Earthquakes
- Thread starter harlequin2005
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The BBC is saying that police have found 200-300 bodies in Sendai.
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1451: Another five powerful aftershocks measuring around 5.5 magnitude have just rattled the eastern coast of Japan in quick succession, the US Geological Survey reports
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
Dr_Baltar said:
Holy crap no. There has been NOTHING even close to those type of figures on the news here. More like 88,000 people without electricity or who have evacuated from their homes. Right now they`re looking at "up to 500 possible casualties". The news is making a huge deal out of is being in the 3 figure range - if there were 5 figure missing list... I can`t imagine how huge the reports would be.
---
ETA;
Looks like official figures are *88* confirmed dead, 200~300 suspected dead but not fully confirmed (as in they were seen to be swept away, but their bodies have not yet been identified), and 350 still missing.
Perhaps the "88" came from that?
Also - 8000 from the defense force have been dispatched for rescue and support efforts.
GNC
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Yeah, they just said about 300 suspected dead on the BBC news there, and they're also saying other countries like Australia and the island nations in the Pacific are being warned about the tsunami, but I don't think anything has happened regarding that yet.
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1706: The Tokyo Electric Power Company has said the pressure inside the No. 1 reactor at its Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant has been rising, with the risk of a radiation leak, according to the Jiji Press news agency. Tepco planned to take measures to release the pressure, the report added. The reactor's cooling system began to malfunction after the earthquake. People living close to the plant were later evacuated as a precaution.
1708: Nuclear physicist Dr Walt Patterson tells the BBC it sounds like there is a "serious problem" at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant. "It's the sort of thing that nuclear engineers have nightmares about," he says. "If it is not resolved in the next few hours it will get serious. If the core is uncovered, then those rods at the top may get hot enough to melt themselves."1706: The Tokyo Electric Power Company has said the pressure inside the No. 1 reactor at its Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant has been rising, with the risk of a radiation leak, according to the Jiji Press news agency. Tepco planned to take measures to release the pressure, the report added. The reactor's cooling system began to malfunction after the earthquake. People living close to the plant were later evacuated as a precaution.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
1708: Nuclear physicist Dr Walt Patterson tells the BBC it sounds like there is a "serious problem" at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant. "It's the sort of thing that nuclear engineers have nightmares about," he says. "If it is not resolved in the next few hours it will get serious. If the core is uncovered, then those rods at the top may get hot enough to melt themselves."1706: The Tokyo Electric Power Company has said the pressure inside the No. 1 reactor at its Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant has been rising, with the risk of a radiation leak, according to the Jiji Press news agency. Tepco planned to take measures to release the pressure, the report added. The reactor's cooling system began to malfunction after the earthquake. People living close to the plant were later evacuated as a precaution.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
rynner2 said:
New batteries and cooling fluids have been delivered, and they are now in the recovery phase.
There was live coverage of the delivery. They are saying that a DROP in the pressure would be more detrimental - too much pressure leads to a fluid leak with minor contamination, but cooled reactor that does not create huge problems. Too little pressure leads to an overheated reactor with nothing but problems. They were most concerned about keeping power to sustain the pressure, and were not going to reduce it as the risk was higher if they could not raise it again.
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You're doing a grand job as our reporter on the spot, tamyu.
Thanks! :yeay:
Thanks! :yeay:
Pietro_Mercurios said:
Apparently good enough in other places on the net that someone from BBC radio contacted me.
I said I`d be most willing to give them information, but that I was probably not the best candidate for on-site reporting as I was not in an area that was heavily hit. I can just understand what the news is saying.
Right now, Tokyo has pretty much resumed train service as usual (although crowded and a bit of a mess.)
The biggest issues at the moment are rescues and retrievals of deceased who are trapped in houses that were covered in mud slides. The older type of standard Japanese house (old enough to not have been able to withstand the quake) tend to be of fairly light construction so there seem to be few cases of people trapped in normal collapsed houses.
