Earthquake in japan

[Twoducks]

When I went on holyday this was just a big quake and wave but with one victim. Terribly sad to see how it has escalated .

As a journalist, I’m also very pissed at how the Spanish media (well, half the world too) is treating this. Two days ago the word “Apocalypse” was thrown around in the first page freely like a joke in more than one paper. First humanitarian empathy with all the loss of life THEN, if you must, the sensationalist fear spreading. Who would have thought that I would get more information out of a forum dedicated to a thirty year old cartoon than from professional news media.

That, and as some local video bloggers that are on Japan right now are saying, Japan is a big country, not just the parts that got hit. So the Japanese people, with a little help from the rest of us, will come out of the so called “apocalypse”.

[sketchley]

The alert levlel isn't new. France has been saying this event should be classified as a level 6 for a couple days.

Yes. It is new (well, at the time). You must keep in mind that this is from the local authorities who have all the facts that are available, and not the opinion of authorities overseas who may or may not have all the available facts and may or may not have accurate translations and may or may not be able to read maps correctly (I say this last one because there are governments urging their citizens to leave Nagoya and Osaka; places that are unaffected.)

The following article has a map of the Tohoku area with radiation readings for 12 hours on Friday.

Steps to avoid exposure to fallout: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110319f1.html

Other articles on the disaster (as BBC has started to drop coverage...)

Workers battle against time: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110319a1.html

Repairs to infrastructure start but relocation urged: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110319a2.html

Prefectures open shelters for tsunami survivors: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110319a3.html

and an optimistic story:

Japan earthquake: Tsunami survivor found eight days on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12793925

(at the time of writing, the article hasn't clearly indicated that the man was found in one of the debris piles near the edge of the sea in a city that was flattened by a multi-metre tsunami.)

Edited March 19, 2011 by sketchley

[TehPW]

...who said all goverments were created equal (and not filled with despots, royalty or elected retards?)?

[eugimon]

Yes. It is new (well, at the time). You must keep in mind that this is from the local authorities who have all the facts that are available, and not the opinion of authorities overseas who may or may not have all the available facts and may or may not have accurate translations and may or may not be able to read maps correctly (I say this last one because there are governments urging their citizens to leave Nagoya and Osaka; places that are unaffected.)

The following article has a map of the Tohoku area with radiation readings for 12 hours on Friday.

Steps to avoid exposure to fallout: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110319f1.html

Other articles on the disaster (as BBC has started to drop coverage...)

Workers battle against time: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110319a1.html

Repairs to infrastructure start but relocation urged: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110319a2.html

Prefectures open shelters for tsunami survivors: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110319a3.html

and an optimistic story:

Japan earthquake: Tsunami survivor found eight days on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12793925

(at the time of writing, the article hasn't clearly indicated that the man was found in one of the debris piles near the edge of the sea in a city that was flattened by a multi-metre tsunami.)

Well, you can keep following the government story but most everyone agrees that the official story has been woefully under-reported in severity and magnitude from the beginning. I mean, even the Japanese government fessed up to downplaying events.

If you read the description of the INES stages, it was completely laughable for the Japanese government and toykyo electric to insist that the partial meltdowns were only a stage 4 event.

[CrazyMartian]

I just read this on ANN...

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-03-18/macross-ii-producer-hiroshi-kakoi-passes-away-in-quake

I really enjoyed Macross II...

[azrael]

I just read this on ANN...

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-03-18/macross-ii-producer-hiroshi-kakoi-passes-away-in-quake

I really enjoyed Macross II...

We already have a thread for it: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=34819

[Renato]

R.I.P. Mr. Kakoi.

Was this posted before? I think it's for kids to understand the news.

[Repiv_Onex]

I've been homeless, I know what it's like to go a week without food and having rich people walk around saying, " I'm praying for you" did little to keep me warm or feed me. The temp in Sendai at night is dropping to -2 C, your fraking prayers aren't going to keep people from freezing to death.

You didn't see my sarcasm in praying, what I meant was, rather than praying, we could do way a lot other than just donation of physical items.

If you want to pray, send warm wishes, send positive vibes, whatever to japan, fine do so. But you're doing it to make yourself feel better.

Why do you think the Japan Emperor step out to encourage his people? Do you think is a waste of time and he should spend the time on more paper work and plans and action to help out his people rather than just talking? Given what you have said, I can't help to think this way.

