Japan quake disaster

[yoshi]

Re: Japan quake disaster

Hi Pol, again, many thanks for the link to a nice music.
I repeated it many times. I just thought or I'm almost sure that I know the melody. I heard it somewhere not once or twice but many times long years ago.But I could not recall it.

by the way as I do not have a horse to travel with, maybe I have to tame and train a wild pig instead someday. This was taken a few years ago at my place.

yoshi

[Bob Ross]

Re: Japan quake disaster

Hi Yoshi,
My first "big & damaging" quake was in 1971 in Southern California and we had two weeks plus of after shocks. I spent the first four days at work after the quake, not at my desk, but bolting filing cabinets together to keep them from dancing around. It is amazing just how lively a 500 to 800 lb filing cabinet can get during an after shock, much less during the original quake.
That was when I developed the "numbness", though the "internal stopwatch" would start with each rumble.
California has a long main fault (San Andreas Fault) north to south and the theories and worries are that something big at one end would set off a chain reaction of quakes along the whole fault. Japan is located near three geologic plates, unlike California's two. This presents more possibliities for adjustments and it may depend on how deep or shallow the epocenters are as well.
Hey Yoshi, I am with you in not moving for the moment and when and if you do move, remembel the mountains and solid rock to absorb the vibrations is the best place to be. Best of luck in finding adaquate food supplies and petrol.
Stay safe, Yoshi.
Bob

[Ian]

Re: Japan quake disaster

Been doing more research on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant problems. The focus of concern is primarily on the spent fuel container pond in the inactive reactor 4 building. Unlike the fuel in the other reactors, which is separated from the environment by the reactor vessels and surrounding containment structures (which are under the box-like houses that were destroyed by hydrogen explosions) the spent fuel is not in a sealed containment structure. The spent fuel still gets hot and the worry is that it might break through the zircalloy cladding of the fuel rods. But if they can get the water cooling going again, then the danger goes away very quickly.

It seems that the tsunami overwhelmed all the backup diesel generators, flooding them and making them useless. Batteries kept the water pumps going for 8 hours but after that there was no way to pump the water in the reactors or the spent fuel ponds. The residual water in the two reactors that experienced explosions turned to hydrogen, which was vented out of the reactor vessels and the containment strictures and into the space inside the reactor houses. That's where the explosions happened, but the containment structures protected the reactors from these explosions. Chernobyl had no containment protection, so the reactor was breached and fuel was exposed to the air.

The spent fuel in the storage ponds is less dangerous than fresh fuel, but the rods still contain radioactive materials so that is the primary focus for containment at the moment.

If they can get water circulating again in the ponds, then the main danger will have been averted. As Yoshi reported it appears that replacement generators have arrived and are now being installed. The question is whether or not the pumping system will still work once the power is restored!

Ian

[Pol]

Re: Japan quake disaster

The other serious concern is for the survivors of the tsunami Are adequate supplies and assistance likely to be getting through to Iwate, Miyaga and other stricken areas yet, or likely to be getting through very soon?

I don't know if the lists are updated regularly but here's an online person finder

http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=en

Pol

[Ian]

Re: Japan quake disaster

The other serious concern is for the survivors of the tsunami Are adequate supplies and assistance likely to be getting through to Iwate, Miyaga and other stricken areas yet, or likely to be getting through very soon?

I don't know if the lists are updated regularly but here's an online person finder

http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=en

Pol

There certainly seems to be a lot of short term shortages of food and fuel, and for some even shelter. These areas are normally supplied via the local ports, but they have all been destroyed. So the authorities really need to get going a supply chain by road and air to relieve the survivors.

Ian

[Pol]

Re: Japan quake disaster

There certainly seems to be a lot of short term shortages of food and fuel, and for some even shelter. These areas are normally supplied via the local ports, but they have all been destroyed. So the authorities really need to get going a supply chain by road and air to relieve the survivors.

Ian

That's what I've been wondering. I can't seem to find much information as to how the aid is getting through, the status of the roads and likelihood of supplies and power getting to them.

It's to be hoped there'll be power, help and supplies getting through very soon as it's so cold for them. Also great risks from disease. Many orphans and also people scavenging in the wreckage for food.


Pol

[Pol]

Re: Japan quake disaster

That's what I've been wondering. I can't seem to find much information as to how the aid is getting through, the status of the roads and likelihood of supplies and power getting to them.

It's to be hoped there'll be power, help and supplies getting through very soon as it's so cold for them. Also great risks from disease. Many orphans and also people scavenging in the wreckage for food.

Pol

P.S ... lorries refusing to go into some areas because they think it's contaminated. This is within Yoshi's geneal area - so I was wondering if there might also be the same sort of reluctance for them to drive further north and along the coast roads too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12780060

I can't find any rolling feeds about the rescue operations. They all seem to be concentrating on the 'nuclear' situation and 'financial' matters.

Pol

[Bob Ross]

Re: Japan quake disaster

There are a few areas that I haven't heard any updates.
There were generators half way around the world in Florida that were to be sent. No info on how they were to travel. When I heard about this, I wondered if these were really the closest ones? Where are they now?

The USS Ronald Regan was on route and would swap out the war planes for helicopters and then get to work helping get aid to where it is needed and evacuation, too. Where are they now?

Part of the rethinking for preparations will probably involve mobile emergency power generating units.
Bob

[ash]

Re: Japan quake disaster

I wish I had a helicopter, I would be there helping, its awfull what has happened!

[Pol]

Re: Japan quake disaster

There are a few areas that I haven't heard any updates.
There were generators half way around the world in Florida that were to be sent. No info on how they were to travel. When I heard about this, I wondered if these were really the closest ones? Where are they now?

The USS Ronald Regan was on route and would swap out the war planes for helicopters and then get to work helping get aid to where it is needed and evacuation, too. Where are they now?

Part of the rethinking for preparations will probably involve mobile emergency power generating units.
Bob

I haven't been able to find much information either. The BBC report HERE was the most informative I came across earlier today.

Lack of fuel and bad weather aren't helping matters.

Another report HERE from Kyodo indicates how desperate it is for some who have to rely on small boats.

From the snippets I've been finding about evacuation centers I've concluded that Yoshi was very wise to stay where he is. The people within that 20-30km zone are all having to rely on what supplies they have in their homes as they have to stay in their homes. I gather it's an advisory rather than an order (so far) but there'd be no point in them trying to get to shops as the shops aren't able to get more supplies either as far as I can tell. Those are the places where delivery lorry drivers fear it's contaminated by radiation.

So it seems there are still some challenging access problems.

Pol

[Pol]

Re: Japan quake disaster

I've just come across a link to an amazing map showing amount of radiation in the air in each prefecture of Japan. I'm not the scientific type myself but there's a lot of detail for anyone interested.

http://www.targetmap.com/viewer.aspx?reportId=4870

Lots of news coming in about relief for the evacuees, the homeless etc. It finally looks as though things may be starting to improve slightly.

The BBC live link is still the best imo. That's where I found the link to the above map.

Pol

[Ian]

Re: Japan quake disaster

My mates at What Digital Camera and Amateur Photographer magazines have started a fund-raising project for the Japanese quake and Tsunami disaster. If you would like to support the cause, please see:

http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/new...mera-gear.html


Thanks,

Ian