8.8 magnitude Earthquake in Japan

[DeToxRox]

Just saw it as breaking news on CNN.

This one could be devastating.

[DeToxRox]

Tokyo (CNN) -- An 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Japan early Friday, triggering tsunami warnings and sending people fleeing out of buildings in the capital.

The quake rattled buildings and toppled cars off bridges and into waters underneath. In Tokyo, crowds huddled together and tried to reach relatives via cell phone.

Its epicenter was 373 kilometers (231 miles) from Tokyo, the United States Geological Survey said.

It triggered a tsunami warning for various countries, including Japan and Russia, the National Weather Service said.

"Earthquakes of this size are known to generate tsunamis potentially dangerous to coasts outside the source region," it said.


Well it's mentioned as a 7.9 in the article that just came up. Hopefully it sticks at that.

[DeToxRox]

Hmm. All the other news sites are listing it as an 8.8. Who knows at this point. Either way it's fucking massive.

[Tigercat]

Saying 8.9 now, the footage of the tsunami moving unbelievable amounts of mud, houses, and farmland across miles of land... insane.

[Lathum]

My In Laws are on vacation in Hawaii right now and I was just chatting on Facebook with my MIL. She said they are already giving warnings there and people are pretty freaked out and taking it seriously.

[Tigercat]

Nevermind. Insane isn't the right word. Watching whole small towns being destroyed on live TV, watching cars run away people fleeing for their lives. Horrible is the only word. Just horrible. This feels like watching 9/11.

[k0ruptr]

tsunami watch here, not warning yet, but we'll see. A watch is always called if the earthquake is 7.5 or higher, even if they are unsure of an impending distant tsunami. Warning is when one has definitely been generated.

Scary, and my prayers go out to everyone impacted.

[Lathum]

The footage of the wave on MSNBC is pretty crazy

[Chief Rum]

Agreed, this is nuts. Watching on Fox as they are showing footage of Japan.

[Tigercat]

I'm usually very forgiving with news people, but that CNN broadcasters can use such chipper voices and tones of voice when the footage is obviously showing some amount of deaths... Come on. But instead they tiptoe around the reality, lots and lots of people are losing their lives in horrific ways.

[Chief Rum]

Agreed, Tigercat, I am seeing something like that here on the local Fox feed as well. Not chipper, at least they're not doing that. But they seem so matter of fact, and one guy keeps asking how what kind of displacement is needed to cause a wave this big. Dude, who the fuck cares! While this guy's asking this question repeatedly to every new expert, you can see people trying to drive away from the tsunami right on screen. WTF?!?

[EagleFan]

unreal; just seeing footage now.

What size was the tsunami? The damage is unimaginable. I can't even comphrehend the potential human toll.

[Chief Rum]

unreal; just seeing footage now.

What size was the tsunami? The damage is unimaginable. I can't even comphrehend the potential human toll.

I have seen reports of a line hundreds of miles along. And a second wave the video was focusing on about ten minutes ago was described as 13 feet high.

[EagleFan]

Just seeing a clip from the wave pushing over the land. It's sickening to watch; seeing cars that were on the road being swept away and knowing that someone was in that car.

[k0ruptr]

oh, fuck. We just got upgraded to a warning. stay alert people. I gotta go to work :(

edit: reports coming in wave on the way here.

[CrimsonFox]

8.9 quake triggers devastating Japan tsunami - World news - Asia-Pacific - msnbc.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42023385/ns/world_news-asiapacific/)

[EagleFan]

Fuck, hoping for the best for you k0ruptr.

[EagleFan]

Don't we have a couple FOFCers that live in Japan (or at least used to)?

[Tigercat]

oh, fuck. We just got upgraded to a warning. stay alert people. I gotta go to work :(

God speed, stay safe!

[Chief Rum]

oh, fuck. We just got upgraded to a warning. stay alert people. I gotta go to work :(

Worried about you all over there. Although the local Fox feed had an expert on that says that the system in place in Hawaii for signaling approaching tsunamis is one of the best in the world.

[Lathum]

oh, fuck. We just got upgraded to a warning. stay alert people. I gotta go to work :(

yup, just signed off facebook chat with my MIL. Their hotel is being evacuated. Luckily they have a friend on the island who lives inland.

[k0ruptr]

I'm worried, I work at the airport as a supervisor. My fiance and my house are in the flood zone in Ewa beach, which also in fact is the the pacific tsunami warning center HQ. covering something like 25 countries. Still I really don't want to go to work while my fiance and family are there. I told her evacuate if anything and call me. pretty worried for some reason this time.

[EagleFan]

Don't we have a couple FOFCers that live in Japan (or at least used to)?

oykib comes to mind.

[EagleFan]

I'm worried, I work at the airport as a supervisor. My fiance and my house are in the flood zone in Ewa beach, which also in fact is the the pacific tsunami warning center HQ. covering something like 25 countries. Still I really don't want to go to work while my fiance and family are there. I told her evacuate if anything and call me. pretty worried for some reason this time.

Not very religious but my prayers are with you and your family. I hope that it ends as a false alarm for you.

[Chief Rum]

I'm worried, I work at the airport as a supervisor. My fiance and my house are in the flood zone in Ewa beach, which also in fact is the the pacific tsunami warning center HQ. covering something like 25 countries. Still I really don't want to go to work while my fiance and family are there. I told her evacuate if anything and call me. pretty worried for some reason this time.

Stay safe, k0ruptr. Make sure your fiance keeps a level head and be ready. Is there someplace they can go if they need to?

[Young Drachma]

Watching coverage on CNNi right now. Just horrifying stuff.

[Chief Rum]

Tsunami horns are sounding in Honolulu, per Fox. Scary. Be safe, k0ruptr!

[Neon_Chaos]

Tsunami alerts have been raised throughout the Philippines' eastern coast. We're expecting one to hit in 1 to 3 hours if there is one, expecting at least a 1 meter wave if it's there.

[Chief Rum]

Tsunami alerts have been raised throughout the Philippines' eastern coast. We're expecting one to hit in 1 to 3 hours if there is one, expecting at least a 1 meter wave if it's there.

Where is Paranaque in relation to the east coast? Are you close to Manila? IIRC, most of the primary population centers of the Philippines are on the west side of the main islands. I would think that would be a good thing.

Hope you stay safe, Neon.

[EagleFan]

Just reporting that the west coast is now on a tsunami watch (estimating 7 AM PST).

[Neon_Chaos]

Where is Paranaque in relation to the east coast? Are you close to Manila? IIRC, most of the primary population centers of the Philippines are on the west side of the main islands. I would think that would be a good thing.

Hope you stay safe, Neon.

Paranaque City is part of Metro Manila. Metro Manila is kind of in the bottleneck part of the land, between two bays, although primarily towards the western bay. We should be safe, although worried about relatives in the east coast.

Thanks for the concern. Will update if a tsunami hits us first, for the people in hawaii.

[Neon_Chaos]

Paranaque City is part of Metro Manila. Metro Manila is kind of in the bottleneck part of the land, between two bays, although primarily towards the western bay. We should be safe, although worried about relatives in the east coast.

Thanks for the concern. Will update if a tsunami hits us first, for the people in hawaii.

One-meter tsunami waves may hit in next 3 hours—disaster officials - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20110311-324761/One-meter-tsunami-waves-may-hit-in-next-3-hoursdisaster-officials)

[Neon_Chaos]

Holy crap. AFtershocks are apparently in the 7 e
Range, some stronger than the Haiti quake.

[EagleFan]

Hawaii just ordered evacuation of coastal areas.

[Chief Rum]

Almost 11 p.m. in Hawaii. Reports I am seeing says first water to hit around 3 a.m. locally. Four hours to get out...

[EagleFan]

Everyone in the danger zones please take care of yourselves and your families.

