U.S. Officials Alarmed By Japanese Handling of Nuclear Crisis

[flamingdem]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-send-special-nuclear-team-japan-nuclear-regulatory/story?id=13148044

U.S. Officials Fear Fukushima Could Become 'Deadly For Decades'



U.S. officials are alarmed at how the Japanese are handling the escalating nuclear reactor crisis and fear that if they do not get control of the plants within the next 24 to 48 hours they could have a situation that will be "deadly for decades."

"It would be hard to describe how alarming this is right now," one U.S. official told ABC News.

President Obama has been briefed by nuclear experts.

The Japanese have evacuated most of the reactor personnel from the Fukushima nuclear complex and are rotating teams of 50 workers through the facility in an attempt to cool it down.

"We are all-out urging the Japanese to get more people back in there to do emergency operation there, that the next 24 to 48 hours are critical," the official said. "Urgent efforts are needed on the part of the Japanese to restore emergency operations to cool" down the reactors' rods before they trigger a meltdown.

"They need to stop pulling out people—and step up with getting them back in the reactor to cool it. There is a recognition this is a suicide mission," the official said.

The official said the United States is in very deep consultations with Japanese about the way forward and that the only thing that has been favorable is the wind pattern that is blowing the contaminated material out to sea instead south towards Tokyo and other populated areas, but that can't be counted upon. MORE AT LINK

[flamingdem]

1. Remember that usually officials UNDERSTATE to limit panic, so this is

unusual and indicates that the US is trying to bring to bear on the situation and not succeeding.

The suicide mission issue seems to be the hangup!

[Coyote_Bandit]

2. Alarmed by what is happening elsewhere -

and which was triggered by natural events - and yet willing to continue to embrace additional use of the same power sources here.

Perhaps we should be alarmed at the apparent lack of prudence and good judgement being exercised by our own national leaders.



Sending good thoughts and warm wishes to those workers.

[sam kane]

3. Isn't GE an American company that sold this crappy plant to the Japanese?

As I understand it, they designed and built three of them, so how about some GE execs help out?

[sixmile]

5. A junk shot into the reactor core maybe

using executives and their stock certificates instead of golf balls and garbage.

[hlthe2b]

4. re:

"It would be hard to describe how alarming this is right now," one U.S. official told ABC News.
President Obama has been briefed by nuclear experts."

President Obama's response? Put another statement out to the media that reiterates that he is committed to Nuclear Power for the US. I am beyond incredulous..... http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4773692
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/03/secretary-chu-obama-still-supports-expanding-nuclear-plants-in-the-us.html



Here's the kicker: ""They need to stop pulling out people—and step up with getting them back in the reactor to cool it. There is a recognition this is a suicide mission," the official said. "

[enough]

7. +1 (nt)

[Downtown Hound]

9. I've pretty much written Obama off at this point

yes, I will still vote for him over any Republican. But between BP, his support for Gitmo and the Patriot Act, and now this, he's proven that he's just another corporate product.

[FedUpWithIt All]

23. Obama was in the news today speaking about some very pressing issues...

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2011/03/president-obama-picks-kansas-to-beat-ohio-state-for-title/1


:eyes:

Such a waste of an election in my increasingly disgusted opinion.

[kath]

26. Yep, a huge freakin' waste.

My disgust knows no bounds.

What an #%^&!#*!

[KansDem]

27. "'There is a recognition this is a suicide mission,' the official said. "

Then send in the plant's owners, its CEOs, their toadie politicians, and any member of the "Whoreth Estate" who said nuclear was safe and clean.

Give them buckets of water; drop them from helicopters...

[patrice]

6. How much water do they need where, how many broken cooling pools? on top of

nuclear reactors????!!!

[flamingdem]

8. Oh Sh*t: NPR: The US believes it is impossible to stop now

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=134600420

he chief of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday that all the water is gone from one of the spent fuel pools at Japan's most troubled nuclear plant, but Japanese officials denied it.

If NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko is correct, this would mean there's nothing to stop the fuel rods from getting hotter and ultimately melting down. The outer shell of the rods could also ignite with enough force to propel the radioactive fuel inside over a wide area.

Jaczko did not say Wednesday how the information was obtained, but the NRC and U.S. Department of Energy both have experts on site at the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex of six reactors. He said the spent fuel pool of the complex's Unit 4 reactor has lost water.

