DISASTER Fukushima Reactor Disaster: MAIN THREAD - Five Year Anniversary

Japan NOW EYES BURYING THE REACTORS AS A POSSIBLE LAST RESPONSE.
STORY HERE:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/wl_nm/us_japan_quake

http://live.reuters.com/Event/Japan_earthquake2
TEPCO press release from 10:00AM 18 March indicates that "On March 18th, regarding the spent fuel in the common spent fuel pool, we have confirmed that the water level of the pool is secured. A detailed inspection is under preparation." - www.tepco.co.jp
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/11031802-e.html


http://live.reuters.com/Event/Japan_earthquake2
NEWS ADVISORY: Kan to meet the press from 8 p.m. (19:25) kyodo news



http://live.reuters.com/Event/Japan_earthquake2
Interesting information on simulations of water loss to a fuel storage pool - www.osti.gov - It shows how quickly the rods can heat up without water, and shows with 30 day old fuel rods, approx. 95 gallons a minute of water would need to be sprayed to maintain cooling (see page 81).
http://www.osti.gov/bridge/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=6272964

http://live.reuters.com/Event/Japan_earthquake2
here is an explanation of the nuclear incident scale: uk.reuters.com That piece refers to a rating of four - a few hours ago the situation was re-rated at level 5 for reactors 1, 2 and 3.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/03/13/uk-nuclear-incidents-scale-idUKTRE72C1KC20110313.

http://live.reuters.com/Event/Japan_earthquake2
Level 5: Accident with wider consequences en.wikipedia.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Nuclear_Event_Scale

night driver said:

Please consider the possibility that what we have seen was THE MOST TIMELY RESPONSE PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE, given the fractured and pulverized infrastructure they were working within. The Japanese may well NOT have choppers able to lift locomotives in order to get the generation capability into place. they damn sure don't have ROADS in the area right now. ANd no RR's. I haven't a clue HOW they are getting generation capability into the area, just that it HAS to be a super-human effort right now, just to get TO the plants.


Someone else complained about not issuing an evac order early on. Issuing that kind of order that PHYSICALLY CAN NOT be complied with kills more than it saves.

Gang, the infrastructure of one of the most efficient, industrialized nations on the globe, in the affected area, resembles that of the Himalayas today.

Click to expand...

Night Driver:

As I said, I have nothing but admiration for the folks on the ground who are trying to work this impossible situation.

There have been many comments back and forth, and you may have me confused with someone else---I have never been one of those asking why they didn't have generators in there. I realize what conditions they're having to work with.

My aggravation stems from the attitudes and actions of the suited white shirts sitting safely in some conference room or high-rise in Tokyo, who to "save face" have from the beginning refused to believe that they, the Japanese, with their advanced technology, could actually even be facing such a situation as they are. It seemed to me that, from the beginning, they were either refusing to face facts or ignoring the true severity of the situation and just how bad it could turn.

What could they have done differently?

*Tell their own people--and the world--the full truth about what is going on.
(from what I've read, they're not even allowing radiation readings out of Fukushima and a nearby town, on an internet site that monitors Japanese radiation levels in different areas--those two towns have been blocked out. ETA--and now, from the post below, they've blocked YouTube as well, and have a complete news blackout going on? ))
*Put protecting their people above saving face (they arrogantly stated, when asked why Americans and other foreign nationals were being told to stay X miles away, and they were only telling their own people to stay less X miles away, that "other nations have their own standards and ways of dealing with" such a situation. Radiation is radiation, and kills you just as surely at a certain intensity and distance whether you are Japanese or American.
*NOT ASKING FOR HELP from other countries until the situation was already far out of control---again, I get this from the statements of others on this forum who have explained that "saving face" is more important than anything to the Oriental culture. Maybe so. But it's made a bad situation virtually impossible, and I wonder how many people will die of lingering radiation effects who might not have had to die, if only the suits hadn't been so worried about "saving face".

So, it looks like there is now a total news blackout, except for some twitter info. There was apparently another explosion if the fellow in that video above (saying Japan has blocked Youtube) is to believed. Drudge has had nothing new on the situation since yesterday.

BlueNewton said:

So, it looks like there is now a total news blackout, except for some twitter info. There was apparently another explosion if the fellow in that video above (saying Japan has blocked Youtube) is to believed. Drudge has had nothing new on the situation since yesterday.

Click to expand...

Blue Newton---which post has the video you're referring to? I missed that one & would like to see it.

Another explosion, huh? And now they're blocking YouTube? Is this Japan or Libya???

Japan's Crisis Batters Global Nuclear Industry
VOA News March 15, 2011

U.S. President Barack Obama says he believes nuclear power is an important source of energy in the United States.

Mr. Obama said in a television interview Tuesday that nuclear plants are designed to withstand certain levels of natural disasters, including earthquakes and floods. But he acknowledged that no energy facility is completely foolproof. He said it is important to work on improving the safety of nuclear technologies.
VOA's Ira Mellman speaks with Scott Burnell, a spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, about the disaster in Japan.


A spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Scott Burnell, told VOA Tuesday that any request to build a nuclear power plant in the United States has to take into account the possibility of severe events at any given site, like heavy snow, flooding, earthquakes and tsunamis.

Burnell said the United States will look into all the information gathered form the nuclear crisis in Japan to see what can be learned from it.

The problems at Japan's quake-stricken nuclear power plant is hurting the global nuclear industry, with stock prices falling for companies that build or operate nuclear power plants. There also has been a decline in the price of uranium fuel.

Investor concern follows the temporary closure of some nuclear power plants in Germany, and plans by many nations to closely review safety issues related to earthquakes and cooling systems that are at the heart of the problems in Japan.

Nuclear power provides almost one-fifth of the world's electricity, from 442 nuclear power plants. The United States has 104 nuclear power plants, more than any other nation. But France is more dependent on nuclear energy than most nations, getting about three-quarters of its electricity from nuclear sources.

Another 65 nuclear power plants are under construction, and hundreds more are in some stage of planning.

About one-third of those new plants are in China, which needs more electricity to power its strong economic growth. India also has about a half-dozen plants under construction.