Also, there is a mostly evacuated town that is experiencing some serious fires, but which is sort of low on the priority scale (or was) because there weren`t many/any people left there... But now it is burning like crazy and looks like a hell on earth from sky cameras.
The Sendai tsunami looks horrific, and seems like no one could escape, etc... But it was low lying areas, and it seems that most people were able to climb up on to hills to escape most of it. The brunt of the casualties are said to be residents of nursing homes who could not escape and those in vehicles who tried to escape by car instead of doing what they were told - to get out of the car and run uphill.
As there is poor access right now to areas hit by the brunt of the tsunami - there is also some concern about trains on isolated distant tracks that did not return to stations. The roads are filled with junk, there is no electricity, and phones are still not working so they can`t tell if they were just derailed by the shaking, or if they were flat out swept away. They are coastal tracks, so in many cases there was very poor road access to begin with... And they can`t send out boats to check because of the ongoing risk of further tsunami.
------------
And - off to bed for tonight. Can`t wait to see the news in the morning, and how the international versions differ from the local versions.
Mythopoeika
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My 2 Japanese bosses at work didn't seem that concerned.
One didn't even know about the disaster when he turned up. When someone told him, he just smiled, shrugged his shoulders and said 'yeah, that happens'.
One didn't even know about the disaster when he turned up. When someone told him, he just smiled, shrugged his shoulders and said 'yeah, that happens'.
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It didn't happen before in his lifetime though!Mythopoeika said:
(There probably were big quakes in history, though, before we had seismometers to measure them. I think I saw today that the latest Japanese quake is about the fourth or fifth biggest quake ever recorded worldwide, and the biggest in Japan.)
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2059: The tsunami is still fanning out across the Pacific Ocean and is due to hit the Chilean territory of Easter Island within the next few hours. The BBC's Gideon Long in Santiago says the authorities on Easter Island have already started evacuating people from the coast to the airport, which is 45m above sea level and should provide a safe haven. All civilian flights to the island have been cancelled. The tsunami is expected to hit at just before 1800 local time (2300 GMT), having travelled 14,000km across the ocean.
2101: Our correspondent adds: "From there, the waves will roll on towards the Chilean coast, making landfall at about midnight local time (0300 GMT on Saturday). Some patients have been moved from low-lying hospitals and there are plans to evacuate thousands of people from the coast if necessary. The waves should have lost much of their intensity by the time they reach Chile - one expert has predicted they will be no more than 1m higher than normal. But with memories of last year's devastating earthquake and tsunamis still fresh in Chilean minds, the authorities are erring on the side of caution."
2107: The tsunami swept out to sea at least five people watching the waves from the US West Coast. Four people were later rescued from the water off the coast of Oregon, but one man is still missing off northern California. The tsunami shook loose boats in that were not moved in time and tore apart wooden docks in at least two California harbours.
2108: Ted Scott, a retired mill worker who lived in Crescent City, California, when a tsunami killed 17 people on the West Coast in 1964, told the Associated Press: "This is just devastating. I never thought I'd see this again. I watched the docks bust apart. It buckled like a graham cracker."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
(Times UK time, GMT)
2101: Our correspondent adds: "From there, the waves will roll on towards the Chilean coast, making landfall at about midnight local time (0300 GMT on Saturday). Some patients have been moved from low-lying hospitals and there are plans to evacuate thousands of people from the coast if necessary. The waves should have lost much of their intensity by the time they reach Chile - one expert has predicted they will be no more than 1m higher than normal. But with memories of last year's devastating earthquake and tsunamis still fresh in Chilean minds, the authorities are erring on the side of caution."
2107: The tsunami swept out to sea at least five people watching the waves from the US West Coast. Four people were later rescued from the water off the coast of Oregon, but one man is still missing off northern California. The tsunami shook loose boats in that were not moved in time and tore apart wooden docks in at least two California harbours.
