to a port, where it loaded onto a ship that carries it to Britain for processing. The ship is outfit with machine guns but has no naval escort. Some people worry it could be a target for terrorists.

There have also been complaints that safety regulations are treated lightly, workers are inadequately trained and the lives workers are endangered. In 1999, it was found that quality control documents on reprocessed plutonium had been fraudulently certified. In 2002, it was discovered there a systematic cover up of data showing cracks in reactors that dated back to the late 1980s.

Laborers who work at nuclear plants are often homeless people, foreign immigrants and burakumin (descendants of an outcast class) who are recruited as day laborers by gangs that have connections with the yakuza. It is not usual for these workers work unprotected in areas with high levels of radiation. The workers are sometimes called "nuclear gypsies." One of these workers told the Los Angeles Times he worked for two hours in room with steam leaking out of a pipe the whole time. Unbeknownst to him the steam was highly radioactive. When he was finished his radio meter pointed off the scale. A few months later his joints swelled and his hair and teeth fell out.

Critics of nuclear power complain that new plants are not necessary and suggest they are pork barrels projects funded more to gain political support that supply energy needs. In a 1996 public referendum citizens voted against the building of nuclear plant in the town of Maki north of Tokyo."

EDIT: considering this article is from 2009, i also found this section particularly interesting too;

"Nuclear Power Plants and Earthquakes in Japan"

Of the 31 nations and regions with nuclear power plants, Japan is the most at risk of being hit by an earthquake. Particularly worrisome is the fact that Japan has lots of nuclear power plants and nuclear power plants and nuclear treatment facilities are built in earthquake-prone areas. The nuclear industry claims these facilities are safe. They are designed to withstand a strong earthquake and the maximum ground motion caused by such a quake. Safety measures include devices that automatically shut the plant after an earthquake occurs and prevent leakage, incredibly strong foundations and containment shells.

Some nuclear power plants are being shut down permanently because the cost retrofitting them to make them to meet the latest earthquake resistance standards is too expensive.

In March 2006, a court ordered that the Shika nuclear reactor, located on the Japan Sea north of Kanazawa, be closed over worries that it wasn't earthquake-resistant enough and there was serious concerns that residents could be exposed to dangerous amounts of radiation in the event of an accident. A major fault is located about 10 kilometers south of the plant. A couple years earlier scientists estimated there was a 2 percent chance that an earthquake of a magnitude of 7.6 or higher could occur on this fault.

The decision raised questions about other reactors that lie in earthquake-prone areas and whether their designs could withstand a very strong quake. Plants in Miyagi Prefecture survived and automatically stopped during a 7.2 earthquake in the August 2005. Scientists predict a 7.5 earthquake will occur there in the next 30 years.

See Iwate-Miyagi Earthquake, Nature and Science, Big Earthquakes

A 15-kilometer-long active fault lies under the Monju fast breeder reactor in. Tsuruga Peninsula in Fukui Prefecture. The revelation is disturbing in that the plant uses dangerous plutonium as one of the reactors primary fuels.

http://factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=845&catid=23&subcatid=152

Well in the end it took a lot less than 30 years for an earthquake well over 7.5 to hit Miyagi- only 2 years after this article was written!
 
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for the ones living in Japan. what you can is not too use too much electricity so that they can use it for those areas.

So if you are using a stove, maybe you can use a blanket. turn of the lights in the rooms that you aren't using. etc.
 
Has anyone heard from Mars Man? I was assuming he's OK, but after this second quake affecting Nagano I got worried again :(

Just got a message from him saying he's alright although he did woke up and jumped up when there was that earthquake in that area.
 
Just got a message from him saying he's alright although he did woke up and jumped up when there was that earthquake in that area.

Mars Man is accounted for too, that's great news. As a reminder, please post in this thread if anybody gets in contact with HalfnHalf..
 
I just checked my emails and I had a message from Mars Man too, thank goodness. I feel awful though for being relieved that all my friends are OK when so many others are not. I hope we hear from HnH soon :(
 
When I woke up this morning, I found this emailed to me by the Washingon Post:

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Breaking News Alert: Explosion rocks Japanese nuclear power plant
March 12, 2011 5:10:15 AM
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An explosion rocked one of Japan's nuclear power plants Saturday, causing a portion of a building to crumble, sending white smoke billowing into the air and prompting Japanese officials to warn those in the vicinity to cover their mouths and stay indoors.

In what may be the most serious nuclear power crisis since the Chernobyl disaster, the explosion followed large tremors at the Fukushima Daiichi number one reactor Saturday afternoon, injuring four workers who were struggling to get the quake-stricken unit under control.
 
Good to hear things are slightly starting to get back to 'normal' in Tokyo and surrounding prefectures. I could only imagine how chaotic it must have been in Tokyo with the whole transit system down..

I woke up yesterday seeing the images on tv and I was just heart broken. Somehow I kinda felt guilty for not being in Japan now, but it seems like the rescue teams are doing their job.

Most of my friends in Tokyo are doing ok. I'm just kinda worried about my friend's nice family that I stayed with a few days in Iwaki, Fukushima. That whole nuclear reactor thing scares the hell out of me..
 
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