Earthquake has hit Japan

[Evilmaxwar]

When all of this was starting i believed they would be able to sufficiently cool down the reactors with the sea water but now this is getting seriously out of control

I would not want to be one of the few heroic workers currently inside the plant trying to fix it up. These guys are taking turns but they are still getting much more rad than they are normally allowed.
I read a couple have fallen sick from radiation already and its far from over ...

[Elixir]

Don't bother with international media, they're just amplifying the situation.

Whereas the Japanese media is being absolutely accurate.

I don't recall saying that.

[Evilmaxwar]

Wow, just caught on the news they now withdrew all the workers from the plant.

[austere]

Even the 50 heroic operators who apparently chose to stay behind? Can you post a link if available?

[t0yrobo]

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/15/ja ... ng-issued/

It's at 10:47, but there's no detail. So uh, what now?

[NTSC-J]

Well, personally, I`m going right past the gas masks and hazard suits and am looking to purchase a leather costume with spikes on it in anticipation of a new Mad Max-type lifestyle. Also considering getting a boomerang in case I decide on going the Feral Kid route.

[Evilmaxwar]

It came as a Live translation on CNN from Japan official announcement. Might be they mean it as a temporary measure, live translation from a public announcement is not the most reliable information i guess.
However other news sources are starting to follow up would seem.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/tens-of ... 6022338509

Edit : Seems at the moment rad level is just too dangerous, so they withdrew personnel, its not clear though whats truly going on or what is being planned. Is there still some volunteer in the danger danger zone? I hope they are not switching to "lets bail out and clean up after" mode

[austere]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011 ... ion=justin

So uh, what now?

Read my post from a few days ago if you want to know what will happen. Meltdown in Unit-1, Unit-2 and Unit-3 is almost a certainty now.

I'm guessing emergency and military personnel are still in the vicinity, but not at the plant. The fact that they're talking about using helicopters means we're arrived at the worst case scenario. The boric acid acts to poison the reaction, effectively acting like control rods. Without using this, the coolant actually restarts the reactor since it's also a moderator and the bi-products in the rods are seeding it. The US military has some boric acid on hand for its submarines, but I wonder how much is left of it since I doubt they'd have the capacity to reprocess/recirculate it on such short notice.

Also considering getting a boomerang in case I decide on going the Feral Kid route.

Or go all the way and come down here to Australia. Bring your boomerang as proof of citizenship.

[CMoon]

Well, personally, I`m going right past the gas masks and hazard suits and am looking to purchase a leather costume with spikes on it in anticipation of a new Mad Max-type lifestyle. Also considering getting a boomerang in case I decide on going the Feral Kid route.

Good call. Hopefully you managed to learn some survival skills like drinking rain water from a shattered human skull while playing fallout 3.

[Evilmaxwar]

Well, personally, I`m going right past the gas masks and hazard suits and am looking to purchase a leather costume with spikes on it in anticipation of a new Mad Max-type lifestyle. Also considering getting a boomerang in case I decide on going the Feral Kid route.

Good call. Hopefully you managed to learn some survival skills like drinking rain water from a shattered human skull while playing fallout 3.

Coming soon to a Sushi shop near you!

[austere]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw-ik1U4Uvk

The talk of helicopters reminds me of these soviet martyrs. They volunteered to run missions on the exposed core and received many times the fatal dose of radiation. The reason the pilot crashed is because he passed out from being exposed to too high a level of radiation in too short a period of time.

Apparently it's snowing in some parts of Japan and more snow has been forecasted. Avoid contact with the snow to minimise your risk of exposure.

[GaijinPunch]

I'm on my way to Narita. My boss convinced me to go to Cali for a couple of weeks. There is no mass panic at the moment. Anyone can get out that wants to.

Julian... Most of my friends have gone to Osaka. Maybe you should think about a vacation. Jon is already down there. I hope you're nit sticking around b/c of financial reasons.

[NTSC-J]

Well, no one around here seems to be fleeing just yet. I`d rather not head back to the States and don`t know anyone that lives down South...

I`m going to try to convince my girlfriend to either come here or go somewhere with me. She just started a new job this week so I dunno if they`ll let her go.

