Now it's Japan's turn

[Interceptor]

If it's safe why are they looking at venting radioactive gases into the atmosphere and why are they sending in military personnel and evacuating the area around the plant?

The cooling systems were damaged and venting may be required to prevent an escalation of the problem.
Nuclear plants are safe in general -this is an extreme event and while damage has occurred, it should be containable (as long as they can pump water around the nuclear rods).

[Brucetiki]

The number 1 cooling tower has apparently exploded - Sky News, Fox News and CNN footage showing smoke billowing out of the tower.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/specia ... 6020058265

45 000 people have been evacuated.

[fish]

There's been an explosion at the nuclear power plant

An explosion was heard and white smoke was reportedly seen at Japan's quake-hit Fukushima No.1 nuclear plant today, Jiji press agency said.

Several workers were reported to be injured in the explosion, and smoke was seen billowing out of the plant.

The walls and roof of the quake-damaged nuclear plant in Japan have been destroyed in a blast, local broadcaster NHK reported.

Radioactivity at the plant was 20 times over the normal level, and Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission has said it may be experiencing meltdown...


...Long before the problems created by the tsunami, a series of serious incidents in Japan's ambitious civilian nuclear power industry over the last decade have raised concern about its attention to safety and the role of government regulators.

The history of Japan's nuclear incidents includes a pattern of problems being kept secret or passed off as far less serious than they actually were.

In 2007, several electric utilities admitted covering up accidents, including one that experienced an uncontrolled nuclear reaction inside a reactor while it was shut down for maintenance. The same year, Tokyo Electric Power Co. - which operates the two Fukushima plants - apologized for a radiation leak caused by an earthquake at a plant that had not been built to withstand a quake of that magnitude.

[Brucetiki]

The earthquake moved Japan's coastline by about 2.4 metres and the earth moved on it's axis by about 10 centremetres!

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiap ... index.html

[Brucetiki]

The number 1 cooling tower has apparently exploded - Sky News, Fox News and CNN footage showing smoke billowing out of the tower.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/specia ... 6020058265

45 000 people have been evacuated.

Now 80 000 evacuated and radiation is leaking

[RustyCage]

There's been an explosion at the nuclear power plant

An explosion was heard and white smoke was reportedly seen at Japan's quake-hit Fukushima No.1 nuclear plant today, Jiji press agency said.

Several workers were reported to be injured in the explosion, and smoke was seen billowing out of the plant.

The walls and roof of the quake-damaged nuclear plant in Japan have been destroyed in a blast, local broadcaster NHK reported.

Radioactivity at the plant was 20 times over the normal level, and Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission has said it may be experiencing meltdown...


...Long before the problems created by the tsunami, a series of serious incidents in Japan's ambitious civilian nuclear power industry over the last decade have raised concern about its attention to safety and the role of government regulators.

The history of Japan's nuclear incidents includes a pattern of problems being kept secret or passed off as far less serious than they actually were.

In 2007, several electric utilities admitted covering up accidents, including one that experienced an uncontrolled nuclear reaction inside a reactor while it was shut down for maintenance. The same year, Tokyo Electric Power Co. - which operates the two Fukushima plants - apologized for a radiation leak caused by an earthquake at a plant that had not been built to withstand a quake of that magnitude.

The reactors at the two plants use some of the oldest nuclear technology, dating to the 1960s.

If you look at more modern reactors they have a measures in place to counter this issue. The issue here isnt that nuclear power isnt safe because the issue Japan is having with them (unable to keep them cool) is not ap problem with better designed reactors.

[fish]

Thankfully it looks like the nuclear threat has eased.

JAPAN'S Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said serious damage to a stricken nuclear reactor container was unlikely despite a large explosion at the plant.

The assurance was contained in a Kyodo news report and follows explosion at the Fukushima No 1 power plant earlier on Saturday, a day after the massive earthquake damaged the facility's cooling system.

[Brucetiki]

Thankfully it looks like the nuclear threat has eased.

JAPAN'S Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said serious damage to a stricken nuclear reactor container was unlikely despite a large explosion at the plant.

The assurance was contained in a Kyodo news report and follows explosion at the Fukushima No 1 power plant earlier on Saturday, a day after the massive earthquake damaged the facility's cooling system.

I wonder if they resorted to doing a Homer Simpson...

[Punk Rooster]

It has been predicted 2012 is coming

what, after 2011?
No way....

[therisingblues]

Seeing the aerial footage on the BBC here of the tsunami pushing inland and taking buildings and traffic with it I suspect that figure will rise considerably

Doesn't 'therisingblues' live over there??? Hope he and his family are nowhere near any of this.

Regards
JAS

Theri was the first person I thought of, the footage I've seen is just terrible, I hope we hear from him soon

On the lighter side (if you can call it that I guess), in one of the news reports, they had just shown the first lot of youtube clips and after the clip, the announcer said something to the effect of "I'm surprised that even through such a powerful earthquake, people didn't think of their lives, they instead got out their cameras and took this amazing footage"

and I said to my mate " whaddya mean he's surprised, they're Japanese!"