2108: Ted Scott, a retired mill worker who lived in Crescent City, California, when a tsunami killed 17 people on the West Coast in 1964, told the Associated Press: "This is just devastating. I never thought I'd see this again. I watched the docks bust apart. It buckled like a graham cracker."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
(Times UK time, GMT)
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2132: The Tokyo Electric Power Company has said radiation may already have been released at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant.
2131: Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan has just announced that residents living within 10km (6.2 miles) of the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear station must evacuate their homes, according to the Kyodo news agency. Engineers are trying to fix the cooling system of one of the plant's reactors, which was damaged by the earthquake. The authorities had earlier told some 3,000 residents living within 3km (1.9 miles) to leave.
EDIT:
2139: Radiation levels at the damaged Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant are continuing to rise. The Jiji Press news agency says the levels are eight times above normal. Its report also cites a ministry official as saying there is a "possibility of a radioactive leak".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
(Times UK time, GMT)
(Don't ask me why the URL says 'Middle East'!)
2131: Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan has just announced that residents living within 10km (6.2 miles) of the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear station must evacuate their homes, according to the Kyodo news agency. Engineers are trying to fix the cooling system of one of the plant's reactors, which was damaged by the earthquake. The authorities had earlier told some 3,000 residents living within 3km (1.9 miles) to leave.
EDIT:
2139: Radiation levels at the damaged Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant are continuing to rise. The Jiji Press news agency says the levels are eight times above normal. Its report also cites a ministry official as saying there is a "possibility of a radioactive leak".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
(Times UK time, GMT)
(Don't ask me why the URL says 'Middle East'!)
Updates;
The earthquake itself didn`t cause THAT much serious damage in themselves.
Most of the buildings withstood the tremors fairly intact... Earthquakes are normal, this one was big but not unthinkably big when it hit populated areas (the epicenter was 8.8 or 8.9 - the shaking in populated places was at highest 7) so the initial damage was fairly low.
The tsunami have done some serious damage. The loss of life is almost all due to the tsunami. They`re STILL on warning in many places, and there are still people stranded in higher floors of buildings where the water has not completely receded. It looks like MOST people were able to reach higher ground, unless there was no higher ground in the immediate area. Most of millions... is still going to leave a pretty high casualty list.
Because of the huge risk from the tsunami, when the warning was issued firefighters and other assistance services were also evacuated...
Leaving fires and gas leaks behind, which turned a huge area into a burning wasteland (residents had already been evacuated or evacuated with the emergency people, so although the images being shown of whole towns burning are pretty horrifying... The casualties from fire alone seem to be relatively low.) The tsunami pulled the rivers out with them, so there is not enough water available for the fire pumps - they`re operating at very low pressure.
With the nuclear plant...
We`re screwed.
They got batteries, a generator, and coolant there when I said yesterday. They were unable to pump the coolant in due to a build up of pressure. They`ve tried to lower the pressure, but nothing is working because of the high heat involved... It just makes more and more steam, making it impossible to keep things under control and get the coolant in.
The best case scenario at this point is to let off contaminated steam and to be able to pump the coolant in. This would have the *least* leakage.
The worst is that it will go into meltdown.
Things are not looking too good in this department as the levels of liquid have fallen to the point that the fuel itself is exposed... Something they were seriously fighting to avoid because it`s VERY hard to recover from.
Because the plants are basically out of operation, they are going to reroute electricity from other places in Japan that have not been damaged, putting in place scheduled outages of 3 hours.
The quakes are moving southward in where they are centered, and we`re seriously crossing our fingers that the Tokai quake isn`t triggered by this. I would be seriously hit by that one, though am far enough away from open water to escape a tsunami.
The earthquake itself didn`t cause THAT much serious damage in themselves.
Most of the buildings withstood the tremors fairly intact... Earthquakes are normal, this one was big but not unthinkably big when it hit populated areas (the epicenter was 8.8 or 8.9 - the shaking in populated places was at highest 7) so the initial damage was fairly low.
