Japan earthquake and tsunami

These pictures are freaking me out. I feel really helpless.

SS109 wrote: I saw a headline about a supermoon causing this earthquake. Never heard this theory before.

On March 19, the moon's orbit will make its closest approach to Earth in 18 years while at the same time be in full phase.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2011/03/the_supermoon_and_the_japan_ea.html

Now they are evacuating a 10 kilometer area around the reactor. This doesn't sound good. Holy Moley, if they get Chernobyl on top of this I doubt if Japan will ever recover. This could be a huge hit to the world's economy, too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

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.

This really doesn't look good at ALL!

http://www.businessinsider.com/fukushim ... ant-2011-3


Update: 4:29 PM ET: Anti-nuclear expert Kevin Kamp explains the nightmare scenario in Fukushma, via Forbes and the Institute for Public Accuracy:

“The electrical grid is down. The emergency diesel generators have been damaged. The multi-reactor Fukushima atomic power plant is now relying on battery power, which will only last around eight hours. The danger is, the very thermally hot reactor cores at the plant must be continuously cooled for 24 to 48 hours. Without any electricity, the pumps won’t be able to pump water through the hot reactor cores to cool them. Once electricity is lost, the irradiated nuclear fuel could begin to melt down. If the containment systems fail, a catastrophic radioactivity release to the environment could occur.

“In addition to the reactor cores, the storage pool for highly radioactive irradiated nuclear fuel is also at risk. The pool cooling water must be continuously circulated. Without circulation, the still thermally hot irradiated nuclear fuel in the storage pools will begin to boil off the cooling water. Within a day or two, the pool’s water could completely boil away. Without cooling water, the irradiated nuclear fuel could spontaneously combust in an exothermic reaction. Since the storage pools are not located within containment, a catastrophic radioactivity release to the environment could occur. Up to 100 percent of the volatile radioactive Cesium-137 content of the pools could go up in flames and smoke, to blow downwind over large distances. Given the large quantity of irradiated nuclear fuel in the pool, the radioactivity release could be worse than the Chernobyl nuclear reactor catastrophe of 25 years ago.”

Meanwhile, Kyodo is reporting that local radiation levels are 8 times more than normal.

Update 4:43 PM: Now according to Kyodo, radiation is measured at 1000x normal.

I can imagine nuclear power in earthquake prone Japan is going to be much less popular.

Hopefully they find a good way to keep those rods cool. I am betting the Japanese do a much better job preparing for a disaster than the Chernobyl staff did.

a video from a friend on FB
Brookings Oregon...Chetco River keep in mind this is many thousands of miles across the Pacific ocean

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.ph ... 0&comments

CinnamonGirl wrote: These pictures are freaking me out. I feel really helpless.

....uh, because you are!

Liberals have a fascination that we can control earth....remember that feeling next time someone tells you ...that you can control the earth from burning up from CO2.

Prayers and thoughts for all people in Japan.

residenttroll wrote:

CinnamonGirl wrote: These pictures are freaking me out. I feel really helpless.

....uh, because you are!

Liberals have a fascination that we can control earth....remember that feeling next time someone tells you ...that you can control the earth from burning up from CO2.

Prayers and thoughts for all people in Japan.

I think she meant helpless as in not being able to reach out and readily help the victims, not control the earth. :bash But it's nice to know you can inject your politics into a catastrophe like this.
Hey, it nearly made 60 posts before somebody did. Might as well be a troll.

And yes, prayers for all people in Japan

Photo-fish wrote: But it's nice to know you can inject your politics into a catastrophe like this.
Hey, it nearly made 60 posts before somebody did. Might as well be a troll.

Do your research. That award belongs to your girlfriend, girlfriend. First comment on the thread actually

LadyJazzer wrote: Obama's fault, no doubt...

Baileyboy wrote:

Photo-fish wrote: But it's nice to know you can inject your politics into a catastrophe like this.
Hey, it nearly made 60 posts before somebody did. Might as well be a troll.

Do your research. That award belongs to your girlfriend, girlfriend. First comment on the thread actually

LadyJazzer wrote: Obama's fault, no doubt...

Facts are stubborn things - to quote a liberal.