BlueNewton said:

So, it looks like there is now a total news blackout, except for some twitter info. There was apparently another explosion if the fellow in that video above (saying Japan has blocked Youtube) is to believed. Drudge has had nothing new on the situation since yesterday.

Click to expand...

Please----if anybody can point me to the video BN is referencing here, I'd appreciate it.

Given the level of .. well, call it what it is, cover-up, so far, and of letting info out in dibs and drabs, to me the news that Japan has put a blackout on information (IF true) speaks volumes---this silence means things have just gone INFINITELY worse.

Laurie the Mom said:

A friend of mine has a son in the Navy, he is currently stationed in Japan. She heard from him today, he said they ARE being evacuated to Guam, and it is NOT voluntary. For what it's worth...

Laurie

Click to expand...

That is what the 'skipper' said. Thank you. So much for the debunking going on how it was voluntary.

This should speak volumes. If the Navy is abandoning the whole country...that should tell everyone just how bad this is...and what the outcome is going to be.

How about some GOOD news folks?

I have added some comments to the large amount of info below, mostly converting pressures to PSI. Please remember sensing instruments could have been damaged by EQ, tsunami, fire(s) and explosions. All PSI numbers rounded. Mpa is megapascals. Add abs and it becomes absolute pressure; subtract14..7 PSI. I used 15 PSI for convenience. More comments at the end.


http://lewis.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/3680/another-fepc-statement-2

Update to Information Sheet Regarding the Tohoku Earthquake
The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC) Washington DC Office
As of 10:15AM (EST), March 17, 2011
• Radiation Levels
o At 9:20AM (JST) on March 17, radiation level at elevation of 1,000ft above Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station: 4,130 micro sievert.
o At 9:20AM on March 17, radiation level at elevation of 300ft above Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station: 87,700 micro sievert.
Comment: Highest radiation reading in this report. Equal to 87.7 REM highest reading above the plant.
o At 11:10AM on March 17, radiation level at main gate (approximately 3,281 feet from Unit 2 reactor building) of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station: 646.2 micro sievert.
o At 7:50PM on March 17, radiation level outside main office building (approximately 1,640 feet from Unit 2 reactor building) of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station: 3,599 micro sievert.
o For comparison, a human receives 2,400 micro sievert per year from natural radiation in the form of sunlight, radon, and other sources. One chest CT scan generates 6,900 micro sievert per scan.
• Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 reactor
o Since 10:30AM on March 14, the pressure within the primary containment vessel cannot be measured.
o At 12:50PM on March 17, pressure inside the reactor core: 0.185MPa. (27 PSI)
o At 12:50PM on March 17, water level inside the reactor core: 1.7 meters below the top of the fuel rods.
• Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2 reactor
o At 12:25PM on March 16, pressure inside the primary containment vessel: 0.40MPaabs. (43 PSI)
o At 12:50PM on March 17, pressure inside the reactor core: -0.027MPa. (A vacuum. Suspect reading.)
o At 12:50PM on March 17, water level inside the reactor core: 1.8 meters below the top of the fuel rods.
• Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 reactor
o At 12:40PM on March 16, pressure inside the primary containment vessel: 0.23MPaabs. (18 PSI)
o At 6:15AM on March 17, pressure inside the suppression chamber was observed to fluctuate.
o At 7:00AM on March 17, pressure inside the suppression chamber: 0.22MPa. (32 PSI)
o At 7:05AM on March 17, pressure inside the suppression chamber: 0.44MPa. (64 PSI)
o At 7:10AM on March 17, pressure inside the suppression chamber: 0.26MPa. (38 PSI)
o At 7:15AM on March 17, pressure inside the suppression chamber: 0.52MPa. (75 PSI)
o At 7:20AM on March 17, pressure inside the suppression chamber: 0.13MPa. (19 PSI)
o At 7:25AM on March 17, pressure inside the suppression chamber: 0.57MPa. (83 PSI)
o At 9:48AM on March 17, a Self Defense Forces helicopter made four water drops aimed for the spent fuel pool.
o At 4:35PM on March 17, pressure inside the reactor core: 0.005MPa. (.7 PSI)
o At 4:35PM on March 17, water level inside the reactor core: 1.95 meters below the top of the fuel rods.
o At 7:05PM on March 17, a police water cannon began to shoot water aimed at the spent fuel pool until 7:22PM.
o At 7:35PM on March 17, five Self Defense Forces emergency fire vehicles shot water aimed at the spent fuel pool, until 8:09PM.
• Fukushima Daiichi Unit 5 reactor
o At 2:00PM on March 16, the temperature of the spent fuel pool was measured at 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Fukushima Daiichi Unit 6 reactor
o At 2:00PM on March 16, the temperature of the spent fuel pool was measured at 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Update: FEPC has released more information, including a status on cooling pool at Unit 4.
Update to Information Sheet Regarding the Tohoku Earthquake
The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC) Washington DC Office
As of 11:30AM (EST), March 17, 2011
• Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4 reactor
o No official updates to the information in our March 16 update have been provided.
o Through visual surveys from the helicopter flying above the Unit 4 reactor secondary containment building on March 16, it was observed that water remained in the spent fuel pool. The helicopter was measuring radiation levels above Unit 4 reactor secondary containment building in preparation for water drops. This report has not been officially confirmed.
• Fukushima Daiichi Unit 5 reactor
o At 12:00PM on March 17, the temperature of the spent fuel pool was measured at 147.56 degrees Fahrenheit.
o At 5:00PM on March 17, the temperature of the spent fuel pool was measured at 148.1 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Fukushima Daiichi Unit 6 reactor
o At 12:00PM on March 17, the temperature of the spent fuel pool was measured at 144.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
o At 5:00PM on March 17, the temperature of the spent fuel pool was measured at 147.2 degrees Fahrenheit.
Our official sources are:
• Office of The Prime Minister of Japan
• Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA)
• Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Press Releases


More MM comments below:
It appears that the reactors have cooled and are well under control. Uncovered fuel may remain a concern, IF there is any fuel left at that height. If the heat has fallen off enough to let the pressures drop to the levels indicated, likely no additional fuel melting is occurring. May in fact be 100% covered if assembly melted and fell to bottom of reactor vessel. Instruments may also be in error. At this point, what is important is low pressures, some water in the core, declining temperature.

