8.8 Earthquake in Japan

[Cat]

How terrible it is to see cars speeding away from water that is surrounding them on 3 sides.

Life's a bitch.

[LiQuiD]

[12:06 p.m. ET, 2:06 a.m. Tokyo] Radiation level rising in Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant turbine building, Kyodo News Agency reports.

[The Saltman]

yikes

[LiQuiD]

I don't want to be specific about where I work, but people are all over this in my office. Conference rooms have been taken over. It is definitely serious.

I used to do journeyman refueling. I've had lots of training on reactor operations and can see the seriousness of the situation for what it really is. I'm sure you know more about it than I do, though.

[Kettle]

wow where did u hear that?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061023195839AANjUw0

I used to do journeyman refueling. I've had lots of training on reactor operations and can see the seriousness of the situation for what it really is. I'm sure you know more about it than I do, though.

i've been on a few refuel floors and in some dry wells doing inspections, but for the most part I do models and drawings. the people who know all about it are leaning over maps and such right now.

[Zcustom]

totally insane. hope they get those reactors cooled

[Squirrel]

Where does these networks get some of these people. Guy on tv just said "lift capacity is something the US can supply. We can fly water in by helicopters". Yeah idiot like a helicopter can fly from the US to Japan reasonably.

[Squirrel]

Was at 85 around 2am up to 134 right now. Alot of powerful aftershocks.

[Johnny Rockets]

Where does these networks get some of these people. Guy on tv just said "lift capacity is something the US can supply. We can fly water in by helicopters". Yeah idiot like a helicopter can fly from the US to Japan reasonably.

might they have helicopters located in the region already?

[Squirrel]

might they have helicopters located in the region already?

Yes, but wouldnt they need the water themselves and also not all of Japan is devastated they could fly in there own water in the region.

[Johnny Rockets]

Yes, but wouldnt they need the water themselves and also not all of Japan is devastated they could fly in there own water in the region.

When I mentioned having helicopters in the region I wasn't referring to the region of destruction I was more talking about that region of the world.

Actually water is what caused half this mess, doubt they would even want to see water right now.

The need for water will most likely be in the coming days/weeks. I am sure a ship full off water with helicopters could head over from Hawaii if need be and drop off whatever is needed if it couldn't be delivered from within the country.

[theedaddy]

water is NO JOKE. i've been in 15 foot REPEATING waves and I almost lost my mind. I have all the respect of water, it does more damage than wind, even during hurricanes....

[Swarly]

CNN breaking news headline says another 6.6 magnitude earthquake just hit Japan... damn.

[LiQuiD]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/11/japan-tsunami-earthquake-live-coverage

6.46pm GMT: A nuclear expert speaking to CNN said that "a worst case scenario" was a Chernobyl-style meltdown if power and cooling could not be restored. But he stressed that it was a remote possibility.

6.41pm GMT: More details on the planned release of radioactive vapour to reduce pressure on the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, where Japan's nuclear safety agency said pressure in one of six boiling water reactors had risen to 1.5 times the level considered normal.

The Associated Press reports:

After the quake triggered a power outage, a backup generator also failed and the cooling system was unable to supply water to cool the 460-megawatt No. 1 reactor, though at least one backup cooling system is being used. The reactor core remains hot even after a shutdown.

The agency said plant workers are scrambling to restore cooling water supply at the plant but there is no prospect for immediate success.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the 40-year-old plant was not leaking radiation. The plant is in Onahama city, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.

If the outage in the cooling system persists, eventually radiation could leak out into the environment, and, in the worst case, could cause a reactor meltdown, a nuclear safety agency official said on condition of anonymity, citing sensitivity of the issue.

Another official at the nuclear safety agency, Yuji Kakizaki, said that plant workers were cooling the reactor with a secondary cooling system, which is not as effective as the regular cooling method.

Kakizaki said officials have confirmed that the emergency cooling system — the last-ditch cooling measure to prevent the reactor from the meltdown — is intact and could kick in if needed.

"That's as a last resort, and we have not reached that stage yet," Kakizaki added.

6.38pm GMT: Japanese authorities will release radioactive vapor to ease pressure at nuclear reactor, it has just been announced.

More to come on this.