BBC: Fukushima Daiichi Updates (begins 6.15pm PST)

[jannyk]

#
0114: Eleven water cannon trucks are on their way to the plant - NHK.

[jannyk]

1. BBC: Believed no water remains in #4

#
0110: And US nuclear experts believe there is no water left in Reactor 4's cooling pool, meaning radiation levels are extremely high there.

[jannyk]

2. BBC/NHK: Helicopter drop reports

#
0110: And US nuclear experts believe there is no water left in Reactor 4's cooling pool, meaning radiation levels are extremely high there.

#
0108: The reason Reactor 3 got the first shower is because of escaping smoke or steam, indicating water evaporating from the cooling pool, Reuters news agency notes.
#
0106: This is no easy task for the chopper crews. They can't afford to hover above the reactors because of the radiation so they are making the drops in passing.

#
0104: Just seen a third load of water spraying from a chopper. Seems it was aimed at Reactor 4.
#
0057: There are two helicopters now working above Reactor 3 - NHK television. Each is capable of dropping 7.5 tonnes of water, it says.

#
0059: Can see a white curtain of water dropping on the reactor from a helicopter, live on NHK TV.

#
0052: More helicopters are on their way to dump water on the reactor - NHK television.

#
0112: Let's recall what top US nuclear official Gregory Jaczko had to say about the risks facing the crews fighting to cool down the reactors: "It would be very difficult for emergency workers to get near the reactors. The doses they could experience would potentially be lethal doses in a very short period of time."

[Gman]

5. I read a story about a helicopter pilot at Chernobyl that knew he would die shortly

if he did what he had to after the explosion but thought he had no choice. Hopefully some lessons learned from Chernobyl are being used here and things are not that desperate.

[jannyk]

3. BBC: Info on Helicopters

#
0115: These are CH-47 Chinook helicopters. Each would normally have a crew of three: pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer.

#
0117: A lead plate is attached to the bottom of each chopper and the crew are wearing protective suits - NHK.

#
0118: That's four loads of water dropped - NHK.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[Gman]

6. and i didn't read down far enough

obviously they are better prepared.

[jannyk]

4. BBC: Helicopters Retreat

#
0121: The helicopters are gone now, in order to minimise the crews' exposure to radiation - NHK.

[jannyk]

7. Telegraph: Japan has raised the maximum radiation dose allowed for nuclear workers

13.25: Japan has raised the maximum radiation dose allowed for nuclear workers, to 250 millisieverts (mSvs) from 100 millisieverts. A "normal" level is 3, while 400 mSvs, was what was recorded at the plant at its peak. Officials described the move as "unavoidable due to the circumstances", the AP reports.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8375373/Japan-earthquake-live.html?service=artBody

[jannyk]

8. BBC: Helicopter 'targeting' difficult

#
0150 : Helicopters are rotating in their mission to dump water on Reactor 3, gathering seawater from close to the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Four water drops are so far thought to have taken place but targeting of the spray is proving difficult, NHK reports.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

9. BBC: Heli Spraying 'suspended'

#
0201: Water spraying operations have been temporaily suspended and helicopters have left the area of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, NHK reports. A Tokyo police unit is set to use water spray vehicles to continue cooling operations. The Japanese defence minister is about to give an update on how the water drops went.

[jannyk]

10. BBC: Power could reach Fukushia this afternoon.

#
0209 : The power supply to the stricken Japanese nuclear plant could partially resume in the afternoon, the Kyodo agency reports

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

11. BBCWorld TV": Matt Frei Interview w/Noriyuki Shikata (Gvm't Official)

MF: There is a feeling that we are not being told everything you know - is that true?

NS: There is no more information to provide.

MF: At what point, there must be a point, a benchmark of elevated radiation levels, will you issue the evacuation order. What is that benchmark?

NS: Evacuate? You mean Tokyo? Not necessary, we do not expect the radiation to reach Tokyo

MF: Excuse me, but you didn't expect any of this. You didn't 'expect' the Tsunami to destroy the generators or they would have been placed out of harm's way. What are the evacuation plans for Tokyo.