My opinion is the reactors are under control and much of the danger has passed. Control of the spent fuel pools is the next challenge.
Pool temps at 5 & 6 are of no concern at this point. Normal is 77 degrees F. Real trouble begins when approaching 212 F.

Radiation Readings Update:

Fukushima-Ken (note: I'm posting the Japanese version as the English versions are far behind):




Horiguchi, Hitachinaka:

This secrecy thing is nothing new. They've done the exact same thing with the GOM.

MM, where do you get your information? How do you know it's accurate? I ask because they have to come from some gov't source, Why do you believe them? You say the situation is stable, but now they're saying they want to bury the plant like Chernobyl. Let's face it Chernobyl was/is a mess. Look at the deformities, the coverup, the deaths, the animals, the area that cannot be inhabited...it's leaking even now....I still don't see anything good.

Countrymouse said:

...again, I get this from the statements of others on this forum who have explained that "saving face" is more important than anything to the Oriental culture. Maybe so. But it's made a bad situation virtually impossible, and I wonder how many people will die of lingering radiation effects who might not have had to die, if only the suits hadn't been so worried about "saving face".

Click to expand...

I think the underlying issue is that we are a growing world, and what can be done about electricity/power generation not just in the next 20 years, but in the next 1,000 years. I see two issues that has held back nuclear power advancement:
#1: Fear of the atom
#2: Greed

Too many folks fear that entire counties will be wiped out if just one plant has an incident. Funny given how many X-ray machines, Gammy knife machines, etc. are turned on daily, weekly, monthly in this country. Folks hear of "nuclear" and the first image that pops into most folks heads are the nuclear warning symbol, which screams "DANGER!" or a mushroom cloud which scream "INSTANT ANNIHILATION!" Then you have NIMBYism.

Secondly, nuclear power becomes very costly, mostly because of many factors, greed is part of it. Too many politicians to bribe, gotta play top union dollars for construction (sometimes this is tied into political stuff), etc..

Eventually, we will have a choice: No power or nuclear power. If we wouldn't fear the atom, we might have been already able to find a nuclear power source that has much, much less danger in terms of radiation release, melt down, etc.. In doing some research on nuclear power, it shocks me how advanced this Earth was in terms of the atom in the late 50s and forward.

The fact remains, nuclear power is the future. Here is an example with two choices: Your future granddaughter falls and breaks her leg. Would you rather have her taken to a hospital via horse and buddy, or electric ambulance? I see electricity as the future. I would rather us try to use wind power, solar, etc. as much as possible, but eventually coal will run out, and so will oil.

Greed remains the biggest problem. Japan's actions are typical of the type of society Japan is: Total control over the people. People can't own guns. Look at the suicide rate in Japan, very high. Look at how they fought WW2: Kamikaze pilots. Japan is an island, and they will have to have nuclear power. They are going to do whatever it takes, even sacrificing lives, to get this under control. I don't see the Japanese government allowing their people to stop nuclear energy.

What we need to do here on out is make a world wide set of rules and hope counties follow them. My guess is that this will mean we have to get private industry out of the nuclear power arena. There is too much focus on $$$ in private industry. World governments are going to have to sit down and figure out what is acceptable and not acceptable. For example, if we are going to have nuke plants near oceans and earthquakes zones, what kind of rules should we demand? Given the situation with explosions in Japan, sounds like going forward in the future, we need to at least space these things out a lot farther than we do now.

Even with the lies of the Japan government and the private company running these reactors, I see this as a more of a learning incident, not some reason to stop nuclear power. It will be interesting to see how folks all over the world react to this over the next five years or so.

Satellite pictures of before/after, showing how hard the whole area was smacked by the wave.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm

move your mouse over the pictures to see the differentials

News, YouTube, FaceBook blackout in Japan???

With thanks to those who helped me find the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15gGuQJzD-U

This is, of course, anecdotal---the man is not a scientist, just a French national living in Japan. He uploaded this YouTube vidoe on March 17, and repeatedly mentions the explosion this morning, and how, "ever since the explosion this morning", all TV coverage of the news in Japan HAS STOPPED, only to be replaced with regular programming. I do not think he is referring to past explosions of the last 3 days, because iirc NONE of those took place on March 17 (Thursday).

This is apparently NEW information---that a new explosion took place on Thursday, and that ever since then, ALL CONTINUOUS NEWS COVERAGE in Japan on the nuclear situation has stopped, to be replaced with normal regular programming (and he showed the TV channels on the YouTUbe--one comedy show after another, everyone laughing, everyone smiling).

There has apparently been some blockage of YouTube videos out of Japan since that time (since the explosion, if what this man says is true).

I have also heard rumors of people not hearing from their Navy contacts on FaceBook since yesterday---I have asked the person from which I heard that to post it here.

"IF" there indeed has been a news blackout and a blocking of YouTube and FaceBook, it is my contention something VERY serious has happened in Japan. While we'd all of course "like" to hear good news, being Pollyanna will not change the situation. If they actually had "good" news, wouldn't they be trumpeting that to the skies (to save "face") rather than shutting down ALL information out of the country.

Folks, something is very wrong here, in my opinion.

Ravekid said:

I think the underlying issue is that we are a growing world, and what can be done about electricity/power generation not just in the next 20 years, but in the next 1,000 years. I see two issues that has held back nuclear power advancement:
#1: Fear of the atom
#2: Greed

Click to expand...

As we say here in the South "I don't have a dog in that fight".

I am not saying what I am saying either in SUPPORT of NOR AGAINST nuclear power, per se, and would not like my comments to be construed as having anything to do with it one way or another.

That is NOT my topic.

My topic is the mis-handling by the folks "on top" in Japan of this crisis from the beginning, and even worse now (if reports are to be believed, that the Japanese have had a new explosion yesterday but covered it up, went to regular programming on TV, and are blocking YouTube and FaceBook).

IF it was much worse than they've let on all along (which I believe to be true) and IF it is now escalating into an even greater debacle, and they are not telling either their own people or the rest of the world, then hundreds, or thousands, of innocent lives could be lost, of people who NEED to be evacuating and are not, because their leaders that they trust are not telling them.

And that makes me FURIOUS.

PLEASE---can those who want to turn this into a pro- vs anti-nuclear power debate, start your own thread to do that?

