Tohoku Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster!!!

[IkemenTommy]

I heard that with one of the steam valves they used 90 people on 8 second shifts to get it open.

Shit, what are all those useless robots for?

[Coligny]

I just heard a commentator who seemed a bit fed up by other members of the media trying to make this in to a new Chernobyl disaster, or worse, say that since nuclear energy had been begun, there had only been seven total fatalities at work in the reactor business. There had already been 27(?) in the newly founded wind powered energy field. I don't know, maybe they were hit by propellors. Apparently, most of the info was from here......

Well, I ain't glowing in the dark yet, so must still be okay here.

Evar seen a wind turbine failure ? Like an helicopter crash... But think of it like an event where nobody really give a frack and people usually climb it till the last minute to clutch / declutch or try to apply brakes with even more on the ground looking at it failling Nascar style 'w00t Cletus, it's gunna crash'... The "it'sa justa big propella, can't be that dangerous" mentality is actually quite fatal...

[Coligny]

Seems fire at Daiichi #4 reactor has been stopped

[BigInJapan]

A slightly morbid question, but has anyone here evacuated?
I know of one European that left the country with his family on Sunday... (and I'm getting pressure from my other half to flee south from Kanawaga-ken ASAP as the nuclear situation develops).

[matsuki]

Fuuuuuu....

All this panic hording seems to be creating a bigger problem than any of the stuff they're talking about on the news. Where are they going to keep all this extra food? The pantry? Their fridge/freezer they're going to lose power on when the blackouts start?...sooo lame.

[Pearse]

A slightly morbid question, but has anyone here evacuated?
I know of one European that left the country with his family on Sunday... (and I'm getting pressure from my other half to flee south from Kanawaga-ken ASAP as the nuclear situation develops).

Someone I know living in Chiba, but on the border with Tokyo, said he and his family are heading to Osaka. I would like to go myself, but we can't even buy gas to put in the car and then where would we stay. Plus, my wife is a nurse and she doesn't want to leave her hospital.

[Sarutaro]

Yeah, I left while there still weren't any queues at the gas stations. Packed the car with survival gear and headed west. My wife screaming to me in the phone that reactor 1 just exploded had something to do with my decision.

[IkemenTommy]

A slightly morbid question, but has anyone here evacuated?
I know of one European that left the country with his family on Sunday... (and I'm getting pressure from my other half to flee south from Kanawaga-ken ASAP as the nuclear situation develops).

The Koreans already did nida.

[IkemenTommy]

Fuuuuuu....

All this panic hording seems to be creating a bigger problem than any of the stuff they're talking about on the news. Where are they going to keep all this extra food? The pantry? Their fridge/freezer they're going to lose power on when the blackouts start?...sooo lame.

Beer and liquor seem to be plenty as always. Thank god the indigenous locals do not drink.

[matsuki]

Beer and liquor seem to be plenty as always. Thank god the indigenous locals do not drink.

LOL, and they don't seem to realize that there are longer lasting forms of bread like tortillas. Fiesta until they are hard enough to be used as plates!

[omae mona]

And CNN the opposite:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/15/japan.us.navy.radiation/index.html

Radiation detected by docked USN ships.

Every one of these stories is riddled with errors and important omissions. It's sickening. What is up with this crap reporting?

Radiation HAS been detected in Tokyo. Radiation is in Tokyo every day. It's everywhere. If any monitoring device is not detecting radiation, it's broken.

And on top of that, the maximum radiation detected in Tokyo this morning by a city monitoring station was 20 times normal "natural" levels for a short period of time But you know what? That's still infinitesimal. It won't have any effect on anybody's health.

The navy ships detecting radiation are reporting the same thing if you read the details. It's elevated from normal levels, but so what?

If anybody believes in science, let me know and I can post some numbers. But if I have to sit in this radiation for 500 hours to reach the same level as an abdomen x-ray, I do not consider it dangerous, much less newsworthy.

[FG Lurker]

A slightly morbid question, but has anyone here evacuated?
I know of one European that left the country with his family on Sunday... (and I'm getting pressure from my other half to flee south from Kanawaga-ken ASAP as the nuclear situation develops).