I need to go get some sleep.

[fantom1979]

Some images courtesy of MSNBC:

Massive earthquake hits Japan - Picture Stories- msnbc.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42024158/displaymode/1247/?beginSlide=1)

[Neon_Chaos]

So far so good. Taiwan is clear. Seems like we might be clear too.

[fantom1979]

I was just checking out the recent earthquake list on USGS. Looks like there has been quite a bit of activity in Japan the last 60 hours or so. I counted four 6.0+ earthquakes there in the last 2 days before this big one hit.

Latest Earthquakes in the World - Past 7 days (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php#listtop)

[Dutch]

Devastating...I was in a couple of 7's while I was in Japan and they were scary as hell. Both times I thought the building I was in was coming down and many around the area did. Now if I'm not mistaken an 8.9 would be like 3 7's at once or some shit in magnitude. Crazy. Very sorry to hear the news but I know the Japaneese are in good hands as far as disaster recovery teams.

Also, good luck Hawaii.

[BYU 14]

Everyone in the danger zones please take care of yourselves and your families.

Big plus 1

[Noop]

Scary footage. I have never seen water do that. A lot of the stuff in Japan looks like toys in the tube. My prayers and thoughts are with them.

[claphamsa]

news from hawaii indicated waves only up to 3 feet... so no REAL damage... ut well see....

[GrantDawg]

There are reports that possible waves are just now hitting Hawaii at 6-7 feet. It might be spotty and eradict. So, the west coast might have several hours of watching ahead. This is crazy stuff. The videos out of Japan are insane.

[Warhammer]

Devastating...I was in a couple of 7's while I was in Japan and they were scary as hell. Both times I thought the building I was in was coming down and many around the area did. Now if I'm not mistaken an 8.9 would be like 3 7's at once or some shit in magnitude. Crazy. Very sorry to hear the news but I know the Japaneese are in good hands as far as disaster recovery teams.

Also, good luck Hawaii.

Don't forget the richter scale is a log scale. An 8 is 10 times worse than a 7, so an 8.9 is 90 times worse than a 7!

[GrantDawg]

North shore of Mauii harbour gauge just hit 6 feet, receeded 6 feet, then hit over 6 feet.

[claphamsa]

these videos are some sick shit... wow!

[Vince, Pt. II]

Coastal roads in Santa Cruz closed, though they're only expecting a 3-5 foot wave. Scary, scary stuff. My heart goes out to all those affected by the devastating natural disaster :(

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Did Obama seriously just release a statement saying that 'our friendship with (Japan) is unshakable'?????

Unfortunate choice of words there.

[Ksyrup]

Damn! Supermoon Man is hootin' and hollerin' today, I bet.

Will March 19 'Supermoon' Trigger Natural Disasters? - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110310/sc_space/willmarch19supermoontriggernaturaldisasters)

[Rizon]

Had two friends who were walking the beaches on western Maui, they said the waves weren't any big deal there.

[EagleFan]

Damn! Supermoon Man is hootin' and hollerin' today, I bet.

Will March 19 'Supermoon' Trigger Natural Disasters? - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110310/sc_space/willmarch19supermoontriggernaturaldisasters)

Oddly, I was thinking this when I saw the first report of the quake.

Also not sure what this says but the first report that I saw about the quake was on FOFC in this thread. Was watching Band of Brothers on DVD and jumped on here during the credits and saw the thread. FOFC, keeping football sim fans current one thread at a time.

[Rizon]

If it stays at 8.8, that's one of the top 10 largest earthquakes ever recorded. That's one hell of an earthquake, ugh.

[Rizon]

If it stays at 8.8, that's one of the top 10 largest earthquakes ever recorded. That's one hell of an earthquake, ugh.

Actually right now it's ranked 7th.

[Rizon]

Scary footage. I have never seen water do that. A lot of the stuff in Japan looks like toys in the tube. My prayers and thoughts are with them.

It's just really weird and sad to watch. It's so crazy it looks like CGI.

[EagleFan]

Not sure what the normal number of aftershocks are but I just heard that they had 19 aftershocks since then. That sounds like a lot.

[Rizon]

Did Obama seriously just release a statement saying that 'our friendship with (Japan) is unshakable'?????

Unfortunate choice of words there.

I was watching the video on YouTube of the cars being swept away, and a Google Ad came up that said "100 Toyota Cars for Good".

[JediKooter]

Not sure what the normal number of aftershocks are but I just heard that they had 19 aftershocks since then. That sounds like a lot.

After shocks can last for days, sometimes many months after the main quake. I wouldn't be surprised by this time next week there have been hundreds of after shocks.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Had two friends who were walking the beaches on western Maui, they said the waves weren't any big deal there.

They need to be VERY careful. There are secondary 'wraparound' tsunamis hitting some of the Hawaiian islands right now that are reportedly larger than the initial waves. More people get killed by the secondary waves in these cases because they think the initial wave is all there is.

[Rizon]

They need to be VERY careful. There are secondary 'wraparound' tsunamis hitting some of the Hawaiian islands right now that are reportedly larger than the initial waves. More people get killed by the secondary waves in these cases because they think the initial wave is all there is.

Our friends are already calling dibs on their golf clubs and one guy has a $5000 telescope. But kidding aside, they slept on the beach and are still ok. They haven't reported to us that anything has gotten worse (yet, hopefully).

[GrantDawg]

Our friends are already calling dibs on their golf clubs and one guy has a $5000 telescope. But kidding aside, they slept on the beach and are still ok. They haven't reported to us that anything has gotten worse (yet, hopefully).


They'll be fine as long as they are smart enough to stay out of the water. It is the idiots that think "surfs up" that'll get in trouble.

[RomaGoth]

After shocks can last for days, sometimes many months after the main quake. I wouldn't be surprised by this time next week there have been hundreds of after shocks.

The aftershocks can last for a year or more, which makes it incredibly difficult to deal with the damage that has occurred from the previous quake and aftershocks.

[Thomkal]

don't know if they are related or not, but the ticker on CNN or MSNBC was reporting a 4.3 quake in Hawaii earlier.

[DanGarion]

Don't we have a couple FOFCers that live in Japan (or at least used to)?

I know Koji who used to be in the RWBL lives there, at least I think he did the last time I talked to him.

[Rizon]

don't know if they are related or not, but the ticker on CNN or MSNBC was reporting a 4.3 quake in Hawaii earlier.

AG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km LOCATION
MAP 2.3 2011/03/11 16:08:35 19.226 -154.893 4.7 28 km ( 17 mi) S of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.3 2011/03/11 11:58:12 19.331 -154.993 10.0 18 km ( 11 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 1.8 2011/03/11 11:16:03 19.420 -155.010 12.7 11 km ( 7 mi) SW of Pahoa, HI
MAP 1.9 2011/03/11 10:42:47 19.367 -154.985 10.6 14 km ( 8 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.1 2011/03/11 10:32:36 19.337 -154.990 0.6 17 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.0 2011/03/11 09:57:55 19.344 -154.981 10.3 16 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.7 2011/03/11 09:45:07 19.295 -154.944 10.8 20 km ( 12 mi) S of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.0 2011/03/11 09:36:21 19.412 -155.022 0.0 12 km ( 8 mi) SW of Pahoa, HI
MAP 3.0 2011/03/11 09:33:57 19.382 -155.015 7.6 14 km ( 9 mi) SW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.9 2011/03/11 09:24:53 19.351 -154.999 8.7 16 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 1.9 2011/03/11 09:24:24 19.312 -154.941 13.2 18 km ( 11 mi) S of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.8 2011/03/11 09:14:35 19.329 -154.970 11.0 17 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.8 2011/03/11 09:10:26 19.355 -155.000 5.4 16 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.5 2011/03/11 09:07:01 19.347 -154.989 0.1 16 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.8 2011/03/11 09:05:22 19.373 -155.001 8.5 14 km ( 9 mi) SW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 3.3 2011/03/11 09:03:37 19.349 -154.950 31.4 14 km ( 9 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 4.6 2011/03/11 08:58:25 19.340 -154.992 9.3 17 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 3.2 2011/03/11 06:18:04 19.350 -154.991 9.5 16 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.2 2011/03/11 03:52:06 19.312 -154.929 12.5 18 km ( 11 mi) S of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.6 2011/03/11 02:55:42 19.363 -154.994 9.3 14 km ( 9 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.9 2011/03/11 02:52:07 19.348 -154.981 10.7 15 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.5 2011/03/11 02:32:08 19.348 -154.985 11.1 16 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.3 2011/03/11 02:25:29 19.342 -154.982 10.3 16 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.8 2011/03/11 01:01:59 19.345 -154.983 10.2 16 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.5 2011/03/11 00:53:58 19.352 -154.989 9.0 15 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
MAP 2.5 2011/03/10 05:01:10 19.363 -155.044 7.6 15 km ( 9 mi) SE of Fern Forest, HI

