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9.0 Earthquake/Tsunami/Fukushima

Nice to see you again MoS, as for Sky News, think Andy Gray says it all. On the positive side, it appears that the Nikkei has gone up by 488.57 points over last 24 hours, but the Dow Jones and FSTE100 have both gone right down by 242 points and 97 points, therefore saying the people of Japan have better faith for the future!
 
As I have been following up on the situation for the past few days, my thoughts are now with those brave men who I'm sure do the best they can to solve the nuclear issue, risking their own life.

Whichever way this situation may end, I hope we will get to know their names and see their faces.
 

Good to see you too EH.

I don't understand the currency or stock markets especially, but from what I've read in the last 24hrs, Japan attracted a lot of interest when both were thought to be at their lowest. There's an economic boom expected as the government will have to rebuild, and lots of opportunity.

This is why I hate business and the money markets. I know how it works, but it's the very last thing I want to think or hear about right now, and I know I'm not the only one.


I completely agree with your very interesting point - they are absolute heroes.
 
"The Fukushima 50", as they are being called here in the US, have basically sacrificed their lives for the greater good of Japan and the Japanese people to contain the radiation leakage. If they are not designated national heroes and forever remembered, it will be a tragedy of utmost proportions.
 
I'm watching BBC news now, watching helicopters dropping water on the plant. Not sure how much that is going to help, and the man reporting pointed out that a lot of the water is being dispersed by the wind.

He also said that the nuclear radiation would have an effect on Tokyo, so people there are keeping up to date on it. More sensationalisation or true?

Posted 2 hours ago to Yahoo! News.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20110317/twl-concern-grows-as-japan-cools-nuclear-3fd0ae9.html
 

Water dumping from helicopter was implemented in the morning of today (Japan time). So almost 10 hours passed. The current situation is a temporary lull.

Topco, police and military are now preparing water cannon by some special pumping vechicles. But not started yet.
 
I think they are rotating teams of 50 specialists through the facility to cool it down. Hopefully also using radiation capable robots equipped with sensors and infrared cameras etc instead of unnecessarily exposing workers.
 

An interesting read.

I really think that Reuters is one of the best information sources!
 
Oh, If you guys have already donated but want to do more, here's another way you can help.

This lady does make-up tutorials, and she's done a Japan-inspired look. She's already donated $1000 but she said if this video gets a million views, she'll donate another $1000. I think she'll do it anyway, but watch this video to push the view count up.


She's a very popular youtuber and I have no doubt she'll reach the view count, but you might as well watch anyway!
 
Have just seen the latest BBC news, one of the featured items was with a Doctor in a hospital, he was saying that supplies of food where running out. My question is where and when are the UN and other relief agencies going to start flying in food supplies into Japan. I think it is needed.
 
You're right. Are people actually receiving our donations yet? They could be using some of our money for food and the like...
 
usage of donations

sometimes this kind of stuf happens but i really hope they are getting the donations that would make me so angry if they didn't get them
 
Kirie_Maiden said:
You're right. Are people actually receiving our donations yet? They could be using some of our money for food and the like...
Click to expand...
I hope on the ground relief is starting to get sufficiently organized. The immediate govt operation was a plan to divert resources and necessary lifelines from West to East, from places that weren't as hard hit to the coastal sites. So now everyone is in crisis and even districts that had goods are essentially being cut off. The logistics of national transportation are being completely changed and redirected. Of course fuel shortages will still be substantial with so many refineries and nuclear plants down for the foreseeable future.
 

I'm happy to be corrected (I hope I am) but I keep hearing there's enough food in Japan. The problem is getting it to the right areas, and that relies on trucks that have access problems to certain areas. Helicopters are the best way, but they don't have enough there...and refuelling is a problem.
 
MoS cant remember where exactly the report I saw on BBC News 24 was filmed, but there were two items about food supplies running low, one in a Hospital and the other in what was some sort of shelter, where one rice ball was given out to be shared by two people. One can only hope that in time more food and water will get to where it is needed. As for fuel supplies for helicopters, I would hope that the US navy in the seas off Sendai area could help with refuelling.
 
I have also read of evacuees around Sendai (!) being rationed to a riceball and some bit of meat per day. Hopefully old news by now, but apparently without backup generators there isn't enough water or electricity to cook on more than a small grill at the shelters.

Surprising after the Kobe quake and a series of so many others there aren't plans for a more reliable food distribution system in the country already in place.
 

You're right, made of stone. (It's nice to see you in this forum, by the way. )

Authorities have been working hard to restore logistic infrastructures；yesterday afternoon a part of the Sendai port became usable again and the first vessel arrived to deliver food, water and blankets. They're also working on the Sendai airport which was badly damaged by tsunami. Soon the runaway can be used for transport planes of Japan Defense Force and US Air Force - since the amount helicopters can carry is limited, this should be of much help.

METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) made special arrangement at 13 refineries in west part of Japan as well as Hokkaido to make extra 20,000 kilolitre gasoline/diesel a day to transport by sea to the oil tank facilities in the north along the coast on Japan Sea.
300 large tanker lorries are allocated to carry the fuel from the oil tank facilities to the petrol stations for emergency vehicles in the affected area.

In Kanto area, approx. 80,000 kl is released from stock, till the refineries in Tokyo Bay are restored. Once these refineries are back to operation, fuels produced shall be sent to Tohoku (affected are) by cargo trains.
 
Do highways in the most affected areas of Tohoku remain closed, strictly available for emergency aid vehicles ?

Another obvious roadblock to corporate/manufacturer donated supplies of everything from instant noodles to underwear getting through.

Login - Kyodo News
 

Yes, Tohoku Highway remains closed for vehicles without emergency vehicle sticker. But the procedure for applying for one has been further simplified and the corporate trucks transporting supplies can get one at toll gates. The previous procedure was not that complicated either. I got one for SkyNews crew 3 days ago at the Miyagi Prefectural Police HQ, and they were quite smooth.

BUT, the transport problem remains in coastal villages of Iwate Prefecture, as the Tohoku Highway (or National Route 4 for that matter) is very far from the coastal Iwate, even under normal circumstances, they are not easy to get to. The roads connecting the highway to, say, Miyako are through mountainous regions, they are the bottlenecks currently.

There's another problem which is the lack of gasoline/diesel fuels. Apparently, a huge convoy of 300 trucks and trains are on their way from western Japan to bring fuel to Tohoku region today. Hopefully, fuel will be supplied to the gas stations along the way from the Tohoku Highway to the coastal villages, allowing the supply vehicles to refuel as they go.

I have just passed a package of information to Los Angeles Times crew passing Morioka toward Miyako about an hour ago. They have the sticker but whether they can get enough fuel to reach Miyako is not certain.
 

Sorry i was just trying to keep people up to date with the latest breaking news as there is so much information being churned out everyday on news sources it is easily lost and never seen by many. But i'm not so sure i'm going to bother so much posting this stuff anymore anyway (especially if more people here don't want lots of news articles on the big picture in Japan). Also i am posting news from a number of websites, not just the BBC (usually goes Daily Mainichi, BBC News, other sites etc).

Chidoriashi said:
I agree, a lot of this is sensationalized media BS, and is not helping one bit.
Click to expand...

Oh right, so tell me what big exagerations or lies do you think the media is presenting on this whole crisis exactly?
If anything i think there is a fair amount of information being withheld and the crisis is worse than currently been let on.

Tell me, if you were living 35km away from the Fukushima Daiichi site would you feel absolutely safe at this distance and stay put even if given the option to move further away, thinking to yourself "The media sensationlises things all the time and if the government tells me that i'm safe today where i am i think i am secure and will be safe in believing the government"?
Or would you think, "no, the nuclear crisis is getting worse on a daily basis and the Japanese government has a reputation/history for withholding nuclear information- this week it will be 30km, but next week it'll be 40", and so decide to move away?

'Cos i know which option i would go for.
 
To add to what some folk were posting on another thread (Radiation Leak), I'm shocked at how long it's taken for some things to be put into action, and wonder who's to blame:

- the Tokyo government starting to accept physical donations only this morning (UK time).

- I read that a major oil refinery shifted to maximum output today to try to help satisfy the demand for petrol - why on Earth was it not sooner than this?

- international nuclear experts being brought in only in the last few days (although after what undrentide has posted on the other thread, perhaps it hasn't been necessary, but Japan has felt it had to bow eventually to outside pressure).

- I'm sure there are other examples, but cannot think of them now.



Tokis, no need to apologise, of course! You were doing a great job of collecting and posting news. Like I said - and it is just one man's opinion - there were so many links I didn't know which were the most important, and also worried some personal posts might have been missed. Perhaps we could either prioritise and post the most important links or those which many may have missed, or have a separate thread for breaking news on the topic?
(undrentide, I said it on the other thread but will again, thank for your greeting, and it's great to see you and other friends here are safe )
 
I read today that the actress Sandra Bullock gave $1,000,000 to the Red Cross today, to help those affected by the disaster in Japan. Now lets hope that various governments match or increase what they donate. If one actress can do that, then governments can do at least ten times more.
 
I have read some silly internet rumor that this disaster is man-made by HAARP ~ " rogue elements " in that organization caused it to bring down Japan.I think it's too far-fetched ~ lol.
 
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