2011 Tohoku Earthquake

Updating Frequency

2011-03-29T19:25:00.000+09:00

I'm sorry if anyone has been checking here for updates. The developments have slowed, and I've been spending much more time on facebook discussing issues, and very few people have been reading here.

Even though I haven't put any news here recently, the links on the left are still useful in staying up to date. I'll check those and try to make them a little more useful. I may begin posting updates here again as well, but less frequently.

If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Use the comments below, or send a message to

Individual Reactor Status Page On Wikipedia

2011-03-21T13:29:00.001+09:00

I was making a status page for the reactors when I found that wikipedia already has a fantastic one! This is apparently being updated twice daily!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_I_nuclear_accidents#Reactor_status_summary

There is more detailed information in the paragraphs above this table. Just scroll up.

Monday Morning: Fukushima Specs

2011-03-21T11:16:00.000+09:00

My notes from below about the current reactor states at Fukushima Dai-ichi:
1: power cable attached, testing Monday prior to try the pumps
2: electricity restored
3: Most critical! Some stabilization achieved, may take several days for power to be restored
4: may take several days for power to be restored
5: power cable attached, testing Monday prior to try the pumps, using diesel generators now (doesn't this mean the pumps have been tested?), Temperature in spent fuel pools are returning to normal.
6: power cable attached, testing Monday prior to try the pumps, using diesel generators now (doesn't this mean the pumps have been tested?), Temperature in spent fuel pools are returning to normal.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/20/japan-quake-snapshot-idUSL3E7EF28320110320

- Official death toll from earthquake and tsunami 8,450 with 12,931 missing. Police say more than 15,000 feared dead in Miyagi prefecture alone.

* IAEA says some some positive developments but overall situation remains very serious.

- Reactors at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are showing some improvement but the situation remains uncertain, Tetsuro Fukuyama, Japan's deputy chief cabinet secretary, says .

- The operator of the crippled nuclear power plant said it may take several days for power to be restored at the No.3 and No.4 reactors.

- Engineers have attached a power cable to the Nos. 1, 5 and 6 reactors, and hope to restore electricity on Monday prior to an attempt to switch the pumps on. Electricity restored at No. 2 reactor.

- Japan government spokesman says there is some stabilisation at the most critical No.3 reactor.

- Engineers meanwhile are using diesel generators for less critical reactors No.5 and No.6 reactors. Temperature in spent fuel pools at reactors No. 5 and 6 are returning to normal.

- If engineers are unable to cool the reactor, the last option would be entombing the plant with concrete and sand to prevent a catastrophic radiation leak, the method used at Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986.

- Tests detect radiation above the national safety level in spinach and milk produced near the Fukushima plant. A sample of tap water from Tokyo shows a tiny level of radioactive.

- The health ministry said that radiation levels exceeded safety standards in Fukushima and nearby Ibaraki prefecture. It said it had prohibited the sale of raw milk from Fukushima prefecture.

* IAEA says food contamination is "a very localised phenomenon at the moment as far as we know" and that food produced in other countries had not been affected.

* Light northwesterly winds and rains are forecast for the area around quake-stricken nuclear reactors on the northeast coast of Japan, the weather agency said on Monday. Wind expected to change to change to light southeasterlies towards Tuesday.

Sunday Same Story

2011-03-21T00:49:00.002+09:00

No bad news today either. Well, at Fukushima the work goes on. There have been no claims from the IAEA or the American military that the Japanese government or TEPCO is hiding anything. The radiation levels near the plant continue their slow decline. This doesn't mean that there is some as yet undiscovered big problem about to blow, but one-by-one the problems are being minimized and brought under better control and better monitoring.

There was elevated levels of radiation found in Tokyo's water and the milk and spinach from Fukushima. But the government is saying this is nothing to be alarmed at. Some radiation is always there, it is just higher now. I've not seen anyone argue against this interpretation.

Here in Zushi, where I live, south of Yokohama, the supplies of bread and milk and rice are getting better and the crowds are getting more sparse. I guess you can only buy so much rice, and it must appear pointless after a while of suddenly deciding that you want to drink milk and have bread at every meal . . .

And as before, the real tragedy continues to unfold to the north of Fukushima. Please search for a donation opportunity and follow the news on relief efforts. It is good that the news from the tsunami is finally getting a higher billing than what was always only a potential disaster from Fukushima.

Steady As She Goes . . .

2011-03-20T00:17:00.000+09:00

There was no bad news Saturday regarding Fukushima. The electric cable is getting connected to several of the reactor buildings Saturday and Sunday. Diesel generators (or pumps, I forget which) are coming in. Radiation levels around the plant are continuing to slowly drop. The fire trucks and helicopters continue to drop water into the cooling ponds seemingly hitting their targets. The IAEA and American military are also deeply involved and would be telling us if something were being hidden. (Sorry for no citations of the above info. I was out all day today getting supplies and am too tired to properly back up the assertions.)

