9.0 Earthquake in Japan

[Tieno]

fucking aye, surreal.

May be selfish, but I'm incredibly glad my brother doesn't live there anymore. He's lived there for 4 years, moved to Paris last year. I already feel incredibly strange knowing a lot of his friends live in Japan, don't know how I'd be if he was still there.

[Corporal]

Fucking dammit. Now the reactor cores at Fukushima I&II are starting to melt if the news here in Germany are to be believed. Most coolant has boiled away below critical levels. Areas inside the building have already measured radioactivity a thousand times higher than the safe limits. Radioactive Cesium has been found where it shouldn't be. Authorities now consider a partial meltdown a possibility. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck.

Water and dead bodies you can clean away again, a nuclear meltdown is a problem on an entirely new scale. I refuse to believe this.

Words fail me. If you're anywhere near there, J-Bore, then get the hell out of dodge. No wait, if you're outside when the shit really hits the fan and you get a helping of fallout and aerosols you're fucked too.

Make sure you're supplied with enough necessities and supplies at least. Iodine tablets (or anything with iodine, really). Milk, or calcium supplements. Water. Vitamins. Dust masks. Food in sealed containers. That sort of shit. Keep the kids inside for a while. If the containment really fails (I pray fervently this won't happen) you don't want to leave your house for a while until most shortlived elements have decayed into stuff our body doesn't voluntarily assimilate (12-48 hours). And stay the hell out of the rain/mist. Remember, radioactivity can't be seen, heard, or smelled.

I pray they get this under control. Fuck those burning refineries/gas tanks. Tokyo would be inside the fallout zone. Tokyo. Dear Lord.



Fuck. That really wasn't necessary on top of the quake and Tsunami.    :'( :'( :'( 

[Cormacaroni]

The pressure has been successfully lowered to safe levels, they are saying. A full-scale nuclear meltdown a la Chernobyl is apparently impossible with this type of BWR reactor.

[Cormacaroni]

Japan has now been hit by 24 6.0-plus quakes since the big one. And Tokyo is almost completely unscathed! (5 deaths, 10 injured at this point). Hard to believe so many people have been so lucky. If more densely-populated areas had been hit, this could have been apocalyptic.

[pilonv1]

Doesn't stop FOX NEWS from reporting it like it's a major catastrophe

[Corporal]

Awesome news, that the reactors are at least manageable again. Good to hear.

German news still claim that Caesium has leaked outside, so the containment may be faulty. That's manageable though, even if it still sucks.

Stay safe, J-Bore. Stay safe. Radioactive mutations sound all fun and games until you penis grows teeth and eats your shorts. Don't eat anything off the ground, even if it glows most alluringly.

[Corporal]

Now there are reports of explosions in or near the reactor building according to German news. 

[Cormacaroni]

Cormacaroni on twitter if you want more on this, trying to keep up with the live news

[Corporal]

Well, they didn't say anything else - at least the state news. Just that there were explosions. The exact wording was something like "first, as small deflagration, then later on some more explosions of uncertain intensity and location". So I guess that's normal reporting. The private news are sure as all hell going to town with the news though.

After I typed the last message the news came out that it might have been intentional, but I was still watching when you replied so I wasn't able to edit it in.

The panicky part is my own doing. I absolutely loathe radioactivity. Not when it's controlled, mind you. Still one of the most efficient high-yield instant-on power sources at humanitys disposal. My dad was one of the government-mandated radioactivity watchdogs/inspectors of the German reactors when I was a kid, so I guess I'm just disproportionally aware of the dangers. Radioactivity is such a sneaky poison. No smell, no taste, no visible clues unless you're already inside deadly radiation. Even a small dose can kill you years later. And the deaths are almost always not pleasant ones.

So, sorry, but I'll keep slightly panicky. Not on my behalf. When the hypothetical radioactivity from a purely speculated meltdown from Japan reaches Germany it will already have dispersed and decayed so much that it'll be only of scientific interest, I guess. I'm just panicking because Tokyos close proximity is dangerous. One stray gust of wind in the wrong direction and millions of Tokyoites are at risk. That is a scenario that scares the bejeezus out of me.

Edit: well fuck.


