OMG Earthquake?

[Justin.]

Why would the workers evacuate.

This make me so mad.

This is Toyko Electrics fault and now they are going to cut and run?

Are you mad because the workers are evacuating? It's a really dangerous situation, and getting worse for them.

[Sharpshooter]

Japan earthquake: Yukio Edano, the 'Jack Bauer' of the crisis

Yukio Edano, Japan's chief government spokesman, has become an unlikely hero of the earthquake-tsunami crisis, became compared to 24's Jack Bauer for his tireless work ethic.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano Photo:

EPA2:53PM GMT

15 Mar 2011

Mr Edano, the chief cabinet secretary and the right-hand man of Naoto Kan, the prime minister, has appeared ever few hours on television in a blue emergency jumpsuit to update the nation.

But many are worried the man will collapse from a lack of rest since Friday's twin disasters. The hashtag #edano—nero is trending on the popular micro-blogging site - "nero" means "go to sleep" in Japanese.

One user named Kagetoramaru tweeted on Monday: "As of 20:30 let's all tweet #edano—nero, and make him go to sleep!"

A few hours later, another user named jolly0730 responded: "Our wish #edano—nero has been fulfilled. It looks like he's finally gone to bed."

The user even likened the spokesman to Jack Bauer, the lead character on the hit television show "24", about a tireless counter-terrorism agent who works around-the-clock to prevent major attacks in the United States.

"Apparently it's his first (sleep) in 105 hours. 105 hours, that means 4 seasons of '24'. That's four Jack Bauers. Thank you, Japan's Jack Bauer!" jolly0730 wrote.

At 5:00 am Tuesday, Mr Edano emerged on camera, his eyes red-rimmed as he took the podium to field questions from journalists. At 4:30 pm, he was back for more.

Matching Edano's efforts, Japan's military, called the Self-Defence Forces, have also earned a hashtag - #jietai—tabero, or "SDF, eat something."

Front page newspaper photos of soldiers combing through the debris left by the tsunami or offering silent prayers over the dead have endeared them to the public.

But not everyone is earning praise in the Japanese Twittersphere.

The hashtag #kan—okiro is also cropping up, ordering the prime minister to "wake up", in a veiled criticism of his handling of the massive quake, devastating tsunami and an escalating nuclear crisis.

On Tuesday, some Twitter users were debating whether to change the hashtag to kan—netero - "Kan, stay in bed".

Mr Kan is facing public anger over what some media commentators have called his slow response to the public about radiation leaks at a quake-hit nuclear power plant in the disaster zone, and planned electricity cuts.

Anger was also hurled at Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, who was forced to apologise for describing Japan's deadly earthquake and tsunami as "divine punishment".

His hashtag was #Ishihara—damare, or "Ishihara, shut up."

Edited March 16, 2011 by Sharpshooter

[Femme.Canuck]

Why would the workers evacuate.

This make me so mad.

This is Toyko Electrics fault and now they are going to cut and run?

According to Reuters, workers are allowed back in to damaged nuclear plant after the radiation levels fell.

On a separate note, did anyone catch the news conferance held by Edano? I've heard bits and pieces and according to Chief Cabinet Secratary Edano said that they'll "Probably need [the] help of US [the] military." He also admitted that pouring large amount of water in short time from helicoptors is "risky." Anything else noteworthy?

EDIT: Saw this on the liveblog on Reuters, and I felt that it just summed up perfectly what I'm sure, the entire world feels:

"Can you imagine showing up for work and being greeted with a worksite like the #4 reactor? These people have probably not left the site since the quake though. When it comes to the "Right Stuff", these people have it. I am sure that they are doing all that is humanly posible to avert disaster. I wish them the best as they face danger to protect the public."

I cannot even begin to understand how their families must feel-- both proud and terrified. They are continually in my thought and prayers.

Edited March 16, 2011 by P.OneOh

[Shattenkirk's Bald Spot]

I have mad respect for Yukio Edano. Just sayin.

[Blackberries]

Are you mad because the workers are evacuating? It's a really dangerous situation, and getting worse for them.

And how much worse would it be for the rest of japan?

If my company had a history of falsifying safety reports and covering up information I would feel a need to make things right considering the possible human cost.

I see they've been allowed back in which is good news.

[Canada Hockey Place]

Radiation level no health threat

Radiation levels in northwest areas of the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were higher than normal on late Tuesday. Government officials say that such levels are low enough not to pose a danger to humans.

