Massive Quake Hits NE Japan

[Docfeelgood]

Just in at The NY Times.

Leo Lewis, Tokyo, Rhoda Buchanan and Sophie Tedmanson
17 minutes ago

Residents of Toyko leave the capital after Prime Minister says new blast and fire at nuclear reactor has released ‘very high’ levels of radiation. A spent fuel storage pond at the number 4 reactor was ablaze and released 400 times the acceptable level of radiation for humans

[Egbert]

Note.. this was in two separate paragraphs in the same news report.

This just shows how the government and the industrial complex do not hold the people welfare and safety as there first priority. .......disgusting!

To be fair, they also need to manage the situation to prevent people panicing. For examle, if they need to evacuate an area they need to do it in an orderly way to get everyone out. as soon as panic sets in ........ chaos.

[Docfeelgood]

To be fair, they also need to manage the situation to prevent people panicing. For examle, if they need to evacuate an area they need to do it in an orderly way to get everyone out. as soon as panic sets in ........ chaos.

True, but how many days is it now? 3 or 4? I just cannot except that they have been downplaying it from the start. Should have been evacuating before it got this far. IMHO

I have this hang up that children are our most precious, natural resource and they deserve better than this.
Forgive me if I get a bit emotional on this topic. Human life comes first before anything else to me.

[Docfeelgood]

[Docfeelgood]

Some good news.

rescuers find a 70-year-old alive 4 days after the deadly quake and tsunami.

[Docfeelgood]

The Tsunami Wave Creeps Across the Bay from the Golden Gate Bridge




Interesting.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3e2_1300173596

[germanos]

Kan raps Tokyo Electric's handling of nuclear crisis

TOKYO, March 15, Kyodo

Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Tuesday strongly criticized Tokyo Electric Power Co. for its handling of the earthquake-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

''The TV reported an explosion. But nothing was said to the premier's office for about an hour,'' a Kyodo News reporter overheard Kan saying during a meeting with executives of the power company at its head office. ''What the hell is going on?''

Kan strongly ordered the company not to withdraw its employees from the power plant, which has been facing a series of problems since Friday's massive quake, ranging from explosions to radiation leaks.

''In the event of withdrawal from there, I'm 100 percent certain that the company will collapse,'' Kan said. ''I want you all to be determined.''

The government, as well as the public, has been dissatisfied with the company's way of releasing information regarding the crippled nuclear plant.

Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato phoned Kan and told him that ''the fears and anger of residents in the prefecture are reaching the limit,'' according to a prefectural government official.

Sato requested that the government make more efforts to end the nuclear crisis as quickly as possible, the official said.

Following the request, the governor said at a news conference that Kan has promised to take the feelings of people living in the prefecture to heart and give his all to deal with the emergency situation.

Sato complained about the power company's response to the abnormalities of the plant. He said the company ''should provide accurate information much earlier to the central government.''

In an attempt to work more closely together, the government and the company launched Tuesday a joint headquarters for the crisis involving the Fukushima No. 1 plant.

The headquarters set up at the company's head office is headed by Kan, with industry minister Banri Kaieda and TEPCO President Masataka Shimizu serving as deputy chiefs.

==Kyodo

from: Kyodo News

[Docfeelgood]

'In the event of withdrawal from there, I'm 100 percent certain that the company will collapse,'' Kan said. ''I want you all to be determined.''

disgusting!

[germanos]

From the same source:

Status of quake-stricken reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plant

TOKYO, March 15, Kyodo

The following is the known status as of Tuesday evening for each of the six reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and the four reactors at the Fukushima No. 2 plant, both in Fukushima Prefecture, crippled by Friday's magnitude 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami.

Fukushima No. 1

-- Reactor No. 1 - Cooling failure, partial melting of core, vapor vented, hydrogen explosion, seawater pumped in.

-- Reactor No. 2 - Cooling failure, seawater pumped in, fuel rods fully exposed temporarily, damage to containment system, potential meltdown feared.

-- Reactor No. 3 - Cooling failure, partial melting of core feared, vapor vented, seawater pumped in, hydrogen explosion, high-level radiation measured nearby.

-- Reactor No. 4 - Under maintenance when quake struck, fire caused possibly by hydrogen explosion at pool holding spent fuel rods, pool water levels feared receding.

-- Reactor No. 5 - Under maintenance when quake struck.

-- Reactor No. 6 - Under maintenance when quake struck.

Fukushima No. 2

-- Reactor No. 1 - Cooling failure, then cold shutdown.

-- Reactor No. 2 - Cooling failure, then cold shutdown.

-- Reactor No. 3 - Cold shutdown.

-- Reactor No. 4 - Cooling failure, then cold shutdown.

==Kyodo

[Docfeelgood]

From the same source:

Status of quake-stricken reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plant

TOKYO, March 15, Kyodo

The following is the known status as of Tuesday evening for each of the six reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, crippled by Friday's magnitude 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami.

-- Reactor No. 1 - Cooling failure, partial melting of core, hydrogen explosion, seawater pumped in.

-- Reactor No. 2 - Cooling failure, seawater pumped in, fuel rods fully exposed temporarily, partial melting of core, damage to containment system.

-- Reactor No. 3 - Cooling failure, partial melting of core, seawater pumped in, hydrogen explosion.

-- Reactor No. 4 - Under maintenance when quake struck, fire caused by hydrogen explosion at pool holding spent fuel rods, pool water levels feared receding.

-- Reactor No. 5 - Under maintenance when quake struck.

-- Reactor No. 6 - Under maintenance when quake struck.

==Kyodo

Which one was leaking? 4?

[germanos]

I don't know. Lot's has happened while I was asleep and I can't get a full picture of tonight's (for me) events. I think #4 caused a lot of radioactivity to get into the air. #2 damage to containment system doesn't sound good either.

[Docfeelgood]

I had to go back and check.
it is Number 3

Michio Kaku must be getting some inside information from someone within the Jap government. He stated on ABC yesterday that this was going to happen to the third reactor because it was leaking out the seawater that was being pumped in to keep it from melting.
I think he knows his stuff.

[germanos]

Updated my previous post on status with newest info from Kyodo News.

[Docfeelgood]

I sure hope there is not any more fixing to start going hot.
I feel for the Japanese people.
Not much new news coming out. it will be morning here soon and the TV news casts will be on.

[Dinner]

Honestly, it's a pretty ****ing robust system because it was hit by the third biggest earthquake on record yet it did well and than it was hit by a 10 meter tall tsunami.