8.9 Earthquake has struck Japan

[Darren Addy]

Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet; shifted Earth's axis: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.earthquake.tsunami.earth/index.html

 

[Jeff Snyder]

Not sure if this has been posted yet, but here's video from Minami-Sanriku as the town gets "wiped clean" from the tsunami --> http://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newseye4671874.html ... One one hand, it's quite saddening to realize how many people die through the course of that video. On the other hand, this is much like tornado footage taken in suburban or rural areas -- you know there is serious injury and perhaps death occurring, but there's nothing we can do about it once the scenario unfolds. it's a reminder to us all the Mother Nature has us at her mercy when it comes to natural disasters. The power of the ocean is amazing.

 

[MClarkson]

People that didnt have a hill right there were probably less successful in evacuating...

 

[Brandon Jenkins]

CNN reporting that a meltdown may now be underway.

EDIT: I apologize to anyone who had to go out of their way to actually look at CNN to get this information, next time I will be sure to include a hyperlink.

 

[Drew.Gardonia]

CNN reporting that a meltdown may now be underway.

if you're going to say stuff like that next time please post a link to backup what you're saying.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.quake.nuclear.failure/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1

 

[B Ozanne]

This image was on Foxnews earlier today. If anybody is interested in helping I am looking through Google Maps right now to find a before image. I'm focusing on the peninsula near Sendai.

Edit: Found it...it is a village called Shizugawa. The channel matches exactly and there is a clear dirt track next to the water. Population 13,000 in 2003. I believe the building above the water damage on the right is an elementary school.

 

[Drew.Gardonia]

these pictures are unbelievable

http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2011/03/world/hires.japan.quake/index.html?hpt=T1

 

[Greg Campbell]

As always, Boston.com has some well done pics. http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/03/massive_earthquake_hits_japan.html

 

[Greg Neuman]

The reactor is in the building, the explosion was the hydrogen oxygen explosion (not nuclear as some are reporting) as something went wrong releasing a load of steam pressure all at once. The only thing that would have had that much pressure would have been attached to directly or be the reactor itself which was over pressurized and already being poorly controlled if it was being controlled at that point at all. They had already reported failings in being able to reach pressure relief valves due to radiation at 1000 times normal in even the control room.

I never asked what happened. I am just saying there are huge language problems (including translation) with what ends up being reported in the US media. It doesn't mean there is a cover-up of a nuclear disaster.

 

[Nathan Edwards]

Edit: Found it...it is a village called Shizugawa. The channel matches exactly and there is a clear dirt track next to the water. Population 13,000 in 2003. I believe the building above the water damage on the right is an elementary school.

Looking at Google maps I believe this video is taken from the Shizugawa Junior High School you mentioned. Truly shocking footage.

Watch video >

The bus driver at 1 minute in may be the luckiest guy out there if he made it... Many others clearly did not.


Edit: Shizugawa is one of two towns which make up Minamisanriku where they fear up to 10000 are missing. At first I didn't think this was the same location as your picture as I didn't see the hospital, but I think I can see just the top floor above water towards the end (water on the camera lens obscures it somewhat). Only 1 floor above water and a 5 story building... yikes...

 

[B Ozanne]

Thanks Nathan, it does look like the same city. Assuming that road kept rising I think the bus did make it, hopefully with a load of people.

Edit: I was onto something, msnbc.com now has a before/after of the same city on their main page.

 

[Darren Addy]

The 8.9 quake has been upgraded to a 9.0.

 

[MClarkson]

Mainstream media is confirming the reactor core meltdown, which isn't really surprising at this point...

EDIT: "Confirming" may not be the right word. They are now using the word "likely". Which sort of has been assumed outside of mainstream media since that explosion about 20 hours ago.

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

Yeah, things seem to have gone pretty pear-shaped at the two reactors. The explosion earlier apparently wasn't due to a containment breach, by rather due to water being converted to hydrogen via the high radiation levels, which was subsequently vented into the containment building via valves (for safety). The automatic ignition system, which is supposed to ignite and burn the hydrogen before it reached explosive levels did not work due to the power outage. Thus when it ignited it blew the external containment building to the moon.

Problem is, now the external containment apparatus is gone. A meltdown, which could compromise the reactor either through overpressure (if the valves won't operate) or through temperature (i.e. melt straight through the reactor itself) would then have nothing left to contain the molten fissile materials. This would be bad.

Frankly, I get the impression that the government is doing a bit of sanitizing on this story. The fuel rods melted, fissile products are detected outside containment, plant workers have radiation sickness, people outside the plant are being treated for radiation exposure, they're handing iodine out to the public, and one of the external containment vessels blew itself to hell - I'm having a hard time buying the 'don't panic, everything is fine' line they keep repeating.

 

[Drew.Gardonia]

cool little video from Hawaii

http://wimp.com/tsunamibackyard/