Posted on 03/15/2011 8:13:35 AM PDT by SE Mom
Latest news from Japan:
From the BBC-
1456: Tepco says it may start pouring water from a helicopter over Fukushima Daiichi's reactor four in the next few days, to cool the spent-fuel pool.
1439: A 30km (18 mile) no-fly zone is in place around Fukushima, says the IAEA.
1436: The IAEA says Monday's blast at Fukushima may have affected the integrity of the containment vessel - there are fears of more serious radioactive leaks if happen.
1435: Following earlier reports, it appears there has been more than one strong aftershock in Japan - AP reports two tremors measuring over 6.0 within three minutes of each other.
Twitter-
-US Geological Survey counts 451 aftershocks since the initial earthquake struck Japan Friday. 238 of them registered magnitude 5.0 or more.
-Despite situations in Japan & Libya, spksmn Jay Carney says Pres Obama's 5-day trip to Brazil, Chile & El Salvador starting Fri night is on.
-FLASH: More U.S. military personnel in Japan testing positive for low-levels of radiation, relief missions to continue - Navy 18 minutes ago via web
Ping
Thanks for starting this, it was getting difficult to keep up with the ongoing disaster.
Meant to ping you- if you’d post those links you just posted on one of the other threads - thanks:)
Other useful links:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
Update (AP): Both the Journal and the Times report that the situation at reactor number two has stabilized in some respects, with a core group of 50 emergency workers remaining behind to pump sea water into the containment vessel. Radiation levels near the plant are reportedly down sharply after soaring following the explosion at reactor two. As Ed noted, the major concern right now appears to be the possibility of spent fuel rods boiling over; according to the NYT, that area is now so dangerous that workers can’t approach it.
On FOX this morning....they had the author of Krakatoa, talking about the Pacific “Ring of Fire”..He had a map..showing the quakes in Chile, then New Zealand, now Japan...if one gives credence to the theory that the big quake in Chile got the whole Pacific region going, then following the activity around the outlines of the palte..the next area is the pacific Northwest..the Cascadia fault, just offshore Washington...really scary hypothesis..
so what happened to the spent fuel rods in reactors 1 2 and 3? are those stored in the other reactors(ie 4)
I don’t know- good question.
Us cubicle dwellers appreciate any information we can get.
You’re the bomb, mom! Thanks.
BBC:
1513: Jeremy O’Neill, a Canadian trying to get home from Urayasu in Chiba prefecture, tells the BBC: “As a foreigner here, there is a growing sense of feeling trapped. People are handling the matter in different ways; some are panicking while others are turning a blind eye. All the while the uncertainty grows more palpable, with a lack of definitive information from authorities. That is the worst part - the uncertainty. I am from Vancouver in Canada and have been out here since August 2010. I was meant to be staying here until April 2011 but I just want to get home now. The situation doesn’t seem to be improving here. I have booked a flight home for tomorrow but many of the flights are getting cancelled - I feel trapped.”
1507: A spokesman for Japan’s meteorological agency says he does not know if there is a link between the strong earthquakes on Tuesday - including one of 6.0 magnitude - and Friday’s massive 9.0-magnitude tremor. He says the epicentres were quite far apart.
Still haven’t found that elusive shift key?
The epicenters were far apart and the last 6.1 quake was quite shallow...1 km.
His NCAA bracket needs to be finished by noon Thursday, so the South America trip shouldn't interfere with his biggest priority.
Thanks for the ping!
OT: Breaking news ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2689070/posts
Obama Taping NCAA brackets today for ESPN.
Politico ^ | March 15, 2011 | Mike Allen
“Fiddling while Rome burns”
All the spent fuel for the site is stored in reactor building 4.
The Spent Fuel pool is now the biggest worry, it is NOT in a containment vessel, it is exactly what it sounds like, A POOL. If the water boils off, the rods will be exposed to air and will melt, releasing huge amounts of radiation.
The last earthquake has now been revised upward by the USGS to 6.1
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_big.php
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