Quake/Tsunami

[glatt]

This is the location on Google Street view, so you can check it out. This is actually fairly far from the open water of the coast. It's alongside an inlet. I've heard tsunamis get magnified or focused in places like this.

[Clodfobble]

NYTimes has an amazing set of before/after satellite photos. They're imposed on top of each other with a slider in the middle so you can compare directly.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...R_AP_LO_MST_FB

[tw]

Originally Posted by glatt

I've heard tsunamis get magnified or focused in places like this.

Remember, most of the tsunami energy was directed out into the Pacific. Japan only got a backdoor backlash.

Meanwhile, I was not kidding about the dire consequences of those multiple reactor meltdowns. Two went dry. That means the containment vessel was breeched and draining. Days later, Tokyo Electric (TEPCO) would not admit that.

Apparently the diesel generators were working. And were supposed to be monitored by a technician who, instead, went elsewhere to do other work. The generators stopped maybe due to no fuel. Then, as diesels can do when let run dry, it could not be restarted. Did a tsunami kill the generators? Apparently not. Therefore management was lying. Trying to be politically correct – which is akin to a felony.

Rather than be honest, TEPCO refused to admit the seriousness of radiation leakages. Government had to step in and call for evacuations and 'do not go outside' warnings. TEPCO was more worried about their reputation when at least two reactors already had breeched. TEPCO is sounding more like the incompetent management that created and then repeatedly lied about Three Mile Island 2.

Those posts in large letters were because I already knew from details what TEPCO would not announce for over twenty four hours later. Containment vessels had been breached. And at least two reactors were permanently destroyed.

What I did not know was that maybe 100 workers had already been contaminated to the point of radiation sickness. Some have already died. A few are still unaccounted for. AND control rooms have been without power. These reactors were being controlled by sending people to a valve and manually changing that valve. Like in Three Mile Island, the control room had almost no working controls. People had to run into radiation filled rooms, find a valve, change it, and run out.

So that they do not look bad, TEPCO management has been downplaying all this.

Reactor 4 did not even have fuel in it. That explosion was a complete surprise. Fuel was sitting in a pool outside of the containment vessel. No one bothered to notice that fuel was not being cooled. So that fuel also went dry. Melted. Resulting in maybe two explosions.

How incompetent was TEPCO? Two other reactors still could produce electricity. But only if TEPCO management understood technology, got off their asses, and requisitioned what was needed to connect those power generators to the others. They did not even keep pumps working in an adjacent building to keep that fuel cool. So even Reactor 4 that had been off since last November – it too exploded.

As soon as sea water was dumped into it, that reactor is gone. Toast. Scrap iron. Will never be functional. That is how desperate TEPCO has been to stop a complete meltdown while saying they were getting things under control. TEPCO engineers have been panicked for at least three days. Deja vue Three Mile Island.

A complete meltdown of three (or more) reactors is inevitable. Its not idle chatter that helicopters may have to bury the reactors in sand. All workers (the last 50) were removed because radiation levels are that excessive. The reactors, without power, must save themselves. TEPCO's incompetent management was more worried about saving face than saving an entire Japanese Prefecture. Those posted capital letters were a warning that extreme. Apparently I was wrong. It was even worse.

Well, it took about 5 days for America to finally learn that Metropolitan Edison was lying constantly about Three Miles Island. As any business school graduate would do so as deflect blame. It has taken about 5 days to realized how often TEPCO was lying. The difference. Each one of four Fukushima reactors are worse than what happened in Three Mile Island. None will be a Chernobyl. But the situation has been far more severe than anyone here realized. I thought it was much worse than what they were saying. We now know it was even worse than I had speculated.

America has never had a disaster (not even close) to what has just happened in Japan. Both the flood and a nuclear disaster (even though First Energy worked so hard to create one).

[TheMercenary]

If you would like to see some graphic video of what it would be like to be in a tsunami at the ground level watch this. Absolutely incredible.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/vid...n_tsunami.html

[Undertoad]

The tw speculation is off the charts here; reaction containment has been breeched, and plumes of misinformation, nonsense and confusion can be seen for miles.