I think the emperor's words were a help to his people. Yes, the people are still homeless, hungry etc. But I do believe this move strengthen the will of the people.

Don't let the low confirmed death numbers fool you

I don't see how this is related to donations. I mean you will contribute less if there were less deaths? To me is the same, I will do whatever I can no matter how much the death is. (Edit2: I must say that was a shameful overstatement of mine, I was too emotional when I typed those. Pardon me.)

Though I disagree with you, I'm not saying you were wrong. I share the same intention with you, we all want the Japan people to be safe.

Edit: I understand I will be warned for a ban if I continue such posts. I apologise. I will stop posting such posts.

Edited March 19, 2011 by Repiv_Onex

[VF-19]

R.I.P. Mr. Kakoi.

Was this posted before? I think it's for kids to understand the news.

That's... Oddly hilarious, and accurate. The crazy thing is, is that equating a meltdown with breach of containment to a leaky diaper makes a for a good analogy.

[Shadow]

It looks like the media is already moving onto to other stories which isn't surprising.

I tried contacting my old homestay family but haven't heard back yet. They were living in the Yokohama area when I stayed with them but that was 4 years ago so I'm hoping they haven't ended up closer to the disaster area since then.

[ff95gj]

Who would have thought that I would get more information out of a forum dedicated to a thirty year old cartoon than from professional news media.

Me too. As I can't read Japanese, the only way I can learn some 1st hand (and thereby accurate) information about the problem in Japan is from fellow MWers.

[Renato]

They just yesterday found a 16 year-old boy and his 80-year-old grandmother on day 9 after the quake/tsunami, and it seems they were fine, albeit fairly dehydrated. They had been having lunch in the kitchen when disaster struck and survived thanks to a small space that was created in the rubble, and fed off some yoghurt that was lying around. There has been quite a number of these miraculous survivor stories, I'm sure there's many more trapped who are awaiting rescue, so let's hope they get it soon.

In other news, the British Embassy is handing out iodine tablets as a precautionary measure in Tokyo, Niigata and Sendai. I phoned them and told them that I was out of town and coming back to Tokyo on Thursday, but since the distribution period is only until Tuesday, could I just pick mine up at the Embassy later in the week. I was told no, because they don't know if there'll be any left by then. Then I said, OK, well, I've got my passport here, maybe if I just give you my details you can write them down and I'll put in a reservation... but they weren't having any of it. "First come, first served, sorry!" What the hell.

To be honest, it's not that important and I'm not really that worried because it's just a precaution for an absolute worst-case scenario which is extremely unlikely, but, jeez. Thanks for reminding me why I left, Britain.

[David Hingtgen]

Just FYI, but excess iodine can be as bad as radioactive iodine. Depending on one's age, it can be pretty iffy as to what's the greater danger. Don't take iodine willy-nilly. Kind of like injecting atropine into your heart---you really shouldn't unless you have to, not just because "well it could maybe prevent something".

Anyways---neat animation of Japan's GPS receivers moving. Left/blue is horizontal displacement, right/red is vertical. Note how many don't go back to their previous locations, and how it ripples throughout the entire island chain.

Around the 27 sec mark you can also notice a large aftershock.

[sketchley]

Anyways---neat animation of Japan's GPS receivers moving. Left/blue is horizontal displacement, right/red is vertical. Note how many don't go back to their previous locations, and how it ripples throughout the entire island chain.

Around the 27 sec mark you can also notice a large aftershock.

Good find. Because of that, I found this one:

(It's an animation based off of all the earthquakes alerts during a 1 week period leading up to and and after the big one. All the dots are locations that felt movement, and the degree of movement on the Japanese Scale is indicated at the bottom.) Note the two separate, concurrent series of Earthquakes...

Going back to David Hingtgen's linky - yes, the ripple went through the entire island (and the rest of the world), but the farther one was from the epicentre, the less likely one was to have felt it. Where I was (at the time at work on the 3rd floor of a building in Moriguchi City (that's Eastern Osaka Prefecture, near the Panasonic HQ), it didn't feel AT ALL like a normal earthquake. It felt more akin to vertigo, with the head dropping side to side. A lot of people (students, parents and so on) also reported similar feelings. In our area, if the people I asked hadn't look at suspended things, such as clothes hangers, they didn't even realize it was an earthquake.