At least the wind appears to be blowing out to the sea. Let's hope it stays that way.

[Tieno]

Japan has now been hit by 24 6.0-plus quakes since the big one. And Tokyo is almost completely unscathed! (5 deaths, 10 injured at this point). Hard to believe so many people have been so lucky. If more densely-populated areas had been hit, this could have been apocalyptic.

Not so much luck as they purposefully build for this

[Cormacaroni]

don't be an idiot, Tieno. An 8.8 quake would have floored Tokyo. I'm saying we here were lucky cause the epicenter was 300km away, in the ocean.

[Tieno]

sorry, read that wrong. :/

[Cormacaroni]

The nuclear plant crisis seems to be past the worst. They have confirmed that only the wall of the container room was damaged in the explosion (caused by a burst of steam, basically) - the reactor core has not been breached, and radiation levels have dropped back down. WHEW

[Corporal]

I just hope that there will be no knee-jerk reactions. If anything, research into reactor design and similar stuff should now be boosted, not shut down. There's really no alternative to fission, at least for now. Le sigh.

[Cormacaroni]

I pretty much agree. You couldn't ask for a better stress test than this.
 I've seen some very progressive thinking on reactor design from Japanese firms, including ones that use nuclear waste as fuel. Would be a shame not to explore them.

[T-Short]

Yeah, weird that work on breeder reactors hasn't progressed much beyond the experimental stage since the late 50:s, I like the MSR design particularly. I guess one problem is that the current reactor manufacturers also sell the fuel for the plants, which is how they secure a long-term income. Which would disappear after a breeder goes self-sufficient.

[T-Short]

An MSR breeder should also have a lot of safety advantages, like passive safety, negative void coefficient, and near-atmospheric reactor pressure

[ferrarimanf355]

So, nuke meltdown or not?

[T-Short]

Not

[maxy]

So, nuke meltdown or not?

Nobody would tell you that anyway.

[Dickie Dee]

In these tough economic times, isn’t it nice to know that calamitous natural disasters needn't have an adverse affect on your investment portfolio? After the 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan failed to induce a market nosedive, CNBC’s Larry Kudlow expressed his relief in terms that seemed to appall even his fellow cheerleaders for capitalism: “The human toll here,” he declared, “looks to be much worse than the economic toll and we can be grateful for that.” (Skip ahead to 0:38 on the video after the jump.)

sociopath

[Enl]

Good to hear that the nuclear reactor is getting under control.

On a mindnumbingly distinguished mentally-challenged note:

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[Great Rumbler]

"Hey, remember that thing that happened 70 years ago before most people living in Japan today were born and for which they were carpet bombed and nuked?"

[Phoenix Dark]

[youtube=560,345]5hfJQzxK4nU[/youtube]
 

[drew]

don't you hate it when scientists make allegories to everyday things so us lay people can understand

[SantaC]

would a reactor-meltdown cause a global catastrophe or regional only? Because the Chernobyl meltdown caused lots of cancer and radiation in Sweden. (even though it was far away from chernobyl btw)

[SantaC]

Different type of reactor if I'm not mistaken, so a meltdown wouldn't be nearly as bad.

Well yeah, the chernobyl reactor was old shit (typical soviet union crap). If there is any comfort in that.

[The Sceneman]

Good to hear that the nuclear reactor is getting under control.

On a mindnumbingly distinguished mentally-challenged note:

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fuck, Americans can be pretty fucking ignorant/just plain stupid

[drew]

fluoride is a helluva drug

[Tieno]

Good to hear that the nuclear reactor is getting under control.

On a mindnumbingly distinguished mentally-challenged note:

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two atomic bombs, earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown still not enough for pearl harbor!

[Mr. Gundam]

Good to hear that the nuclear reactor is getting under control.

On a mindnumbingly distinguished mentally-challenged note:

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two atomic bombs, earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown still not enough for pearl harbor!

Don't forget the sarin gas attacks. But clearly, the score hasn't been settled between 'Murica and Japan.

[Mr. Gundam]

Silly XFE, Katrina was because of our love for the gays. God was pissed.

Just heard on CNN about a potential nuclear meltdown. Ichiro Fujisaki is on right now with Blitzer. He clearly has to be very careful with his words.