Let's keep this one on the topic of what is happening NOW, in Japan.

Please?

The NHK English coverage is becoming more and more "managed" in my opinion.

Obvious yesterday that they were reading from a prepared script during the water spraying operation.

Of course they need to be responsible and panic is a very serious issue in a country as densly populated as Japan.

However there doesn't really seem to be any capacity at NHK to actually independently report on the story.

They are acting like a mouthpiece for the government.

Very dangerous in the Internet era when people in Japan can get information from around the world in real time. Once faith in the Government/MSM is lost there is serious risk of a major backlash.

There IS a news blackout and blocking of web sites, reported many pages back, to save resources and electricity apparently <-- reason given. Instead of speculating which at this point would drive me crazy, I'm just watching the actions. More countries evacuating their citizens from Japan is quite telling. No country has yet said, "Goody! Everything's fixed and we will now fly lots of our ppl back in to Japan."

Too much damage all around the country from EQs, ongoing, tsunami, breakdown of infrastructure, confusion, and radiation worries / actual radiation for normal info to be collected. This is an unprecedented "wait and see" situation.

Perhaps in a month it will be more clear if "Save face, lose country" is a good policy or if events warrant a re-examination of the cultural importance of "saving face." It seems most countries are almost allergically afraid of "panic" and try to manipulate the news. What it is going to take for political leaders to trust their own ppl, now that may be truly an earth-changing event.

At the moment most "leaders" seem far more inept and stupid than they used to be, but it will all come out in the pudding of time, much easier to analyze in hindsight. Stay tuned.

To quote C3PO -- "Shut them down. .... Shut them ALL down."

One of the reasons (I heard) that the Japanese gov. is trying to hush this up with their people is because they don't know what to do with all these people. Millions of them. I think I also read that if anyone outside of Japan are willing to house some Japanese folks, it would be greatly appreciated.

I can understand how panic in Japan will cause total pandemonium but that's a risk countries have to take. Hiding the truth will only create a worse mess down the road. People will only create their own versions of what's going on.

Will post articles about burying the mess in sand and concrete but will somebody explain HOW they can do that? Too much radiation to even pinpoint dump water while flying fast overhead. Seems it would take a LOT of sand and concrete to bury the whole thing, and need more exact positioning, and, forgive this ignorance, but is sand / concrete heavier than water? How much heavier?

And somebody wrote earlier that you cannot cover up the monster, that it has to vent, and be assessed. ???

NHK-World is not NHK Japan. NHK-World might sound like a prepared script because they are translating, probably reading closed captioning. NHK World also doesn't show the same programming as NHK Japan a lot of the times in order to prepare proper translations of stories.

I have seen some criticism from Japanese tweeters that NHK is focusing more on personal tragedies then other broadcasters, but those are important stories too. NHK is not the only media outlet in Japan.

I hadn't posted this previously, but you can get all the Japanese media you can want from KeyholeTV, the quality isn't the best, but it's there: http://www.v2p.jp/video/english/

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20044648-503543.html
March 18, 2011 10:07 AM

Nuclear tomb: Japan may bury stricken plant

(CBS/AP) Japanese engineers conceded on Friday that they may have to bury the crippled Fukushima Dai Ichi nuclear plant in sand or encase it in concrete to try to contain the radiation.

However, entombing the facility is considered a last resort and engineers are still hoping to restore power and restart water pumps in order to cool the overheating nuclear rods, Reuters reports.

"It is not impossible to encase the reactors in concrete. But our priority right now is to try and cool them down first," an official from the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co, said at a news conference, according to Reuters.

The public acknowledgement that the complex might have to be entombed in concrete - as was done hastily after the 1986 Chernobyl reactor accident - suggests the ongoing water dumps and efforts to restart the cooling pumps may not work.

If Japan decides to bury the complex, pressures and temperatures must be controlled before then, said Mario V. Bonaca, an adviser to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Otherwise, he said, overheated nuclear fuel will melt or burst through the sand, cement or other covering and release more radiation.

At the Fukushima plant, a core team of 180 emergency workers has been rotating out of the complex to minimize radiation exposure.

The storage pools need a constant source of cooling water. Even when removed from reactors, uranium rods are still extremely hot and must be cooled for months, possibly longer, to prevent them from heating up again and emitting radioactivity.

Last week's 9.0 quake and tsunami set off the nuclear problems by knocking out power to cooling systems at the plant on the northeast coast. Since then, four of its six reactor units have seen fires, explosions or partial meltdowns.

The unfolding crises have led to power shortages in Japan, forced factories to close, sent shockwaves through global manufacturing and triggered a plunge in Japanese stock prices.

ainitfunny said:

Japan NOW EYES BURYING THE REACTORS AS A POSSIBLE LAST RESPONSE.
STORY HERE:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/wl_nm/us_japan_quake

Click to expand...

At TMI after a long period of radioactive "cooling" they were able to remove the melted fuel from the reactor vessel. I do not know how thouroughly the containment building was cleaned up but certainly enough that few peoblems remain - at least on the outside.

Chernobyl was NOT encased in concrete. They dumped sand and boron into the open reactor to put out the fire and prevent a new chain reaction. The sarcophagus is NOT sealed nor was it ever intended to be. It is not even a radiation shield. It was built to limit how much radioactive contamination would be distributed becase of wind and rain. A lot of heat was still being released and it had to escape. I do not know much about the new, replacement building under construction.

The Japanese reactors present different challenges. The reactor access area is at top of the buildings and except for unit 2 is devastated as a result of the explosions. In addition, long lived contamination may (probably does) exist from the spent fuel that overheated and was damaged. A cocoon may be an option to keep the nasties in, much like Chernobyl. If the debris is not too badly contaminated (unlikely) it could eventually be removed, allowing access to the reactor head and the fuel inside. Would probably be years so some sort of "cover" is a distinct possibility.

Just speculating, really. At this point, gaining control of the situation is FAR more important than the future plans!!

Ravekid said:

Folks hear of "nuclear" and the first image that pops into most folks heads are the nuclear warning symbol, which screams "DANGER!" or a mushroom cloud which scream "INSTANT ANNIHILATION!" Then you have NIMBYism.
There is a reason that it screams DANGER. Would you rather replace it with a fuzzy teddy-bear holding an illuminated light-bulb? How about a baby with 1 leg, 5 arms and 3 eyes?

