Disaster in Japan
Posted: March 11, 2011 Filed under: Breaking News, Foreign Affairs | Tags: Japan Quake, Japan Tsunami, Nuclear facilities 36 Comments
Last night, a 8.9 quake and tsunami hit Japan. Tsunami waves have hit Hawaii and are now hitting Washington state. The worst damage is in the northern sections of Japan. There is a worse danger looming that I wanted to mention here if you haven’t heard. The Japan earthquake has shut down two nuclear plants and the core is not cooling in one. This is a potentially dangerous situation. The U.S. is now rushing coolant to Japan at the request of the Japanese government.
Yet even light was on short supply, with nuclear power plants shutting down after fires broke out at some of the facilities and raised concerns of potential radiation leaks. Millions of buildings around Tokyo were reported without power.
The 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck northeast Japan at 2:45 p.m. local time, collapsing buildings 240 miles away in Tokyo, triggering a 30-foot tsunami that swept away everything in its path, and killing at least 300 people already. Hundreds more remain missing, including 100 crew on a lost fishing boat.
The plant experienced a fire. People in the area are being evacuated. No leaks have been reported so far but again, CNN said that the core is not cooling so they are preparing for the worst.
About 5,800 residents near a Tokyo Electric Power Co. atomic plant were ordered to evacuate because of a possible radiation leak and the failure of the cooling system after Japan was struck by a powerful earthquake.
People within 3 kilometers (2 miles) of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were told to evacuate, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said in Tokyo today. Residents within 10 kilometers were told to stay indoors, said Ryohei Shiomi, a spokesman at the Emergency Information Center of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.
Emergency power supply at the 4,696-megawatt plant 210 kilometers north of Tokyo failed after the quake triggered automatic shutdowns of the reactors, officials at the trade ministry’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told reporters without identifying themselves. Power is needed to keep cooling the reactor to prevent rising pressure and damage, they said.
A battery, which can last about eight hours, is being used to cool the reactor for now, the agency officials said. Another six batteries have been secured, and the government may use military helicopters to fly them in, they said.
CNN has just reported that radiation is rising in the Fukushima Daiichi plant. A refinery has also exploded.
Natural Gas prices are already on the rise in UK.
U.K. natural gas prices soared Friday after a major earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, shutting down nuclear plants and raising expectations that the country will import more liquefied natural gas as a replacement power source.
But with the global gas market so well-supplied, and the length of the nuclear plant outages unknown, the gains could prove short-lived, traders said.
Winter gas contract prices had risen to 68.8 pence per therm by 1420 GMT, around 4% higher from Thursday.
At least two nuclear power plants on Japan’s Pacific coast shut down following the 8.9 magnitude quake that hit the country Friday morning, leaving market watchers wondering as to the extent of the damage.
“The problem is there are a whole bunch of nuclear outages, which I’d think would be out for at least three to four weeks,” said a London-based trader.
Japan’s last major earthquake in 2007 caused an extended shutdown of the country’s largest nuclear power plant, sending the country scrabbling for LNG suplies as it sought alternative means of power generation.
However, the current rally in the natural gas market may be premature. The extent of the damage to nuclear facilities is still unknown and the market is better-supplied than it was a few years ago.
Unlike in 2007, the market today is oversupplied, said Noel Tomnay, head of global gas at Wood Mackenzie.
Japan quake area map from the BBC
Casualties from this quake/tsunami now number in the hundreds and may rise. Japan has requested help from the US. The navy is sending ships there now.
There are some amazing images at The Atlantic. Videotapes of the moments during the quake and tsunami can be found at the NYT at the Lede Blog.
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
OK, I am feeling better, heard back from my friend in Japan and my gran is off to a family member’s home inland (w/other family members).
Let’s hope the Japanese and other governments working together get the leak under control at the power plant experiencing major problems.
I am praying for all the people in Japan and those still stranded waiting to be rescued. Sending good thoughts to all in Japan.
Glad to hear that your family is going to safer ground, sending thoughts to all. Those videos were horrifying to watch, such a feeling of helplessness as the water moved in.
God bless the people of Japan.
When are we going to get serious about climate change? My husband says not untii it hits Jim Demint personally and seriously.
Where is Al Gore?
Were his personal scandals orchestrated to neutralize him on his lifelong passion?
The President is having a news conference right now on the rising oil prices and said he was prepared to tap the strategic reserve if necessary.
President is taking questions including those on Libya, the budget, etc. He opened with a statement about Japan.
