Tsunami hits Japan after 8.9 magnitude Earth Quake.

[T.C.P]

Tsunami hits Japan after 8.9 magnitude earthquake


An earthquake measuring 8.9 struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday, shaking buildings in the capital Tokyo, causing "many injuries", major tsunami damage and at least one fire.
The Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed cars, trucks, houses and buildings being swept away by tsunami in Onahama city in Fukushima prefecture. Black smoke was seen billowing from a building in Odaiba, a Tokyo suburb, and bullet trains to the north of the country were halted.

Television showed cars bobbing in water along side fishing boats. A 50 cm tsunami hit Japan's northern coast.

"The building shook for what seemed a long time and many people in the newsroom grabbed their helmets and some got under their desks," Reuters correspondent Linda Sieg said.


"It was probably the worst I have felt since I came to Japan more than 20 years ago."

US officials said the 8.8-magnitude quake struck about 250 miles (400km) from Tokyo at a depth of 20 miles. The stock market extended its losses after the quake was announced.

Japan's northeast Pacific coast, called Sanriku, has suffered from quakes and tsunamis in the past and a 7.2 quake struck on Wednesday. In 1933, a magnitude 8.1 quake in the area killed more than 3,000 people. Last year fishing facilities were damaged after by a tsunami caused by a strong tremor in Chile.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

A tsunami warning was in effect for Russia, Marcus Island and the Northern Marianas. A tsunami watch has been issued for Guam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and US state of Hawaii.

Tsunami hits Japan after 8.8 magnitude earthquake - Telegraph

 

[T.C.P]

Japan shuts four nuclear plants after quake: IAEA (AFP) – 1 hour ago

VIENNA — Four nuclear power plants closest to a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan have been safely shut down, the UN atomic watchdog said on Friday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's Incident and Emergency Centre "received information from the International Seismic Safety Centre (ISSC) at around 0815 CET (0715 GMT) this morning about the earthquake of magnitude 8.9 near the east coast of Honshu, Japan," the watchdog said in a statement.

"The agency is liaising with the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to confirm further details of the situation. The four Japanese nuclear power plants closest to the quake have been safely shut down," it said, without specifying the exact names or locations of the plants.

The IAEA had sent a so-called "offer of good offices" or assistance to Japan, "should the country request support," the statement continued.

And it added: "Current media reports say a tsumani alert has been issued for 50 countries, reaching as far as Central America. The agency is seeking further information on which countries and nuclear facilities may be affected."

Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan had said that no radiation leaks have been detected from Japan's nuclear power stations following the quake.

Subsquently, Kyodo News reported that a fire broke out in the turbine building of Onagawa nuclear plant in Miyagi Prefecture.

 

[T.C.P]

Japan earthquake: hundreds feared dead as tsunami spreads across Pacific
• Up to 300 bodies found in Sendai city
• Reports of explosion at petrochemical plant
• Ship and passenger train missing
• Countries put on tsunami alert

http://www.guardian....e-tsunami-video


Hundreds of people are feared dead after Japan's biggest earthquake since records began struck the country's north-east coast, unleashing a 10-metre tsunami that swept away buildings, ships and vehicles. The tsunami triggered warnings across the Pacific region.

Police said they had found between 200 and 300 bodies in a coastal area of Sendai city, one of the worst-hit areas, the news agency Kyodo reported. There were reports of a major explosion at a petrochemical complex in Sendai.

Japanese coastguards were searching for a ship carrying up to 100 people that was swept away by the tsunami and an entire passenger train was unaccounted for, according to the agency.

The death toll is expected to rise, with landslides, collapsed buildings and at least 90 fires reported following the 8.9 magnitude shock. It rocked buildings 235 miles away in Tokyo, with experts saying it was about 1,000 times more powerful than the recent New Zealand quake. It has been followed by aftershocks with a strength of up to 7.1.

About 3,000 people who live near the Fukushima nuclear plant are being evacuated after a state of emergency was declared at the powerhouse. Officials said this was a precautionary measure.

The quake hit at 2.46pm Japan time (5.45am GMT), about 6 miles below sea level and 78 miles off the east coast. In Tokyo people screamed and grabbed each other's hands as it struck. The shock was so powerful it was felt as far away as Beijing.