Secondly, nuclear power becomes very costly, mostly because of many factors, greed is part of it. Too many politicians to bribe, gotta play top union dollars for construction (sometimes this is tied into political stuff), etc..
Actually GOVT REGULATIONS is what drives the cost up. Union waste $$ is still in play for most massive/public projects not just Nukes. Those regulations that require over-designing to prevent accidents is what drives the $$ up, and interstingly EVEN WITH THOSE ADDED COSTS it still remains much cheaper than Coal or Gas derived electricity.

Eventually, we will have a choice: No power or nuclear power. If we wouldn't fear the atom, we might have been already able to find a nuclear power source that has much, much less danger in terms of radiation release, melt down, etc.. In doing some research on nuclear power, it shocks me how advanced this Earth was in terms of the atom in the late 50s and forward.
We have that choice right now. Fear the atom? How about RESPECT the atom. I may not fear sharks, but I aint swimming in a tank with them and a gushing gash on my shoulder. Your last statement of how advanced the earth was in the 50's going forward confuses me. DO you mean how many "advances" mankind made in regards to atomic knowledge?

The fact remains, nuclear power is the future. Here is an example with two choices: Your future granddaughter falls and breaks her leg. Would you rather have her taken to a hospital via horse and buddy, or electric ambulance? I see electricity as the future. I would rather us try to use wind power, solar, etc. as much as possible, but eventually coal will run out, and so will oil.
No, nuke power is not the future, it is NOW. It is chearper and more "sustainable" than coal or gas fired plants. Wind and solar are not reliable enough, unless you discover a means of "Storing" electricity. Hydro Power is the safest, and most reliable, but does harm the environment, and may not be able to supply the globes power need without radically altering the face of the planet. WHY ARE YOU BRINGING KIDS INTO YOUR EXAMPLE? How about this counter argument: WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A GRAND-DAUGHTER BORN WITH LEGS, OR WITHOUT DUE TO RADIOACTIVE MUTATION? What if she was taken to the hospital via a steam ambulance? What if all the knowledge and ability of a DR was at your fingertips via a new interactive internet type of experience? Stop using "The Kids" for a knee-jerk response.

Greed remains the biggest problem. Japan's actions are typical of the type of society Japan is: Total control over the people. People can't own guns. Look at the suicide rate in Japan, very high. Look at how they fought WW2: Kamikaze pilots. Japan is an island, and they will have to have nuclear power. They are going to do whatever it takes, even sacrificing lives, to get this under control. I don't see the Japanese government allowing their people to stop nuclear energy.
You are trying to solve too many problems that are not related to Nuclear energy here. My only comment, is that if the Fukushima event continues to worsen, the Japanese GOVT may have no say in the matter, because the Japanese people will have taken over. ANd they may have something to say about whether or not Nuke energy is used in the future.

What we need to do here on out is make a world wide set of rules and hope counties follow them. My guess is that this will mean we have to get private industry out of the nuclear power arena. There is too much focus on $$$ in private industry. World governments are going to have to sit down and figure out what is acceptable and not acceptable. For example, if we are going to have nuke plants near oceans and earthquakes zones, what kind of rules should we demand? Given the situation with explosions in Japan, sounds like going forward in the future, we need to at least space these things out a lot farther than we do now.
This is what the Atomic Industry Regulators supposedly are supposed to do. There are agencies in existance now, but who is going to enforce the adoption of their standards. You are asking countries to agree, that cannot even agree on what beverage to serve at an internatinal function. Check out all the internatinal events that have taken place lately as an example of countries able to agree. You want HIGH COST and INEFFICIENCY, and CORRUPTION? Put the Governments in control. Yeah the corporations are in it for their own good, but that is the general condition of man and is not typically confined to just Man's institutions. So you are ok with the devestation that Chernobyl and Fuku wrought, as long as they are spread further apart?


Even with the lies of the Japan government and the private company running these reactors, I see this as a more of a learning incident, not some reason to stop nuclear power. It will be interesting to see how folks all over the world react to this over the next five years or so.
A learning incident? Boy-o-boy, i hope someone was paying attention, cause I don't want to have to go over this lesson anytime soon. I hope that it does not take 5 years for the world to react dramatically.

Click to expand...

Lest I be accused of being anti-Nuke, I actually am very pro-nuke, but I can see big gaping holes in its application.

My comments are bolded above.

Japan Overwhelmed By Disasters.......

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan...jA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNqYXBhbm9mZmljaWE-


AP – Tokyo Electric Power Co. Managing Director Akio Komori, second right, and other officials of the company …
By ERIC TALMADGE and MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Eric Talmadge And Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press – 47 mins ago
TOKYO – The Japanese government acknowledged Friday that it was overwhelmed by the scale of last week's twin natural disasters, slowing the response to the nuclear crisis that was triggered by the earthquake and tsunami that left at least 10,000 people dead.

The admission came as Japan welcomed U.S. help in stabilizing its overheated, radiation-leaking nuclear complex, and reclassified the rating of the nuclear accident from Level 4 to Level 5 on a seven-level international scale, putting it on a par with the 1979 Three Mile Island accident.

Nuclear experts have been saying for days that Japan was underplaying the severity of the nuclear crisis, which later Friday the prime minister called "very grave."The International Nuclear Event Scale defines a Level 4 incident as having local consequences and a Level 5 as having wider consequences.

Hidehiko Nishiyama of Japan's nuclear safety agency said the rating was raised when officials realized that at least 3 percent of the fuel in three of the reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant had been severely damaged, suggesting those reactor cores have partially melted down and thrown radioactivity into the environment.

"The unprecedented scale of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, frankly speaking, were among many things that happened that had not been anticipated under our disaster management contingency plans," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, admitting that information had not been shared quickly enough.

"In hindsight, we could have moved a little quicker in assessing the situation and coordinating all that information and provided it faster," he said.

Later, Prime Minister Naoto Kan urged the nation to unite.

"We will rebuild Japan from scratch. We must all share this resolve," he said in a nationally televised address, calling the crises a "great test for the Japanese people."