Residents within 20 kilometers of the disaster-stricken reactor have been urged to evacuate. People living within 20 to 30 kilometers are told to stay indoors.

The Japanese government said that the results of an environmental radiation observation at 8:40 PM on Tuesday in the town of Namie, about 20 kilometers northwest of the plant, showed that the radiation levels remained at 200 to 300 microsieverts per hour.

This is higher than normal but experts consider it low and not a health threat.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011 07:34 +0900 (JST)

TEPCO releases photo of No.4 reactor

Tokyo Electric Power Company has released a photograph of the No.4 reactor building at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant where fires were reported on Tuesday and Wednesday.

It shows that a large portion of the building's outer wall has collapsed.

The company produced the photo at a news conference on Wednesday.

The photo, shot the day before from the northwestern side of the reactor, shows that a large portion of the building's outer wall has collapsed. There is an 8-meter hole on the 4th floor, and the interior is visible.

Another 8-meter square hole was also confirmed on the outer wall of the building. Both appeared after an explosion early on Tuesday.

An ensuing fire near the 4th floor reportedly later went out on its own.

Flames were also found spewing from the building early Wednesday, but the utility company said they were no longer visible half-an-hour later.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011 11:57 +0900 (JST) http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/16_25.html

Japan Earthquake Update (16 March 2011, 03:55 UTC)

Japanese authorities have informed the IAEA that a fire in the reactor building of unit 4 of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was visually observed at 20:45 UTC of 15 March. As of 21:15 UTC of the same day, the fire could no longer be observed.

International Atomic Energy Agency - http://www.iaea.org/

[Femme.Canuck]

I have mad respect for Yukio Edano. Just sayin.

I second that. Actually, I think in general, the Japanese community is so inspiring, hardworking and resilient (as can be in such a situation). I remember seeing on this forum, that many people have continued going back to school, work etc. Its definitely not something that you woul expect after such a massive devastation. I saw on the news that many people aren't as panicked as we are here and that just speaks volumes of their character. It absolutely amazing and inspiring to see everyone coming together like that and not being individualists, as most would have expected.

[-Vintage Canuck-]

Police say death toll from Tohoku reached 3,676 at noon today, with 7,843 people missing. Numbers are certain to rise.

[Wetcoaster]

BBC's timeline on the latest problems at Fukushima nuclear plant:

0003: A new fire that broke out inside reactor 4 at the Fukushima Daaichi nuclear plant, which was damaged in Friday's earthquake and tsunami, appears to be out. This was the second time in two days that the reactor where spent nuclear rods were being kept caught fire. Workers at the plant are pumping sea-water through several of the plant's reactors in an effort to cool and stabilise them. Japanese media reports say radiation levels at the reactors remain too high for workers there to approach them. Japan's Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have expressed concern and called for the provision of more timely, and accurate information.

0029: Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) says it will be extremely difficult to spray water from a helicopter to cool down a storage pool for spent nuclear fuel in the No.4 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Earlier Japanese news agency Kyodo reported that the storage pool could be boiling, while Tepco said readings showed high levels of radiation, making the building inaccessible.

0146 : Tepco says the reactor 3 at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been emitting white smoke for about 45 minutes, Kyodo News reports. The plant's reactor 4 was the one where a fire broke out earlier this morning, Tepco said.

0221: Japanese Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says the authorities are still looking for the cause of white smoke billowing from reactor 3 at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. He says the radiation reading at the plant is fluctuating by the hour.

0236: Mr Edano, Japan's chief government spokesman, says workers trying to douse the reactors with water were forced to retreat when radiation levels surged there.

0320: Staff have now been evacuated from Fukushima because of a spike in radiation levels, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference.

0325: More on that news conference by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano. He said: "At around 0830 today, at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, white smoke has been seen coming out of reactor three. And regarding this, currently we are looking for the cause.

0433: France is now urging its nationals in Tokyo to leave Japan or head to the south of the country, Reuters reports. It says Paris has asked the Air France carrier to provide planes for the evacuation.

[Femme.Canuck]

Govts are posting online prefectural levels of radiation. It's in Japanese but can be understood by putting links into Google translate.

[Wetcoaster]

The French government has just issued an advisory.

France is now urging its nationals in Tokyo to leave Japan or head to the south of the country, Reuters reports. It says Paris has asked the Air France carrier to provide planes for the evacuation.

