Japan is looking pretty scary right now

hollie


Joined: 15/07/2009
Posts: 149

Message Posted:
12/03/2011 13:28

Massive earthquake, tsunami's and now a nuclear plant has exploded... What an absolute nightmare..

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
12/03/2011 17:27

If you can access the BBC's website (world news etc), they have extraordinary video footage of the tsunami (about 3 different links) as well as of personal accounts/footage from Tokyo. The nuclear power station just offshore from Sendai is now unstable and as hollie said, has suffered a big explosion. Ramifications of that are more than worrying. Was interested to read in one account today from a UK national out there, that Sendai had actually experienced a 7.1 quake just "a few days ago" - before the Big One (8.9) struck on Friday. In the seismic region of the 'Ring of Fire'recently, Christchurch was hit hard, n.e. Japan has now been hit much harder......where next ? Wonder if San Francisco might be next on the pressure cooker list.....

No1Doyen


Joined: 04/07/2008
Posts: 16617

Message Posted:
12/03/2011 20:10

Mother nature at her worst. Tragic circumstances

Lilli



Joined: 21/07/2008
Posts: 13081

Message Posted:
12/03/2011 20:19

Just watching , the coverage is amazing but my heart and soul goes out to these people. I know many countries will help, how the hell do you recover from that. Where do the displaced people go . Oh its all so sad xxx

philbailey


Joined: 17/01/2011
Posts: 3533

Message Posted:
12/03/2011 20:25

Japan has the money and infrastuture to recover

Haiti is forgotten because of the news coverage

Libiya? Iraq? Dafur?



remember the Pakistan floods ?



The media influences peoples opinions

(not saying it is not sad)

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
12/03/2011 20:44

Msge.5 "Japan has the money..etc" Not like it used to, it hasn't. Value of the Yen and stock market shares have taken a big tumble over past year, and still falling. This tsunami has literally obliterated whole townships in some places...... Then there's the 'X' factor (unknown) following the big explosion at that nuclear power station and what the potential fall-out (quite literally) might be from that. Have you seen pictures of the numerous motorways which have completely buckled or caved in ? If one compares the catastrophic effects of a tsunami between, say, the poorer states & islands hit by the 2004 one with this latest one in a modern and progressive country, the devastation and long-term effects involving restructure etc., are likely to be much worse in Japan. IMO, that is. The needs and expectations of the people involved are poles apart for a start. In the blink of an eye....there, but for the grace of God, go I....... RIP all those poor souls.

philbailey


Joined: 17/01/2011
Posts: 3533

Message Posted:
12/03/2011 20:50

Today, over 22,000 children died around the world



That is equivalent to:



* 1 child dying every 4 seconds

* 15 children dying every minute

* A 2010 Haiti earthquake occurring almost every 10 days

* A 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring almost every 10 days

* An Iraq-scale death toll every 18–43 days

* Just under 8.1 million children dying every year

* Some 88 million children dying between 2000 and 2009



but not news worthy

Lilli



Joined: 21/07/2008
Posts: 13081

Message Posted:
12/03/2011 20:52

swannee do you think it could be on the scale of chernobyl again. I'm scared for them and yes RIP all the souls

gardengnome


Joined: 11/03/2011
Posts: 44

Message Posted:
13/03/2011 06:25

The town that drowned: Devastating pictures from the port where 10,000 are missing after it was swept away by the megaquake



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1365569/Japan-earthquake-tsunami-10-000-people-missing-Minamisanriku.html

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
13/03/2011 07:40

A second reactor is threatening melt-down...

I've never trusted nuclear power generation.

This 'trust me I'm a doctor' approach has never convinced me that the genie won't try and make it out of the bottle.

There have been too many occurrences of this nature for the 'safe free energy' argument to be put and sustained... Fossil fuels and alternatives like solar, wind and wave are looking much more safe and free (from ultimate risk) to me...

Nuclear power is evidence of man being over confident - and we all know where that leads. The rest of the world should take a cue from this and think about de-commissioning. Yes it's going to be painful but not as painful as what is happening now. Japan has allowed itself to become reliant on nuclear power because it doesn't have oil, gas or coal. But nuclear plant as everyone now knows, costs more to decommission than all the 'free' energy it produces... the doctors don't tell you that though... :(

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
13/03/2011 09:45

I think France is also heavily depenbdent on nuclear power.

I am not sure about this but I think at times of danger if you wish to shut down a nuclear plant you need electricity to keep the motors running to cool the core. Hence when the national grid fails like the situation in Japan, then it is impossible to shut down the nuclear plants safely.

ismet

sienna


Joined: 09/01/2009
Posts: 1627

Message Posted:
13/03/2011 11:45

thats what they have just said on the news Ismet - very sad times the films that you see are very hard to take in.



UK help and rescue teams on their way to help these poor souls.