At the stricken complex, military fire trucks sprayed the reactor units for a second day, with tons of water arcing over the facility in desperate attempts to prevent the fuel from overheating and spewing dangerous levels of radiation.

Click image to see photos of quake, tsunami damage


AP/Mark Baker
"The whole world, not just Japan, is depending on them," Tokyo office worker Norie Igarashi, 44, said of the emergency teams working amid heightened radiation levels at the complex.

Last week's 9.0 quake and tsunami set off the nuclear problems by knocking out power to cooling systems at the Fukushima plant on the northeast coast. Since then, four of its six reactor units have seen fires, explosions or partial meltdowns.

The unfolding crises have led to power shortages in Japan, forced factories to close, sent shockwaves through global manufacturing and triggered a plunge in Japanese stock prices.

"We see it as an extremely serious accident," Yukiya Amano, the head of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters Friday in Tokyo. "This is not something that just Japan should deal with, and people of the entire world should cooperate with Japan and the people in the disaster areas."

"I think they are racing against the clock," he said of the efforts to cool the complex.

One week after the twin disasters — which has officially left more than 6,900 dead and more than 10,700 missing — emergency crews are facing two challenges in the nuclear crisis: cooling the reactors where energy is generated, and cooling the adjacent pools where used nuclear fuel rods are stored in water.

Both need water to stop their uranium from heating up and emitting radiation, but with radiation levels inside the complex already limiting where workers can go and how long they can remain, it's been difficult to get enough water inside.

Water in at least one fuel pool — in the complex's Unit 3 — is believed to be dangerously low. Without enough water, the rods may heat further and spew out radiation.

"Dealing with Unit 3 is our utmost priority," Edano told reporters.

Edano said Tokyo is asking the U.S. government for help and that the two are discussing the specifics. "We are coordinating with the U.S. government as to what the U.S. can provide and what people really need," Edano said.

While Tokyo quickly welcomed international help for the natural disasters, the government initially balked at assistance with the nuclear crisis. That reluctance softened as the problems at Fukushima multiplied. Washington says its technical experts are now exchanging information with officials from Tokyo Electric Power Co., which owns the plant, and with government agencies.

A U.S. military fire truck was also used to help spray water into Unit 3, according to air force Chief of Staff Shigeru Iwasaki, though the vehicle was apparently driven by Japanese workers.

The U.S. vehicle was used alongside six Japanese military fire trucks normally used to extinguish fires at plane crashes.

The fire trucks allowed emergency workers to stay a relatively safe distance from the radiation, firing the water with high-pressure cannons. The firefighters also are able to direct the cannons from inside the vehicle.

Officials shared few details about Friday's operation, which lasted nearly 40 minutes, though Iwasaki said he believed some water had reached its target.

The U.S. has also now conducted overflights of the reactor site, strapping sophisticated pods onto aircraft to measure airborne radiation, U.S. officials said. Two tests conducted Thursday gave readings that U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel B. Poneman said reinforced the U.S. recommendation that people keep away from a 50-mile (80-kilometer) radius around the Fukushima plant.

Tsunami survivors observed a minute of silence Friday afternoon to mark one week since the quake, which struck at 2:46 p.m. on March 11. Many were bundled up against the cold in the disaster zone, pressing their hands together in prayer.

Low levels of radiation have been detected well beyond Tokyo, which is 140 miles (220 kilometers) south of the plant, but hazardous levels have been limited to the plant itself. Still, the crisis has forced thousands to evacuate and drained Tokyo's normally vibrant streets of life, its residents either leaving town or hunkering down in their homes.

The Japanese government has been slow in releasing information on the crisis, even as the troubles have multiplied. In a country where the nuclear industry has a long history of hiding its safety problems, this has left many people, in Japan and among governments overseas, confused and anxious.

After meeting with Kan and other senior officials, the U.N.'s Amano complained that his agency had not been receiving critical information. He said, for instance, the IAEA wanted to know what kind of radioactive elements were being released but could not get the data.

"This kind of information is needed in a timely way, and we hope the Japanese government will provide it. We hope everything will be better," Amano told reporters.

At times, Japan and the U.S. — two very close allies — have offered starkly differing assessments over the dangers at Fukushima. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jazcko said Thursday that it could take days and "possibly weeks" to get the complex under control. He defended the U.S. decision to recommend a 50-mile (80-kilometer) evacuation zone for its citizens, wider than the 12-mile (20-kilometer) band Japan has ordered.

Crucial to the effort to regain control over the Fukushima plant is laying a new power line to the plant, allowing operators to restore cooling systems. The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., missed a deadline late Thursday but hoped to completed the effort late Friday, said nuclear safety agency spokesman Minoru Ohgoda.

But even once the power is reconnected, it was not clear if the cooling systems were intact and will still work.

Workers were completing laying cables around Units 1 and 2 on Friday, a power company official said, and hoped to reach more units Saturday. Even so, experts will have to check for anything volatile to avoid an explosion when the electricity is turned on.

"There may be sparks, so I can't deny the risk," said Teruaki Kobayashi.

President Barack Obama assured Americans that officials do not expect harmful amounts of radiation to reach the U.S. or its territories. He also said the U.S. was offering Japan any help it could provide.

Police said more than 452,000 people made homeless by the quake and tsunami were staying in schools and other shelters, as supplies of fuel, medicine and other necessities ran short. Both victims and aid workers appealed for more help, as the chances of finding more survivors dwindled.

About 343,000 Japanese households still do not have electricity, and about 1 million have no water.

At the Fukushima plant, a core team of 180 emergency workers has been rotating out of the complex to minimize radiation exposure.

The storage pools need a constant source of cooling water. Even when removed from reactors, uranium rods are still extremely hot and must be cooled for months, possibly longer, to prevent them from heating up again and emitting radioactivity.

The actions authorities are taking to cool the reactors are the best ones available, experts say. Eventually, the plant may be entombed in concrete, as was done hastily after the 1986 Chernobyl reactor accident.

But pressures and temperatures must be controlled before then, said Mario V. Bonaca, an adviser to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Otherwise, he said, overheated nuclear fuel will melt or burst through the sand, cement or other covering and release more radiation.