[EagleFan]

Looked up oykib and he is from Osaka. Looks like that would put him away from the initial quake but not sure how the tsunami affected that area. He has been on the forum since it began but I don't think he posts as much as he used to.

Front Office Football Central (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/member.php?u=200)

I hope all is well for him and his family.

[Rizon]

Jeeze, the Japanese earthquake list is insane:

MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 6.1 2011/03/11 19:02:58 39.372 142.900 24.8 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.2 2011/03/11 18:59:15 37.037 138.355 1.0 NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.1 2011/03/11 18:44:06 36.858 141.029 25.5 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.9 2011/03/11 18:43:13 40.139 143.061 89.7 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.9 2011/03/11 18:17:05 36.218 141.685 25.4 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.7 2011/03/11 18:11:24 37.118 142.160 13.8 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.7 2011/03/11 18:02:38 36.793 143.212 24.9 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.0 2011/03/11 17:50:01 37.648 144.991 25.8 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.4 2011/03/11 17:32:13 37.137 144.572 24.8 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.1 2011/03/11 17:30:47 37.418 141.099 24.9 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.0 2011/03/11 17:23:57 36.015 141.888 24.9 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.5 2011/03/11 17:16:59 37.111 144.145 26.4 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.8 2011/03/11 17:14:59 39.016 142.517 51.9 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.0 2011/03/11 17:12:40 37.564 144.069 25.1 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.0 2011/03/11 16:55:52 37.779 143.171 25.1 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.0 2011/03/11 16:34:21 39.376 143.405 40.8 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.0 2011/03/11 16:20:51 36.157 141.877 25.3 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.5 2011/03/11 16:11:26 39.463 143.577 9.2 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.3 2011/03/11 16:04:52 39.236 144.320 25.5 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.0 2011/03/11 15:55:22 36.626 142.162 24.8 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.0 2011/03/11 15:50:59 37.409 142.217 24.9 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.0 2011/03/11 15:46:01 36.022 141.958 19.7 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.4 2011/03/11 15:42:05 36.066 141.515 15.8 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.9 2011/03/11 15:36:15 38.907 142.722 24.9 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.2 2011/03/11 15:32:33 37.216 142.233 25.0 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.6 2011/03/11 15:19:37 36.233 141.856 25.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.2 2011/03/11 15:13:14 35.997 141.796 18.9 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.0 2011/03/11 15:01:38 39.082 142.383 26.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.8 2011/03/11 14:56:15 35.979 141.367 25.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.4 2011/03/11 14:54:03 35.919 141.819 24.9 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.1 2011/03/11 14:44:07 36.655 140.769 25.1 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.4 2011/03/11 14:26:30 37.431 142.254 13.2 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.1 2011/03/11 14:20:19 37.947 143.183 25.2 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.2 2011/03/11 14:10:39 37.575 141.963 25.5 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.5 2011/03/11 14:00:37 36.151 140.845 30.8 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.9 2011/03/11 13:58:49 36.681 141.776 25.3 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.2 2011/03/11 13:55:27 38.039 142.831 24.9 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.3 2011/03/11 13:48:38 38.426 143.061 25.1 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.6 2011/03/11 13:43:10 38.972 144.209 25.2 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.9 2011/03/11 13:42:26 37.410 142.009 25.3 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.6 2011/03/11 13:34:36 36.249 141.850 35.5 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.1 2011/03/11 13:31:54 39.152 142.837 25.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.8 2011/03/11 13:16:49 36.304 141.730 30.1 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.1 2011/03/11 13:15:45 37.393 141.882 30.1 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.3 2011/03/11 13:02:43 36.755 141.885 30.2 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.3 2011/03/11 12:59:21 36.128 141.768 24.9 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.4 2011/03/11 12:54:52 38.502 142.120 36.7 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.6 2011/03/11 12:49:01 36.158 141.711 25.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.3 2011/03/11 12:34:22 36.912 143.736 39.0 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.2 2011/03/11 12:33:18 38.374 142.590 29.7 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.2 2011/03/11 12:28:44 36.166 141.664 29.3 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.3 2011/03/11 12:24:37 36.525 141.707 27.8 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.9 2011/03/11 12:12:53 38.052 142.542 21.6 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.1 2011/03/11 12:04:16 36.351 142.700 38.4 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.5 2011/03/11 11:56:16 36.356 141.504 39.4 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.1 2011/03/11 11:54:02 36.982 142.535 45.0 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.8 2011/03/11 11:46:46 36.034 141.055 47.5 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.8 2011/03/11 11:44:28 36.709 142.231 31.0 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.5 2011/03/11 11:36:39 39.276 142.521 11.6 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.7 2011/03/11 11:21:02 35.759 140.913 25.2 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.5 2011/03/11 11:16:50 36.614 141.894 36.6 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.5 2011/03/11 11:13:12 36.451 141.789 18.2 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.5 2011/03/11 11:10:57 35.534 141.856 27.7 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.6 2011/03/11 11:00:51 37.813 141.481 28.7 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.1 2011/03/11 10:58:05 39.060 142.213 30.3 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.0 2011/03/11 10:52:07 38.534 143.346 29.9 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.5 2011/03/11 10:45:46 38.466 143.591 41.1 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.3 2011/03/11 10:35:35 37.044 141.298 25.8 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.9 2011/03/11 10:28:44 39.447 143.531 29.3 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.6 2011/03/11 10:20:27 36.966 142.289 21.7 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.0 2011/03/11 10:10:34 39.248 142.779 28.9 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.2 2011/03/11 09:59:56 36.703 142.207 41.6 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.5 2011/03/11 09:47:01 39.685 142.938 29.7 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.2 2011/03/11 09:42:22 39.438 142.749 30.2 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.4 2011/03/11 09:37:08 35.877 141.585 29.9 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.5 2011/03/11 09:09:14 37.717 143.267 36.2 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.4 2011/03/11 09:04:10 37.299 142.655 30.5 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.2 2011/03/11 09:00:19 37.056 141.966 20.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.4 2011/03/11 08:52:26 36.763 141.910 35.8 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.5 2011/03/11 08:46:47 37.421 142.453 37.3 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.9 2011/03/11 08:40:56 37.465 141.122 38.6 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.1 2011/03/11 08:31:07 37.428 141.200 25.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.5 2011/03/11 08:19:24 36.200 142.000 19.9 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.2 2011/03/11 08:15:40 37.034 144.612 27.8 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.2 2011/03/11 08:12:04 36.606 141.557 19.8 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.5 2011/03/11 08:10:30 36.394 140.631 30.4 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.9 2011/03/11 08:01:58 37.071 142.734 22.6 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.6 2011/03/11 07:56:15 37.130 142.305 34.0 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.7 2011/03/11 07:54:44 37.742 141.565 45.3 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.8 2011/03/11 07:42:55 36.406 141.919 29.9 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.9 2011/03/11 07:38:26 39.250 142.783 29.1 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.1 2011/03/11 07:28:12 36.802 141.911 24.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.1 2011/03/11 07:25:33 37.916 144.621 15.0 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.3 2011/03/11 07:14:59 36.648 141.811 25.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.9 2011/03/11 07:13:47 36.051 142.347 28.5 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.8 2011/03/11 07:10:59 37.899 142.734 30.0 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.3 2011/03/11 06:57:14 35.758 140.992 30.2 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.3 2011/03/11 06:48:47 37.993 142.764 22.3 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 7.1 2011/03/11 06:25:50 38.106 144.553 19.7 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.8 2011/03/11 06:15:40 36.186 141.192 35.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.4 2011/03/11 06:07:21 36.401 141.862 35.4 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 6.4 2011/03/11 06:06:11 39.025 142.316 25.1 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 8.9 2011/03/11 05:46:23 38.322 142.369 24.4 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN

[DanGarion]

Just to give you a perspective on aftershocks there have already been 95 aftershocks of 5.0 or higher since the initial 8.9 quake.

[Neon_Chaos]

The thing that amazes me is that the Japanese were READY for the quake.

8.8? STILL STANDING, BITCHES.

The entire nation is practically quake-proof right now. What with all those aftershocks, and we still haven't heard of a single skyscraper or major building completely collapsing.

It's the tsunami that really wiped them out, and it really is disheartening to see those images of the flooding.

[DaddyTorgo]

All our japan-based FOFCers doing okay?

My cousin is at Camp Zama - still haven't heard from him, but as he's base security (i think) I imagine he's insanely busy at the moment. He's supposed to be leaving Japan in a couple months too...

[JediKooter]

The aftershocks can last for a year or more, which makes it incredibly difficult to deal with the damage that has occurred from the previous quake and aftershocks.

Yup. There are still after shocks from the big Baja California Mexico quake happening.

Japan being at the forefront of earthquake technology and building codes, hopefully has minimized the amount of lives lost and property damaged.

[DanGarion]

All our japan-based FOFCers doing okay?

My cousin is at Camp Zama - still haven't heard from him, but as he's base security (i think) I imagine he's insanely busy at the moment. He's supposed to be leaving Japan in a couple months too...
I've heard that all US Military personel in Japan have been accounted for.

There is also word that someone on the West Coast was swept away. If this person was there to watch the tsunami they are a moron.

[DaddyTorgo]

I've heard that all US Military personel in Japan have been accounted for.


Really? That's great news (selfishly).

[EagleFan]

If this person was there to watch the tsunami they are a moron.

If that was the case, chalk one up for Darwinism...

[JonInMiddleGA]

The thing that amazes me is that the Japanese were READY for the quake. 8.8? STILL STANDING, BITCHES.

That was roughly my reaction overnight & throughout the day. Pretty darned impressive IMO.

[Young Drachma]

The thing that amazes me is that the Japanese were READY for the quake.

8.8? STILL STANDING, BITCHES.

The entire nation is practically quake-proof right now. What with all those aftershocks, and we still haven't heard of a single skyscraper or major building completely collapsing.



Impressive indeed.

[sterlingice]

Those are some impressive buildings and some good foresight

+3

SI

[fantom1979]

I saw some video of a skyscraper swaying in Tokyo. It looked damn scary, but I think that is exactly what is supposed to happen. If I remember my Modern Marvels physics correctly, a skyscraper that does not sway, is a collapsing skyscraper.

[JediKooter]

I saw some video of a skyscraper swaying in Tokyo. It looked damn scary, but I think that is exactly what is supposed to happen. If I remember my Modern Marvels physics correctly, a skyscraper that does not sway, is a collapsing skyscraper.

Swaying is good, but, it is limited and if it goes beyond that limit, it could collapse. Another factor is the ground the building is built on. Not only with how much energy can the ground absorb, but, also how solid it is. Liquefaction is kryptonite for structures.

[SteveMax58]

Those are some impressive buildings and some good foresight

+3

SI

Yeah...+4 to this. The level of devastation will be great but I think Japan might be the only country that could recover from such a force of nature like this. Just...unbelievable.

[GrantDawg]

They have bumped the mag. to 9.1 now, making it the 4th most powerfull ever recorded. That is twice as powerfull as a 8.9.

[Raiders Army]

I have one of my employees in Maebashi. We haven't heard a thing from her. I don't think we're going to hear from her for a while. She was supposed to fly out tomorrow.

[k0ruptr]

Hello, checking in. im ok. Big island, where I just moved from a year ago got hit pretty badly, especially kona side. youtube kona tsunami to see some really crazy videos. I'm worried about my family as if you scroll up and see those earthquakes on the big island, they live in Leilani Estates. Unfortonately I don't talk to my brother and his fam that live there and have no way of getting ahold of them. We had a fall out recently :( They werent big earthquakes, but still scary.

[cartman]

News is starting to come out that possibly the Fukushima nuclear power plant suffered some pretty serious damage, and they haven't been able to keep the core at what is considered a safe temp.

Japan quake causes emergencies at 5 nuke reactors (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/03/11/international/i050530S54.DTL&)

[molson]

There's a few posts in this thread I've wanted to respond to but the response to all of them is basically the same - WOW. Japan should be damn proud about how they withstood this though.

And someone above had mentioned the "tsunami tourist" who thought it would be an awesome idea to run to the pacific U.S. coast and take some pictures. Yes, that really happened, and he's dead now:

As U.S. damage measured, emergency declared in California counties - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/11/tsunami/index.html?hpt=T1)

[Warhammer]

News is starting to come out that possibly the Fukushima nuclear power plant suffered some pretty serious damage, and they haven't been able to keep the core at what is considered a safe temp.

Japan quake causes emergencies at 5 nuke reactors (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/03/11/international/i050530S54.DTL&)

I think they'll be ok. I've been reading a fair amount of the articles dealing with it, and I think a lot of it is alarmism. The amount of safety factor built into those reactors is amazing.

[sterlingice]

Yeah, it sounds like "at worst", they would have to vent some radioactive gas nearby. Sure- that's horrible, particularly if you live near there- but it seems pretty unlikely at this point.

SI

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Got an e-mail from my fraternity brother who lives south of Tokyo in an 18 story building. Said he had to grab his 3 month old son and flee the building with his wife. They're now planning to move out of the condo and into a home. Freaked them out pretty good. Glad they're safe.

[fantom1979]

Things are not looking good at all.

Explosion at Japan nuke plant, disaster toll rises - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110312/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake)

Part of the nuke plant exploded and they are still missing 4 trains.

I remember thinking when Katrina hit that I would hate to be the guy in charge of FEMA. How do you wrap your mind around that level of devastation. Looking at the Japan videos/photos, I don't even know where you would begin. Trains missing, nuke problems, an entire city underwater, people stranded on roofs and who knows where else. :banghead:

[fantom1979]

21 aftershocks above M6.0 since the M8.9 hit. 4 of those have hit in the last 12 hours.

[oykib]

oykib comes to mind.

Thanks.

I actually moved back to America a few months ago. I was able to get in touch with most of my friends. They and their families are fine. The quake and tsunami were pretty far away from where I used to live.

Crazy stuff over there. Everybody I know seems really upset. They all remember the quake in their area in '95. /there is an issue with power in parts of the country now. So they have been encouraged to save power to divert to other parts of the country.

[oykib]

Global positioning has the island of Honshu 8 feet (http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.earthquake.tsunami.earth/index.html?iref=NS1) from where it was. Honshu is the main island of Japan.

The explosion at a nuclear plant there seems to have been at a pumping station-- not the main building.

