Japan: Exodus eyed early in nuke crisis / Tokyo faced evacuation scenario: Kan

Japan Times ^ | 09/19/11

[TigerLikesRooster]

Exodus eyed early in nuke crisis

Tokyo faced evacuation scenario: Kan

Kyodo

In the days immediately after the crisis began at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the government received a report saying 30 million residents in the Tokyo metropolitan area would have to be evacuated in a worst-case scenario, former Prime Minister Naoto Kan revealed in a recent interview.

Kan said he contemplated the chaos that would ensue if such a measure were taken.

"It was a crucial moment when I wasn't sure whether Japan could continue to function as a state," he said.

After the March 11 earthquake and tsunami crippled the plant, Kan instructed several entities to simulate a worst-case scenario. One of those assessments said everyone residing within 200 to 250 km of the plant — an zone that would encompass half to all of Tokyo and cut clear across Honshu to the Sea of Japan — would have to be evacuated.

"I felt risk was at its highest during the first 10 days of the crisis," said Kan, who resigned earlier this month.

/snip

Later, a few days after returning to Tokyo, Kan heard March 15 that then Tepco President Masataka Shimizu wanted his staff in the Fukushima facility to evacuate.

/snip

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[Jonah Hex]

[bgill]

I seems they proved large scale evacuation from the island wasn’t going to happen then or in the future. If you’re there, you’re there without much of a chance unless you have your own boat or private plane and air field.

[justa-hairyape]

Perhaps they should have evacuated.

63,000 Bq/Kg of Radioactive Cesium from Rooftop of Apartment Bldg in Yokohama City

BTW - Yokohama City is south of Tokyo.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Cuban missle crisis stuff indeed TLR.

We were prepared, have always been.

I feel for the people who were not prepared and you could read the panic in their faces. Bottom line: I dont care WHERE you live on this planet, you can be victim at any time to naturual disasater, flash mob/civil disburbances, errant launch of a scud from a threatening neighbor, terrorist-released WMD in a major city, Beslan-type hostage situation even in peaceful suburban areas by Islamofascists, financial market crash/ curfews, martial law, pandemics, foods shortages or WTO-type anarchic rioting. Best to always, ALWAYS be stocked and ready with stuff to hold you over for at least two months; and in area where one can do so, be trained, be armed and ammo'ed up. We are not talking rocket science here folks in these days in which we live.