9.0 Earthquake in Japan

[ManaByte]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/world/asia/14plume.html?_r=2&src=tptw

The Pentagon was expected to announce that the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, which is sailing in the Pacific, passed through a radioactive cloud from stricken nuclear reactors in Japan, causing crew members on deck to receive a month’s worth of radiation in about an hour, government officials said Sunday.

The officials added that American helicopters flying missions about 60 miles north of the damaged reactors became coated with particulate radiation that had to be washed off.

[Cormacaroni]

The US should just go ahead and declare in response to this clearly malicious nuclear attack on its navy.

[Smooth Groove]

Cormac, have you been eating instant ramen the last couple of days? 

[Cormacaroni]

it'd take more than this, Smooth

[Cormacaroni]

My crazy friend just emailed to say he is on his way back the Fukushima evac zone, where he delivered 500l of water and other vital supplies. Says the geiger counter stayed in the green the whole time (yes, he just had a geiger counter lying around..)

There is not enough

[Smooth Groove]

it'd take more than this, Smooth

Not even in the Hollywood adaptation?

[Cormacaroni]

it'd take more than this, Smooth

Not even in the Hollywood adaptation?

If Nisshin Ramen paid enough in sponsorship to get me played by Pitt, I guess maybe I could sign off on that.

[Corporal]

Just woke up to the radio saying there's been another hydrogen/steam/whatever explosion in plant #1. Also an interview with a friggen GREENPEACE nucular expert that was about as subtle about their agenda as a kid wanting candy on Halloween. Fucking vulture. At least after reconfiguring my radio clock to another station I was able to resume raving about inbreeding and bovine tendencies in general populace at a brisk pace and with renewed vigour.


And still the containments hold. Can't put into words how thankful I am for the guys that designed and built them.

I sincerely hope they find a solution to the cooling/steam problem. And soon.

[T-Short]

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

I enjoyed the reading in that link, except for the part where he talks about the logarithmic Richter scale which he seems to have gotten all wrong which worried me. Hehe

Also, seeing some scaremongering now that the Fukushima plants might be using MOX fuel which would be bad for contaminated venting with melted fuel rod casings. Any good infos on this? No idea if TEPCO specifies this anywhere.

[T-Short]

OK, Wikipedia says reactor 3 in Fukushima #1 uses MOX. and it's already been vented. I guess we'll see if there's any junk in the measurements

[TEEEPO]

Just woke up to the radio saying there's been another hydrogen/steam/whatever explosion in plant #1. Also an interview with a friggen GREENPEACE nucular expert that was about as subtle about their agenda as a kid wanting candy on Halloween. Fucking vulture. At least after reconfiguring my radio clock to another station I was able to resume raving about inbreeding and bovine tendencies in general populace at a brisk pace and with renewed vigour.


And still the containments hold. Can't put into words how thankful I am for the guys that designed and built them.

I sincerely hope they find a solution to the cooling/steam problem. And soon.

what's more costly, living near a nuclear reactor or a fualt line?

fucking greenpeace.

[demi]

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

This link is crazy.

[ch1nchilla]

Really considering playing it safe and heading to Kansai until all of this unfolds, if anything to avoid the mass of people lining up to get out of here if something really does go down (which is unlikely). BUT, since it appears I won't be going back to work any time soon, I might as well head south.

[Corporal]

I say, the safer, the better.

Especially if nobody else is getting away right now: Pack your things, take some vacation time, get as far away from the plants as possible (but stay near some manner of transportation - don't do things in halves). Donate some blood and money, and maybe visit some shrines if that's your thing.

Not much you can do either way, and should  the proverbial shit really hit the fan getting back on time will be the least of your problems. Once nothing has happened you will come back well-rested and at full capacity, as opposed to your coworkers who will likely have suffered many an inconvenience in an overcrowded city near some wobbly power plants.

FWIW my dad says to evacuate the fuck out of Tokyo. He may be a crotchety old man by now, but he was a governmental watchdog once, so take that as you may.

Man, talking to my old man today didn't calm me down in the least. He is quite negative about the whole thing, to put it mildly. Wednesday will be the day I very much hope he's proven wrong. That's about the most he's giving the containment. Now please excuse me while I run around like a headless chicken.

Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

[Mr. Gundam]

Really considering playing it safe and heading to Kansai until all of this unfolds, if anything to avoid the mass of people lining up to get out of here if something really does go down (which is unlikely). BUT, since it appears I won't be going back to work any time soon, I might as well head south.

When are your classes back in session?

[ch1nchilla]

Beginning of April. Interning now, but I don't think they'll hold it against me if I bail 3 days early because I don't want to risk anything, or have to deal with filling my bathtub up, etc.

[Bebpo]

Why the fuck are all these people outside Japan telling people in Tokyo to evacuate the city?

Is it just a worry of not enough food coming in to meet the demand of its large population so they're worried people will starve?  It just seems really odd since from what everyone IN Tokyo is saying, Tokyo wasn't damaged too bad and all the radiation stuff is being blown out of proportion from foreign countries.