None of this means that there is nothing worse building up that no one can see, so the situation does remain critical, but there is increasingly room for reasonable optimism and hope.

We should begin to know Sunday and Monday if the electricity being connected to the reactor buildings is going to effectively power the pumps. If that happens and water can begin to be circulated to all pools and reactor cores, then we can more confidently say that we did indeed turn a corner Thursday and Friday.

Contrary to rumor, the US military is NOT ordering military personnel to evacuate

2011-03-19T10:52:00.008+09:00

http://www.stripes.com/news/families-in-japan-must-decide-whether-to-stay-or-go-1.138192

There is a voluntary evacuation being coordinated by the military.

One interesting bit from the article cited above: Lewis Pepper, a professor at Boston University School of Public Health said, “If individuals feel they can’t tolerate the psychological stress of it [the fact that the situation could worsen but not knowing if or when], and many people just can’t, they should leave.”

In my mind, it would have been better to have said, "If some people feel they can't handle the stress of not knowing if danger will come, I'd say, 'First. You can do it. Find reputable news sources online and don't sit in front of any 24-hour TV news stations. Sensationalism is too deep in their DNA for them to suddenly become reputable, unbiased news sources. Watching CNN and similar channels non-stop will make you sick! Second, if you have decided to leave, do it calmly and don't blabber about it to everyone and on social media sites. You will unnecessarily worry others.'"

Doctors need to treat the community and not just individuals in it as if the two are unconnected.

Note: the "Stars and Stripes" is a newspaper/site for military personnel. It should be another useful site to check. The British Embassy is one of the best sites I'm following (links on the left side of this blog).

The British government gives a fairly comprehensive update Friday late afternoon

2011-03-18T20:10:00.002+09:00

https://www.bccjapan.com/asp/general.asp?contentid=108

The British government and Sir John Beddington has given an informative update on the situation at Fukushima. Basically the advice to those living in Tokyo remains the same. We are safe. This time, though, there is much more exploration of what the worst case scenarios are.

Friday morning in Japan

2011-03-18T09:19:00.002+09:00

The weather is sunny from the Kanto northward to Tohoku, the area hit by the earthquake and tsunami. The power cables are being hooked up to at least one of the reactors in Fukushima, and NHK is saying at least some of the water from the helicopter dumps yesterday reached the targeted cooling pools, but to what extent is unknown. Also the water cannons are shooting water at the pools. I can't tell how effective this is either. I'll post more later this morning as I learn more.

North of Fukushima in the tsunami zone, some aid is trickling in, but most people are still cold, hungry, and have been unable to bathe since the tsunami almost one week ago.

Locally, Paul Bluestein, a journalist living in Kamakura, writes about the need for perspective and avoiding undue panic:
Why I’m not fleeing Japan (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-im-not-fleeing-japan/2011/03/16/ABQsdhk_story.html

The Register (popular UK technology site) has a more detailed, and more upbeat assessment

2011-03-18T00:04:00.001+09:00

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/03/17/fukushima_thursday/
This has much the same info as the Guardian story, but with more detail. The Register is seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

One way or the other, Friday in Japan should bring important news.

The Guardian says Thursday's helicopter water drops did little good, but temporary power lines are nearly ready

2011-03-17T23:44:00.001+09:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/17/japan-nuclear-crisis-fukushima-seawater-reactors

American NPR (National Public Radio) says stress and worry can be more damaging than actual radiation

2011-03-17T22:44:00.002+09:00

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/16/134567692/nuke-o-noia-the-worst-threat-to-japan?sc=emaf

British Embassy Announces Charter Flights to Hong Kong

2011-03-17T22:29:00.000+09:00

http://ukinjapan.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=News&id=567582882

Advises that commercial flights should remain the first choice for any British nationals wishing to leave.

The US Embassy has begun offering to make arrangements for any American citizens wishing to leave Japan

2011-03-17T22:26:00.001+09:00

http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-warden20110317-02.html

America Expands Japanese Evacuation Zone

2011-03-17T22:14:00.009+09:00

early Thursday morning Japan time:
http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20110317-01.html
The US Embassy advises that American citizens who live within 80km (50 miles) of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant evacuate the area or take shelter indoors.

This recommended evacuation zone is considerably larger than the one set by the Japanese government.

American ABC News has more information on this story.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/03/white-house-says-us-citizens-in-japan-should-listen-to-us-not-japan-on-evacuation-but-refuses-to-jud.html