[TEEEPO]

it's absolutely hiliarious that (presumed) white christians now believe in karma!

well what westerners call karma isn't exactly the traditional definition.

[drew]

radiation is such a downer

[Bocsius]

Oh good, now that we've brought the topic back to America, how long before the left coast gets hit?

Major earthquakes all around the pacific rim the past few years. Get ready, LA.

[BlueTsunami]

Good to hear that the nuclear reactor is getting under control.

On a mindnumbingly distinguished mentally-challenged note:

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two atomic bombs, earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown still not enough for pearl harbor!

I hope someone on my FB posts something as stupid so I can point out the proportionality of the Pearl Harbor attack vs one of the nuclear bombs going off in Japan.

[chronovore]

Just look at these losers:

http://ignorantandonline.tumblr.com/

http://karmajapan.tumblr.com/

[Mr. Gundam]

What's the feeling there concerning the nuclear reactors? I've got NHK World Service on to cancel out CNN's hype, but I'm not sure what to think.

[Cormacaroni]

the Onagawa reactor is not a problem at this point. The radiation levels are minimal.

Typical XFE FUD, in other words. Pah.

[pilonv1]

[Cormacaroni]

oh my fucking GOD, I'm going to have to step the fuck away from the internet if I hear any more bitching about power cuts. Fucking pussy ass girls can't stand to spend a few hrs without their Wii so they bitch and moan about their precious electricity being diverted to keep grannies from freezing to death and NUCLEAR REACTORS from BLOWING UP. AARGH. SELFISH FUCKING ENTITLED LITTLE FUCKING CUNTRAGS  IF YOU NEED SOMETHING TO DO IN THE DARK FOR A FEW HOURS I'LL COME OVER AND FUCK YOU HARD IN THE ASS MMMKAY

[Diunx]

Do you guys think the gundam project is advanced enough to handle whatever giant monster is born from the inevitable nuclear meltdown?

[Cormacaroni]

DC - I didn't know that I would be unaffected when I wrote that. Doesn't change my feelings on the matter either way. It sucks and our business will lose money blah blah blah but it's still trivial because it helps people directly.

[chronovore]

Importing "emergency Hostesses."

[Cormacaroni]

I hear Putin is gonna ride in barechested and wrestle the nuclear reactor into submission. With his cock.

[Akala]

I hear Putin is gonna ride in barechested and wrestle the nuclear reactor into submission. With his cock.

a more sensible last-ditch effort than most, and with a better chance of success.

[Shaka Khan]

I've been having lots of earthquakes (mixed with some Egypt-style of revolts and panics) terrible nightmares the past few days to the point where I started dreading sleeping, so I really can't imagine what you people must be going through. These reports of the likelihood of another big one hitting in the upcoming days are just as upsetting. I'm praying for everyone's safety.

[Great Rumbler]

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

[Bebpo]

http://video.l3.fbcdn.net/cfs-l3-snc6/81489/34/1605260179420_2624.mp4?oh=ac31b4d8738221641ba490396dc19636&oe=4D7F9F00&l3s=20110313100648&l3e=20110315101648&lh=0a6cfa5eeaecd6dc12abf

Insane video.  Really shows how powerful the water is. 

[Bocsius]

http://video.l3.fbcdn.net/cfs-l3-snc6/81489/34/1605260179420_2624.mp4?oh=ac31b4d8738221641ba490396dc19636&oe=4D7F9F00&l3s=20110313100648&l3e=20110315101648&lh=0a6cfa5eeaecd6dc12abf

Insane video.  Really shows how powerful the water is. 

QFT

[Bocsius]

Oh wow, that water just kept on coming! Holy crap at the damage!

I wonder if that car at the very beginning actually got away.

[chronovore]

Thread title needs to be updated to "9.0" 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Sendai_earthquake_and_tsunami

[Akala]

yahoo's frontpage saying there are warnings for another tsunami.

gaf saying deconfirmed? hope so. i'm going to bed. I have watched way too much of this today.

[originalz]

Guess I'm lucky that central Tokyo isn't affected by the blackouts.  Ah well, guess I'll try to conserve energy either way, at least it's not a cold day today.