[flamingdem]

12. NPR: Japan's nuclear safety / Tokyo Electric DENY water is gone!

*** so who is lying??

Jaczko said officials believe radiation levels are extremely high, and that could affect workers' ability to stop temperatures from escalating.

Japan's nuclear safety agency and Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the complex, deny water is gone from the pool. Utility spokesman Hajime Motojuku said the "condition is stable" at Unit 4.

[Junkdrawer]

14. Military Satellites....

A high res version of this:

[Selatius]

16. This is Japan's Chernobyl if they don't contain this situation. nt

[Divernan]

30. Worse, because of the population density

[patrice]

10. Use some of those big tall concrete pumping rigs to deliver water. Where are the robots?

[MineralMan]

11. Unnamed official. Could be anydamnedbody.

What official? What's his or her name? What's his or her position?


If they can't name the official, I call bullshit.

[flamingdem]

13. Is this how the US is trying to influence? Why would this info go out? nt

[MineralMan]

15. Well, you notice that they did name someone, but then

used some anonymous "official" for the rest of the quotes - the over-the-top ones. Could be some office worker. Irresponsible journalism, I call it. It's common practice, and I don't like it. If it's someone who can speak for the agency, name the person. If it's not, don't run the quotes.

This "it is reported," "an official told us," and all that crap is lousy journalism.

[hlthe2b]

17. Or it could even be the same "named" official trying to get the thruth out...

though they were told not to say anything. I hate that anonymous quotes are used too, but sometimes it may be necessary. What's the alternative? Keep us in the dark? I can only hope those reporting are using good judgement as to whether or not to use the quote or not, based on who is saying it. ..... Sucks... truly.

[flamingdem]

19. Yes, and such a cold statement about suicide mission, who would say that?

An journalist with "issues".

[Abq_Sarah]

33. Or a Washington type

Who sees the rest of us as "the little people" who are expendable.

[flamingdem]

22. atomic squirrel

[Divernan]

29. US is protecting nuclear plant corporate interests by blaming Japanese

[flamingdem]

32. Interesting analysis, makes sense nt

[FedUpWithIt All]

18. Yes, because the US government does a fantastic job during catastrophies.

:eyeroll:

This is really upsetting to hear and perhaps i should leave it at that but i am still so furious about Katrina and the Gulf and it infuriates me even more to hear them behaving all concerned about the health and well being of either an environment or a group of human beings while people are blistering and pissing blood and seizing in the GOM.

[Cali_Democrat]

20. "There is a recognition this is a suicide mission"

Chilling

[Dappleganger]

21. This is what happens when corporations are allowed to self-regulate.

[tblue37]

THAT should be a Dem ad that runs in every single election. nt

[flamingdem]

25. yes, indeed! nt

[Dappleganger]

28. They should use the BP catastrophe as a background as well...

I said it then but nobody ever runs with that. Nobody cries until it hits their backyard and then they want the government all up in there like yesterday. This kind of oversight cannot happen overnight, people. And proposing it today means nothing unless it get proper FUNDING.

[RufusTFirefly]

24. Gee Beave! It's not safe, clean nuclear's fault! It's onacounta those Japanese!

[WinkyDink]

31. WE are TELLING them to send a SUICIDE MISSION? You first, Yankee.

[suffragette]

34. Does he want them to stay in there until they are sick?

Operating that way would be even more dangerous to everyone.

If he instead made the point that they need assistance and supplies, I would agree.

Supplies have apparently been a problem :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12737508
14 March 2011

According to the main Japanese news agency Kyodo, the rods were exposed when the flow of seawater into reactor number 2 stopped simply because a fire pump ran out of fuel.

With the entire region of Honshu island reportedly low on fuel and other vital supplies, a key question is whether plans are in place to keep the power station supplied with diesel.

And they've been dealing with conditions that would be major news alone, if not for the larger news about the reactors themselves:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x659146
From Reuter's timeline:
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16

13:27 - Japan's nuclear safety agency says operators of the damaged nuclear plant plan to bulldoze an emergency route to the facility to allow access for fire trucks.


Maybe he could go over and drive that bulldozer to help out. Oh, and bring the equipment and fuel, too.