View larger map Television footage showed a four-metre wave sweeping over embankments in Sendai city, carrying cars and houses – some on fire – across farmland, before reversing course and carrying them out to sea. Public broadcaster NHK showed images of a large ship ramming into a breakwater in Kennuma city, Miyagi prefecture.

The quake and tsunami halted air and rail services across large parts of the country. Eight military planes were scrambled to survey the damage as areas along Japan's entire Pacific coast braced for aftershocks and the possibility of more monster waves.

The Pacific tsunami warning centre in Hawaii said Japan, Russia, Marcus Island and the Northern Marianas had been put on alert. Tsunami watches have been issued for Guam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hawaii and the entire western coast of the US and Canada, from the Mexican border to Chignik Bay in Alaska.

Warnings were lifted for Australia and New Zealand but the first waves of the tsunami hit Hawaii in the early hours of Friday and were expected to grow larger through the day. Water surged over the seawall in Waikiki but stopped short of the area's hotels.

The Japanese prime minister, Naoto Kan, promised a quick response as he called an emergency cabinet meeting. "The government will make an all-out effort to ensure the safety of all the people and contain the damage to the minimum," he pledged in an emergency news conference, adding that he had set up a taskforce to co-ordinate the rescue effort.

The shutdown left 4m homes in and around Tokyo without power.

David Halton in Sendai said via Twitter: "Broken buildings. People without electricity. It's freezing."

Blaise Plant, also apparently tweeting from Sendai, said there were non-stop tremors with a big shock every 15 minutes or so.

"The buildings are all busted up ... massive billboards on the verge of falling ... We keep hearing sirens all over the place ... I hope everyone is ok. Stay safe Stay safe Stay safe."

But he also told friends: "Don't get me wrong ... we're not all jumping and screaming but just staying calm."

Joseph Tame, a Briton living in Tokyo, said concrete buildings were shaking as if they were made of jelly and high-rises swaying back and forth.

"Everyone was in shock. Some people were crying and no one really knew what was happening ... But what struck me was how calm everyone stayed even while it was happening."

Hiroshi Sato, a disaster management official in Iwate prefecture, said officials were having trouble getting an overall picture of the destruction.

"We don't even know the extent of damage. Roads were badly damaged and cut off as tsunami washed away debris, cars and many other things," he said.

The US Geological Survey said it was the biggest earthquake to hit Japan since officials began keeping records in the late 1800s and one of the biggest recorded in the world.

The quake is one of several to have struck north-east Japan this week, including one of magnitude 7.3 on Wednesday. In 1933 a magnitude 8.1 quake in the area killed more than 3,000 people. Last year fishing facilities were damaged by a tsunami caused by a strong quake in Chile.

Japan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, accounting for about 20% of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.


Japan earthquake: hundreds feared dead as tsunami spreads across Pacific | World news | The Guardian

 

[T.C.P]

My hopes and prayers are with the Japanese people, may the Almighty Allah, help all the survivors and provide blessing to all the damaged families so that they may get through this troubling time.


To the Japanese people, remain strong our thoughts and prayers are with you.

 

[kato]

Airborne radioactivity in the control room of Fukushima Daiichi has now spiked to a thousand times normal levels, after Japan decided to start venting steam into the facility to cool the reactor at least slightly. By now, enough water has already evaporated for the fuel rods of Block 1 to become partially exposed to air. Pressure and radioactivity within Block 1 of the plant is rising, with pressure standing at 50% above normal.

Fukushima Daiichi is shut down, but the emergency power supply was damaged to inoperable levels by the Tsunami. The emergency power supply is urgently needed to run the pumps to cool down the fuel rods from operating termperature to safe levels. Three mobile generators have already been flown in with more incoming, but apparently they've so far been unsuccessful in hooking them up. This lack of power to run the pumps affects all reactors in Block 1 thru 4. In Block 1, additionally, a coolant leak in the primary coolant network is suspected, leading to the above problems.

The surrounding area in a 3 km radius - 3000 people - has been evacuated with support of JSDF soldiers, evacuation in a 10 km radius is ongoing. The US Airforce is flying in additional coolant. The Japanese government claims to have the situation under control.

Problems with overheated fuel rods are also occuring at the Rokkasho reprocessing plant. There are 3000 tons of spent fuel rods stored at Rokkasho, currently being cooled using the emergency diesels (which aren't built for continuous operation).