Originally Posted by tw

Those posts in large letters were because I already knew from details what TEPCO would not announce for over twenty four hours later.

At the point you wrote that, TEPCO was announcing it on national Japanese TV.

Some have already died. A few are still unaccounted for.

Source: tw's ass

Good information is available from the Nuclear Energy Institute, World Nuclear News, and MIT.

[Undertoad]

No I'm wrong, there have been several deaths. OK.

[Spexxvet]

My world has been turned upside-down.

[Undertoad]

Nope, the NY Times story is wrong. There have been no deaths at the plant. Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has PDFs of news releases since the quake. They detail the injuries that have happened and why. There are no deaths listed.

[monster]

0254: Updated casualty figures for the quake just in: 5,178 people dead and 8,606 missing, AFP quote police as saying.

from the BBC

OMFFSM

[tw]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

The tw speculation is off the charts here; reaction containment has been breeched, and plumes of misinformation, nonsense and confusion can be seen for miles.

The first breech may have been known on Saturday. But TEPCO continued to deny any breech occurred even days later. Cesium on Saturday said things were far worse than TEPCO reported.

UT's cited article had much misinformation. Once TEPCO was pouring seawater inside each reactor, then that reactor was being trashed. They were using their last and most destructive option; contrary to misinformation in UT's source. Because events were worse than a rosy picture they were painting. The first of major problems were known on Saturday – less than 24 hours after the earthquake.

Meanwhile, US government officials believe at least one pool containing spent nuclear material is completely dry. That means melting and outgassing radioactivity. The only reason that explains multiple explosions and fires. No reason for this other than mistakes (ignorance) at the highest levels of management. Danger from fuel stored outside the containment vessel is also contrary to what TEPCO wanted everyone to believe. An otherwise completely safe reactor had two explosions with fire because problems were ignored. Incompetence. Officials are calling for the Japanese military to (futility) pour water in via helicopters because the threat is much greater than they (or UT) will admit.

Bottom line reality. Three nuclear reactors are trashed. A fourth is now so radioactive as to be dangerous to human life. Unknown is how operators in two adjacent reactors are dealing with periodic high (but not deadly) levels of radioactivity that must be inside their control rooms. Bottom line - TEPCO has been outputting so much contrary and misleading information that even Japan's Prime Minister had enough - privately scolded TEPCO management for intentional misinformation or complete technical ignorance. Even the Emperor had to do something he rarely does. A speech to calm the nation.

Details say this is much worse than others easily manipulated by propaganda (ie UT) would have us believe.

How many days does it take to connect a power line? In emergencies, done in hours or a day. TEPCO still has not strung wires that should have been started 24 hours after the earthquake. Again, management was that ignorant or complacent.

In an early response to power loss, TEPCO management sent generators (some flown in by the US military). Generators that were found incompatible only after those generators arrived. Another example of why TEPCO management may be that incompetent. And why reactor operators are suffering from insufficient support.


Current tsunami death counts are irrelevant. Relevant is what exists (uncounted) now and whether that final count will exceed 20,000. We know those current numbers are too small. But numbers below 20,000 explain how well prepared for and drilled the Japanese were in disaster response. Hundreds of thousands were given only ten minutes to get to high ground. Amazing how many reacted so quickly.

[TheMercenary]

Predictions for radioactive plume. Interesting graphic. Click upper left button.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...ml?ref=science

[glatt]

It's worth noting:
"Health and nuclear experts emphasize that any plume will be diluted as it travels and, at worst, would have extremely minor health consequences in the United States."

Things suck bad right now for Japan, but we're OK.

[monster]

I keep forgetting I'm much nearer to Japan than I used to be. And that it's really west of us.

[Pete Zicato]

Originally Posted by monster

I keep forgetting I'm much nearer to Japan than I used to be.

Actually, just a little closer.

Wolfram says 5896 miles from London to Japan. 6436 miles Ann Arbor to Japan.

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i...gland+to+japan

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i...higan+to+japan

Useful site, by the way.

[monster]

Because all Brits come from London, right?