News is playing 24/7 without commercials on all channels.

[GrantDawg]

Global positioning has the island of Honshu 8 feet (http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.earthquake.tsunami.earth/index.html?iref=NS1) from where it was. Honshu is the main island of Japan.

The explosion at a nuclear plant there seems to have been at a pumping station-- not the main building.

News is playing 24/7 without commercials on all channels.


There saying now that it actually destroyed the building housing Reactor 1. That makes sense if you watch the video. It looks on par with a video of what a "bunker buster" bomb does to a building. It was a massive explosion. The say the core is still in tact, which is just amazing. How this is handled (and I think in the end it will be handled well) is going to determine the future of nuclear energy.

[oykib]

There saying now that it actually destroyed the building housing Reactor 1. That makes sense if you watch the video. It looks on par with a video of what a "bunker buster" bomb does to a building. It was a massive explosion. The say the core is still in tact, which is just amazing. How this is handled (and I think in the end it will be handled well) is going to determine the future of nuclear energy.

That's much scarier.

Tough to sleep worrying about that.

[Matthean]

One of countless articles with images of Japan in it. Lots of good sized images, so it takes some time to load.

Earthquake in Japan - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic (http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/03/earthquake-in-japan/100022/)

[Surtt]

There saying now that it actually destroyed the building housing Reactor 1.
Wouldn't that be the containment building?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Another story from first-hand account by Destructoid writer..........

Sincerest Thanks: Destructoid's readers are amazing- Destructoid (http://www.destructoid.com/sincerest-thanks-destructoid-s-readers-are-amazing-196246.phtml)

[GrantDawg]

Wouldn't that be the containment building?


I guess? There is a steel containment unit that they say is still inact at this point. There are conflicting reports on whether the plant has officially "melted-down", but reportedly now three of the plants cooling systems are still down and they are dumping treated salt-water into them to keep the temps under control. Some radiation has been released and a 12 mile radius is under evacuation. Iodine tablets are being given out to limit possible radiation sickness.

[Edward64]

Sorry for my ignorance - but what exactly happens if it melts down?

[cartman]

Sorry for my ignorance - but what exactly happens if it melts down?

Chernobyl part two

[Edward64]

Chernobyl part two

So no mushroom cloud, just irradiated, death zone, containment area for the next 30+ years?

[oykib]

The news about a possible meltdown keeps getting worse. It's looking more and more like they know there's been a meltdown and are just trying to prevent a panic.

[GrantDawg]

So no mushroom cloud, just irradiated, death zone, containment area for the next 30+ years?


Not really. The Japenese are much better equipped to deal with this than the USSR was, on top of the facility being much safer made. Not that it is a good thing. It basically means a loss of control of the fuel, and damage has to be brought under control to limit the damage and spread of contamination. It will not be like Chernobyl, where they basically sent people with shovels and no training out to cover up radioactive materials till everbody started dropping dead.

[King of New York]

The best piece that I've seen about what (might) be happening at the damaged reactor is here:

BBC News - Uncertainty surrounds Japan's nuclear picture (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12723092)

[Warhammer]

That article from the BBC explains things fairly well.

This is the problem as I see it. Once things get out of whack in the vessel and the pumps stop turning, you are going to get a massive amount of steam in the reactor vessel. Also, once the pumps get hot, you're not going to be able to turn them (the metal expands and the impeller will rub against the body of the pump, etc.). If things get hot enough, the seals will fail which will cause the steam to escape the pump along the shaft. Essentially, once the backup systems fail, it would be a bitch to get things back up and running.

It would be interesting to know what happened on the coolant loop. Which set of pumps failed?

[GrantDawg]

That article from the BBC explains things fairly well.

This is the problem as I see it. Once things get out of whack in the vessel and the pumps stop turning, you are going to get a massive amount of steam in the reactor vessel. Also, once the pumps get hot, you're not going to be able to turn them (the metal expands and the impeller will rub against the body of the pump, etc.). If things get hot enough, the seals will fail which will cause the steam to escape the pump along the shaft. Essentially, once the backup systems fail, it would be a bitch to get things back up and running.

It would be interesting to know what happened on the coolant loop. Which set of pumps failed?


The report now is that Plant 1 and possibily plant 3 have melted down, but they are not sure. That doesn't sound reassuring. What does sound reassuring is that radiation still seems to be contained, so that means fuel rods melted but haven't broken free.

[SackAttack]

The BBC article says they don't know why the backups cut out, but my understanding was they got swamped by the tsunami.

[JonInMiddleGA]

The BBC article says they don't know why the backups cut out, but my understanding was they got swamped by the tsunami.

My wife & I were talking about that, as I noticed the same thing you did. I'm not sure whether they've backed away from that explanation or if had just escaped the BBC writer.

[CrimsonFox]

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nc4SA4wKEcs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[cartman]

The Nikkei index has plunged almost 13% after the news of the latest explosions at the Fukushima nuclear power plan. Evidently the fuel rods are completely exposed to air at this point, and a core meltdown is extremely likely.

The last two trading days have been the worst for the Nikkei since the global crash in 1987.

[stevew]

I know they don't want to induce panic, but it certainly seems like they've been dramatically understating how awful this problem is going to be. From what I understood a few days ago, they were supposedly dealing with a problematic reaction of merely about 6 percent of the reactor capability, adnd this no longer seems to be the case.

[Peregrine]

Have you guys seen this? Absolute insanity.

ABC News - Japan Earthquake: before and after (http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm)

[SackAttack]

I showed that to my dad, Peregrine, and he responded with this:

BBC News - Japan earthquake: Footage of moment tsunami hit (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12725646)

[RainMaker]

Absolutely incredible. It's making those cars look like toys.

[cartman]

They've now halted all containment activities and have ordered the remaining personnel to evacuate from Fukushima, stating that the spike in radiation levels makes it unsafe for them to continue.

[GrantDawg]

There saying now that it actually destroyed the building housing Reactor 1. That makes sense if you watch the video. It looks on par with a video of what a "bunker buster" bomb does to a building. It was a massive explosion. The say the core is still in tact, which is just amazing. How this is handled (and I think in the end it will be handled well) is going to determine the future of nuclear energy.


Yeah, stupid things are said on the internet all the time, but this was an all time level of stupid. This has not been handled well at all, and is going to set nuclear energy back for a long time. If you aren't paying attention, you really should. Three reactors (all three that were running) likely in melt-down. All three have had explosions and radioactive releases. Another that wasn't even operating has caught fire THREE times, no knows why or how bad because the radioacivity is so high no one will go get close enough to see or even put it out. And now the 50 workers that were all that were left there have gone because the radioacivity levels are too high to stay.

How in the hot heck has it gotten to this point? Why is there no international oversight units there handling this by now and only the utility company (with a shoddy track record) the only ones doing anything? I mean there are now talking about dropping water from freaking helecopters on to the plants as the only way to keep water on the rods. How the heck is that going to work?

This is just not looking good at all.

[Glengoyne]

...

This is just not looking good at all.

Pretty much what you said. I'm wondering how much thought went into their planning for natural disasters. I mean the place in right on the coast, how much do you have to imagine a scenario where a tsunami takes out your backup diesel generators? Then you only have four to eight hours backup in the very best case scenario.

Energy Industry...How much more of a wake up call did you need beyond the Deepwater Horizon? Have a game plan already.

[bhlloy]

This is the same situation as the BP oil leak for me. When the potential for life-altering, massive disaster is so great, how are you not thinking three or four scenarios (at least) down the line and how are you not ensuring that your backup systems that are preventing said disaster will actually work?

Redundancy and safety might cost money and reduce profitability but when the alternative is potentially destroying an entire regions economy (and presumably costing your company billions in fines, lost revenue and reputation) is it really that hard a decision?

