Japan hit by 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami

[call_911 10]

Yeah this does'nt seem like a very good situation but seems to me like the media is tryin to play it down, but I dunno I think an explosion is not a very good sign.

[STALKERGB 6]

Well it seems like they still don't really know what exactly exploded at the NPP(or at least the media don't).

I guess that the radiation outside the plant is still safe at 8 times normal but it's not exactly a good sign. Wonder how much 1,000 times normal inside actually is....

Seeing as the evacuation area round the plant has been doubled to 20km I doubt they are taking any chances,

Analysts say a meltdown would not necessarily lead to a major disaster because light-water reactors would not explode even if they overheated.

Kinda hoping thats true.

Edited March 12, 2011 by STALKERGB

[walker 0]

Hi all

Looking at the BBC Film

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12720219

There is a large shock wave, indicative of high speed detonation.

First of all the ceiling was blown out; you can see the initial shock wave is vertical before the sides of the building are also blown out.

Subsequent zoomed in film shows only the skeleton of the building left.

The real questions are:

1) Whether the steel containment vessel was shattered or cracked by the high speed detonation?

2) Whether the reactor fuel had cooled enough that a meltdown will not occur

3) Indicators of these would be what is the size of the initial evacuation zone:

a) <=10Km nothing to see here

b) <30Km possible cracked pressure vessel serious leak, fuel released to atmosphere

c) >30Km pressure vessel cracked maybe even Shattered with fuel scatering. Chernobyl.

D) Anything greater is pressure vessel shattered a full scale Chernobyl upwards core breach and meltdown.

Long term a 30Km exclusion zone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster

What people in the Zone need to know

http://www.redcross.org/images/pdfs/code/nuclear_power_plant.pdf

The Japanese government has issued 20km evacuation order:

http://www.eurasiareview.com/world-news/asia/japan-radiation-level-at-fukushima-reactor-monitored-carefully-spokesman-12032011/

Walker

Edited March 12, 2011 by walker
added evacuation order

[An-225 0]

Assuming the reactors have been SCRAMmed, why would they still need cooling? Residual decay from fission by-products?

[-martin- 10]

Another reason why not to build nuclear power plants, anyway this just gave me an idea for another Stalker game

[walker 0]

Hi all

Apparently the number 2 reactor at Fukushima is also suffering cooling problems.

Kind Regards walker

[STALKERGB 6]

BBC Says:

It seems clear now from Mr Edano's comments that the nuclear plant building that was blown apart earlier did house a reactor, but the reactor was protected by its metal casing.

Officials are also saying that the radiation levels are apparently falling now.

Assuming the reactors have been SCRAMmed, why would they still need cooling? Residual decay from fission by-products?

Indeed I think this was the case, the BWR-3 reactors SCRAM automatically and without the need of electricity when off site power is lost. I think because of the situation the NPP wanted to use all control methods available (so that would include cooling even after a SCRAM I guess)

Edited March 12, 2011 by STALKERGB

[Mr. Charles 22]

german picture gallery of the Tsunami:

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-65647.html

english picture gallery:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/03/massive_earthquake_hits_japan.html

[walker 0]

Hi all

Before and after photographs of Fukushima show that only the skeleton of the building is left.

Before

http://www.uncoverage.net/tag/fukushima-nuclear-plant/

After

http://ibnlive.in.com/photogallery/3545-1.html

Apparently the cooling problems are continuing and they are now considering flooding the reactors with Sea Water.

http://www.forexyard.com/en/news/Japan-to-fill-leaking-nuke-reactor-with-sea-water-2011-03-12T123704Z

That is a BAD sign. Comes in the disaster emergency plan headings under OH FUCK!

In commercial terms it means the reactor is scrapped and indicates that the existing cooling system no longer works and that all electonic monitoring and most mechanic controls are already so useless they can be covered in corrosive sea water. It is literaly the last chapter in the nuclear power plant disaster plan. After this the next chapter is Epilogue; it is all: how do we evacuate people and how can we put a sacophagos over it all.

If that is the plan then really you people in West Coast America...

The cause of the explosion appears to have been the cooling system.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.nuclear/

The wind is apparently blowing north along the coast but may shift east out to sea later

http://www.forexyard.com/en/news/Wind-blows-south-to-north-at-quake-hit-Japan-nuclear-plant-2011-03-12T123622Z

Radioactive Cesium has been detected some distance from the plant

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/meltdown-fear-after-nuclear-plant-blast-20110312-1bsf4.html

and anti radiation pills are now being issued

http://abcnews.go.com/International/japan-fukushima-nuclear-power-plant-explosion-workers-injured-radiation/story?id=13120888

Kids in the affected area need to take those now!

Regards walker

Edited March 12, 2011 by walker

[VanhA-ICON 11]

My heart goes out to the people of Nihon.

Kanashi jiken.

[STALKERGB 6]

@walker:

1320:

Noriyuki Shikata, from Japanese PM's office tweets:

"TEPCO's [Tokyo Electric Power Company] efforts to depressurize the container was successful. Additional measures are now taken tonight using sea water and boric acid. "

It's nothing particularly extreme, boric acid is just one of a couple different neutron poisons. It's most likely being used as a fail safe to cover anything else going wrong. In the current circumstances it is unlikely that TEPCO would only enact one safety protocol, especially with the chance of more aftershocks. So they are only covering any future possibilities I'd imagine.

EDIT: Such as:

1330:

A magnitude 6 earthquake hit Fukushima at 2215 (1315GMT) on Saturday, Japan's NHK reports.

Edited March 12, 2011 by STALKERGB

[CriminalMinds 10]

New picture of NPP Fukushima I after the explosion.