 

[T.C.P]

The death toll is about to reach a thousand, International AID has started arriving.

Death toll in Japan megaquake tops 700 - police (WRAPUP 3) | World | RIA Novosti

 

[kato]

An explosion occured in Fukushima Daiichi tonight destroying part of the reactor hull. White smoke is rising from the site. Multiple people were injured.

It's considered possible that a partial meltdown has already happened. Radioactive caesium has already been found in the surrounding area, and radioactivity is at 20 times normal levels.

 

[T.C.P]

An explosion occured in Fukushima Daiichi tonight destroying part of the reactor hull. White smoke is rising from the site. Multiple people were injured.

It's considered possible that a partial meltdown has already happened. Radioactive caesium has already been found in the surrounding area, and radioactivity is at 20 times normal levels.

Wow this is bad. First the Earth Quake, then the Tsunami and now a Chernobyl, i feel really bad for the Japanese, hope they get through this okay.

May the great nation of Japan come through this strong.:japan

 

[Bonza]

To any of our members located in Japan or who have loved ones there, best wishes and good luck. I hope you all come through this safely.

 

[OPSSG]

To any of our members located in Japan or who have loved ones there, best wishes and good luck. I hope you all come through this safely.

+1 and my thoughts are with the Japanese people and the members of our forum in Japan at this time. In particular, I'm praying for the safety of the families who have been evacuated in the six-mile (10-kilometer) radius from the Fukushima 1 and 2 power plants.

Huge blast at Japan nuclear power plant

12 March 2011 -- Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan declared a state of emergency at the Fukushima 1 and 2 power plants as engineers try to confirm whether a reactor at one of the stations has gone into meltdown. It is an automatic procedure after nuclear reactors shut down in the event of an earthquake, allowing officials to take rapid action.

Television pictures showed a massive blast at one of the buildings of the Fukushima 1 plant, about 250km (160 miles) north-east of Tokyo. A huge cloud of smoke billows out and large bits of debris are flung far from the building. Japan's NHK TV showed before and after pictures of the plant. They appeared to show that the outer structure of one of four buildings at the plant had collapsed after the explosion.

...

In other news, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has dispatched a 5-man team of search specialists along with their rescue dogs to Japan. MAJ Tan Loo Ping, and three of the search team officers that just left for Japan, had just returned from Christchurch, NZ on 6 March 2011. [h/t to Alfie007]

If I'm not wrong, the SCDF still has people in Christchurch and are due to return to Singapore tomorrow. I believe a bigger SCDF team will follow on to go to Japan soon.

 

[kato]

Germany is sending a 40-man HUSAR module to the disaster area, plus a 4-man team to provide support for the German embassy. The HUSAR module is [part of the SEEBA unit of THW], which can field in excess of 70 men at any time.

Note: There are only 15 IEC-classified HUSAR units worldwide. In the wider area around the disaster area, there are four such units that could be fielded by Japan, China, Singapore and Australia. I think at least Singapore will probably send [its HUSAR unit].

 

[Ananda]

Evidance of Japan preparations for Earth Quake

This earth quake and the tsunamis that follow was as big or even bigger than earth quake and tsunamis that got Sumatra and Indies ocean. However with 'only' more than 1000 death (expected can reach close to 10,000 by some predictions) compare to 250.000 death in Sumatra and other Indies coastal region, by it self is the 'proof' of Japan preperations to earth quake and tsunamis.

Tragic as it's (with potential soem nuclear problem), if it's happen to other country I bet it can be ten or even hunded fold greter the casualties.

I saw a picture of a F-2 sweep away and hit building. Since the air base consists at eats 1 sq of F-2, it's uite a loss for F-2 fleet that was not big to begin with.

 

[OPSSG]

@Kato, agreed. The SCDF's Heavy Urban Search And Rescue (HUSAR) unit is likely to be sent, soon (as soon as the commander and remaining members return from New Zealand - as most of the heavy rescue equipment has been sent back to Singapore).

@Ananda, early hero of Japan's quake tragedy: its strict building codes. Kyle Mizokami has a list of JSDF assets deployed, here and the list is impressive. Initial reports, as of Saturday, suggest that 20,000 JSDF have been deployed in support of relief efforts, along with 190 aircraft and 25 ships. 48 school kids were rescued by the Maritime Self Defense Force (MSDF) after 24 hours on a disabled ship. The 66 person search team from Japan preparing to return from New Zealand to help in their home country. On later reports on Saturday, the Japanese Prime Minister has announced that size of the Self-Defense Forces relief mission has increased to 100,000 personnel.

