[NEWS] Japan Earthquake/Tsunami/Nuclear Crisis 2011

[stavie33]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

oh my god I hope you're safe JX. Other than my friends, I do have cousins in Tokyo, but they said they are currently safe, but this is just so horrific, it's struck me harder than any earthquake/tsunami disaster I've ever dealt with, not just having people I know there, but because Japan is my favorite country, and I wish to live there someday (been there many times before) and to see this happen to it is such a tragedy

[benguino]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

Actually we're afraid of nuclear rain, which may happen after this meltdown (at least cesium 137 was detected outside the power plant).

Currently we are not sure how it will turn out yet, but possible worst result will be like chernobyl's case (hope not).

Oh my. I hope things don't things don't escalate to that level. The damage is already bad enough over there.

I wish Japan the best of luck, as I put my thoughts/prayers/hopes/wishes/etc toward Japan and its people.

[Shikari]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

I've heard about this meltdown, and what government is doing to stop and prevent something serious.

I hope everything goes fine for people there. Even if I don't have relatives or friends, it's disturbing to think about all of this. :/

[DotKritic]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

2 Japanese plants struggling to cool radioactive material

Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet; shifted Earth's axis

U.S. man dies taking tsunami photos

edit: You know what's weird? Price per barrel of oil is hovering just over US$101; down US$3 from yesterday.

[dag12]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

So apparently there was an explosion at the plant, with radioactive materials.possibly released now. Not certain though, been watching Japanese.news broadcasts...

[DotKritic]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

I heard there was an explosion NEARBY one of the plants with one of the plants leaking.

[jimerax]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

omg it's likely that the worst thing has happened.

I'll probably have to escape from here.. still waiting for more informations.

[DotKritic]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

omg it's likely that the worst thing has happened.

I'll probably have to escape from here.. still waiting for more informations.

I'd leave ahead of the crowd. You know...just in case.

[DossarLX ODI]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

The amount of damage that has occured in the past 48 hours is ridiculous. I hope this can be resolved soon.

[Ziergdsx18]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

I'd leave ahead of the crowd. You know...just in case.

^Totally this jimerax, just in case the worst DOES happen. Praying for everyone's safety over there bro.

[Ziergdsx18]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

Posting this to keep this thread updated of the current situation on japan:

Walls fall, smoke pours from Japan nuclear plant

SENDAI, Japan – An explosion at a nuclear power station tore down the walls of one building Saturday as smoke poured out and Japanese officials said they feared the reactor could melt down following the failure of its cooling system in a powerful earthquake and tsunami.

It was not clear if the damaged building housed the reactor. Tokyo Power Electric Co., the utility that runs the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, said four workers were injured but details were not immediately available.

Footage on Japanese TV showed that the walls of one building had crumbled, leaving only a skeletal metal frame standing. Puffs of smoke were spewing out of the plant.

"We are now trying to analyze what is behind the explosion," said government spokesman Yukio Edano, stressing that people should quickly evacuate a six-mile (10-kilometer) radius. "We ask everyone to take action to secure safety."

The trouble began at the plant's Unit 1 after Friday's massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake and the tsunami it spawned knocked out power there. The disaster has killed hundreds of people and devastated the country's northeastern coast, where rescuers began slowly arriving Saturday.

The toll of destruction was still not known more than 24 hours after the quake since washed-out roads and shut airports have hindered access to the area. An untold number of bodies were believed to be buried in the rubble and debris.

The official death toll stood at 413, while 784 people were missing and 1,128 injured. In addition, police said between 200 and 300 bodies were found along the coast in Sendai, the biggest city in the area near the quake's epicenter. Local media reports said at least 1,300 people may have been killed.

Adding to worries was the fate of nuclear power plants in the region. Japan has declared states of emergency for five nuclear reactors at two power plants after the units lost cooling ability.

The most troubled one is facing meltdown, officials have said.

Pressure has been building up in the reactor — it's now twice the normal level — and Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told reporters Saturday that the plant was venting "radioactive vapors." Officials said they were measuring radiation levels in the area.

The reactor in trouble has already leaked some radiation: Operators have detected eight times the normal radiation levels outside the facility and 1,000 times normal inside Unit 1's control room.

Wind in the region is weak and headed northeast, out to sea, according to the Meteorological Agency.

Ryohei Shiomi, an official with Japan's nuclear safety commission, said that even if there was a meltdown, it wouldn't affect people outside a six-mile (10-kilometer) radius — an assertion that might need revising if the situation deteriorates. Most of the 51,000 residents living within the danger area had been evacuated, he said.

Meanwhile, the first wave of military rescuers began arriving by boats and helicopters.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said 50,000 troops would join rescue and recovery efforts following the quake that unleashed one of the greatest disasters Japan has witnessed — a 23-foot (7-meter) tsunami that washed far inland over fields, smashing towns, airports and highways in its way.