The tsunami have done some serious damage. The loss of life is almost all due to the tsunami. They`re STILL on warning in many places, and there are still people stranded in higher floors of buildings where the water has not completely receded. It looks like MOST people were able to reach higher ground, unless there was no higher ground in the immediate area. Most of millions... is still going to leave a pretty high casualty list.
Because of the huge risk from the tsunami, when the warning was issued firefighters and other assistance services were also evacuated...
Leaving fires and gas leaks behind, which turned a huge area into a burning wasteland (residents had already been evacuated or evacuated with the emergency people, so although the images being shown of whole towns burning are pretty horrifying... The casualties from fire alone seem to be relatively low.) The tsunami pulled the rivers out with them, so there is not enough water available for the fire pumps - they`re operating at very low pressure.
With the nuclear plant...
We`re screwed.
They got batteries, a generator, and coolant there when I said yesterday. They were unable to pump the coolant in due to a build up of pressure. They`ve tried to lower the pressure, but nothing is working because of the high heat involved... It just makes more and more steam, making it impossible to keep things under control and get the coolant in.
The best case scenario at this point is to let off contaminated steam and to be able to pump the coolant in. This would have the *least* leakage.
The worst is that it will go into meltdown.
Things are not looking too good in this department as the levels of liquid have fallen to the point that the fuel itself is exposed... Something they were seriously fighting to avoid because it`s VERY hard to recover from.
Because the plants are basically out of operation, they are going to reroute electricity from other places in Japan that have not been damaged, putting in place scheduled outages of 3 hours.
The quakes are moving southward in where they are centered, and we`re seriously crossing our fingers that the Tokai quake isn`t triggered by this. I would be seriously hit by that one, though am far enough away from open water to escape a tsunami.
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ShelterBox responds to Japanese earthquake
The Cornish-based charity ShelterBox is sending a response team to assist with the devastation after an earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
The quake struck the north-eastern shore of Japan at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) sparking a 13ft (4m) tsunami.
Powerful aftershocks followed, sparking fires in several areas including Tokyo.
ShelterBox founder, Tom Henderson OBE, said the charity had aid positioned nearby and was able to respond immediately.
"We also have extensive experience working in the region responding to similar disasters," he said.
Mr Henderson added that his team would be "at the front end, just behind the rescuers" and that the organisation would be working with the Japanese government and other agencies.
He said that team members were aware of what the situation was and how "everything's been literally overwhelmed" in the affected areas as result of the disaster.
According to US Geological Survey the earthquake was magnitude 8.9 at a depth of 20 miles (32km) with the epicentre 250 miles away (402km) from Japan's capital Tokyo.
An initial ShelterBox Response Team made up of ShelterBox field operations specialist Mark Pearson and international director Lasse Petersen was already mobilising.
Mr Petersen said: "The scenes we're seeing are catastrophic.
"Whole homes are being washed away and our thoughts go out to all the families who are facing this disaster.
"We continue to watch very closely the path of the tsunami. We're very aware the worst may not be over."
ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity based in Helston, Cornwall.
It provides emergency shelter and life-saving supplies to families around the world who are affected by disasters.
The organisation is also helping families affected by disasters in Madagascar and New Zealand and Bolivia.
Teams from ShelterBox have now worked on every continent, responding to earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, typhoons, hurricanes, volcanoes and conflicts.
Each ShelterBox contains a tent for a family of up to 10 people. It can withstand extreme temperatures, high winds and heavy rainfall. The boxes also contain a basic tool kit and blankets.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-12712255
The Cornish-based charity ShelterBox is sending a response team to assist with the devastation after an earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
The quake struck the north-eastern shore of Japan at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) sparking a 13ft (4m) tsunami.
Powerful aftershocks followed, sparking fires in several areas including Tokyo.
ShelterBox founder, Tom Henderson OBE, said the charity had aid positioned nearby and was able to respond immediately.
"We also have extensive experience working in the region responding to similar disasters," he said.
Mr Henderson added that his team would be "at the front end, just behind the rescuers" and that the organisation would be working with the Japanese government and other agencies.