A very good friend of mine is a travel agent and he has been inundated with calls & emails from people trying to leave. Apparently the German and US embassies have been contacting citizens who have registered with them and telling them to leave the country if they can. Of course pretty much every flight out is packed, there just isn't much availability.

People from Canada are calling/emailing me and asking me when (not if!) I'm going to leave, and I'm well over 500km away in Osaka!

Lots of people being fed fear by the news networks and are in all-out panic mode.

If any FGs are headed Osaka-way let me know and we can at least use this chance to have a mini-FG gathering for beer...

[FG Lurker]

Every one of these stories is riddled with errors and important omissions. It's sickening. What is up with this crap reporting?

Here's a site with some real information that isn't full of errors and outright lies:

MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

[ChargerCarl]

poor japanese economy

[Mock Cockpit]

A very good friend of mine is a travel agent and he has been inundated with calls & emails from people trying to leave. Apparently the German and US embassies have been contacting citizens who have registered with them and telling them to leave the country if they can.

Interesting that they're saying that. I called the Australian Consulate in Osaka today just to make sure they had all my details and ask them what their latest advice is. They said to stay put and check the embassy homepage for the latest information. So that's what I'll do.

[Greji]

This is the latest US Embassy info update:



March 15, 2011 16:30

This warden message is to inform U.S. citizens of important information related to the earthquake and recent events. The Japanese government issued an additional advisory on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. stating that residents within 20-30 Km of Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Station should remain indoors. The Japanese government had previously announced on Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 7:33 p.m. that all residents within 20 Km of Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Station must evacuate the area. American citizens should continue to observe all instructions given by Japanese authorities. Below is important information regarding airports and transportation, methods on how to contact relatives in the United States, and other information.

U.S. citizens in need of emergency consular assistance should send an e-mail to JapanEmergencyUSC@state.gov with detailed information about their location and contact information. We also recommend U.S. citizens in Japan make contact with loved ones in the United States.

Please continue to monitor the Embassy‚s website, http://japan.usembassy.gov/, for updated information. For telephone inquiries, please call 202-501-4444 or 1-888-407-4747.

How to Communicate with Your Family in the United States

We encourage you to try to contact your family and friends. Possible ways to inform your family of your situation:

1. While there have been disruptions in communications in Japan, including the interruption of internet and mobile telephone service, we encourage you to continue your efforts to be in contact with your loved one(s) using SMS texting and other social media (e.g., FaceBook, My Space, Twitter, etc) that your loved one(s) may use.

Other possible ways to inform your family of your situation:
2. Cell Phone Messages

If you have a cell phone in Japan, you can post messages via your cell phone provider. Family and friends who know your cell phone company can check the cell phone company's website below and type in your phone number to see any message you have left. The available areas are Aomori, Miyagi, Yamagata and Fukushima prefectures.

For Docomo users: http://dengon.docomo.ne.jp/top.cgi
For KDDI (Ezweb) users: http://dengon.ezweb.ne.jp/
For Softbank users: http://dengon.softbank.ne.jp/
For Wilcom users: http://dengon.willcom-inc.com/dengon/Top.do
For Emobile users: http://dengon.emnet.ne.jp/

NTT emergency voice message board: Dial 171. View message board at https://www.web171.jp

3. Family Links website of the International Committee of the Red Cross:
This website provides a way for you to inform your relatives that you are alive. Your relatives can look for your name.

http://www.icrc.org/FAMILYLINKS or
http://www.icrc.org/Web/doc/siterfl0.nsf/htmlall/familylinks-japon-eng

Flight Information for Narita and Haneda Airports

Flights at Haneda Airport and Narita Airport are departing with some delays. For the most up-to-date flight information, we recommend you contact your airline. Limousine buses and trains are running with limited service. The U.S. Embassy recommends that travelers budget additional travel time to reach these airports.

Flight Information from Fukushima Airport

Fukushima Airport has nine flights available to Haneda, Itami, Nagoya, and Shin-Chitose airports. For ANA flight information and reservations, contact (0570-029-222) or visit http://www.ana.co.jp. For AirDo Airlines‚ flight information and reservations, contact (0120-057-333) or visit http://www.airdo.jp.