Still, scary stuff when one realizes the scale of the thing. Even scarier stuff when one sees the subsequent tsunami on TV. Even worse if one saw it first hand. (A day or so ago I received word from a friend in Kujukuri Town (on the side of Chiba Prefecture facing the epicentre), and he said that the tsunami stopped ACROSS THE STREET from his parents-in-law house that he was staying at, at the time. :!: )

Well, as the experts have been saying (in regards to the reactor situation): the tsunami is the bigger disaster. If you're thinking about donating, now is the best time; as supply chains have been set up to the survivors, and emergency shelter construction has begun.

In the Kansai area, I've heard reports that baby food has run out (or is in extremely short supply), and that there are limits on things like toilet paper and diapers (possibly other things as well). Apparently people are hoarding...

EDIT: interesting. This site auto-embeds Youtube links. Interesting.

Edited March 21, 2011 by sketchley

[David Hingtgen]

Huh, it didn't use to---you couldn't embed them at all in fact, no matter what method you tried.

[sketchley]

Huh, it didn't use to---you couldn't embed them at all in fact, no matter what method you tried.

I think it's the difference between using Youtube's embed feature (I believe your linky has that) and just a copy/paste of the address (my linky).

Anyhow, news:

Foreign media take flak for fanning fears: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110321f1.html

Iodine from plant detected in Tokyo (useful as it has a chart showing the radiation levels measured in the Tohoku region for the 24 hour period from 03.19 17:00 to 03.20 17:00): http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110321a2.html

Death toll to exceed 15,000 in Miyagi alone: police chief (includes total deaths and unaccounted for persons): http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110321a3.html

For locals:

Latest threat: radiation-contaminated food: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110321a4.html

Rain may force Tepco to cut power: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110321a6.html

World Nuclear News:

Insight to Fukushima engineering challenges (includes INES ratings): http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_Insight_to_Fukushima_engineering_challenges_1803112.html

Stabilisation at Fukushima Daiichi: http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_Stabilisation_at_Fukushima_Daiichi_2003111.html

and a quote from the last link. Attn on the tsunami height the plants were designed for and the estimated height of the one that hit.

Tsunami data

The Fukushima power plants were required by regulators to withstand a certain height of tsunami. At the Daiichi plant the design basis was 5.7 metres and at Daini this was 5.2 metres.

Tepco has now released tentative assessments of the scale of the tsunami putting it at over 10 metres at Daiichi and over 12 metres at Dainii.

The plant sites were inundated, causing the loss of residual heat removal systems at both sites as well as emergency diesel generators at Daiichi.

[rdenham]

Things just keep getting worse it seems the new police estimate puts the death toll at 18,000, the World Bank said rebuilding may cost $235 billion and more cases of radiation-tainted vegetables and tap water are turning up

Edited March 21, 2011 by rdenham

[HEY BOYS]

Workers are evacuated

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/afp/smoke-at-japan-nuclear-plant-workers-evacuated-operator/430602

Edited March 21, 2011 by HEY BOYS

[Renato]

Here's where TEPCO is putting up their frequent press releases.

http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/f1-np/press_f1/2010/2010-j.html

They give brief progress reports on the situation over at the power plant. Yes, the last one did show that greyish smoke was spotted coming out of reactor 3 this afternoon, but apparently it's dying down. Also, the workers are at the time of the report taking refuge "indoors" -- I would say "evacuated" sounds a little too extreme.

Oh, and can we change the thread sub-title from 8.9 to 9.0? Yeah, it was THAT big.

[Marzan]

Here's where TEPCO is putting up their frequent press releases.

http://www.tepco.co....010/2010-j.html

They give brief progress reports on the situation over at the power plant. Yes, the last one did show that greyish smoke was spotted coming out of reactor 3 this afternoon, but apparently it's dying down. Also, the workers are at the time of the report taking refuge "indoors" -- I would say "evacuated" sounds a little too extreme.

Oh, and can we change the thread sub-title from 8.9 to 9.0? Yeah, it was THAT big.

9.0? That's almost unbelievable. I have to say that all things considered, I'm in awe of the japanese building code and the quality of the infrastructure. As far as I can gather from most news reports and what some of you guys have written, the massive damage stems mostly from the tsunami, not the quake itself. It's amazing that most of the buildings and roads survived a 9.0 relatively intact.

[KiriK]

R.I.P. Mr. Kakoi.

Was this posted before? I think it's for kids to understand the news.

I thought this video was great! gives me hope...

