Breaking:Explosion at Tepco's Fukushima Daiichi plant heard around 0630 GMT

reuters ^ | 3-12-11

[rawhide]

Just in:

Explosion at Tepco's Fukushima Daiichi plant heard around 0630 GMT

NHK footage shows steam-like smoke coming from Tepco's Fukushima plant

[greedo]

I do not know if this is real or a hoax, but here is the link,

  Nuclear Fallout Map for Western U.S.

It was in the comments at the site linked at #112

[machogirl]

That is a very interesting way to phrase that. You are right.

[deks]

I have seen several comments that the fallout map is fake.

[Straight Vermonter]

The intensity of the radiation will be orders of magnitude smaller by the time it crosses the Pacific. Probably barely detectable above background levels.

[justa-hairyape]

Well this just gives you all kinds of confidence, but appears to be at least an honest statement. From BBC.

1122: A full quote from Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano's press conference: "As reported, we have been informed that there was some kind of an explosive phenomenon at Fukushima No 1 nuclear power plant, although it has yet to be confirmed whether [the explosion] was that of a nuclear reactor itself. At present, after the talks among political party heads held a while ago, government officials including the prime minister and the minister of economy, trade, and industry, along with experts, are making all-out efforts to get hold of and analyse the situation, and to take measures."

[Gaffer]

If you ask me, there is a matter of perspective coupled with different viewing angles that make it appear the building on the left is gone or heavily damaged. I also believe that optics magnification might be playing some tricks. Top photo, viewed from about 45 degrees to right, last building is there definitely, set closer to the water than the one next to it. Viewing angle is depressed more than the bottom (more of the roof) seen. Looks like it is also heavily magnified.

Bottom picture is farther away at a shallower angle and perpendicular to the buildings. The top half of the last building can be outlined; it has a darker appearance on at least the top half, even shown in the top picture....and all that can be seen from this angle might be the top half...

I'd say its there, maybe damaged but it isn't missing.

[deks]

Reportedly a news conference in Japan is scheduled for 6:30 am EST (8:30 pm Japanese time).

Links....

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

http://jibtv.com/program/?page=0

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/yokosonews

[justa-hairyape]

Sounds like the natives are getting restless. From BBC.

1052: Neil McKeown in Nakameguro, Tokyo writes: "The evacuation zone has been extended to 20km by the government. However TepCo [the Tokyo Electric Power Company] appeared in a news conference and promised to release new radioactivity readings after 6pm. It is now 7.30pm and they have not done so. People are getting extremely frustrated at the lack of news coming from TepCo and the government - they have yet to confirm if the building that suffered an explosion housed a reactor, and we have no indication how much radiation has been released or in what direction winds are blowing.

[listenhillary]

If we believed the hype of those that would reduce civilization back to cavemen, we should have exterminated ourselves already with the amount of radiation emitted by above ground nuclear tests.

A Time-Lapse Map of Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLCF7vPanrY

[advertising guy]

the wave hit 29 minutes and 31 seconds after the land stopped shakin

[Lady Heron]

I’m sick by this now, and this will ruin nuclear power from now on. The damn thing entirely failed.

Do not get me wrong, have had 2 family members in nuclear power one in hydro electric but who ever thought putting nuke plants on an island prone to earthquakes was a good idea was at fault here. Sometimes common sense needs to be used.

Do not get me wrong these are not the only problem nuke plants even places like Canada has one sitting on a fault line, granted not one that shakes that much but it is a fault line and worse case scenarios happen.

[greedo]

Winning!!

I fell for it.

[palmer]

You are incorrect. "flooding" is BS. 10-15 mg is sufficient according to scientific studies http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM198011063031903

More importantly, get some real facts about the situation before jumping in.

[goodnesswins]

mark

[EBH]

Press Release (Mar 12,2011)
Impact to TEPCO’s Facilities due to Miyagiken-Oki Earthquake (as of 3PM) http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/11031222-e.html

List of Press releases:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/index-e.html

[palmer]

wrong, 10-15 mg see http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM198011063031903

[Eye of Unk]

[sunmars]

The PM just saying now that there is a new development and the minister will inform you later, thats why we expanded the exclusion zone.

[listenhillary]

These went online in 1971 I think. We can build them safer and better. We will learn from this situation. The other reactors in Japan seemed to handle the 8.9 earthquake admirably.

[deks]

Could you please cut and paste the URL from the BBC page that you are using?

(If one does not add any HTML code in the reply box, then the URL is automatically made a clickable link).