[SantaC]

Why the fuck are all these people outside Japan telling people in Tokyo to evacuate the city?

Is it just a worry of not enough food coming in to meet the demand of its large population so they're worried people will starve?  It just seems really odd since from what everyone IN Tokyo is saying, Tokyo wasn't damaged too bad and all the radiation stuff is being blown out of proportion from foreign countries.

evacuating tokyo would be a major disaster itself. It does not make any sense.

[Corporal]

YMMV, man. It's cool. I never said he'd absolutely under all circumstances have to do as I say. He asked, I answered.

Well, I can only judge from my perspective after all. Can't talk for others.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

If I was that distance away from a cluster of nuclear power plants in that condition, with carnage of that level having happened recently not too far away, and basically much of the country in shambles ... all I can say is that I, personally, would get away from it, at least for a little while.

Not in a hurry, not in a panic, just the regular "Gee whiz, the cold weather this time of the year really is obnoxious - time for the summer villa!" mindset. So far everything appears to be under control, it's not like everyone's running away like chicken littles. Can't do much of anything, anyway. It's not like you lose something by taking a few days off. Country's pretty fucked up at the moment, anyway.

I'd treat it as a short holiday after the shock of the earthquake and the resulting carnage. Just a short breather that also happens to get myself away from the remote possibility of radiation poisoning, however small. If everything works out, fine. If not, at least I have five seconds more than my friends in Tokyo before the radioactivity makes all my future offspring into omnipotent superheroes with webbed feet.

If I already had kids however they'd already be sitting in the fastest machine to anywherebutJapanplease-land. Cuz if I mess up and grow an extra eye, that's my problem. Kids, however...

[close]

[drew]

nothing wrong with bugging out, i have my own plan if anything ever happened here

[Mr. Gundam]

For those in the states with Comcast, they've made TV Japan available to everyone with digital cable for free. It's Japanese-language only, but they've got a lot of good coverage direct from NHK-G.

edit: Messed with my cable box and enabled the Spanish language option... NHK G is now in English.

[choco parfait]

Tokyo wasn't damaged too bad and all the radiation stuff is being blown out of proportion from foreign countries.

Exactly. The nuclear plant situation is horribly overblown. If there's any country that's got their stuff together in this case, it's Japan.

As for Tokyo, most people I've been hearing are more bothered by the scheduled blackouts and the aftershocks and piecing their lives together rather than worried about how WE ALL GOINGU TO DIE FROMU NUCLEAR FALLOUTO!

[Smooth Groove]

If it's possible to do so, I don't see why it'd be a bad idea to get away for awhile. 

[Bebpo]

With the roads and transportation as damaged as it is, I think a mass exodus of 8 million people would be far more dangerous than them sticking around and dealing with some power outages and understocked markets and possible but extremely unlikely 1% chance of minor minor radiation.

Then again I'm not there, so if those IN Tokyo feel like they should leave then by all means.  I was just commenting on how lots of countries outside of Japan are recommending for their people to evacuate from the city, which seems silly to me.

[Smooth Groove]

Oh, I've no doubts that a mass exodus would cause many problems.  I was just thinking of our EB friends. 

[Cormacaroni]

8 million? Try 30

[Smooth Groove]

it'd take more than this, Smooth

Not even in the Hollywood adaptation?

If Nisshin Ramen paid enough in sponsorship to get me played by Pitt, I guess maybe I could sign off on that.

Cormac and daughter,

"We wouldnt ever eat ramen, would we?
No. Of course not.
Even if we were starving?
We're starving now.
You said we werent.
I said we werent dying. I didnt say we werent starving.
But we wouldnt.
No. We wouldnt.
No matter what.
No. No matter what.
Because we're the good guys.
Yes. "

[Cormacaroni]

Wife and kid eat that shit constantly, actually.

[Smooth Groove]

Did you get where that reference was from? 

spoiler (click to show/hide)

It's stolen from your namesake.

[close]

[chronovore]

Smooth Groove, that was awesome. The Road?

What is ridiculous are the "experts" being called to speak, and they're either from Greenpeace (above) or they're comparing the situation to Chernobyl... it's really irresponsible.

I don't necessarily believe that the Japanese news is being as aggressive as they could be, nor that the nuclear plant representatives are being completely straightforward. We just learned that a group of 11 JSDF troops and plant employees were "injured" during the 2nd explosion at the plant. Injured, in cases of massive amounts of radioactive steam, but they're not talking about the prospects for survival on the news. Then again, maybe we've had enough news of death.

While I think that no country in the world was as prepared for this as Japan, I also think the "one-two punch" of an earthquake followed by massive tidal waves has pressed the limits of Japan's preparedness. And the quake, jesus, 9.0 -- the reactors are designed around withstanding up to 7.9, and the scale is exponential.

So, yeah, I'm worried, but there isn't much to do other than trust the best solution is being pursued.

[Great Rumbler]

Smooth Groove, that was awesome. The Road?

Yeah, that's the part where the man and his son are talking about cannibalism.