He said that team members were aware of what the situation was and how "everything's been literally overwhelmed" in the affected areas as result of the disaster.
According to US Geological Survey the earthquake was magnitude 8.9 at a depth of 20 miles (32km) with the epicentre 250 miles away (402km) from Japan's capital Tokyo.
An initial ShelterBox Response Team made up of ShelterBox field operations specialist Mark Pearson and international director Lasse Petersen was already mobilising.
Mr Petersen said: "The scenes we're seeing are catastrophic.
"Whole homes are being washed away and our thoughts go out to all the families who are facing this disaster.
"We continue to watch very closely the path of the tsunami. We're very aware the worst may not be over."
ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity based in Helston, Cornwall.
It provides emergency shelter and life-saving supplies to families around the world who are affected by disasters.
The organisation is also helping families affected by disasters in Madagascar and New Zealand and Bolivia.
Teams from ShelterBox have now worked on every continent, responding to earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, typhoons, hurricanes, volcanoes and conflicts.
Each ShelterBox contains a tent for a family of up to 10 people. It can withstand extreme temperatures, high winds and heavy rainfall. The boxes also contain a basic tool kit and blankets.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-12712255
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The BBC news is pretty grim Tamyu, an explosion was heard at the Fukushima plant, and there's a white plume above the plant. 215K displaced people. I know there's an expert 'quake team from Leeds offered to fly out to help, but I guess there will be offers from all kinds of places, a case of too many cooks.
On the plus side, the rescue services seem to have kicked in efficiently, those displaced folks are in emergency accomodation, so are as safe as can be. The explosion "won't" be nuclear, likely to be a consequence of the endeavours to get coolant in.
Keep yourself safe, we're all thinking of you.
On the plus side, the rescue services seem to have kicked in efficiently, those displaced folks are in emergency accomodation, so are as safe as can be. The explosion "won't" be nuclear, likely to be a consequence of the endeavours to get coolant in.
Keep yourself safe, we're all thinking of you.
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For sure.Cultjunky said:
Mythopoeika
I am a meat popsicle
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Just saw the BBC News reports.
It's all very worrying and horrifying.
It's all very worrying and horrifying.
We are all still fine here - our area really has suffered no damage. It was a pretty standard day around here, but all with a backdrop of the news.
The tsunami warnings have dropped off and the danger has been dropping.
With the nuclear plant, they are talking about using the pretty much limitless supply of icy cold sea water to directly cool the thing... Which of course is going to lead to contamination, but it can`t get worse than things already are.
The "evacuate to high ground" warning systems and regular drills are being praised like crazy for saving huge numbers of people. On the lists of the missing and dead it is pretty clear that the majority who are not accounted for are the elderly... Who likely could not make it out and to higher ground (or constructed high platforms made for this purpose) in time.
Anyway, the real panic is that there is very little news of what exactly is going on in the nuclear plant... But they have extended the evacuation area. It`s more horrified speculation.
The tsunami warnings have dropped off and the danger has been dropping.
With the nuclear plant, they are talking about using the pretty much limitless supply of icy cold sea water to directly cool the thing... Which of course is going to lead to contamination, but it can`t get worse than things already are.
The "evacuate to high ground" warning systems and regular drills are being praised like crazy for saving huge numbers of people. On the lists of the missing and dead it is pretty clear that the majority who are not accounted for are the elderly... Who likely could not make it out and to higher ground (or constructed high platforms made for this purpose) in time.
Anyway, the real panic is that there is very little news of what exactly is going on in the nuclear plant... But they have extended the evacuation area. It`s more horrified speculation.
Mythopoeika
I am a meat popsicle
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It sounds like the reactor problem is turning out to be another Three Mile Island in terms of its seriousness and root cause - perhaps worse, as this reactor doesn't have the extra containment that Three Mile Island had. It's a very old reactor design (40 years old) without many of the safeguards of modern reactor designs.
The Japanese government is at the moment downplaying the situation, but it could turn out to be very tricky and expensive to fix.