[sterlingice]

You just pocket the money (contingency plans cost millions if not billions) and hope nothing happens, if you're the CEO and other high-level executives of a company. Tony Heyward got millions just to go away, I'm sure, so where's the incentive? I mean, sad to say, but it's as simple as "spend tons of money on contingency plans vs pocket millions in bonuses to you and stockholders and hope nothing goes wrong"- there's an inherent built-in incentive to not fix the problem, which is again, why stringent regulation is necessary in something like this.

To make it seem slightly less criminally negligent, you can see the formula (cost of contingency) * (likelihood of disaster) = (risk cost). It's the same problem as in the financial markets- that likelihood of disaster was zeroed out or vastly underestimated so the risk didn't seem that great.

SI

[fantom1979]

After hearing the US energy company reps on TV the last couple of days, I can understand completely how this happens. I don't know how many times I have heard them say that "something like this could never happen here". Ummm ok.

[wade moore]

Definitely trying to pay attention to this...

I live within 40 miles of a nuclear power plant. Not as bad as before where I lived so close that I had to keep the iodine pills handy, but still..

[wade moore]

er, my math is off.

As the crow flies it's more like 20 miles.

[Neon_Chaos]

The Fukushima Fifty are modern-day heroes.

[SteveMax58]

This is the same situation as the BP oil leak for me. When the potential for life-altering, massive disaster is so great, how are you not thinking three or four scenarios (at least) down the line and how are you not ensuring that your backup systems that are preventing said disaster will actually work?

Redundancy and safety might cost money and reduce profitability but when the alternative is potentially destroying an entire regions economy (and presumably costing your company billions in fines, lost revenue and reputation) is it really that hard a decision?

I could be wrong...but I think this sounds like systemic incompetence like I've seen in other industries.

Because "management" is much higher paid and we promote the truly bright & talented into roles where they are no longer actively entrenched in the details of things. And most of these said bright & talented people enjoy the lifestyle afforded to them by moving up the ladder & earning more money rather than doing the detailed/hands on work that they are really exceptional at doing.

Probably not always the case, and may not be applicable here, but just sounds awfully familiar to me. Sounds like the old "nobody has time to understand the details so we rely on "Bill" over there who can barely get his pants on straight". But "Bill" says it works so...it must work.

[fantom1979]

The Fukushima Fifty are modern-day heroes.

This.


These guys better get some 100ft statues and they need to be well compensated (aka best health care available for life, families given monthly checks, etc).

[whomario]

this whole thing is just beyond terrible and still pretty much incomprehensible in it´s magnitude ...

Definitely trying to pay attention to this...

I live within 40 miles of a nuclear power plant. Not as bad as before where I lived so close that I had to keep the iodine pills handy, but still..

I personally live and work about 5 miles from one since 2008 ... Honestly didn´t think about it much before. Said Nuclear Plant was also the sight of a very influential/well-known german youth-book where the Plant was sight of a nuclear desaster, so that was a little spooky.

[GrantDawg]

You want to know the level of these heroes? They had to leave the plant for an hour, but returned. Why? They left because of the rescriction of how much radiation they can legally be exposed to. The government waived the restrictions and they willingly returned. These men and women may be dead of cancer in ten years, but they are willing to risk that to try to save as many as they can. I don't think much of the company they are working for, but they are heroes for sure.

[wade moore]

this whole thing is just beyond terrible and still pretty much incomprehensible in it´s magnitude ...



I personally live and work about 5 miles from one since 2008 ... Honestly didn´t think about it much before. Said Nuclear Plant was also the sight of a very influential/well-known german youth-book where the Plant was sight of a nuclear desaster, so that was a little spooky.

Yup, same here - I actually never went and got the Iodine pills - I was just supposed to.

[Ryan S]

After hearing the US energy company reps on TV the last couple of days, I can understand completely how this happens. I don't know how many times I have heard them say that "something like this could never happen here". Ummm ok.

For most of the country that is true. It was the combination of one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history, followed by a tsunami that caused the problem.

Anywhere further away from the coast in the USA does not need to worry about the threat of a tsunami, and only a small part of the the country realistically needs to worry about earthquakes on this scale, and even then, you are probably talking about a once a century quake.

[DanGarion]

For most of the country that is true. It was the combination of one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history, followed by a tsunami that caused the problem.

Anywhere further away from the coast in the USA does not need to worry about the threat of a tsunami, and only a small part of the the country realistically needs to worry about earthquakes on this scale, and even then, you are probably talking about a once a century quake.

If you are talking about SoCal, all major faultlines in SoCal are on dry land, so a tsunami wouldn't be produced. I know for San Onofre the generators are actually deep inside the mountains at Camp Pendleton, so a 1, 2 punch is unlikely. Unless the mountain tumbles.

[sterlingice]

Yeah, nothing identical to this could happen here. Something totally different on a same level of magnitude... well, we'll get back to you on that

SI

[Ryan S]

Yeah, nothing identical to this could happen here. Something totally different on a same level of magnitude... well, we'll get back to you on that

What else could happen on the same level of magnitude?

[stevew]

It was always my assumption that the government had well thought out and researched reactions to any number of potentially life altering events. After Katrina, BP and now this, I no longer think so.

[DanGarion]

What else could happen on the same level of magnitude?

How about worse...? Super Volcano of Yellowstone Park!

[Glengoyne]

It was always my assumption that the government had well thought out and researched reactions to any number of potentially life altering events. After Katrina, BP and now this, I no longer think so.

See I assume that the industry does this, with the government as a backstop. The Government backstop came into play with the deepwater horizon. Albeit, the backstop should have been MUCH closer to the plate in terms of regulation and safety requirements.

So far, this whole the whole response seems lacking here at Fukushima. When the place is effectively located on the beach, how difficult is it for someone over the years to say "Hey, why don't we put the backup generators on the roof, just in case?"

[DanGarion]

See I assume that the industry does this, with the government as a backstop. The Government backstop came into play with the deepwater horizon. So far, this whole the whole response seems lacking here at Fukushima. When the place is effectively located on the beach, how difficult is it for someone over the years to say "Hey, why don't we put the backup generators on the roof, just in case?"

Or maybe they do and they are willing to deal with the collateral damage...

[sterlingice]

What else could happen on the same level of magnitude?

I could see danger particularly from hurricanes- there are a lot of areas threatened by that, floods, some sort of explosion that would take out the backup system, sabotage, or even a simple industrial accident. Heck, the New Madrid fault runs through the middle of the country- it's not as if it's on the coast. I can think of a half dozen possibilities and that's just blue skying.

Now those would all cause varying levels of problems starting at nothing at all (one would think they'd have precautions in advance of a hurricane). But, as stevew said- one hopes there are contingency plans for possible issues but who really knows. And this is especially true if you let those in charge of the place decide for themselves if they are indeed safe.

Again, who would have thought a deep water platform would have issues with the pipe? Well, it's happened before- just not to this magnitude- so anyone surprised now? Again, earthquake in heavy seismic region of Japan. These aren't unexpected events.

SI

[sterlingice]

Or maybe they do and they are willing to deal with the collateral damage...

Well, exactly. I think there's a calculated assessment of

(cost of fallout) * (chance of problem) < (cost of dealing with problem)

And, unfortunately, those things are really hard to prove

SI

[JediKooter]

How about worse...? Super Volcano of Yellowstone Park!

That would definitely be worse than what happened in Japan. And there is concern that the lava bubble underneath Yellowstone is on the move.

[SteveMax58]

For most of the country that is true. It was the combination of one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history, followed by a tsunami that caused the problem.

Anywhere further away from the coast in the USA does not need to worry about the threat of a tsunami, and only a small part of the the country realistically needs to worry about earthquakes on this scale, and even then, you are probably talking about a once a century quake.