[Captain Bob]

Anderson Cooper just said this is officially the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. I can't honestly think of any nuclear disasters other than Chernobyl or 3 mile.

He also just said that there are workers in the plant.

[Bieksa(not really)]

I was able to get a flight out of Japan Tuesday evening, and I am now safe. I am very concerned for my friends and all people in Japan.

I think that japanese TV is doing a very good job of keeping people informed. My problem was that my Japanese is not good enough to understand

the much (they have news in English, but not in my specific situation). The situation is very tense, but people appeared to be calm. The situation is

confusing for everyone, especially regarding transportation,power cuts, and supplies. After I was able to get a flight, I didn't know if I could get to the airport.

[Sharpshooter]

Mar 16, 2011

Strong quake sways buildings in Tokyo

The force from the earthquake was strong enough to sway buildings in Tokyo. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

TOKYO - A STRONG 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, with the force strong enough to sway buildings in Tokyo.

The quake struck in the Pacific off Chiba prefecture - 96km east of the capital - and was felt across large areas of eastern Japan, the USGS said.

There were no reports of injuries or damage following the tremor, which struck at a shallow depth of 25km at 12.52pm (0352 GMT, 11.52am Singapore time), police and local government officials said.

No tsunami warning was issued but the Japan meteorological agency warned of a possible change in sea levels.

A series of major quakes have jolted the country since a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami devastated northern Japan on Friday, leaving more than 11,000 people dead or missing. -- AFP

[Bertuzzi Babe]

I was able to get a flight out of Japan Tuesday evening, and I am now safe. I am very concerned for my friends and all people in Japan.

I think that japanese TV is doing a very good job of keeping people informed. My problem was that my Japanese is not good enough to understand

the much (they have news in English, but not in my specific situation). The situation is very tense, but people appeared to be calm. The situation is

confusing for everyone, especially regarding transportation,power cuts, and supplies. After I was able to get a flight, I didn't know if I could get to the airport.

Glad to hear you're safe and back in BC, Bieksa(not really)!

[Justin.]

I was able to get a flight out of Japan Tuesday evening, and I am now safe. I am very concerned for my friends and all people in Japan.

I think that japanese TV is doing a very good job of keeping people informed. My problem was that my Japanese is not good enough to understand

the much (they have news in English, but not in my specific situation). The situation is very tense, but people appeared to be calm. The situation is

confusing for everyone, especially regarding transportation,power cuts, and supplies. After I was able to get a flight, I didn't know if I could get to the airport.

Good to see you're safe!

[Sharpshooter]

Now we're seeing radiation levels in the cancer causing range coming out of Fukushima...amd it's confirmed by Japanese Officials to the IAEA.

Japan radiation leaking "directly" into air: IAEA

VIENNA | Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:43pm EDT VIENNA (Reuters) - Japan has told the U.N. nuclear watchdog radioactivity was being released "directly" into the atmosphere from the site of an earthquake-stricken reactor and that it had put out a fire at a spent fuel storage pond there.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), citing information it had received from Japanese authorities at 0350 GMT, said on Tuesday dose rates of up to 400 millisievert per hour have been reported at the Fukushima power plant site.

It did not give details or comparisons on the radiation level but exposure to over 100 millisieverts a year is a level which can lead to cancer, according to the World Nuclear Association. The Vienna-based IAEA uses the unit to measure doses of radiation received by people.

"The Japanese authorities are saying that there is a possibility that the fire was caused by a hydrogen explosion," the IAEA said in a statement. It later said that the fire had been extinguished at Unit 4 of the plant.

In Japan, authorities warned radiation levels had become "significantly" higher around the nuclear power plant on Tuesday after explosions at two reactors, and the French embassy said a low-level radioactive wind could reach Tokyo within hours.

The IAEA said it had been informed "that the spent fuel storage pond at the Unit 4 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is on fire and radioactivity is being released directly into the atmosphere."

Researchers say people get about 12 millisieverts from a standard CT (computed tomography) heart scan.

The IAEA said Japanese authorities had also informed it that there had been an explosion at the Unit 2 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, saying it occurred at around 0620 local time in Japan

[Sharpshooter]

I was able to get a flight out of Japan Tuesday evening, and I am now safe. I am very concerned for my friends and all people in Japan.

I think that japanese TV is doing a very good job of keeping people informed. My problem was that my Japanese is not good enough to understand

the much (they have news in English, but not in my specific situation). The situation is very tense, but people appeared to be calm. The situation is

confusing for everyone, especially regarding transportation,power cuts, and supplies. After I was able to get a flight, I didn't know if I could get to the airport.