[EXO]

Huh, it didn't use to---you couldn't embed them at all in fact, no matter what method you tried.

We've been able to embed videos since the update before last. Before that only the mods could do it.

[eugimon]

9.0? That's almost unbelievable. I have to say that all things considered, I'm in awe of the japanese building code and the quality of the infrastructure. As far as I can gather from most news reports and what some of you guys have written, the massive damage stems mostly from the tsunami, not the quake itself. It's amazing that most of the buildings and roads survived a 9.0 relatively intact.

That's because the epicenter was off shore. If it happened in the middle of downtown Tokyo, it would probably be a different story.

[David Hingtgen]

We've been able to embed videos since the update before last. Before that only the mods could do it.

Really? I've tried various methods for years---could on every other site, but never here.

[anime52k8]

Really? I've tried various methods for years---could on every other site, but never here.

yep, as the the IPB 3 update just put the youtube link in the [media] tags.

Edited March 22, 2011 by anime52k8

[Renato]

Further to the Japan Times article on foreign press getting flak for sensationalizing, I found this database of stupid over-the-top news articles related to the disaster, complete with a "Severity of Offense" rating for each:

http://jpquake.wikispaces.com/Journalist+Wall+of+Shame

Oh, British tabloids, how lovely to see you again.

Also:

"Shibuya Eggman"?? Fox News, that pinnacle of journalism, has mistaken a live house for a f*cking nuclear power plant. The mind boggles. Actually, I think Fukuyama played there many years ago, maybe they should check him for radiation.

[Gubaba]

Also:

"Shibuya Eggman"?? Fox News, that pinnacle of journalism, has mistaken a live house for a f*cking nuclear power plant. The mind boggles. Actually, I think Fukuyama played there many years ago, maybe they should check him for radiation.

Jeez, I hope the Zepp Tokyo and Shibuya Quattro plants are holding up...

[frothymug]

Oh noes, someone made a mistake on a live show. I haven't seen anyone actually just come out and correct their mistake. What's the name of the plant supposed to be?

[eugimon]

Further to the Japan Times article on foreign press getting flak for sensationalizing, I found this database of stupid over-the-top news articles related to the disaster, complete with a "Severity of Offense" rating for each:

http://jpquake.wikispaces.com/Journalist+Wall+of+Shame

Oh, British tabloids, how lovely to see you again.

Also:

"Shibuya Eggman"?? Fox News, that pinnacle of journalism, has mistaken a live house for a f*cking nuclear power plant. The mind boggles. Actually, I think Fukuyama played there many years ago, maybe they should check him for radiation.

Considering Fox get's things like entire NATIONS wrong...

You can't honestly expect them to get something like that correct, can you?

[Renato]

Oh noes, someone made a mistake on a live show. I haven't seen anyone actually just come out and correct their mistake. What's the name of the plant supposed to be?

They didn't just get the name wrong. I really, really doubt there are any nuclear power plant in Tokyo!

This image here can be used as comparison:

http://www.nucleartourist.com/world/japan.htm

[Gubaba]

Oh noes, someone made a mistake on a live show. I haven't seen anyone actually just come out and correct their mistake. What's the name of the plant supposed to be?

Renato's right. There's no plant there, or anywhere even close to there.

[Renato]

Considering Fox get's things like entire NATIONS wrong...

You can't honestly expect them to get something like that correct, can you?

That is, like... nope, I got nuffin'. Poor Iraq. Gets blown up, then forgotten about.

[HEY BOYS]

http://yokosonews.com/live/

[Renato]

I guess I will take this opportunity to state that a lot of shelves in stores around the country are still on the empty side in terms of bottled water, toilet paper, tissues, instant noodles, etc. Although I'm sure this was due to hoarders during the early days, now it seems that a lot of the stock allocated to other parts of the country is being re-distributed to supply the disaster-stricken areas and the shelters therein. Well, in that case I don't really have a problem with that, obviously.

In other news, the rolling power outages in Tokyo and the surrounding areas may be reorganized into 25 groups, from the current five. Also, it was announced that there is a possibility they may continue well into summer and winter.

Lastly, Mizuho Bank, whose ATM systems broke down last week because they couldn't handle all the simultaneous transactions being made following the quake/tsunami, has announced the service should be online later today.

Overall, things are getting better. I hope the temporary housing for the refugees is coming along well, though.

[sketchley]

Considering Fox get's things like entire NATIONS wrong...

Oh...

my...

god...