[tinotormed]

Well I live in Japan and take the train to Tokyo on the weekends. I`m not that far from Fukushima anyway so maybe I`m already soaking in the rays. With any luck, I will gain superhuman strength.

Well if I would be there, count me in then. But I'll be called something different, a man who will become somewhat a radioactive lizard.

[KBZ]

those poor workers at the plant. Working with that kind of exposure is surely closer to being fearless than being courageous.

I hope they can take care of this with minimal impact on their health.

[austere]

They do the dying, the politicians do the lying (though in this case, TEP Co. was taking care of that part).

I guess if they don't know what they're getting themselves into or they're just going along with it, they're fearless. If they do know what they're getting themselves into and if it is within their will to do so, they're courageous. Heroic. Though they seem to have failed, people shouldn't forget their sacrifice. Now I guess it's up to the military...

[GaijinPunch]

Well, no one around here seems to be fleeing just yet. I`d rather not head back to the States and don`t know anyone that lives down South...

I`m going to try to convince my girlfriend to either come here or go somewhere with me. She just started a new job this week so I dunno if they`ll let her go.

Same as Tokyo... If they do panic though you're fucked. That's kind of the reasoning.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Actually, Stan Lee may be feeling quite bad right now about all stupid kids raised on his works who may really consider such hazard an opportunity to obtain super powers. Earthquakes do happen in America after all.
As for that Zettai Zetsumei Toshi thing, it's not just about stepping on somebody's toes. Perhaps Irem just doesn't need free hype of THIS kind. That Belfast Child song by Simple Minds is a fine song, but was it such a hit because of that? I don't think so. Rather it succeeded because it was aptly exploitative. I wonder how they feel about it after all these years.

[gct]

I hope they can take care of this with minimal impact on their health.

I think they are going to end up very sick, very soon. Heroes to die in battle...

I have made my meagre donation to Red Cross today. I am usually a tightwad when it comes to this kind of thing, but these events have really struck a chord with me.

[dcharlie]

heading down to Kyoto tomorrow

I see some human scum have started profiteering from the crisis - it's a shame it's not a crime like it is in the UK.

[Elixir]

Actually, Stan Lee may be feeling quite bad right now about all stupid kids raised on his works who may really consider such hazard an opportunity to obtain super powers. Earthquakes do happen in America after all.
As for that Zettai Zetsumei Toshi thing, it's not just about stepping on somebody's toes. Perhaps Irem just doesn't need free hype of THIS kind. That Belfast Child song by Simple Minds is a fine song, but was it such a hit because of that? I don't think so. Rather it succeeded because it was aptly exploitative. I wonder how they feel about it after all these years.

Irem is a company of morality. It would have been in ill taste of them to profit from this situation.

Also, it seems like ZUN will donate all funds received from his new Touhou title. What a nice guy!

So how is Tokyo, why are people leaving? Or is it just pre-emptive nerves getting the best of people?

[rtw]

I have made my meagre donation to Red Cross today. I am usually a tightwad when it comes to this kind of thing, but these events have really struck a chord with me.

Where did you donate ? I would like to donate to the Japanese Red-Cross directly and preferably via PayPal.

[dcharlie]

So how is Tokyo, why are people leaving? Or is it just pre-emptive nerves getting the best of people?

it's just a culmination of stress - bear in mind i've worked close to 18 hours for the last two days to handle higher volumes whilst dealing with watching the news and my son being couped up inside. I just need a break - so we're getting out for that reason.

i'm 99% happy that even in a worst case melt down that TK is fine.

[TLB]

Actually, Stan Lee may be feeling quite bad right now about all stupid kids raised on his works who may really consider such hazard an opportunity to obtain super powers. Earthquakes do happen in America after all.
As for that Zettai Zetsumei Toshi thing, it's not just about stepping on somebody's toes. Perhaps Irem just doesn't need free hype of THIS kind. That Belfast Child song by Simple Minds is a fine song, but was it such a hit because of that? I don't think so. Rather it succeeded because it was aptly exploitative. I wonder how they feel about it after all these years.

Irem is a company of morality. It would have been in ill taste of them to profit from this situation.

Also, it seems like ZUN will donate all funds received from his new Touhou title. What a nice guy!