NS: ...just sort of scoffed at the preposterous idea and provided no answer - except to say "...we do not expect this to be necessary"


Dear Tokyo - Good Luck - jk

[jannyk]

12. BBC: Japan's PM & Obama talked for 30 mins today

#
0237 : Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says the Japanese PM Naoto Kan spoke over the phone with US President Barack Obama for 30 minutes on Thursday morning. Mr Obama expressed sympathy to the Japanese public and also offered ongoing US support and nuclear expertise, Mr Edano said.

[jannyk]

13. BBC: PM trying to establish effectiveness of heli drops

#
0239 : Questioners want to know how effective the water spraying was at the stricken plant. Mr Edano says investigations are under way to establish that.

[jannyk]

14. BBC: PM asked why US has larger exclusion zone than Japan

#
0242 : Asked why the US has told its citizens to observe a much wider exclusion zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant than has Japan, Mr Edano says: "An outside government is not in direct control of the facility so it is understood that the US government has taken a more conservative approach." (NHK translation).


note: no-one has control of that facility!!! - jk

[City Lights]

15. Thanks for these updates, jannyk! nt

[jannyk]

16. BBC Annotated Photo of Reactors Fukushima

from 'earlier' so who knows what it looks like now!

[jannyk]

17. BBC: (Not Nuke Related) Updated Casualty Figures!

#
0254: Updated casualty figures for the quake just in: 5,178 people dead and 8,606 missing, AFP quote police as saying.

#
0255: A total of 2,285 people were injured in the disaster, the same source says.

[jannyk]

18. BBC: Altitude Rad figures when Heli's were operating

#
0301: As we know choppers resumed water drops on the plant today. Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa approved the operation as the radiation level was 4.13 millisievert per hour at an altitude of 1,000 feet, Kyodo reports.

[jannyk]

19. BBC: Water Cannon Arrived. Police Gearing Up

#
0330: The police manning those water cannons are donning protective gear right now in preparation for their attempt to fill the spent fuel storage pool at Reactor 4. The cannon are thought to be strong enough to allow crews to remain a safe distance from the plant.

[jannyk]

20. BBC: TepCo says #4 still has water

#
0336: Reactor 4 still had water in its spent-fuel pool as of Wednesday, the nuclear power station operator reports.



....but not how much - jk

[Bonobo]

21. Report on my nerves:

[jannyk]

23. Hi B. Are you guys well away from this crap?

Stay safe - please.

:hug:

[Bonobo]

26. We are 400 miles away from Fukushima.

But 1 week of nerves and adrenalin dumps have got me feeling very nervous for the future.

[jannyk]

22. BBC: #5 Now Raising Concerns!

#
0352: The temperature of Reactor 5 is now a growing cause for concern, a Japanese official reports. "The level of water in the reactor is lowering and the pressure is rising," he says.

[originalpckelly]

24. Not another one!

They'd said both 5 and 6's spent fuel pools were increasing in temp, but now the actual reactor?

Off is not off in a nuclear power plant, now is it?

[jannyk]

25. BBC: #3 (MOX Fuel) pressure rising

#
0355: Pressure is rising again at Reactor 3, the power station operator says - Reuters. That reactor includes plutonium and uranium in its fuel mix.

[jannyk]

27. BBC: US authorizes embassy famiies to leave

#
0357: US government authorises voluntary departure of family members of embassy staff - Reuters, quoting state department.

#
0358: The US is chartering aircraft to Tokyo help Americans leave Japan - Reuters, quoting state department.

[PA Democrat]

28. CNN reported that those water cannons are now in place at the plant.

[jannyk]

30. See BBC Post #19

;)

[jannyk]

29. BBC: #4 Ceiling reduced to frame

#
0401: Ceiling of Reactor 4 reduced to frame, power station station operator Tepco says - Kyoto,

[jannyk]

31. BBC: Chinese panic buying salt (iodized)

#
0444: Salt sold in China is mostly iodised as part of a national policy to prevent iodine deficiency disorders. AFP is reporting a run on the product in shops, partly because shoppers believe it could help ward off the effects of potential radioactivity from Japan's reactors. "Salt sold out early this morning," an employee with a branch of French supermarket chain Carrefour in Shanghai said. All the salt was reportedly snapped up within 30 minutes of the store's opening today by anxious shoppers. Many customers reported salt prices at other shops in the city had risen as much as six-fold. In the southern city of Guangzhou, a shop staff member said: "There are many people queuing to buy iodised salt in our store. We have to control it. One client can only buy two bags of salt." Meanwhile, the Chinese government says the country faces no imminent health threat from the Japanese disaster.