What's worse is that this is not a vast distance away from Tokyo, and there could be some air/water pollution...
The Japanese government is at the moment downplaying the situation, but it could turn out to be very tricky and expensive to fix.
What's worse is that this is not a vast distance away from Tokyo, and there could be some air/water pollution...
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Exodus from Japan nuclear plant
An estimated 170,000 people have been evacuated from the area around a quake-damaged nuclear power station in north-east Japan that was hit by an explosion, the UN atomic watchdog says.
A building housing a reactor was destroyed in Saturday's blast at the Fukushima No.1 plant.
The authorities said the reactor itself was intact inside its steel container.
Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami is believed to have left more than 1,000 people dead.
The Japanese government has sought to play down fears of a meltdown at Fukushima No.1, saying that radiation levels around the stricken plant have now fallen.
But on Sunday morning, concerns were raised about the safety of a second reactor at the plant after operator Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) said the cooling system of another reactor had failed.
Since Friday's earthquake, radioactive air and steam has been released from several reactors at both Fukushima No.1 and No.2 plants in an effort to relieve the huge amount of pressure building up inside. Sea water and boron is being pumped into the site to lower temperatures.
Tepco said four of its workers were injured in Saturday's explosion, but that their injuries were not life-threatening. The Japanese government doubled the size of the evacuation zone around No.1 plant to 20km (12.4 miles) after the blast.
Reuters news agency quotes a Japanese nuclear safety agency official as saying that tests indicate that at least nine people have been exposed to radiation from the plant, and local authority estimates suggest this figure could rise as high as 160.
The government has urged local people to remain calm and is preparing to distribute iodine to anyone affected.
The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in a statement: "In the 20-kilometre radius around Fukushima Daiichi (No.1), an estimated 170,000 people have been evacuated.
"In the 10-kilometre radius around Fukushima Daini (No.2) an estimated 30,000 people have been evacuated. Full evacuation measures have not been completed."
The tsunami that followed the 8.9-magnitude earthquake wreaked havoc along a huge stretch of on Japan's north-east coast, sweeping far inland and devastating a number of towns and villages. Powerful aftershocks are continuing to hit the region.
The BBC's Damian Grammaticas in the coastal city of Sendai, in Miyagi prefecture, says the scenes of devastation there are astonishing - giant shipping containers have been swept inland and smashed against buildings, and fires are still burning close to the harbour.
Police said between 200 and 300 bodies were found in just one ward of the city.
The town of Rikuzentakada, Iwate prefecture, was reported as largely destroyed and almost completely submerged. NHK reported that soldiers had found up to 400 bodies there.
NHK reports that in the port of Minamisanriku, Miyagi, the authorities say that about 7,500 people were evacuated to 25 shelters after Friday's quake but they have been unable to contact the town's other 10,000 inhabitants.
A local official in the town of Futaba, Fukushima, said more than 90% of the houses in three coastal communities had been washed away by the tsunami.
"The tsunami was unbelievably fast," said Koichi Takairin, a 34-year-old truck driver who was inside his four-ton rig when the wave hit Sendai. "Smaller cars were being swept around me. All I could do was sit in my truck."
Tens of thousands of troops backed by ships and helicopters have been deployed on rescue and relief missions. More than 215,000 people are said to be living in 1,350 temporary shelters in five prefectures.
...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12724953
An estimated 170,000 people have been evacuated from the area around a quake-damaged nuclear power station in north-east Japan that was hit by an explosion, the UN atomic watchdog says.
A building housing a reactor was destroyed in Saturday's blast at the Fukushima No.1 plant.
The authorities said the reactor itself was intact inside its steel container.
Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami is believed to have left more than 1,000 people dead.
The Japanese government has sought to play down fears of a meltdown at Fukushima No.1, saying that radiation levels around the stricken plant have now fallen.
But on Sunday morning, concerns were raised about the safety of a second reactor at the plant after operator Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) said the cooling system of another reactor had failed.