Yes - second person I thought of - first person my cousin and his family - but I can't remember where abouts they live.

Hope they are all safe.

Heard it on the news before we left home to go out tonight - but I had no idea how bad it was till we returned home

Thanks for the concern, but we are okay. We live on Fukuoka, not far from A Mum's cousin (if my memory serves me right).

We have been experiencing a completely unrelated event that has kept me so busy recently that I haven't been able to post on the net.
(I originally typed a much longer reply, but for some reason when I tried to post it, I was informed that I had to log in to do quotes! And lost everything I typed. Begs the question, how did I get to the "post a reply" page if I wasn't logged in?)

[Footy Chick]

Hooray!

We were all very worried Theri, thanks for letting us know you're okay!

If you get a bit of time and fix your computer bugs up, can you let us know what you experienced/are experiencing?

[fish]

Glad to hear you're OK theri, it must be chaos over there.

[fish]

Meanwhile a third nuclear reactor may be on red-alert.

FUKUSHIMA Daiichi Nuclear Plant No. 3 reactor's emergency cooling system is not functioning, Reuters reports.

If confirmed it would be the third nuclear power plant to go on red alert following a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan.

I still can't see how people can say nuclear power is safe when Japan is still using outdated nuclear technology and has a less-than-acceptable approach to safety, even before the earthquake/tsunami?

[A Mum]

Thanks for the concern, but we are okay. We live on Fukuoka, not far from A Mum's cousin (if my memory serves me right).

We have been experiencing a completely unrelated event that has kept me so busy recently that I haven't been able to post on the net.
(I originally typed a much longer reply, but for some reason when I tried to post it, I was informed that I had to log in to do quotes! And lost everything I typed. Begs the question, how did I get to the "post a reply" page if I wasn't logged in?)

Glad you're okay !!
But I'm sure all a bit scary and probably too close to home.

When I spoke to my cousin he didn't say exaclty where he was just 'Far south of the earthquake and on the west coast".
Only thing they had to contend with was no phone service and a 'mild' tsunami warning.

[Barto]

Seeing the aerial footage on the BBC here of the tsunami pushing inland and taking buildings and traffic with it I suspect that figure will rise considerably

Doesn't 'therisingblues' live over there??? Hope he and his family are nowhere near any of this.

Regards
JAS

Theri was the first person I thought of, the footage I've seen is just terrible, I hope we hear from him soon

On the lighter side (if you can call it that I guess), in one of the news reports, they had just shown the first lot of youtube clips and after the clip, the announcer said something to the effect of "I'm surprised that even through such a powerful earthquake, people didn't think of their lives, they instead got out their cameras and took this amazing footage"

and I said to my mate " whaddya mean he's surprised, they're Japanese!"

Yes - second person I thought of - first person my cousin and his family - but I can't remember where abouts they live.

Hope they are all safe.

Heard it on the news before we left home to go out tonight - but I had no idea how bad it was till we returned home

Thanks for the concern, but we are okay. We live on Fukuoka, not far from A Mum's cousin (if my memory serves me right).

We have been experiencing a completely unrelated event that has kept me so busy recently that I haven't been able to post on the net.
(I originally typed a much longer reply, but for some reason when I tried to post it, I was informed that I had to log in to do quotes! And lost everything I typed. Begs the question, how did I get to the "post a reply" page if I wasn't logged in?)

Glad you checked in. Don't have your email adress.

[Psyber]

If it's safe why are they looking at venting radioactive gases into the atmosphere and why are they sending in military personnel and evacuating the area around the plant?

What isn't safe is management failure - building the things where they are likely to get damaged, and not having multiple redundancy in the back up generators to assist cooling if the main power goes down,
It sounds like maintenance of the existing back up system they did have wasn't good either.
From memory, the one's that have failed appear to have been old technology, as was suggested in a post above.

[JAS]

Just to echo what others have...very relieved to hear you and yours are ok theri.

Regards
JAS

[fish]

If it's safe why are they looking at venting radioactive gases into the atmosphere and why are they sending in military personnel and evacuating the area around the plant?

What isn't safe is management failure - building the things where they are likely to get damaged, and not having multiple redundancy in the back up generators to assist cooling if the main power goes down,
It sounds like maintenance of the existing back up system they did have wasn't good either.
From memory, the one's that have failed appear to have been old technology, as was suggested in a post above.

So were the nuclear plants unsafe when they were built?

Or did they become unsafe sometime between then and now?

[JAS]

This comparison certainly seems to show just how enormous the Japan quake was...the difference between 7.1 (Haiti) and 8.9 (Japan) is fair greater than a lot people might realise...


Regards
JAS

[GWW]

The Richter scale is a little difficult to fully comprehend.

Does anyone know how much more powerful the Japanese earthquake was compared to the one in Christchurch?