No1Doyen


Joined: 04/07/2008
Posts: 16617

Message Posted:
13/03/2011 15:45

Some quite unbelievable photo's on the net today.

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
13/03/2011 18:33

The video film of ' the moment the tsunami hit Japan' and swept inland is just more than unbelievable. So much destruction and so much loss of life. And such a potent reminder of the frailty of Mankind in the face of mighty Nature.

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
13/03/2011 18:51

Ismet, they produce their own power for pumping water to cool the reactors and have back-up generators too... but it's still not safe.

Lilli



Joined: 21/07/2008
Posts: 13081

Message Posted:
13/03/2011 18:53

yes swannee, just shows how vunerable life is. here on minute swept away the next. Its heartbreaking. x

AlsancakJack



Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 5762

Message Posted:
13/03/2011 19:35

And out of it all you get miracles.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12727282

Lilli



Joined: 21/07/2008
Posts: 13081

Message Posted:
13/03/2011 19:43

Amazing AJ, the saddest sight for me was the lady in one window waving a cloth and a child in another waving a white cloth. I hope they were rescued. Is all too sad x

yrret


Joined: 17/08/2010
Posts: 761

Message Posted:
13/03/2011 21:01

I think the Japanese gov would do themselves and their people a favour if they were a little more honest.

They said the first reactor building exploded because the walls fell in due to the earthquake, now, when walls fall in they just collapse, these walls were spread over a wide area, because something exploded. Which they now admit.

I did a bit of research after hearing on BBC news that using sea water for the cooling is an act of desperation.

From what I can see bigger trouble could be yet to come.

Good news for the dolphin, whale and especially the blue fin tuna population though.

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
13/03/2011 22:25

Terry,



Do you not think that your last sentence is a bit lacking in empathy?

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
14/03/2011 09:55

Are we looking at a possible Double "Chernobyl"......I have always though that Atomic Energy production is "Man Fiddling" with Nature......With no answers when it goes wrong.......terrible !!

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
14/03/2011 10:16

I am really scared for the Japanese people. Closed systems are used for cooling. I know that Sizewell nuclear power station in UK used carbon dioxide gas for cooling. Of course they may use water for cooling but if they take in water from the sea i.e. if its not a closed system, they must be pretty desperate because that in itself will discharge some radioactivity into the sea. I am no expert in this field but this is how I see it.

ismet

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
14/03/2011 11:25

Ismet,If those reactors blow,I would be scared for anyone "Downwind for possible thousands of miles"....The terrible tsunami...took many lives ...the reactors possibly many hundreds of thousands...those poor helpless people.....so so awful..

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
14/03/2011 13:56

If they use seawater then they are planning on writing-off the reactor. So they really are desperate. :(

YFred


Joined: 06/05/2009
Posts: 1471

Message Posted:
14/03/2011 15:29

What was really amazing, is the admittance of the BBC reporter on live TV that he could not report anything, because people running past him could not speak English. Reporter in Japan that not only cannot speak English, but has not bother to find interpreter. That's one up for the BBC.

If you really want to know what's going on just look at how far the 6th Fleet have moved off the Japan coast. 100 Miles. That speaks volumes.

We are being hoodwinked by the media not to turn against nuclear power. Apparently the explosions in the first 2 reactors have not affected the containers. What ever next? Considering it is the rods inside the containers that created the blast in the first place.

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
14/03/2011 19:44

If the next quake occurs, as anticipated quite soon and predicted to be around 7 + on the Richter Scale, then discussion about what's likely to happen to those reactors might well be academic...... God forbid.....



News is just coming in that around 2 thousand bodies have begun to be washed back on to the NE shoreline. For God's sake, who's counting?

Lilli



Joined: 21/07/2008
Posts: 13081

Message Posted:
14/03/2011 19:50

Martin I asked the same question re Chernobyl, Please God No. This is just so awful x

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
14/03/2011 20:06

Lilli, today we listened to an atomic scientist discussing the effects of Chernobyl. Amazingly, the results weren't anything like as bad as anyone had expected. Most of the immediate deaths at the time involved those actually working at the Plant and radiation fall-out levels definitely affected all living organisms within a certain radius of Chernobyl. But what this scientist really stressed was that the nuclear reactor explosion in Chernobyl did not obliterate 'tens of thousands' as the media would have us believe. Also, many people who got radiation poisoning went on to survive for many years after the event, eventually dying of different causes. I suppose we have to learn that the worst thing to fear - is Fear itself.

Navek



Joined: 01/06/2008
Posts: 2656

Message Posted:
15/03/2011 01:46

Japan Earthquake: before and after....

http://www.abc.net .au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm

Navek

Navek



Joined: 01/06/2008
Posts: 2656

Message Posted:
15/03/2011 01:49

Oops, Try...

http://www.abc.net .au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm

If it doesn't work, copy & paste to Google etc.

Navek