[jannyk]

32. BBC: Experienced Nuclear Workers Volunteering for Fukushima

#
0448: Employees of Tepco, the power station's operator, and other firms have volunteered to join efforts to control the escalating crisis at the power station, Japan's Jiji news agency reports. One volunteer is a 59-year-old man with four decades of experience working at nuclear power stations, who is due to retire in six months.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698


God bless them :cry:

[jannyk]

33. BBC: Radiation level unchanged despite choppers dousing reactor

#
0454: Radiation level unchanged despite choppers dousing reactor - Kyodo, quoting Tepco.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

34. BBC: Japanese government to release salt stockpiles - huh?

#
0455: Japanese government to release salt stockpiles - Kyodo, quoting finance ministry.


WTF? No more info - so maybe the Chinese are not so crazy?

[jannyk]

35. BBC: Foreigners queue for Re-Entry Visas

#
0510: More than 2,500 foreign residents have formed a long queue in and outside the Tokyo Immigration Bureau to seek re-entry permits before leaving Japan temporarily, Kyodo reports. The bureau said it had received requests for re-entry permits from some 10,000 foreign residents by Wednesday and that the figure on Thursday could exceed it.

[jannyk]

36. BBCWorldTV: Japan asks US for remote controlled drones

to monitor progress, or lack of, at Fukushima #1 Plant, as they (the Japanese) have no way of evaluating the situation at the moment.

This is the first news of any sort for approx 4 hours. No link - just on BBC TV

[cutlassmama]

37. the drones were already sent earlier today by the US

LOL, that they "asked" for them.

Thanks for keeping us updated!

[jannyk]

38. YokosoNews: Spraying halted due to radiation levels - 3.30am PST

also on NHK news. Police have stopped the spraying operation. They are now sending trucks that can pump without the operator leaving the inside. These were trucks designed for Riot Police to control 'Riots' with water cannon. The new ones to come are Military - described as "self Defence Military' - I presume these are the equivalent of the National Guard.



Why the fuck didn't they send them originally

[jannyk]

39. BBC: Medvedev Calls situation "colossal national disaster and catastrophe"

#
1040: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev describes the situation at Japan's nuclear power plant as a "colossal national disaster" and catastrophe, Reuters report. He said he hopes it will not cause serious problems elsewhere.

[jannyk]

40. NHK Breaking: Self Defense Force Begin Spraying!!!

that's all folks - it was on the TV as Breaking. Said they will be spraying #3 - have no info on other reactors.

[steve2470]

41. Japan Churns Through ‘Heroic’ Workers Hitting Radiation Limits for Humans

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-17/japan-churns-through-heroic-workers-hitting-radiation-limits-for-humans.html

By Simeon Bennett and Yuriy Humber - Mar 17, 2011 6:13 AM GMT-0400

More workers were drafted for the frontline of Japan’s biggest nuclear disaster as radiation limits forced Tokyo Electric Power Co. to replace members of its original team trying to avert a nuclear meltdown.

The utility increased its workforce at the Fukushima Dai- Ichi plant to 322 today from 180 yesterday as it tried to douse water over exposed nuclear fuel rods to prevent melting and leaking lethal radiation. Levels beside the exposed rods would deliver a fatal dose in 16 seconds, said David Lochbaum, a nuclear physicist for the Union of Concerned Scientists and a former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety instructor.

The permissible cumulative radiation exposure was more than doubled two days ago to extend the time nuclear workers could legally spend onsite. Emissions have risen since the plant was rocked by the March 11 quake. An hour’s exposure in some areas equates to half the annual maximum level, said John Price, a Melbourne-based consultant on industrial accidents and former safety policy staffer at the U.K.’s National Nuclear Corp.

“They have an access time of 10 to 25 hours at the most,” Price, 60, said in a telephone interview today. “At that rate, you are going to go through workers very fast.”