@T.C.P da Devil, the Japanese government rates the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant at level 4, so it's not a Chernobyl (which is rated at level 7, Major Accident). For more details on the rating scale, see here. I also note that the Japanese nuclear plants are light water reactors (LWR), which are quite a different in design from Chernobyl (which is considered as a unsafe design). LWRs are cooled by water. After an emergency shutdown (also called a Reactor SCRAM), the reactor contains fission products that continue to decay away and continue to generate heat. The heat produced has to be carried away by water, or the fuel elements will get too hot and melt. In this case, there seems to be a problem with the cooling system after the LWR shut down. In the latest news, the Japanese government have announced that they are pumping in sea water, which a sign that the cooling system of the LWR is not working. As an update, the evacuation zone around Fukushima has been expanded to about 12 miles (20 kilometres).

 

[T.C.P]

@T.C.P da Devil, the Japanese government rates the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant at level 4, so it's not a Chernobyl (which is rated at level 7, Major Accident). For more details on the rating scale, see here. I also note that the Japanese nuclear plants are light water reactors (LWR), which are quite a different in design from Chernobyl (which is considered as a unsafe design). LWRs are cooled by water. After an emergency shutdown (also called a Reactor SCRAM), the reactor contains fission products that continue to decay away and continue to generate heat. The heat produced has to be carried away by water, or the fuel elements will get too hot and melt. In this case, there seems to be a problem with the cooling system after the LWR shut down. In the latest news, the Japanese government have announced that they are pumping in sea water, which a sign that the cooling system of the LWR is not working. As an update, the evacuation zone around Fukushima has been expanded to about 12 miles (20 kilometres).

Good to know.

The govt of Bangladesh is going to send a medical team to Japan to help the Tsunami struck people.

 

[Bonza]

@T.C.P da Devil, the Japanese government rates the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant at level 4, so it's not a Chernobyl (which is rated at level 7, Major Accident). For more details on the rating scale, see here. I also note that the Japanese nuclear plants are light water reactors (LWR), which are quite a different in design from Chernobyl (which is considered as a unsafe design). LWRs are cooled by water. After an emergency shutdown (also called a Reactor SCRAM), the reactor contains fission products that continue to decay away and continue to generate heat. The heat produced has to be carried away by water, or the fuel elements will get too hot and melt. In this case, there seems to be a problem with the cooling system after the LWR shut down. In the latest news, the Japanese government have announced that they are pumping in sea water, which a sign that the cooling system of the LWR is not working. As an update, the evacuation zone around Fukushima has been expanded to about 12 miles (20 kilometres).

Apparently the reactor that went up is an older design that uses backup generators to pump water through the cooling system, and the problems resulted from these generators being damaged in the earthquake. It's my understanding that newer reactors make more use of passive safeguards, such as gravity-driven cooling systems rather than electrically-driven ones. Thus these reactors can ensure proper cooling without the associated dependency on power sources like generators.

The following article gives a basic explanation of how reactors and their safety systems work, and has some information specific to Fukushima and what's likely to be happening in the reactor. I'm not familiar with the subject at all so I can't vouch for everything contained in the article, but I thought it gave a very basic but informative overview of the situation.

Nuclear energy 101: Inside the "black box" of power plants - Boing Boing

 

[OPSSG]

Good to know.

The govt of Bangladesh is going to send a medical team to Japan to help the Tsunami struck people.

More bad news.

Sunday, March 13, 2011 17:07 +0900 (JST) - Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says that a hydrogen explosion may occur at the No.3 reactor building of No.1 power plant in Fukushima prefecture. But he emphasized that an explosion should not cause health problems for evacuated residents. More details at link provided.

There's also an excellent article, 'Plant Safety Systems Questioned From Failed Reactor' by Rebecca Smith that provides some background. Peter Bradford, a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission at the time of the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania in 1979, said that the accident exposes shortcomings in risk analysis as well as in engineering. "The redundancy, such as it was, obviously was inadequate to the event that actually happened," he said.