Since Friday's earthquake, radioactive air and steam has been released from several reactors at both Fukushima No.1 and No.2 plants in an effort to relieve the huge amount of pressure building up inside. Sea water and boron is being pumped into the site to lower temperatures.
Tepco said four of its workers were injured in Saturday's explosion, but that their injuries were not life-threatening. The Japanese government doubled the size of the evacuation zone around No.1 plant to 20km (12.4 miles) after the blast.
Reuters news agency quotes a Japanese nuclear safety agency official as saying that tests indicate that at least nine people have been exposed to radiation from the plant, and local authority estimates suggest this figure could rise as high as 160.
The government has urged local people to remain calm and is preparing to distribute iodine to anyone affected.
The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in a statement: "In the 20-kilometre radius around Fukushima Daiichi (No.1), an estimated 170,000 people have been evacuated.
"In the 10-kilometre radius around Fukushima Daini (No.2) an estimated 30,000 people have been evacuated. Full evacuation measures have not been completed."
The tsunami that followed the 8.9-magnitude earthquake wreaked havoc along a huge stretch of on Japan's north-east coast, sweeping far inland and devastating a number of towns and villages. Powerful aftershocks are continuing to hit the region.
The BBC's Damian Grammaticas in the coastal city of Sendai, in Miyagi prefecture, says the scenes of devastation there are astonishing - giant shipping containers have been swept inland and smashed against buildings, and fires are still burning close to the harbour.
Police said between 200 and 300 bodies were found in just one ward of the city.
The town of Rikuzentakada, Iwate prefecture, was reported as largely destroyed and almost completely submerged. NHK reported that soldiers had found up to 400 bodies there.
NHK reports that in the port of Minamisanriku, Miyagi, the authorities say that about 7,500 people were evacuated to 25 shelters after Friday's quake but they have been unable to contact the town's other 10,000 inhabitants.
A local official in the town of Futaba, Fukushima, said more than 90% of the houses in three coastal communities had been washed away by the tsunami.
"The tsunami was unbelievably fast," said Koichi Takairin, a 34-year-old truck driver who was inside his four-ton rig when the wave hit Sendai. "Smaller cars were being swept around me. All I could do was sit in my truck."
Tens of thousands of troops backed by ships and helicopters have been deployed on rescue and relief missions. More than 215,000 people are said to be living in 1,350 temporary shelters in five prefectures.
...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12724953
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Does anyone else feel that the anti-nuclear power lobby is using this disaster for their own ends? Just been watching a guy called Phillip White on the BBC who is coming out with the most outrageous scaremongering.
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How very dare they! :shock:Cavynaut said:
After all, everything will be right as rain again, after a few thousand years, or so.
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- Messages
- 2,306
Pietro_Mercurios said:
Okay, fair enough....it's just that I always feel a bit doubtful when organisation s with something of an agenda leap in before the full facts are really known. Nothing at all wrong with being a bit careful and sounding a few alarms, but very little about this is known so far.
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Problems for second Japan reactor
Technicians are battling to lower pressure in a second nuclear reactor at Japan's quake-hit Fukushima power plant where radiation levels are rising.
Officials say reactor 3 has lost its emergency cooling system. A similar problem led to a major explosion at reactor 1 at the plant on Saturday.
About 170,000 people have been evacuated from the area near the plant.
Meanwhile, police have warned that the death toll in tsunami-hit Miyagi prefecture alone could exceed 10,000.
Officials previously said that more than 2,000 people died or were missing following Friday's earthquake and tsunami.
Millions remain without electricity and authorities are stepping up relief efforts as the scale of the tragedy becomes clearer.
The BBC's Rachel Harvey, who is north of the city of Sendai, says piles of debris and vehicles have been strewn over a wide area by the tsunami, with the roofs of houses poking through in places.
Officials announced that the number of troops helping with rescue work in the region would be doubled to 100,000.
The Japanese government has sought to play down fears of a radiation leak at the Fukushima plant.
But the plant's operators, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), said radiation levels around the plant had now risen above permissible limits.