I hope this is the conclusion most Americans come to. I hate to sound like a republican talking point...but no more drilling, no nuclear, "clean" coal isn't clean enough...what are we supposed to do realistically? (I'm not a fan of drilling offshore personally)

I'm all for other options but let's be realistic here & work within the way we live today (and not try & adapt everybody to cram into 200 sq ft boxes in high rise buildings). We drive cars...we have a lot of energy-sucking devices in our homes...and we have a lot of people unemployed (primarily in the uneducated/construction sector as well). We need to build our way to energy independence using the technology we have today. If we find better technology later...great, then that will be new things to build & retrofit what we build today.

We need nuclear power plants constructed (not on the coastlines)...we need interconnected regional power grids (to be connected together themselves later)...and we need rechargeable (or mostly rechargeable) cars that plug into the nuclear powered grid. This would go a long way & be a good start to not only reducing our dependency on oil...but also on putting a lot of people to work.

Sorry for derailing...I just see us(or maybe our politicians) taking the Japan nuclear problems and giving it the same bad name as the BP oil mess. Maybe there is some level of negligibility but if so, it should serve as a guideline...not as an example of nuclear power being the wrong thing to do in the next 5-10 years.

[sterlingice]

Yeah, if Yellowstone goes off, we're all dead. Don't worry about that one.

SI

[King of New York]

Two excellent articles from the Economist:

hxxp://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/03/post-earthquake_nuclear_crisis

hxxp://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2011/03/japans_stricken_nuclear_plant

[fantom1979]

I have no problem with maintaining our current nuclear plants or even building some more. I just want to be reassured at someone in the nuclear industry realizes that natural events in this country can cause problems. To hear, "nothing like this can happen here" is naive. Mother nature has proven over and over again that it wins the battle every time.

My biggest concerns are always over the potential problems that no one ever talks about. Everyone knows about hurricanes in the southeast and earthquakes in California, but what about New Madrid? Are we prepared if there was another New Madrid quake like the one in 1811? How about the Cascadia subduction zone? It is estimated have the potiental to create 8.0 to 9.0 earthqukes and large tsunamis. It is estimated that fault goes off every 300 to 600 years and the last large quake was in 1700.

It will never happen, but I would rather hear these nuclear lobbyists talk about the dangers and what they do to counteract them then pretend that there is no danger at all.

[GrantDawg]

It is funny how the head of our nuclear agency can be quite frank about how badly the Japanese goverment is in letting the private company handle this catastophe, but our government just let BP do their thing. But anyway...

The US goverment is telling people our citizens to stay 50 miles away from the plants. The number 4 reactor, where spent fuel rods were basically sitting in the attic swimming pool, are completely exposed and dry. They are going to try now to shoot water at with a fire truck water cannon. They say that the workers are not going to be able to stay in the area more than 3 to five minutes at a time, and they have many, many gallons to fill, and that is if the tank is not so cracked that it will hold water. Of course, there is also a chance of another hydrogen explosion as well. Any volunteers?

[SteveMax58]

Do you mean the Japanese government, Grant?

[GrantDawg]

Do you mean the Japanese government, Grant?


? Oh, no, our government is not shooting the water. I imagine Tecmo is with Japanese equipment. The US government is giving the 50 mile warning, though. The Japenese still only says 12 miles.

[SteveMax58]

? Oh, no, our government is not shooting the water. I imagine Tecmo is with Japanese equipment. The US government is giving the 50 mile warning, though. The Japenese still only says 12 miles.

I see, I was confusing the 2. It was more obvious when I re-read your post.

[GrantDawg]

I see, I was confusing the 2. It was more obvious when I re-read your post.


But on a direct of "what are we doing," the US is flying a unmanned Global Hawk over the plant tommorow to get a clearer picture of what is going on inside. We are also flying a jetliner in constant pattern that monitors ariel radiation levels around the plants. It is the same plane we use to monitor North Korean nuke tests. Also, the international nuclear monitors are finally sending someone over (actually their chief) tommorow, but up to this point no one from that body has been there yet. That just seems crazy to me.

Meanwhile, they are dropping water from helecopters on plants 3 and 4 right now, which is sort of like trying to piss on a forest fire but I guess it is something. They are driving in 14 police water cannon trucks to try to do a better job refilling the tanks. The better news is they are trying to run new power lines in to try cobble together some kind of cooling system on site. Who knows how long that might take. Just crazy stuff.

[Rando]

How about the Cascadia subduction zone? It is estimated have the potiental to create 8.0 to 9.0 earthqukes and large tsunamis. It is estimated that fault goes off every 300 to 600 years and the last large quake was in 1700.

It will never happen, but I would rather hear these nuclear lobbyists talk about the dangers and what they do to counteract them then pretend that there is no danger at all.


The nearest coastal reactors to the Cascadia Subduction Zone would be at the Diablo Canyon Plant which was 2 reactors and is about 400 miles south of the zone's southern most point (the closest in any direction would be the Columbia Generating Station, but at 250 miles inland its not exactly in a tsunami danger zone).

As a comparison on the east coast of Japan there were 20 reactors in Japan at 6 different locations within 400 miles of the epicenter of this earthquake. Of those only the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini sites had any problems during this event

An emergency was briefly sounded at the Onegawa facility (which was less than 100 miles from the epicenter) when perimeter radiation sensors picked up higher than normal levels of radiation, but sensors inside the site didn't detect anything and last I read all three reactors at Onegawa were in safe cold shutdown. It is believed the radiation detected came from gas venting at Fukushima Daiichi.

From everything I've heard reported so far it sounds like Japans reactors, even those very close to the epicenter, handled the ground movement of the earthquakes just as they were designed to do. It was the massive tsunami caused the problems.

So is Diablo Canyon as vulnerable to a 9.0 earthquake generated tsunami as the Fukushima plants were? No. Unlike the Fukashima plants which were effectively built at sea level, the Diablo Canyon plant sits on top of a rocky bluff 90 feet above the ocean at high tide. This is almost 3 times higher than the highest tsunami seen in Japan.

Even if the site is somehow swamped, all power was lost at the site and the pumps quit working, Diablo Canyon has a backup system which consists of giant pools of fresh water located in the hills above the plant which would feed water into the reactors through gravity alone.

Of course being located in California Diablo Canyon has other seismic issues to take into consideration. And they do take them into consideration.

Here's (http://diablocanyonpge.com/home/resources/shoreline-fault-zone-report-with-plates.html) their latest report about a new off shore fault they discovered, its potential to create earthquakes,the risks caused by those earthquakes and how those risks compare to NRC safety requirements. Appendix L also has information on how the plant has weathered recent, nearby earthquakes including a magnitude 6.5 centered just 35 miles north of the plant in 2003.

And this isn't the first time they've discovered a new fault near the site. When construction began the USGS told them the nearest faults they had to deal with at this location were only capable of generating magnitude 6.5 earthquakes (the San Andres fault can certainly produce larger quakes, but it is located a fair distance inland from Diablo Canyon) So they built it to handle a nearby 7.0. But after construction was done they found an fault just 10 miles off shore that could potentially generate a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, so they rebuilt the plant (delaying its opening by years) to handle a nearby 7.5

[GrantDawg]

Here is why the Reactor 4 situation caused the head of the US nuclear program such alarm, and is so dire. This is the latest report on from TEPCO:

Reactor No. 4 - Under maintenance when quake struck, fire Tuesday possibly caused by hydrogen explosion at pool holding spent fuel rods, abnormal temperature rise in spent-fuel storage pool, fire observed Wednesday at building housing reactor, pool water level feared receding, renewed nuclear chain reaction feared.

The "renewed chain reaction" is called "re-criticality," and basically means from what I understand that the suckers is in active fusion in the pool, open and unprotected. That is like as bad as it can possibily get in a situation like this. What that will mean in the long run, I don't know. Experts, anyone? Paging the Quicksand super-computer?