Glad to see you were able to leave, and are safe.

[Captain Bob]

Anderson Cooper just reported that the 50 workers have suspended operations. He can't confirm if that's old news and the original 50 that evacuated, or if it's the 50 that returned and have again evacuated.

[Sharpshooter]

Don't know if any of you saw this story yet....but it's a good read.

U.S. Sends Supercomputer Experts to Assess Radiation Risks in Japan

By Aliya Sternstein, Nextgov.com

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 | 11:19 a.m.

Nextgov.com is part of the National Journal Group Inc. and the Atlantic Media Company. It is a spin off of Government Executive.com and provides coverage and commentary on the management of information technology in the federal government. From time to time, Nextgov and Government Executive.com will share content and collaborate on features and events

The U.S. agency charged with protecting America's nuclear weapons has deployed a team of stateside supercomputer experts to gauge the radiation risks posed by the nuclear crisis in Japan.

In addition to safeguarding the nuclear stockpile, the National Nuclear Security Administration is regarded as the chief responder to any radiological incident within the United States. As such, some experts say NNSA is uniquely positioned to aid in Japan, where explosions rocked a nuclear power plant following an 8.9 magnitude earthquake on Friday.

The ability of the agency, which is part of the Energy Department, to arm decision-makers with accurate information about the extent of the nuclear threat largely rests on supercomputers.

NNSA officials on Monday said they have activated the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center -- staffed by computer scientists, nuclear scientists and meteorologists -- to provide U.S. authorities with real-time estimates on the spread of radioactive materials in the atmosphere. The squad's specialists plug data in to supercomputer algorithms on radiation doses, exposure, hazard areas, meteorological conditions and other factors to produce predictive models.

"NNSA has probably the world's premier set of codes that are capable of doing advanced simulations on all things nuclear," said Stanley C. Ahalt director of the Renaissance Computing Institute in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. "Not only do they have codes that are capable of understanding the degrading of the nuclear stockpile, but also that are capable of simulating, at the physical level, very sophisticated interactions between materials that are necessary for reactors to operate."

The crew is located in California at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which houses the BlueGene/L and Dawn supercomputers, ranked Nos. 12 and 16 on the biannual list of the world's most powerful supercomputers. A machine in China holds the No. 1 spot on the Top 500 list, but, Ahalt said, "the Chinese don't have anywhere near the experience in working on these types of problems that NNSA has."

Shaking caused by Friday's quake and a subsequent tsunami knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima Dai-chi nuclear complex, which has led to some melting in reactor cores. "Each of these reactors was constructed at different times with different materials and is at different levels of aging," Ahalt said.

Now, Japanese officials are rushing to cool down fuel rods via manual methods, such as spraying water into the reactors, to prevent a meltdown, which likely would have lasting, deadly effects.

Destruction on the scale of the 1986 Chernobyl accident that leaked massive amounts of radioactive materials into the environment is not expected. "But the residual heat is still captured in those uranium rods," Ahalt noted. NNSA has the tools to form assumptions on how the core material might degrade, he said.

NNSA officials are in communication with Japanese officials, the U.S. agency said on Monday.

"Senior officials and technical experts from the Department of Energy continue to be in close contact with other agencies as well as with our Japanese counterparts as we work to assess what is a very serious and fluid situation," NNSA spokesman Damien LaVera said. "The United States will continue to work closely with the Japanese government and will provide whatever assistance they request to help them bring the reactors under control."

State Department officials on Monday advised U.S. citizens in Japan to heed the directions of Japanese authorities in vacating the affected area.

"Japan's Nuclear Industrial Safety Agency has recommended that people who live within 20 kilometers of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant evacuate the area immediately," said John V. Roos, U.S. ambassador to Japan. "We are confident that the government of Japan is doing all it can to respond to this serious situation."

On Sunday, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which polices U.S. commercial nuclear power plants, said American officials do not foresee dangerous amounts of radiation reaching the United States.

"All the available information indicates weather conditions have taken the small releases from the Fukushima reactors out to sea, away from the population," NRC officials said in a statement "Given the thousands of miles between the two countries, Hawaii, Alaska, the U.S. Territories and the U.S. West Coast are not expected to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity."

Edited March 16, 2011 by Sharpshooter