___

Talmadge reported from Yamagata. Associated Press writers Elaine Kurtenbach, Tim Sullivan, Shino Yuasa and Jeff Donn in Tokyo, Todd Pitman in Shizugaza and Kelly Olsen in Narita, Japan contributed

Countrymouse said:

With thanks to those who helped me find the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15gGuQJzD-U

This is, of course, anecdotal---the man is not a scientist, just a French national living in Japan. He uploaded this YouTube vidoe on March 17, and repeatedly mentions the explosion this morning, and how, "ever since the explosion this morning", all TV coverage of the news in Japan HAS STOPPED, only to be replaced with regular programming. I do not think he is referring to past explosions of the last 3 days, because iirc NONE of those took place on March 17 (Thursday).

This is apparently NEW information---that a new explosion took place on Thursday, and that ever since then, ALL CONTINUOUS NEWS COVERAGE in Japan on the nuclear situation has stopped, to be replaced with normal regular programming (and he showed the TV channels on the YouTUbe--one comedy show after another, everyone laughing, everyone smiling).

There has apparently been some blockage of YouTube videos out of Japan since that time (since the explosion, if what this man says is true).

I have also heard rumors of people not hearing from their Navy contacts on FaceBook since yesterday---I have asked the person from which I heard that to post it here.

"IF" there indeed has been a news blackout and a blocking of YouTube and FaceBook, it is my contention something VERY serious has happened in Japan. While we'd all of course "like" to hear good news, being Pollyanna will not change the situation. If they actually had "good" news, wouldn't they be trumpeting that to the skies (to save "face") rather than shutting down ALL information out of the country.

Folks, something is very wrong here, in my opinion.

Click to expand...

Right now Drudge has the headline that "25 dead in bombardment by Gaddafi forces" with a handful of stories down below.

Just a matter of time before March Madness takes over the headlines.

CMouse, I was gone for work. Glad to see the others helped you find the video. Yes, that is the one. It looks like there is just no news coming out except for from the one official source in Japan. Just nothing today. That strikes me as a BAD sign.

If the guy in the video is correct, there are 11 reactors in that one area. We haven't heard anything about the technicians working to maintain all the reactor in Fukushima 2. They are really near by. If radiation levels get too high at Fukushima 1 I wonder if the workers at 2 will have problems and perhaps not be able to control their reactors' cooling either. Geez, what a dumb, albeit efficient, setup that was.

BlueNewton said:

CMouse, I was gone for work. Glad to see the others helped you find the video. Yes, that is the one. It looks like there is just no news coming out except for from the one official source in Japan. Just nothing today. That strikes me as a BAD sign.

If the guy in the video is correct, there are 11 reactors in that one area. We haven't heard anything about the technicians working to maintain all the reactor in Fukushima 2. They are really near by. If radiation levels get too high at Fukushima 1 I wonder if the workers at 2 will have problems and perhaps not be able to control their reactors' cooling either. Geez, what a dumb, albeit efficient, setup that was.

Click to expand...

What concerns me, Blue Newton, is that the Frenchman in the video said they have measurable radiation levels (he didn't say how high--and what would it matter? The govt. is lying about what it truly is anyway) and even in another city he named which he said was 100 Km SOUTH of Tokyo. "IF" that is true, then what must levels in Tokyo be?

Recall that British officials were saying days ago that Tokyo may need to be evacuated. I recognize, as Hansa mentioned, that Japan, and Tokyo in particular, is a very densely populated and overcrowded city, and what are they going to DO with all those people, if they DID tell them to evacuate? Not to mention it's the capital city, and evacuating would essentially mean that all business, trade, the Nikkei, so many things..would just come to a screeching halt. They're worried about panic, about their stock market imploding, about the economy tanking--they're trying to keep a physical earthquake and meltdown from becoming a general earthquake and meltdown of the entire country and culture of Japan.

BUT---they need to think long-term, not short-term. A country of dead or dying people gives them NO ONE to rule over--and will most surely lead to the destruction of Japan.

Unless they've decided they have so LARGE a population that, if they must, losing a significant portion of the folks in this area is just....well, they're "expendable"?

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...y-grave-as-forecasts-show-shifting-winds.html
Mar 18, 2011 7:23 AM PT, by Sachiko Sakamaki and Jonathan Tirone

Japan Nuclear Crisis Remains ‘Very Grave’ as Forecasts Show Shifting Winds

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Japan’s nuclear crisis remained “very grave” as forecasts indicated changing winds could start moving radiation closer to Tokyo by the end of the weekend.

Engineers are working through the night to restore power to two reactors at the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant in a bid to get cooling systems running again. By March 20, the weather may take emissions toward the capital, 135 miles (220 kilometers) south of the station, Austria’s meteorological center said, using data from the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty Organization. At current levels, the radiation isn’t dangerous beyond the immediate vicinity of the plant, the center said.

Japan faces a “battle with time,” International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano said after meeting ministers in Tokyo. A magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami a week ago knocked out Fukushima’s back-up generators, pitching workers into a battle to keep the plant cool and stem radiation from the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl 25 years ago.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said it may finish reconnecting a power line to the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors by tomorrow morning. The electrical link would be used to restart pumps needed to protect fuel rods from overheating. However, it’s possible the water pumps, damaged in the tsunami, might not work even with power, a Tepco official said.

“We must avoid being overly optimistic,” Philippe Jamet, a commissioner at the Autorite de Surete Nucleaire, France’s nuclear regulator, said at a briefing in Paris today. “This will likely take human intervention like going into control rooms to reconnect valves.”

Fire Engines

Japanese soldiers used fire engines today to dump sea water on reactor No. 3, site of an explosion earlier this week. Water cannons and helicopters were used to drench the same reactor yesterday. The dousing was stopped this afternoon as the effort replenished some water to the spent-fuel pools at the reactor, Air Self Defense Force Chief of Staff Shigeru Iwasaki said.

“On Sunday, a frontal system is crossing the region with heavy rain,” Austria’s Meteorological and Geophysics Center said in a statement. “Behind the front, northerly winds are predicted, increasing the risk for the region around Tokyo.”

Radiation has been detected as far away as eastern Russia at levels that pose no risk to human health, the center said.