Government spokesman Yukio Edano acknowledged it was possible that a meltdown had occurred at reactor 3.
The BBC's Chris Hogg in Tokyo says a meltdown at reactor 3 would be potentially more serious than at the other reactors, because it is fuelled by plutonium and uranium, unlike the other units which carry only uranium.
Experts say as long as authorities can keep fuel rods in the core covered with water, they should be able to avoid a major disaster.
Emergency workers were pumping in seawater to cool the rods, but one report suggested the tops of the rods had briefly been exposed.
Technicians opened valves at reactor 3, allowing small amounts of radioactive vapour to escape in a bid to reduce the pressure in the unit.
They performed a similar operation on the first reactor, hours before the explosion that wrecked the building it was housed in.
The Japanese government doubled the size of the evacuation zone around Fukushima 1 to 20km (12.4 miles) after the blast.
...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12724953
Technicians are battling to lower pressure in a second nuclear reactor at Japan's quake-hit Fukushima power plant where radiation levels are rising.
Officials say reactor 3 has lost its emergency cooling system. A similar problem led to a major explosion at reactor 1 at the plant on Saturday.
About 170,000 people have been evacuated from the area near the plant.
Meanwhile, police have warned that the death toll in tsunami-hit Miyagi prefecture alone could exceed 10,000.
Officials previously said that more than 2,000 people died or were missing following Friday's earthquake and tsunami.
Millions remain without electricity and authorities are stepping up relief efforts as the scale of the tragedy becomes clearer.
The BBC's Rachel Harvey, who is north of the city of Sendai, says piles of debris and vehicles have been strewn over a wide area by the tsunami, with the roofs of houses poking through in places.
Officials announced that the number of troops helping with rescue work in the region would be doubled to 100,000.
The Japanese government has sought to play down fears of a radiation leak at the Fukushima plant.
But the plant's operators, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), said radiation levels around the plant had now risen above permissible limits.
Government spokesman Yukio Edano acknowledged it was possible that a meltdown had occurred at reactor 3.
The BBC's Chris Hogg in Tokyo says a meltdown at reactor 3 would be potentially more serious than at the other reactors, because it is fuelled by plutonium and uranium, unlike the other units which carry only uranium.
Experts say as long as authorities can keep fuel rods in the core covered with water, they should be able to avoid a major disaster.
Emergency workers were pumping in seawater to cool the rods, but one report suggested the tops of the rods had briefly been exposed.
Technicians opened valves at reactor 3, allowing small amounts of radioactive vapour to escape in a bid to reduce the pressure in the unit.
They performed a similar operation on the first reactor, hours before the explosion that wrecked the building it was housed in.
The Japanese government doubled the size of the evacuation zone around Fukushima 1 to 20km (12.4 miles) after the blast.
...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12724953
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
This video is really dramatic
Japan earthquake: Footage of moment tsunami hit
13 March 2011 Last updated at 08:06
Newly emerged footage shows the force at which the tsunami struck Japan's coast.
In the fishing port of Miyako, in Iwate prefecture, boats were overturned, while video from Kamaishi city shows cars being dragged down city streets by the water.
The tsunami that followed the 8.9-magnitude earthquake wreaked havoc along a huge stretch of Japan's north-east coast, sweeping far inland and devastating a number of towns and villages. Powerful aftershocks are continuing to hit the region.
Footage courtesy of TV Asahi and TBS
Japan earthquake: Footage of moment tsunami hit
13 March 2011 Last updated at 08:06
Newly emerged footage shows the force at which the tsunami struck Japan's coast.
In the fishing port of Miyako, in Iwate prefecture, boats were overturned, while video from Kamaishi city shows cars being dragged down city streets by the water.
The tsunami that followed the 8.9-magnitude earthquake wreaked havoc along a huge stretch of Japan's north-east coast, sweeping far inland and devastating a number of towns and villages. Powerful aftershocks are continuing to hit the region.
Footage courtesy of TV Asahi and TBS