So how is Tokyo, why are people leaving? Or is it just pre-emptive nerves getting the best of people?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_N-wNFSGyQ

[austere]

So how is Tokyo, why are people leaving? Or is it just pre-emptive nerves getting the best of people?

As well as what m3tallica said, for some, the risk is too high. Unlike you and I, many of them have families to care for. There's no shame in leaving a battle you have nothing to gain from -- except the "benefit" of staying exactly where you are, I guess.

And BTW,

Don't bother with international media, they're just amplifying the situation.

Whereas the Japanese media is being absolutely accurate.

I don't recall saying that.

Well, you linked to a Japanese media source and eliminated the possibility that the international media is being at all accurate through your "amplification" characterisation, so through induction...

[moozooh]

Well, there are some good news too. The radiometry readings say the background radiation levels in Tokyo and some other areas are receding. This goes in line with the notion that, even if the worst happens at Fukushima, activity will be higher at the site but also more concentrated locally (i. e., the contamination radius will be lower) than in Chernobyl's case. After all, Chernobyl had thermal explosion further fueled by graphite fire that shoot the fuel material high into the atmosphere to be carried by the wind. In this case only short-lived reaction byproducts have reportedly been released into the atmosphere so far.

I've found this German chart of Iodine-131 propagation based on the venting and explosions as the materials were being carried by the wind, but I'm not sure what the units are. They also had this photo of Units 3 and 4 containment buildings. Wow.

Well, personally, I`m going right past the gas masks and hazard suits and am looking to purchase a leather costume with spikes on it in anticipation of a new Mad Max-type lifestyle. Also considering getting a boomerang in case I decide on going the Feral Kid route.

Haha, good one!

[austere]

In this case only short-lived reaction byproducts have reportedly been released into the atmosphere so far.

I'd say it's far too early to draw this conclusion. We'll have the real picture when a few weeks have passed. There's still no good information about the explosions and fires.

I've found this German chart of Iodine-131 propagation based on the venting and explosions as the materials were being carried by the wind, but I'm not sure what the units are.

Particles per cubic meter. No idea how they extrapolated this information. I wouldn't base anything on it...

They also had this photo of Units 3 and 4 containment buildings. Wow.

Ouch... O_O well, at least that building's components are still able to vent steam, perhaps it looks worse than it is.

BTW, there's a bit of an update on the plant state: http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/news_imag ... 73535P.pdf

For whatever reason, the state of unit-4 has been upgraded to severe.

[Elixir]

Well, you linked to a Japanese media source and eliminated the possibility that the international media is being at all accurate through your "amplification" characterisation, so through induction...

Foreign media is just a waste of time, even in NZ, where it's looped content filled with doomsday headlines and Chernobyl references. CNN reported 10sv, because they can't do units. I don't like getting my news 2 hours late and amplified. No thank you.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-world-tv

[austere]

4) For a frame of reference, the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl released about 3,576 sieverts of radiation an hour. They are clocking 500 to 1000 millisieverts an hour the immediate area around the Fukushima reactors, or about 1/3,600,000th the amount of the Chernobyl disaster, or about .00002%.

they can't even round either. But yeah, I'm not saying the reporters are at all competent. You do need to think to extract information regardless of your source. Look outside the western countries' rusting propaganda machine though, e.g. here and here.

[moozooh]

I'd say it's far too early to draw this conclusion. We'll have the real picture when a few weeks have passed. There's still no good information about the explosions and fires.

Well, reportedly. We aren't told anything else, so I'm going with that.

Ouch... O_O well, at least that building's components are still able to vent steam, perhaps it looks worse than it is.

One more. It shows Units 4 to 1. Only #2 hasn't had its top blown off — seems like the countermeasures worked somewhat.

Also, an hourly (?) webcam photo feed by one of the workers: http://inethub.olvi.net.ua/fukuschima.php (mirrored at some Ukrainian server). The odd distortions are most probably water droplets or some other particles on the camera lens.

BTW, there's a bit of an update on the plant state: http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/news_imag ... 73535P.pdf

For whatever reason, the state of unit-4 has been upgraded to severe.

That's for the containment building, if you're referring to what I think you're referring to. As per the photos, looks pretty severe.