He’s stated that it’s in every one’s interest that Gaddafi leave. He’s still saying all options are on the table but he’s going to balance costs v. benefits on military action. He still says the desired outcome is for Gaddafi to step down.
Jake Tapper just asked him about PJ Crowley’s statement and Bradley Manning.
Damn, I caught his opening statement and then someone came to the door. What did he say to Tapper about Manning?
Obama, yea right, we saw how you went after the SkyRocking premium hikes by Insurance companies… 😆 Yea, Oil companies are trembling!
Oh, and the continuation of Bush 11 policies under his BUSH/Obama III …
Yes, what was his answer to Tapper?
Janicen: he said he didn’t want to really comment but that he understood there were some kind of safety issues and that the pentagon had reassured him he was being treated well.
Not Only Won’t Obama Close Gitmo, He’s Now Relying on Gitmo’s SOPs | Emptywheel
Quote of the Day: Pentagon Says Pentagon Treating Manning Just Fine | Mother Jones
Alrighty then….
I had to turn him off. The head going back and forth was making me dizzy…but what really did it for me was how he talked about FEMA and all the effort to help those US states and territories with the tsunami. Okay, I do not want to come across as callus…so I will keep my remarks to Hawaii and the Pacific Coast. It seems that the waves have brought in some water, but that has receded. I have not read anything about major damage or deaths from the tsunami hitting Hawaii and along the US States of the Pacific Coast. When Deepwater Horizon exploded, killing 11 people and the mess that followed after that, and still on going today, we got nothing from Obama. I am sorry, maybe it is because I am so disgusted with the Dem party lately, and bitter about so much crap that is going on…but this over-reaction just bothered me. (Oh, and I reiterate, I am not talking about US territories out in the Pacific that probably will have serious damages and deaths due to the tsunami.)
WV, Google has some sort of program to find people affected by the quake and tsunami in Japan: Google Person Finder (消息情報): 2011 日本地震
All our family is in Kyoto.
Dak, are they okay?
I only have the one friend there who e-mailed back once, but haven’t heard from since. My other friends are in Hawaii but they have family in Japan.
My family lives on the coast but have gone inland and are OK.
I have a college friend in Kyoto. As far as I can tell from the news, it has not been hit. Do you have any info, Dak?
Not yet. We’ll probably get an email or face book from one of the girls’ cousins.
I have a very good Japanese friend in Tokyo. He was updating throughout the day and when he finally got home. He said even in Tokyo there was no telecommunication (although we were chatting on the net), no public transportation and that he had a very very tough time catching a cab. He let me know when he got home that it was 1am local and that he was completely exhausted.
I’m waiting for his report in a couple of hours because I have to stay awake for some time.
Huge quake, tsunami kill 1,000 in Japan; world offers help – AlertNet
Drudge is also reporting that Japan is releasing radioactive vapor in an effort to cool off the reactor.
So far four people have been swept out to sea in CA. Two found alive, one missing, one dead.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/japan-tsunami-kills-one-in-california/shockwaves/?cid=cs:headline1
I just saw this BB, that is terrible.
Tsunami sweeps 5 to sea, rips out California docks | News10.net | Sacramento, California | Local News
I listened to the press conference on my way home in the car. I was so angry about what Obama said in response to the question about Bradley Manning, that I could hardly see straight.
He said he asked the Pentagon if what they were doing to Manning was “appropriate.” He has to ask?! He can’t figure out on his own that stripping someone naked every night and making him stand naked outside his cell with his legs spread and his hands over his head is INAPPROPRIATE?
What answer did he expect to get from the Pentagon anyway? He should have asked Amnesty International, not the very people who are carrying out the harrassment and torture.
Our President is an a$$hole. There’s just no two ways about it.
Here is what Obama said:
Obama didn’t ask if Manning was being “treated well,” as the article Dak quoted claimed. He asked in so many words if torture of Manning is “appropriate.”
BB that is appalling to say the least.
OT– Bill Clinton favors a no-fly zone over Libya.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-11/bill-clinton-on-libya-peter-king-and-more/?cid=topic:mainpromo2
Since he’s had some experience in that matter and with human disasters, I’d think his opinion would really matter. It’s probably why Chowdry is speaking more firmly than WH spokespeople.
You’d think so, but I doubt if Obama pays attention to him.
Wow. I guess Japan never saw it coming. My thoughts and prayers are with them.
Snap analysis: Japan may have hours to prevent nuclear meltdown | Reuters
Looks like this could be serious…
State Department: No Emergency Delivery to Japanese Nuclear Plant – Washington Wire – WSJ