[GrantDawg]

Ok, answered my own question from the BBC:

If "re-criticality" did materialise, it would lead to the enhanced and sustained release of radioactive materials - though not to a nuclear explosion - with nothing to stop the radioactive particles escaping

Scarier? All this dropping of water on this does NOT stop the possibilty of re-criticality, it increases it. Without borate in the water (to supress the nuetrons) the water might actually increase the fussion activity. *rocking back and forth*

[Radii]

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5sakN2hSVxA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

WTF. Is there a large portion of the Japanese population who cannot understand what's happening without scat analogies?

[Thomkal]

Don't have a link for you, but they found and identified one of the American teachers missing and now dead in Japan today. :(

[StLee]

Don't have a link for you, but they found and identified one of the American teachers missing and now dead in Japan today. :(

American teacher found dead in Japan - CBS News (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/21/national/main20045502.shtml)

[JediKooter]

Some perspective on how high the tsunami was.

[cartman]

Holy crap. A visual display of the swarm of earthquakes that has hit in the past couple of weeks.

Japan Quake Map (http://www.japanquakemap.com/)

[Rizon]

Holy crap. A visual display of the swarm of earthquakes that has hit in the past couple of weeks.

Japan Quake Map (http://www.japanquakemap.com/)

:eek:

[FrogMan]

Well done Sega
SEGA community helps raise funds for Japan disaster relief efforts – Blog – 148Apps – iPhone App and Game Reviews and News (http://www.148apps.com/news/sega-community-helps-raise-funds-japan-disaster-relief-efforts/)

SEGA community helps raise funds for Japan disaster relief efforts

By Jennifer Allen (http://www.148apps.com/author/jenallen/) on March 29th, 2011

SEGA's community has rallied around to help the earthquake stricken people of Japan

Over 2 weeks later and it’s still almost impossible to comprehend the terrible disasters that have befallen Japan. However it’s been heartwarming to see just how much people have rallied around the stricken country. The games industry has been no different, understandably so considering video games’ fantastic history within the country. SEGA did its bit offering a price cut (http://blogs.sega.com/usa/2011/03/15/all-sonic-and-football-manager-ios-sales-donated-to-red-cross/) to its Sonic the Hedgehog iOS titles as well as Football Manager Handheld 2011, while vowing to donate all the proceeds to the Red Cross disaster relief efforts in Japan.
http://www.148apps.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/5506641967_897cfa07fe-300x99.jpgToday, SEGA announced just how much was raised: an impressive total of over $250,000, all of which will be donated directly to the Red Cross in order to help the Japanese people.
It’s fantastic news and will no doubt help many who are still suffering.
If you didn’t get a chance to participate in this drive, you’ve still got plenty of time to donate something towards the cause. There’s Play For Japan (http://playforjapan.org/) which enables you to either contribute directly or bid on various auctions for some great rare gaming memorablia. SEGA employees themselves have provided some great bits and pieces available on eBay (http://bit.ly/hfKlAK) at the moment.
Do take a look and don’t forget to donate what you can to help the poor people of Japan.


Read more: SEGA community helps raise funds for Japan disaster relief efforts – Blog – 148Apps – iPhone App and Game Reviews and News (http://www.148apps.com/news/sega-community-helps-raise-funds-japan-disaster-relief-efforts/#ixzz1I14g645o)


FM

[EagleFan]

Yahoo! (http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=24752921)

Wow.

[Lathum]

Yahoo! (http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=24752921)

Wow.

don't tell panerd

[Matthean]

Fresh quake in Japan rouses fear despite no deaths - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/04/07/japan.quake/index.html)

Japan gets hit with another earthquake.

[Rizon]

"fresh quake" sounds like something I'd order at a salad bar.

[Rizon]

"fresh quake" sounds like something I'd order at a salad bar.

If I ever ordered from a salad bar.

[Rizon]

If I ever ordered from a salad bar.

Which I don't.

[Thomkal]

I saw a story on CNN today that showed the debris field from the earthquake and tsunami slowly moving across the ocean. It will hit the west coast of the US about a year and a half to two years from now. That's just mindboggling.

[DeToxRox]

6.4 magnitude earthquake hit Japan in the last hour.

[McSweeny]

Japanese Nuclear Crisis Upgraded To Chernobyl Level (http://gawker.com/#!5791057/japanese-nuclear-crisis-upgraded-to-chernobyl-level)

[DaddyTorgo]

Jeebus. On a purely selfish level I'm glad that my cousin just got redeployed out of the country.

[cartman]

More meltdown worries at Fukushima.

Tepco Injects Boric Acid Into Reactor as Temperatures Rise - Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-07/tepco-injects-boric-acid-into-fukushima-no-2-reactor-as-temperature-rises.html)

[cartman]

Here a page with a set of 1 year later photos compared to when the tsunami was happening.

Japan tsunami pictures: before and after - The Big Picture - Boston.com (http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2012/03/japan_tsunami_pictures_before.html)

[Logan]

Ridiculous.

[cartman]

Looks like Fukushima is the bad gift that keeps on giving. Radiation levels in a well spiked 6500 times higher than a reading from yesterday.

Radioactivity level spikes 6,500 times at Fukushima well — RT News (http://rt.com/news/fukushima-high-radioactivity-well-335/)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Looks like Fukushima is the bad gift that keeps on giving. Radiation levels in a well spiked 6500 times higher than a reading from yesterday.

Radioactivity level spikes 6,500 times at Fukushima well — RT News (http://rt.com/news/fukushima-high-radioactivity-well-335/)

It's not often when you read a quote from a Russian and say, "That makes a whole lot of sense".

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Homeless being recruited for clean-up......

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/japan-homeless-recruited-clean-fukushima-nuclear-disaster-zone-special-report-article-1.1561307

[SirFozzie]

by the Yakuza, who are then scamming their wages.

[EagleFan]

Haven't heard any details yet but the news just said something about a major earthquake hitting somewhere off of Japan.

[EagleFan]

Can't find any details yet. Will post if they mention more details.

The announcer called it major but had no details. Hopefully it wasn't as major as he made it sound.

[Easy Mac]

Earthquake map shows a 6.3 about 200 km off the coast of Japan about an hour ago.

[EagleFan]

Thoughts go out to anyone affected by the quake. Looks like a 7.0 from what I read.

[cartman]

Another earthquake, this one a reported 7.3, has hit off the coast of Japan near Fukushima.

[Neon_Chaos]

Guess who is in tokyo right now and was awoken by nonstop shaking for 5 minutes?

[EagleFan]

Hope everything is okay.

[djsatu]

Tsunami waves as high as 3 meters expected to hit. Praying for everyone in Japan.

Fukushima earthquake: Live updates as tsunami heads towards coast of Japan - Mirror Online (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/fukushima-earthquake-live-updates-tsunami-9306230)

[EagleFan]

Oh crap, that does not sound good at all. Thoughts are with everyone there.

Get someplace safe NC; if you aren't already.

[cartman]

Radiation levels at Fukushima have made an alarming spike. Recent readings have been nearly 6 times higher than the levels measured right after the meltdown.

Radiation levels in the Fukushima reactor are soaring unexpectedly - ScienceAlert (http://www.sciencealert.com/radiation-levels-in-the-fukushima-reactor-have-started-unexpectedly-climbing)

[PilotMan]

Radiation levels at Fukushima have made an alarming spike. Recent readings have been nearly 6 times higher than the levels measured right after the meltdown.

Radiation levels in the Fukushima reactor are soaring unexpectedly - ScienceAlert (http://www.sciencealert.com/radiation-levels-in-the-fukushima-reactor-have-started-unexpectedly-climbing)


Naturally, Tepco is reluctant to jump to any conclusions on what the black mass in the images could be until they have more information.

Godzilla, of course.