"Most of houses along the coastline were washed away, and fire broke out there," said Kan after inspecting the quake area in a helicopter. "I realized the extremely serious damage the tsunami caused."

More than 215,000 people were living in 1,350 temporary shelters in five prefectures, or states, the national police agency said. Since the quake, more than 1 million households have not had water, mostly concentrated in northeast.

The transport ministry said all highways from Tokyo leading to quake-hit areas were closed, except for emergency vehicles. Mobile communications were spotty and calls to the devastated areas were going unanswered .

Local TV stations broadcast footage of people lining up for water and food such as rice balls. In Fukushima, city officials were handing out bottled beverages, snacks and blankets. But there were large areas that were surrounded by water and were unreachable.

One hospital in Miyagi prefecture was seen surrounded by water. The staff had painted an SOS on its rooftop and were waving white flags.

Prime Minister Kan said a total of 190 military aircraft and 25 ships have been sent to the area, which continued to be jolted by tremors, even 24 hours later.

More than 125 aftershocks have occurred, many of them above magnitude 6.0, which even alone would be considered strong.

Technologically advanced Japan is well prepared for quakes and its buildings can withstand strong jolts, even a temblor like Friday's, which was the strongest the country has experienced since official records started in the late 1800s. What was beyond human control was the killer tsunami that followed.

It swept inland about six miles (10 kilometers) in some areas, swallowing boats, homes, cars, trees and even small airplanes.

"The tsunami was unbelievably fast," said Koichi Takairin, a 34-year-old truck driver who was inside his sturdy four-ton rig when the wave hit the port town of Sendai.

"Smaller cars were being swept around me," he said. All I could do was sit in my truck."

His rig ruined, he joined the steady flow of survivors who walked along the road away from the sea and back into the city on Saturday. Smoke from at least one large fire could be seen in the distance.

Smashed cars and small airplanes were jumbled up against buildings near the local airport, several miles (kilometers) from the shore. Felled trees and wooden debris lay everywhere as rescue workers coasted on boats through murky waters around flooded structures, nosing their way through a sea of debris.

Basic commodities were at a premium. Hundreds lined up outside of supermarkets, and gas stations were swamped with cars. The situation was similar in scores of other towns and cities along the 1,300-mile-long (2,100-kilometer-long) eastern coastline hit by the tsunami.

In Sendai, as in many areas of the northeast, cell phone service was down, making it difficult for people to communicate with loved ones.

"I'm waiting for my son to come here. But I cannot tell him he should come over here because mobile phones aren't working," a woman in her 70s told Japanese TV at a shelter in the town of Rikuzentakada, which appeared to be largely destroyed by the tsunami.

"My husband is missing," she said. "Tsunami water was rising to my knees, and I told him I would go first. He is not here yet."

President Barack Obama pledged U.S. assistance following what he called a potentially "catastrophic" disaster. He said one U.S. aircraft carrier was already in Japan and a second was on its way. A U.S. ship was also heading to the Marianas Islands to assist as needed, he said.

Most trains in Tokyo started running again Saturday after the city had been brought to a near standstill the day before. Tens of thousands of people had been stranded with the rail network down, jamming the streets with cars, buses and trucks trying to get out of the city.

Japan's worst previous quake was a magnitude 8.3 temblor in Kanto that killed 143,000 people in 1923, according to the USGS. A magnitude 7.2 quake in Kobe killed 6,400 people in 1995.

Japan lies on the "Ring of Fire" — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching around the Pacific where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur, including the one that triggered the Dec. 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami that killed an estimated 230,000 people in 12 countries. A magnitude-8.8 quake that shook central Chile in February 2010 also generated a tsunami and killed 524 people.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan_earthquake

http://www.euronews.net/2011/03/12/explosion-at-japanese-nuclear-reactor

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tbstv#utm_campaign=twitter.com&utm_source=4939766&utm_medium=social

A firefighter looks at burned-out vehicles at Hitachi port, northeastern Japan, on Saturday March 12, 2011, one day after a giant quake and tsunami struck the country's northeastern coast.

Anybody who can provide more information would be greatly appreciated.

[championanwar]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

@Ziergdsx18 I just got that on the news, ****ing hell man. . . Devastation amounts just keeps going up :/. . . Aweful how so many people can be killed like that >:. .

I just heard: That most people are still carrying on as normal- brave people.

[kommisar]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

Radiation will only affect 20 km radius , building won't result in another ussr incident thank goodness

[Patashu]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

heard that the radiation measurements around the plant are dropping

[krunkykai22]

Re: Massive 8.9-magnitude quake hits Japan

omg it's likely that the worst thing has happened.

I'll probably have to escape from here.. still waiting for more informations.

Dude, I've read countless times people being told to migrate away from Japan. Couple friends I have that live in Japan flat out told me everyone is in chaos and havoc trying to get away for the time being. I really hope your safe and hope you reach better ground soon, in case something does happen.