Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (March 11, 2011)

[RRW]

News: Kannagi's Locale Inspiration Seriously Damaged by Tsunami

[delirium]

Originally Posted by Highman

I don't want to make people upset about false news suddenly we may have our first American death in Japanese Tsunami/Quake

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_japan_...pphu-container

RICHMOND, Va. – A Virginia couple is mourning the death of their daughter after learning that her body was found in disaster-ravaged Japan, where she had been teaching English.

Taylor Anderson, 24, could be the first known American victim in the Japan disaster as authorities continue the daunting task of finding and identifying almost 13,000 people believed to be missing.

Anderson's family said in a statement that the U.S. Embassy in Japan called them Monday to tell them she was found in Ishinomaki, a city about 240 miles (390 kilometers) north of Tokyo.

I feel for her family, but the death toll is obviously going to get higher and higher as days turn into weeks and weeks into months. It's regrettable to be sure, and I hate to say this but nationality doesn't come into play in a disaster. 13,000 people are allegedly missing and presumed dead. It's wretched and saddening no matter the nationality. I know you're not putting any special meaning to an American being found dead, but I thought I should say what I have.

[RRW]

[delirium]

Originally Posted by RRW

picture

I saw a picture of that last week, isn't it disturbing? One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong!

[RRW]

The death toll from Japan's earthquake and tsunami rose to more than 9,000, Japanese officials said Tuesday. The number of confirmed dead is 9,079, while 12,645 remain missing, the National Police Agency of Japan said. An additional 2,663 people were classified as injured,

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Highman

I don't want to make people upset about false news suddenly we may have our first American death in Japanese Tsunami/Quake

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_japan_...pphu-container

RICHMOND, Va. – A Virginia couple is mourning the death of their daughter after learning that her body was found in disaster-ravaged Japan, where she had been teaching English.

Taylor Anderson, 24, could be the first known American victim in the Japan disaster as authorities continue the daunting task of finding and identifying almost 13,000 people believed to be missing.

Anderson's family said in a statement that the U.S. Embassy in Japan called them Monday to tell them she was found in Ishinomaki, a city about 240 miles (390 kilometers) north of Tokyo.

Her family was quoted as saying she loved her job and the people and that they've been told she died while rescuing students. Just one story out of thousands of moments in this mess.

Finally we get to hear some stories of gaijin who aren't fleeing the country and staying (like our fellow poster Mystique):
Disaster-hit Japan is home for foreigners who refuse to flee

[Guardian Enzo]

External power is now connecting to all six reactors, and is believed to working. Now it's going to be a question of what equipment is working and what isn't.

[jpawelw]

Watching NHK (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-gtv).
Just a few minutes ago they were showing schools in tsunami-stricken area. A closing ceremony of a junior high: a father present and receiving the report card for his dead son (had a big photo with him) and a student giving speach through tears. Except of this, looks quite normal. Another scene: a group, mostly girls, checking the class lists on this big board outside of school and reacting as may be seen in average school-life anime.
Also: small beginnings of cleaning up the devastated areas, Tokyo Big Sight being converted into temporary lodging, water distribution etc.

[Jeffry2009]

http://www.japantoday.com/category/c...don-restaurant

FUKUOKA — Two men stole an earthquake relief collection box from a “gyudon” restaurant in Fukuoka on Sunday night, police said Monday. According to police, at around 8:05 p.m., one man entered the diner, while his accomplice waited outside on a motorbike. The first man grabbed the donation box, containing around 10,000 yen, which was placed next to the cash register.

A member of the kitchen staff chased the men for 200 meters before eventually losing sight of them.

According to police, the man who entered the store was around 170 cm in height, of slim build and wearing a parka and a cap. He appeared to be of junior high school or high school age.

What the hell were they thinking? It's been a week after an earthquake till some crimes happening in Japan.

[delirium]

Originally Posted by Jeffry2009

http://www.japantoday.com/category/c...don-restaurant

FUKUOKA — Two men stole an earthquake relief collection box from a “gyudon” restaurant in Fukuoka on Sunday night, police said Monday. According to police, at around 8:05 p.m., one man entered the diner, while his accomplice waited outside on a motorbike. The first man grabbed the donation box, containing around 10,000 yen, which was placed next to the cash register.

A member of the kitchen staff chased the men for 200 meters before eventually losing sight of them.

According to police, the man who entered the store was around 170 cm in height, of slim build and wearing a parka and a cap. He appeared to be of junior high school or high school age.

What the hell were they thinking? It's been a week after an earthquake till some crimes finally happening here in Japan.

It's absurd that anybody in Japan would do something like that in the situation they're in. It's not uncommon for that sort of thing to happen on a large scale in the USA, and it's even more absurd to expect Japan to be any different. Expect more shit like this in the near future.

[sneaker]

Tepco workers are currently instructed on how to use a concrete pump (they will pump water though) from Germany, which has a 58 meter long arm. It was on its way to a customer anyways and only had to be rerouted.



If it proves successful an additional pump with a 70 meter arm will be send from Germany.

It seems the same manufacturer had also helped out during the accident in Chernobyl.
http://www.pmw.de/pm_online/data/BP_1148_D.pdf

[RRW]

http://spikejapan.wordpress.com/2011...ng-hot-summer/

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Finally we get to hear some stories of gaijin who aren't fleeing the country and staying (like our fellow poster Mystique):
Disaster-hit Japan is home for foreigners who refuse to flee

This is what I am looking forward to :

Some veteran foreigners think what Prime Minister Naoto Kan has called Japan's worst crisis since the end of World War Two might trigger fresh dynamism in Japan after two decades of stagnation and stalemate -- another reason to stay put.

