Japan nuclear: PM Naoto Kan signals maximum alert

[sabrina 1]

Japan nuclear: PM Naoto Kan signals maximum alert


Japan is in for the long haul in coping with nuclear fallout from the 11 March earthquake

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has said his government is in a state of maximum alert over the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

Plutonium was detected in soil at the facility and highly radioactive water had leaked from a reactor building.

Officials in China, South Korea and the United States have recorded traces of radioactive material in the air.

Earlier, Japan's government strongly criticised the plant's operator, Tepco, over mistaken radiation readings.

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Situation very grave:

From Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano: "The situation is very grave. We are doing our utmost efforts to contain the damage. We need to avoid the fuel rods from heating up and drying up. Continuing the cooling is unavoidable... We need to prioritise injecting water,"



FUKUSHIMA UPDATE (28 MAR) HERE

Reactor 1: Damage to the core from cooling problems. Building holed by gas explosion. Highly radioactive water detected in reactor

Reactor 2: Damage to the core from cooling problems. Building holed by gas blast; containment damage suspected. Highly radioactive water detected in reactor and adjoining tunnel

Reactor 3: Damage to the core from cooling problems. Building holed by gas blast; containment damage possible. Spent fuel pond partly refilled with water after running low. Highly radioactive water detected in reactor

Reactor 4: Reactor shut down prior to quake. Fires and explosion in spent fuel pond; water level partly restored

Reactors 5 & 6: Reactors shut down. Temperature of spent fuel pools now lowered after rising high

TEPCO is being criticized for a number of errors they made, including providing wrong information on radiation levels and clothing for the workers. Mr. Edano had this to say about their incorrect numbers on radioactivity:

"Considering the fact that the monitoring of radioactivity is a major condition to ensure safety, this kind of mistake is absolutely unacceptable,"

That poor country. Aside from the Nuclear Disaster, 10,901 people are now dead and more than 17,000 people are still missing according to the news reports.

:cry:

[calimary]

1. Dear Lord. Just devastating. We don't even know the extent of how much so.

Just leaves you shaking your head, doesn't it?

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Worse yet, I fear there will be no learning curve from this.

Did you see Rachel's show where she revealed the disaster response plan for the NEW Gulf drilling permits was the same unchanged plan used before BP blew the well, and uses now proven faulty blowout preventer design?
Yep, NEW drilling permits have been given in the Gulf.
Hell, I am amazed that the PM of Japan was even allowed to criticize TEPCO.

[Art_from_Ark]

4. At this stage, Tepco seems to be fair game for everyone

The Japanese government is even threatening to nationalize the company.

[Wilms]

7. If only to, you know, socialize the losses. n/t

[Art_from_Ark]

11. If this poll is any indication,

there is a lot of opposition to "socializing the losses".

http://news.goo.ne.jp/topstories/politics/740/f52276aecf33b4613e9b8334c2e333eb.html

Scroll down to about the middle of the page until you see the pie chart. The blue area represents the proportion of respondents who are against "socializing the losses". Orange is "for", and green is "I don't know/other"

[sabrina 1]

13. No, I missed that show. But I am not surprised

What gets me is, do those who profit from destroying the environment think it won't affect them also, and their children? Or is that they are irresponsible risk-takers and are betting on nothing happening?

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Thunderstruck]

5. Complete and utter fail...

[Wilms]

8. Isn't past your bedtime?

:hi:

[Electric Monk]

6. So it's officially time to panic now?

Sorry if I rushed to judgement earlier, blah blah blah...

[sabrina 1]

10. That's hard to say. All of the experts eg, commenting on the

detection of radiation in several other countries, say that it doesn't present any threat to those populations. So, that would include us and therefore there is no need for us to panic.

And as far as Japan being on 'maximum alert', I suppose they don't know what to expect at this point and are considering the worst case scenario as they try to deal with the problem:

Mr Kan told parliament the situation "continues to be unpredictable".

The government "will tackle the problem while in a state of maximum alert," he said.

I'm sure that is true. And I'm sure they feel very pressured and as if they are working against the clock.

[uppityperson]

14. The GOVERNMENT is in a state of maximum alert, which is should be

Otherwise, onward with not having accurate info and the situation still being very fluid and changeable.

The government SHOULD be on max alert.

[suffragette]

9. Just devastating

And the nuclear crisis is taking resources that could have been directed to aid and recovery from the earthquake and tsunami and adding dangerous complication at an already fragile time.

[sabrina 1]

12. I was thinking that ~ we are hardly hearing anything about

the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. So many homes destroyed and businesses too.

They had another Tsunami warning this week after another earthquake, but fortunately it did not happen.

[suffragette]

15. Good point

I think it's understandable that the articles about the nuclear crisis are so prevalent, particularly since the situation is so serious and in flux.

But at this point, it also means important stories such as the one below are under-reported and/or disseminated.


Here's an article I found about a doctor:

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110329p2a00m0na016000c.html
Doctor who lost everything to tsunami works tirelessly at refugee shelter

ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi --
A doctor, whose clinics were wrecked and home flooded by the March 11 tsunami, is busy treating evacuees at a shelter here.

Jun Sato, 60, remembered his late father's words, "Doctors must not refuse to treat patients if they ask for it," when he saw evacuees at a shelter shortly after the Great East Japan Earthquake struck.

Sato himself leads a difficult life as an evacuee, but he continues to treat patients because he does not want to defy his father's words.

~~~

Sato works in the nurse's office at Miyagi Prefectural Ishinomaki High School -- a designated evacuation center -- along with doctors and nurses from Ishinomaki Municipal Hospital, which was wrecked by tsunami. More than two weeks after the disaster, a growing number of people taking shelter at the school are complaining of colds and constipation.

[sabrina 1]

16. That is a wonderful story. People like that doctor restore

people's faith in humanity. Thank you for posting it. He is a man of honor.