[originalz]

Looks like parts of Ibaraki are being exposed to higher than normal doses of radiation, that can't be a good sign.

Bloody hell, these reduced train schedules are madness, it takes twice as long for the trains to go anywhere because of how people cram into them at each station.  I've been in my fair share of crowded morning trains (although I typically try to take earlier trains and avoid the super-crowded ones), but I was actually starting to get an irritated back after being stuck in there for awhile.  Today was my first time to ever be late to work, although everyone was understanding about it.

[pilonv1]

BREAKING: Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano has told a media conference the number 4 reactor at the Fukushima nuclear plant is on fire.

Mr Edano said the reactor was not in operation at the time of the earthquake and has no active fuel rods. But it does contain spent rods.

He said the rods have been heated, releasing hydrogen. He said authorities are asuming that radioactive material is also being released.

He said high radioactivity levels near the plant may be a result of the fire in reactor number 4. But he also said the fuel rods at the reactor are not on fire, the building is on fire.

Mr Edano said the figures that have been released to date measuring the level of radiation around the plant have been misquoted as micro sieverts. He said the unit attached to the figures should have been milli sieverts which are much more damaging to human health.

He confirmed that the containment vessel around reactor 2 may have been damaged. But he said he believes this reactor has not contributed greatly to the rise in levels of radioactivit

30km? shit

[Bebpo]

This is bad.  Fuck. 

Stay safe j-bore.

[Cormacaroni]

Having serious talks with the wife about leaving the country until this (possibly literally) blows over.

By the time it becomes clear that we should move, it will likely be too late. It may be too late already. Tough decision.

[Bebpo]

Are the airports open?

[pilonv1]

A hydrogen explosion has been confirmed at the number 4 reactor at the Fukushimo nuclear plant in Japan's north-east, Kyodo is reporting.

ummm fuck?

[ch1nchilla]

Rollin' on that shinkansen down to Ashiya / Kobe like woah this afternoon to stay at my girlfriend's family's house. Packing my shit now, might watch the Nuggets before heading out... honestly feel like comfortably watching this from afar with no doubts that I made the right decision rather than having to think about filling up my bathtub, etc.

[Mandark]

Having serious talks with the wife about leaving the country until this (possibly literally) blows over.

By the time it becomes clear that we should move, it will likely be too late. It may be too late already. Tough decision.

Don't do it!  When will you get another shot at superpowers like this?

[originalz]

I can't deal with this anymore, I'm running to Osaka as soon as possible, hopefully within a few hours.

Any Kansai J-bores, does anyone have a place I can crash at or something?  I don't really have many contacts there and am getting pretty desperate.

[Mr. Gundam]

Having serious talks with the wife about leaving the country until this (possibly literally) blows over.

By the time it becomes clear that we should move, it will likely be too late. It may be too late already. Tough decision.

Man, if you're actually thinking of leaving then things are bad.

Be safe guys, the Mrs. and I are thinking about you all. If anyone ends up in Seattle for some crazy reason, our door is open.

[Himu]

Be safe, guys.

[cool breeze]

so things are getting even worse?

you'd think things would have plateaued by now, but now there are nuclear reactors and even worse earthquakes (title says 8.8, I've read 9 somewhere).  That is crazy.

[Mr. Gundam]

(title says 8.8, I've read 9 somewhere).  That is crazy.

Different groups are rating the magnitude differently. Japan says 8.8, the US says 9.0.

[Diunx]

I hope Kojima gets out before shit hit the fan :'(

[Himu]

Oda Eichiiro, the manga creator of One Piece donated 15 million yen to charity.

More proof that he is the greatest mangaka of all time.

[Diunx]

Isn't that like four bucks?

[Himu]

[Mr. Gundam]

$185,000

[Bebpo]

Well, they found 9,700 of the 10k missing people from minami sanriku safely evacuated.  Very good news.

[Mr. Gundam]

That's fantastic.

[Himu]

Well, they found 9,700 of the 10k missing people from minami sanriku safely evacuated.  Very good news.

[etiolate]

yay for some good news

[Smooth Groove]

Having serious talks with the wife about leaving the country until this (possibly literally) blows over.

By the time it becomes clear that we should move, it will likely be too late. It may be too late already. Tough decision.

GTFO, bro.  One day of exposure is still way better than one week, right?

[Great Rumbler]

Well, they found 9,700 of the 10k missing people from minami sanriku safely evacuated.  Very good news.

That's really good news.

[Bebpo]

aaaaaand now they say it was a miscommunication and 8,000 are still missing

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20110315/k10014683531000.html

fuck

[Great Rumbler]

aaaaaand now they say it was a miscommunication and 8,000 are still missing

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20110315/k10014683531000.html

fuck

[pilonv1]

[Mr. Gundam]

Stupid CNN is showing an Anderson Cooper rerun from earlier in the night.

For once, Comcast rocks for giving everyone access to NHK G.

[Oblivion]

So apparently there's a FOURTH explosion. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/world/asia/16nuclear.html?src=twrhp