 

[OPSSG]

Apparently the reactor that went up is an older design that uses backup generators to pump water through the cooling system, and the problems resulted from these generators being damaged in the earthquake. It's my understanding that newer reactors make more use of passive safeguards, such as gravity-driven cooling systems rather than electrically-driven ones. Thus these reactors can ensure proper cooling without the associated dependency on power sources like generators.

The following article gives a basic explanation of how reactors and their safety systems work, and has some information specific to Fukushima and what's likely to be happening in the reactor. I'm not familiar with the subject at all so I can't vouch for everything contained in the article, but I thought it gave a very basic but informative overview of the situation.

Nuclear energy 101: Inside the "black box" of power plants - Boing Boing

Galrahn has an excellent post on his blog that sets the context in a simple summary. He also has links to a longer post by Dr Josef Oehmen, a research scientist at MIT, in Boston. Read this longer post by Dr Josef Oehmen: 'Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors'. It is the best detailed post I've seen on the topic so far.

Now, where does that leave us?

* The plant is safe now and will stay safe.
* Japan is looking at an INES Level 4 Accident: Nuclear accident with local consequences. That is bad for the company that owns the plant, but not for anyone else.
* Some radiation was released when the pressure vessel was vented. All radioactive isotopes from the activated steam have gone (decayed). A very small amount of Cesium was released, as well as Iodine. If you were sitting on top of the plants’ chimney when they were venting, you should probably give up smoking to return to your former life expectancy. The Cesium and Iodine isotopes were carried out to the sea and will never be seen again.
* There was some limited damage to the first containment. That means that some amounts of radioactive Cesium and Iodine will also be released into the cooling water, but no Uranium or other nasty stuff (the Uranium oxide does not “dissolve” in the water). There are facilities for treating the cooling water inside the third containment. The radioactive Cesium and Iodine will be removed there and eventually stored as radioactive waste in terminal storage.
* The seawater used as cooling water will be activated to some degree. Because the control rods are fully inserted, the Uranium chain reaction is not happening. That means the “main” nuclear reaction is not happening, thus not contributing to the activation. The intermediate radioactive materials (Cesium and Iodine) are also almost gone at this stage, because the Uranium decay was stopped a long time ago. This further reduces the activation. The bottom line is that there will be some low level of activation of the seawater, which will also be removed by the treatment facilities.
* The seawater will then be replaced over time with the “normal” cooling water
* The reactor core will then be dismantled and transported to a processing facility, just like during a regular fuel change.
* Fuel rods and the entire plant will be checked for potential damage. This will take about 4-5 years.
* The safety systems on all Japanese plants will be upgraded to withstand a 9.0 earthquake and tsunami (or worse)
* I believe the most significant problem will be a prolonged power shortage. About half of Japan’s nuclear reactors will probably have to be inspected, reducing the nation’s power generating capacity by 15%. This will probably be covered by running gas power plants that are usually only used for peak loads to cover some of the base load as well. That will increase your electricity bill, as well as lead to potential power shortages during peak demand, in Japan.

 

[kato]

Read this longer post by Dr Josef Oehmen: 'Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors'. It is the best detailed post I've seen on the topic so far.

Actually that essay is generalizing and simplifying extremely, skipping over important details here and there, and is blatantly wrong in some other places.

In particular he's wrong regarding isotope decay (in almost all places he's referring to it in the essay!), the scale of residual heat generation, the state of the fuel rods in regard to isotopes found in the surrounding area, the cause of the Chernobyl disaster (!), the danger to humans from airborne radioactive isotopes, the decay products of uranium (!), the definition of a Level 4 Accident, the isotopes in a primary cooling cycle, the type of fuel rods used in some of the endangered blocks (cuz they're MOX)... need i go on?

Don't know what he got his doctor for, but i hope it's not nuclear physics.

Oh yeah, and claiming or proposing that a reactor block will be repaired that was supposed to be dismantled next month anyway should really cause some facepalms.

 

[T.C.P]

Hers an interesting Infograph from RIA Novosti about the damage to Japanese Nuclear power plants.

Quake impact on Japanese NPPs | INFOgraphics | RIA Novosti

Heres another artcle

http://en.rian.ru/world/20110313/162983492.html

 

[T.C.P]

Guys just saw this weird article.

Russia's Zhirinovsky calls on Japanese to move to Russia | Russia | RIA Novosti

I think this guy is nuts.