Why is it that foreign media is only focusing on Tokyo with reporting and interviews?  I saw foreign reporters in Shinjuku yesterday interviewing random Japanese people.  I mean, I know it's important to understand how the typical Tokyo citizen feels, but in all honesty Tokyo had such minor damage compared to what happened in the north.  Most of the foreigners being interviewed are like students who have been here for 6 months or whatever, and they never have anything insightful to say.  Yeah, Friday was certainly an inconvenience, but it's almost insulting to see people complaining about stopped trains when entire villages have been taken out.  Go up north and report where the real tragedy is, talk to the people who have been directly affected!

The media is also going crazy with this nuclear shit, my parents are hysterical and trying to get me to just drop my life here and go back to the States.  It seems like the chances of fallout reaching Tokyo are so minor that they're not worth worrying about, and if things get bad I'll just jump on a train to Kanazawa or Kyushu or wherever it's safer.

Also, supermarkets and convenience stores still have a lack of bottled water and certain food items.  Bloody hell...

[Mr. Gundam]

Guess I'm lucky that central Tokyo isn't affected by the blackouts.  Ah well, guess I'll try to conserve energy either way, at least it's not a cold day today.

Why is it that foreign media is only focusing on Tokyo with reporting and interviews? 

Most of what I'm seeing on the American media is out in Sendai. Not a whole lot of focus on Tokyo.

[Great Rumbler]

Guess I'm lucky that central Tokyo isn't affected by the blackouts.  Ah well, guess I'll try to conserve energy either way, at least it's not a cold day today.

Why is it that foreign media is only focusing on Tokyo with reporting and interviews? 

Most of what I'm seeing on the American media is out in Sendai. Not a whole lot of focus on Tokyo.

Yeah, that's what it seems like from watching CNN.

[Shaka Khan]

As the scale of Japan’s nuclear crisis begins to come to light, experts in Japan and the United States say the country is now facing a cascade of accumulating problems that suggest that radioactive releases of steam from the crippled plants could go on for weeks or even months.

...

But Pentagon officials reported Sunday that helicopters flying 60 miles from the plant picked up small amounts of radioactive particulates — still being analyzed, but presumed to include cesium-137 and iodine-121 — suggesting widening environmental contamination.

Japanese reactor operators now have little choice but to periodically release radioactive steam as part of an emergency cooling process for the fuel of the stricken reactors that may continue for a year or more even after fission has stopped. The plant’s operator must constantly try to flood the reactors with seawater, then release the resulting radioactive steam into the atmosphere, several experts familiar with the design of the Daiichi facility said.

That suggests that the tens of thousands of people who have been evacuated may not be able to return to their homes for a considerable period, and that shifts in the wind could blow radioactive materials toward Japanese cities rather than out to sea.

Re-establishing normal cooling of the reactors would require restoring electric power — which was cut in the earthquake and tsunami — and now may require plant technicians working in areas that have become highly contaminated with radioactivity.

More steam releases also mean that the plume headed across the Pacific could continue to grow. On Sunday evening, the White House sought to tamp down concerns, saying that modeling done by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission had concluded that “Hawaii, Alaska, the U.S. Territories and the U.S. West Coast are not expected to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity.”

More at the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/world/asia/japan-fukushima-nuclear-reactor.html

Hoping that this is based on slightly outdated reports and/or a bit hyperbolic.

[Cormacaroni]

That's well out of date, dude. Any hope of these reactors being cooled normally went out the window when they started pumping in sea water.

[ch1nchilla]

Also, supermarkets and convenience stores still have a lack of bottled water and certain food items.  Bloody hell...

Lolz, my convenience store at everything except for alcohol (ANY alcohol) and porn last night at around midnight... seems the salarymen gotta hit the essentials.

Also, here is a nice level-headed, plain-speaking explanation of what's going on with the nuclear reactors and why nobody should panic, the most significant part of which is at the beginning: "There was and will *not* be any significant release of radioactivity."

http://theenergycollective.com/barrybrook/53461/fukushima-nuclear-accident-simple-and-accurate-explanation

[Smooth Groove]

Feeling you, J-Bore.  I'm there with you in spirit.  Stay strong.