[jannyk]

42. YokosoNews: Radiation Levels before and after helicopter drop

Before Helicopter drop Level was 3780 Microseivert

After Water Drop 3750 Microseivert


It dropped by a lousy 30 Microsievert!!!!!!

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

44. better than nothin', i guess

.

[jannyk]

43. YokosoNews/NHK: Power to be restored to #1 & #2 - they hope

Report stated they are getting close to restoring electrical power to #1 & #2 Reactors @ Fukushima #1. Even after power is restored - no-one is quite sure what will, or will not, function.

[jannyk]

45. NHKTV: SDF Suspends Spraying

They sprayed from 7.35pm - 8.09pm Japan Time

The water is vaporizing as it is sprayed.

Too early to say results.

#3 was noticed to have plumes of steam emitting from it

[NHDemProg]

46. A start...

but they have to get power back ASAP and stop any more releases to the atmosphere if they can.

[steve2470]

47. TEPCO to try and connect outside power source to ailing Fukushima nuke plant

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110317p2a00m0na001000c.html

The Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) will attempt to connect a new power line to the damaged Fukushima No. 1 power plant in an effort to restore electricity knocked out by the tsunami, hopefully re-enabling use of cooling equipment at the plant, it was learned on March 16.

TEPCO intends to use power provided by northern power company Tohoku Electric Power for the operation. If the plant's power is restored, the emergency core cooling system (ECCS) may become operational, allowing workers to stop the melting of the reactor cores and the resultant spread of radioactive material.

The tsunami that followed the devastating earthquake on March 11 flooded a pump used by the power plant's emergency power generator, rendering unusable the ECCS and other systems used to cool the core with water injections in emergency situations. The water in the reactors has since gradually evaporated, causing the water levels to fall and the fuel rods inside to be exposed to the air for long periods of time.

In place of the ECCS, TEPCO used low-power pumps meant for fire-fighting to inject seawater into the reactors. However, not enough water collected in the reactors, and hydrogen explosions occurred around the No. 1 and 3 reactors. This led TEPCO and the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) to judge that recovery of the ECCS was essential in order to restore cooling functions at the plant. If a large amount of water remains in the "suppression pool" of a reactor, the ECCS can send that water into the core.

[jannyk]

48. TepCo (via YokosoNews): Rad levels Rise after Water Spray

- They don't know why.

Two possibilities;
Fro Meltdown (!) or from Previous Venting

#5 & #6 Vents are opened and Water Added

Using Diesel Generators to Control #5 & #6

[steve2470]

49. 20 workers from reactors diagnosed with severe radiation poisoning ?

German TV station ARD also reports that 20 workers from the power plant have been diagnosed with severe radiation poisoning. ARD cites IAEO as the source of this information. Do we have translation errors or is information conveyed not clearly enough?

http://live.reuters.com/Event/Japan_earthquake2

[jannyk]

50. Yokoso/NHK More from Telco Presser

Japan has requested IAEA send expert to site to Monitor Leves of Radiation.

Yesterday when helicopters measured radiation:

1000ft level was 87.7 Millisieverts

100ft level was 250 millisieverts

Powerline is 720 meters away

Pumps May also need repair after power is restored

[jannyk]

51. BBC: Water Airdrops to resume Friday - Reactor #2

#
1234: Japan will start dropping water from the air on the No 2 reactor of the damaged nuclear power plant on Friday, the country's nuclear safety agency has said, Reuters reports.

[jannyk]

52. BBC: VOA & Other Own Radiation Readings (But I don't Understand the #'s)

#
1245: Steve Herman, Voice of America Bureau Chief tweets: "Got rad tested in Koriyama: My body 1500cpm, my boots 3000 cpm. Another reporter: 10,000 cpm on her shoes."

Can Anyone explain those numbers - please

[City Lights]

54. According to radiationnetwork.com, the alert level is 130 cpm (counts per minute).

http://www.radiationnetwork.com/

If those numbers are accurate...:scared:

[jannyk]

53. BBC/TepCo: Water effective in cooling fuel pool

#
1256: TepcoDisaster tweets: "Water shot from trucks effective in cooling fuel pool as steam rose at #Fukushima Daiichi No.1 Nuclear power plant."