Information about Missing Persons

For information in Japanese about missing persons:
Miyagi Prefecture: 022-221-2000
Iwate Prefecture: 0120-801-471
Fukushima Prefecture: 0120-510-186 090-8424-4207 090-8424-4208

Counseling Services

Counseling Services for JET Programme Participants
JET Programme: http://www.jetprogramme.org/e/current/support/jetline.html
AJET Peer Support Group: 050-5534-5566

Other Counseling Services

Tokyo English Life Line (TELL): Tel: 03-5774-0992, http://www.telljp.com/


U.S. Embassy Tokyo
http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/tacs-main.html

[CrankyBastard]

A slightly morbid question, but has anyone here evacuated?

Not evacuated yet, but I'm planning to go to west Ehime tomorrow to check on an old house that my wife's family has kept locked for the past eight years.
Reason being that I'd like to get my daughter who is four months pregnant away from Yokohama.

[Taka-Okami]

Yeah, I left while there still weren't any queues at the gas stations. Packed the car with survival gear and headed west. My wife screaming to me in the phone that reactor 1 just exploded had something to do with my decision.

I dont know how some of you guys can just pack your shit up and go. Dont you have jobs??

[AML]

Here's a site with some real information that isn't full of errors and outright lies:

MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

The one good thing to come from all this: Were all going to be frikin nuclear power experts!

[AML]

I dont know how some of you guys can just pack your shit up and go. Dont you have jobs??

Im wondering the same thing with a lot of people running away....

Your risking loosing your job over some media fear mongering?

Wait for irrefutable proof before committing to extreme action that might result in the loss of your career and life in Japan.

[Coligny]

poor japanese economy

Don't know... Main destruction is on few fishermen towns and -just- few powerplants... All factories on the 60HZ grid are unaffected (Toyota shi), the vast emptyness of Hokkaido is also ok (food).

Wonder how many subs can be used to provide power to Tokyo

[Greji]

I dont know how some of you guys can just pack your shit up and go. Dont you have jobs??

Right! I got a bunch of hookers dying of thirst in Roppongi. I just can't get away from my responsibilities...

[ChargerCarl]

Don't know... Main destruction is on few fishermen towns and -just- few powerplants... All factories on the 60HZ grid are unaffected (Toyota shi), the vast emptyness of Hokkaido is also ok (food).

Wonder how many subs can be used to provide power to Tokyo

investors hate this kind of shit. the nikkei's been plunging

[matsuki]

I dont know how some of you guys can just pack your shit up and go. Dont you have jobs??

This...with no trains, I'm biking over an hour through shitty traffic and crowded streets to get to work and even they they are telling me to arrive earlier...

[canman]

I wonder who is doing all the selling? If you had money it might be a good time to invest in Japanese stocks. I think that they will come roaring back, or at least they will return in short order, this is just panic selling, just like all the house wives panic buying in Tokyo.
By the way have you noticed that most of the TV commercials are Ad Council of Japan. Does that mean nobody wants to advertise during a disaster?

[ChargerCarl]

where do you work?

[FG Lurker]

I wonder who is doing all the selling? If you had money it might be a good time to invest in Japanese stocks. I think that they will come roaring back, or at least they will return in short order, this is just panic selling, just like all the house wives panic buying in Tokyo.

A simple rule dictates my buying: Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.
--Warren Buffett

By the way have you noticed that most of the TV commercials are Ad Council of Japan. Does that mean nobody wants to advertise during a disaster?

Yeah, I guess "Natural Disaster Grand Sponsor (your company name here)" doesn't go over too well...

[Samurai_Jerk]

I dont know how some of you guys can just pack your shit up and go. Dont you have jobs??

Most professionals have paid leave and ALTs are on spring break. A lot foreign companies are letting people work remotely this week too.

[ChargerCarl]

I wonder who is doing all the selling? If you had money it might be a good time to invest in Japanese stocks.

I don't know man. People were already down on Japan's economic future (or lack of) before this shit hit.

[CrankyBastard]

where do you work?

I'm more or less retired.
The outfit throw the odd job my way if there's nobody else willing to do sea trials or crawl through ballast tanks.