Sounds like a good time to invest when Nikkei is falling.

[NameGoesHere]

Originally Posted by Jinto

@NameGoesHere,

one look at the image tells you that the reactor housing in the schematic drawing and the real one cannot be compared. So, every life size comparison based on the assumption its similar, leads to a very possibly false conclusion.

The concrete mixer in the photo is interesting however ^^'

I concur with your analysis. People should be able to think what they wish though, so I hope every body can view the ideas and draw their own conclusions.

Originally Posted by Tri-ring

Yes and no
All reactors are now on line but it will take some while to check all the systems before turning on the power or it may go out in a "Flash".

All that water sprayed all over the place does not work well with electricity.

I think the main problem is with the condition that the plant has faced all week.

Corrosion:
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/7661
http://www.npl.co.uk/upload/pdf/stress.pdf

It's a giant thread, there's a good post about chloride stress corrosion/sea water in here.

Also, stainless steel has poor neutron economy and acts as a parasitic absorber. Over time, the radiation causes the steel to swell, and it suffers doubly from helium embrittlement. Parts of the plant not designed for extreme conditions have been exposed. I could not find a simple explanation with Google about this...

More if you're inclined to read:
http://iweb.tms.org/Communities/FTAt...troduction.pdf

Might not be so bad, hopefully only the sea water corrosion will be a factor. It takes time for things to fall apart. But "restoring power" has been marketed as the solution when it's really not. Rather, we'll soon know just how bad it is (or isn't). IMHO, At least #1-#3 will never be used again and the only resolution is disassembly.

Edit: Didn't want to make a new post.

ORNL Accident analysis for BWR-4/MK-1 (90s)
http://sustainableenergytoday.blogsp...ts-primer.html

[RRW]

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Her family was quoted as saying she loved her job and the people and that they've been told she died while rescuing students. Just one story out of thousands of moments in this mess.

Finally we get to hear some stories of gaijin who aren't fleeing the country and staying (like our fellow poster Mystique):
Disaster-hit Japan is home for foreigners who refuse to flee

I'm not sure how to feel about that. I mean, I don't buy into the panic either, and I can certainly respect solidarity with their adopted home. But for those who have somewhere else to go, and not much to do in Japan at the moment (though I count having a job and helping the Japanese economy get back on its feet as something to do, so I'm not sure how many people that is either...), is it really a good idea to increase the number of people who'll have to be evacuated in a hurry if it all goes pear-shaped, however unlikely that is?

Like that guy who's got one month of supplies, and who is, I assume, retired. Wouldn't it be better for him to donate those supplies and go visit his family abroad or something?

[sneaker]

Originally Posted by RRW

http://fastcache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2011/03/reactor4-water.jpg

Yeah, my post was old news it seems. Also just found that picture.

Looks like they could need the additional 12 meters and more of these.

[Highman]

Originally Posted by delirium

I feel for her family, but the death toll is obviously going to get higher and higher as days turn into weeks and weeks into months. It's regrettable to be sure, and I hate to say this but nationality doesn't come into play in a disaster. 13,000 people are allegedly missing and presumed dead. It's wretched and saddening no matter the nationality. I know you're not putting any special meaning to an American being found dead, but I thought I should say what I have.

It's going to be higher as expected even for me I cannot even imagine to look at the situation. Maybe my heart is showing weakness into looking at grief and sorrow.

Natural Disaster are a pain to everyone.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

I'm not sure how to feel about that. I mean, I don't buy into the panic either, and I can certainly respect solidarity with their adopted home. But for those who have somewhere else to go, and not much to do in Japan at the moment (though I count having a job and helping the Japanese economy get back on its feet as something to do, so I'm not sure how many people that is either...), is it really a good idea to increase the number of people who'll have to be evacuated in a hurry if it all goes pear-shaped, however unlikely that is?

Like that guy who's got one month of supplies, and who is, I assume, retired. Wouldn't it be better for him to donate those supplies and go visit his family abroad or something?

The Japanese are highly appreciative of those who are staying to help in the affected areas... the ones who "run away" only reinforce the "outsider" stereotype of not being part of the team.

I'm not sure who doesn't have "much to do" in Japan... generally you can't even get a visa if you don't have "stuff to do".

[Random32]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

I'm not sure how to feel about that. I mean, I don't buy into the panic either, and I can certainly respect solidarity with their adopted home. But for those who have somewhere else to go, and not much to do in Japan at the moment (though I count having a job and helping the Japanese economy get back on its feet as something to do, so I'm not sure how many people that is either...), is it really a good idea to increase the number of people who'll have to be evacuated in a hurry if it all goes pear-shaped, however unlikely that is?

Like that guy who's got one month of supplies, and who is, I assume, retired. Wouldn't it be better for him to donate those supplies and go visit his family abroad or something?

1. By definition, if you are a foreigner in Japan, you have something to do. The vast majority of the time, they won't let you in for an extended period of time if you don't have something to do.
2. I would think they appreciate people staying and actually helping out more than people who help out by running away so they have less mouths to feed with limited resources.