Aquiace

Yeah, Russia, Korea, China are most likely to be affected. Chernobyl stretched cross Europe. The legacy of Chernobyl will continue for thousands of years. Hoping and praying it's not the same.

Someone please smack him for me. Edit: Just so you know pal, my wife and kids are 188km away from it. It might be safe, it might not. But don't dare tell people they're stupid for worrying. Got it? Some people here have family there, not just myself. There are many japanese-canadians in Vancouver.

They're claiming it's still contained within the containment vessel, but after such a huge explosion can we honestly believe that? We're not idiots. Just tell us.

This is what I was talking about earlier. The government needs to be transparent. Everyone else says it's huge, but they say it's not. It angers me so much.

I just got in contact again with my wife. She says there is no immediate danger. I'm not sure if the government is downplaying this or not. They say it's very limited to the surrounding area.

God, I spoke too soon. I can't process this right now.

Yeah, she is truly amazing. In so many ways I aspire to be like her. I'm counting my blessings right now. I don't know what I would do if I lost her or the kids. She's finally managed to get her sleep right now and it might be my cue to get some as well. Thank you all. There are not enough words I can say to how much I appreciate it. I've done everything I could not to show them how afraid I was. You can turn the TV off, you can turn the radio off, you can go about your business. But this was a non-stop, 24 hour marathon of fear, adrenaline, hope and then more fear. I think this is technically combat fatigue. It's like the world is moving in slow motion. The only way to fight it is to detach your brain and it's almost like an out-of-body experience. For the first time since it started, we voluntarily closed the video chat. It's very strange right now. Everything has a strange focus. Like you can move your eyes around to different objects and see every little detail. Your eyes can't help but follow around the room trying to focus on something. I think it must still be the adrenaline making my brain on high alert. Luckily I have a bottle of Rescue Remedy which is normally used for stress but can also be used for shock, so going to take some of that before the adrenaline crash hits me. I asked her to take some pictures, but I think she's afraid to look at it. Right now she's running on faith alone. When we all calm down I'll ask her to send me pictures.

Yeah, it is a logarithmic scale. I won't bother with the math since people already have. A 6.6 earthquake releases 119 kilotons or 501 Terajoules The 8.9 earthquake in Japan released 336 megatons or 1.41 Exajoules of energy. The 1960 earthquake in Chile (a 9.5 magnitude) was the equivalent of 2.67 gigatons of TNT. Edit: The 6.9 in San Fransisco was 336 kilotons.

I'm definitely not a Jetstreamologist either lol, so your guess is as good as mine. I want to also say thank you to you and everyone who has been supportive. I think I've slept 3 hours since it happened because I've been keeping the communication open almost 24-hours with the family. Hearing "ooh god, it's happening again" every 10 minutes and seeing things shake, crumble and come to rest again has been exhausting to say the least. I always heard there are lots of aftershocks after an earthquake, but I had no idea they would happen like this. It doesn't seem real. I'm almost embarassed by how publicly I've been sharing this experience. But no one even batted and eye and has been so supportive I don't even have words. You guys are truly awesome. The true hero in this is my wife, Jeanette. Even in the midst of the chaos, she rallied the neighbors and when it stopped, she went to find out if everyone was safe. She's been calming the kids and keeping guard while they sleep beside her. The stress has been visible on her face and the only thing I can do is give her my strength and assure her she will be okay and I will see her as soon as it's safe for me to travel. I cannot imagine a world without her. She is truly amazing. Hopefully soon this will all be done and we can get back to talking about the Canucks playoff push. But for now I want you all to know you are family in my books.

Actually, they upgraded the emergency level and increased the evacuation area to 10km. They're trying to control the pressure through ventilation. The primary objective is to get the cooling systems functional because they're relying on secondary cooling which isn't as effective. Unlike Chernobyl, they are fully aware of the situation before it becomes an unstoppable reaction so there is a lower chance of it reaching meltdown. Edit: Also, FYI, the term "meltdown" comes from when the fuel rods melt. The temperature is so high that when it comes into contact with vapors such as air or water, it explodes. The heat is a natural by-product of critical mass and the only way to stop the reaction is with a doping element such as enrich boron. The danger comes from if fuel rods do melt, they burn at very high temperatures and are extremely difficult to put out. It burns so hot that sand actually melts into glass. The smoke and particles that come out are very radioactive and spread for thousands of kilometers in the atmosphere. Actually, we'd be in trouble because the jet stream could carry the radioactive material towards us.

It's definitely not over. I'm on a live video chat right now with my family and as we were talking the wall cracked on a powerful aftershock. This was right after she showed me the other wall cracking not even an hour ago. This could go on for some time. There were reports of aftershocks in Chile many months after the quake hit there. Compromised buildings could still face possible collapse. Thankfully the Japanese design their buildings well.

I hate that part of the Japanese mentality. Saving face is one of their primary tenets. I lived there for years and I learned to accept that there were always 2 truths: what you see and hear and what is real. But in a situation where people's lives are in danger, that is unacceptable on any level. I love Japan and I love the Japanese people. Living there were some of my best memories of my life. But the bureaucracy and the lack of essential communication were frustrating even when there were no emergencies.

Thank you guys for your support. I count myself lucky that they are safe at this moment. There were many families who were not so lucky. They are the ones who really need support. On a side note, the Japanese government needs to stop trying to downplay and cover up the severity and risks. It's not about looking incompetent, it's about protecting your citizens. People need to be informed. They need to know the dangers and the risks.

You can't even imagine. My wife and kids are in Gunma prefecture (188 km from Fukushima). :( :( Edit: I'm not going to lie. I'm on the verge of tears right now. I'm so scared for them, but I'm trying to be strong. I was so relieved to find out they're safe and now I don't even know if the worst is over. I'm praying so hard that nothing else happens.

My wife and kids are 200km away from the epicenter. I was video chatting with my wife when the earthquake hit. It was the day of our eldest daughters junior high graduation. Luckily they're safe, but the damage is terrifying and the quakes have not stopped. We've been in constant communication and she says there isn't even a moment where the earth isn't shaking. It's still ongoing and some of the shocks are almost as large as the original. She has a wireless internet and laptop (like the Rogers internet stick) and she ran outside her apartment while still broadcasting and it was like watching something out of Cloverfield. Even at this moment we're talking and no one can rest because within minutes another aftershock will hit. It's one after another. She says hundreds, maybe thousands. Buildings have collapsed and there is no food or water anywhere. The stores have been emptied. There is no gas or heat and there the relief is focused on emergencies, so there is a big shortage of supplies. The strange thing is, I had scheduled to travel there for our daughters graduation but I was forced to postpone because of work. I was going to arrive 3 days ago. I don't know if that's providence or what. So if anyone feels moved to donate to relief, I encourage you to do so.