[Beagle 684]

16:21 MEZ

German reporters in Tokyo say quoting japanese authorities a hydrogen explosion happened as consequence of the meldown, radiation is leaking and the authorities speak of a level 4 incident...Chernobyl was Level 7.

Fukushima 1 is melt down.

Nobody can actually say what this means.

A zone of 20km around the reactor is in evacuation now.

Fukushima 2 is still uncooled and the same can happen there in hours.

http://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/ondemand100_id-video874796.html

video of the explosion: http://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/ondemand100_id-video874714.html

Edited March 12, 2011 by Beagle

[walker 0]

Hi all

Latest news is that Japanese Officials say they may be looking at a meltdown.

Additional Before and After pictures:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12723092

Walker

Edited March 12, 2011 by walker

[STALKERGB 6]

It seems that they are preparing pressure releases at Fukushima Daini on all units as they did with unit 1 at Fukushima Daiichi before the explosion.

In fact the pressure release seems to be what caused the explosion according to World Nuclear News. As pressure was released from Unit 1's core the surrounding reactor building containment's pressure began to increase, to deal with that they began releasing pressure from there into the atmosphere but it was clearly happening too slowly as the building containment went pop anyway. Still Unit 1's core containment seems to be intact by most accounts.

[walker 0]

Hi all

The cooling on reactor No. 3 has now failed.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/us-japan-quake-nuclear-cooling-idUSTRE72B3GI20110312

Walker

[mrcash2009 0]

898gfo9VLVA&

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=898gfo9VLVA&feature=player_embedded#at=303

Details are in all the description section (no scare mongering just links to different gulf stream sites are useful), take it as you find it of course. Edited March 13, 2011 by mrcash2009

[mrcash2009 0]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm

Google Earth - Before and After wipe over shots (use mouse over each image).

Humbling to say the least. :(

[Tonci87 163]

I think color filters were used on those pictures, but the huge devastation is clearly visible....

[Muahaha 10]

This is saddening, even the most prepared country in the world at quake and tsunami suffers this amount of damage. If this would to happen to other countries, it's 2005 all over again.

[icebreakr 3159]

Actually, it looks like "2005" maybe even worse (considering nuclear crisis)... except they seem to be a bit more prepared, cooperative and no Blackwater is needed to prevent looting...

[Hans Ludwig 0]

In 2005 they lost 100K lives to that tsunami. While the Japs did a lot of great work with building design and with drills, I don't believe they, or any of us for that matter, factored in tsunamis very much. So, as all humans have done for thousands of years, we go back to the drawing board to draw up new battle plans.

Now it's time for the conspiracy theorist. lol

MARCH 11-23 EVENT?! Signs and Evidence

95zMdTvoqcQ

Edited March 14, 2011 by Hans Ludwig

[walker 0]

Hi all

The Prime Minister of Japan just announced that the 20 kilometers evacuation Zone is now compulsory on the Fukushima Power Plant 1 that is the four reactors where the initial explosions occurred. After a third explosion in one of the reactors that had already exploded.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12740843

That explosion was almost without doubt one of the reactor vessels bursting. Probably reactor No. 3 which aparently had the fuel exposed to air for some time, meaning those fuel rods have had no cooling for that period and as a result are probably at least partialy in meltdown, the mellt prducts will have flowed to the bottom of the pressure vessel. This process would have produced vast amounts of mixed gases and was the likely cause of the pressure vessel failing.

Also a fire at reactor 4, meltdown already in that reactor? Either way not good.

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/fire-breaks-out-at-nuclear-plant-radiation-levels-rise-considerably-20110315-1buq7.html

As well as rising levels of radiation, hence he has also warned all people in the 30 kilometers zone to stay indoors;

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1500312/PM-warns-people-to-stay-indoors

I presume to keep them safe while the 30 kilometers Evacuation Plan is enacted. All four reactors at that plant are now in meltdown risk.

The people working there are according to the Prime Minister of Japan risking exposing them selves to radiation to try to prevent such a meltdown. The Soviets at Chernobyl called them Bio Bots.

The 30 kilometers Evacuation zone will almost certainly become a 30 kilometers Exclusion zone.

We are now officially in Chernobyl territory.

He has also announced a 20 kilometers evacuation Zone for the Fukushima Power Plant 2 this is across the bay from Fukushima Power Plant 1.

***UPDATE***

Latest News the Radiation Leak is Substantial

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703908304576201382455819162.html

And Harmful

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/157442/14/Japan-New-radiation-leaks-harmful-to-health

Yesterday the probable progression of the threat was exactly predicted by this Greenpeace Nuclear Expert from the UK:

lVCWGc173ic

Now is the time to worry which was the wind blows.

The Prevailing winds blow across the Pacific in a belt to the California coast but currently are blowing south toward Tokyo and as the the video points out the French government told all French Nationals to leave Tokyo, yesterday.

When the winds switch back east they take 7 days to reach the US mainland.

Walker

Edited March 15, 2011 by walker

[jakerod 254]

@Hans- that is somewhat interesting. Although the video for me stops at the map with the different colored circles.

[Beagle 684]

Hi all

When the winds switch back east they take 7 days to reach the US mainland.

Walker

Don't panic, we europeans did survive chernobyl. One of my todays very close friends lived in the GDR at that time...the people of the GDR were told nothing about radiation or fallout happening in soviet brothers land. Our physics teacher was measuring the salad from the schools garden daily in this days. Radiation on some days was 6 fold the natural radiation.

Even today you can find high radiation values from caesium 20cm beow the soil surface an in Wild boar livers. It is still not recommended to use any innard off wild animals.

Edited March 15, 2011 by Beagle