Intense Concentrations

Images posted on the center’s website show intense radionuclide concentrations around the reactors. Wind currents take the plume in a winding pattern over the Pacific Ocean, setting the particles adrift in north- and south-easterly patterns.

The failure of backup generators used to pump cooling water forced the venting of gas that caused explosions in at least three of the buildings surrounding the station’s six reactors. A fire also started in a pond containing spent fuel rods from reactor No. 4.

The U.S. military, which is flying unmanned surveillance drones over the 40-year-old power station about 135 miles (220 kilometers) north of Tokyo at Japan’s request, said the damage to the reactors can be contained.

“We’re optimistic that we’ll continue to progress in this, and that worst-case scenario will never be encountered,” Admiral Robert Willard, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, told reporters by telephone from Hawaii.

Prime Minister Kan said the government is being as transparent as possible about the crisis, rebutting criticism that it had held back information.

‘Everything Disclosed’

“Everything has been disclosed to the Japanese public,” Kan said at a press conference broadcast on NHK television today. “We have shared what we know with the international community.”

If the power cable can be linked successfully, power may be restored to reactors 3 and 4 on Sunday, Tokyo Electric spokesman Kaoru Yoshida said in a briefing to reporters. Still, there is a potential risk of an explosion if the power is reconnected to the reactor, Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said. The agency didn’t provide details.

The greatest risks at Fukushima may still ome from the spent fuel pools that sit on the top of the six reactors.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said yesterday there is a possibility of no water at the No. 4 reactor’s spent- fuel cooling pool. If exposed to air, the fuel rods could decay, catch fire and spew radioactive materials into the air.

As of 2 p.m. in Tokyo, the National Police Agency said 6,539 were killed in last week’s disasters, 10,354 are reported missing, 2,513 were injured and 382,613 people have been evacuated. More than 536 aftershocks have been recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Countrymouse said:

"IF" that is true, then what must levels in Tokyo be?

Click to expand...

Don't ask. Know.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/geiger-counter-tokyo
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/geiger-counter-chiba
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ガイガーカウンタ
http://park30.wakwak.com/~weather/geiger_index.html



More: http://maps.google.co.jp/maps/ms?ie...d=208563616382231148377.00049e573a435697c55e5

All show nominal at the moment.

Countrymouse said:

What concerns me, Blue Newton, is that the Frenchman in the video said they have measurable radiation levels (he didn't say how high--and what would it matter? The govt. is lying about what it truly is anyway) and even in another city he named which he said was 100 Km SOUTH of Tokyo. "IF" that is true, then what must levels in Tokyo be?

Click to expand...

Yes, CMouse. I am guessing that if passengers from Tokyo walking off planes in Dallas on Wednesday set off the counters, the levels must be pretty darn high, when the wind heads that direction, anyway.

Just saw this: http://radiationwatch.blogspot.com/

Jeffrey Thomason said:

Don't ask. Know.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/geiger-counter-tokyo
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/geiger-counter-chiba
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ガイガーカウンタ
http://park30.wakwak.com/~weather/geiger_index.html

More: http://maps.google.co.jp/maps/ms?ie...d=208563616382231148377.00049e573a435697c55e5

All show nominal at the moment.

Click to expand...

I'll tell you why I DON'T BELIEVE the govt. reports.

It's been told on more than one news source that folks coming in to La Guardia airport in New York from Tokyo SET OFF THE RADIATION DETECTORS.

Normal ("nominal") radiation levels would not have done that.

BlueNewton said:

Yes, CMouse. I am guessing that if passengers from Tokyo walking off planes in Dallas on Wednesday set off the counters, the levels must be pretty darn high, when the wind heads that direction, anyway.

Click to expand...

Oh, so it's Dallas as well? I heard last night it was in New York, at La Guardia. (see post above)

Kudos to Alex Jones. He said on yesterday's show that the radiation from the first leaks a week ago should be coming ashore to the US soon.

Lo and behold:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-03-18-09-14-32

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/low-radioa...owards-north-america-20110317-115636-813.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...07011282898754.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories

But of course these are "miniscule" amounts. Yeah, I guess ALL of the same "miniscule amounts" that were being released a week ago must have made it all the way across the Pacific. BS.

DFW--here it is:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...gger-u-s-airport-detectors-n-y-post-says.html

Some factual information about the status of the US military and family members in Japan.

From: http://www.guampdn.com/article/20110318/NEWS01/110318015

"BREAKING NEWS: 1,000 Japan-based U.S. sailors temporarily move to Guam

Carrier wing move also comes with F/A-18 Super Hornet, EA-6B Prowler and E-2C Hawkeye aircraft

About 1,000 sailors and aircraft that are part of an aircraft carrier wing based in Japan have started moving to Andersen Air Force Base, the Navy confirmed tonight.

Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing 5 have been arriving at Andersen since Thursday, according to a statement from the military's Joint Region Marianas.

It's unclear how long the sailors will stay on Guam, according to the statement.

Aircraft Carrier Wing 5 is part of the George Washington carrier Strike group, based in Atsugi, Japan.

Air wing squadrons are flying out of Atsugi to provide ramp space for other aircraft needed to support relief efforts for disaster-stricken Japan.

"I humbly and respectfully thank the wonderful people of Guam for welcoming us to their island," said Rear Adm. Dan Cloyd, the strike group commander. "Your truly inspiring Hafa Adai spirit is appreciated more than mere words can ever convey."

F/A-18 Super Hornet, EA-6B Prowler and E-2C Hawkeye aircraft will temporarily relocate to Guam, where they will be ready to respond to support operations and contingencies throughout the Western Pacific region, according to the military's statement.

The air wing's SH-60 Seahawk helicopters and C-2 Greyhound aircraft will remain in Japan."

Click to expand...

AND

Excerpts from an interview with PACOM Commander, Admiral Robert F. Willard;


From: http://newsroom-magazine.com/2011/g...scribes-u-s-humanitarian-assistance-to-japan/

"Q: OK, I had one follow up. Since the 50-mile exclusion zone for U.S. forces has been established around the damaged reactor, has there been any instance in which the commanders have ordered an exception to that and sent any U.S. forces inside that exclusion zone for any reason?

ADM. WILLARD: Yeah, the exclusion zone has been established for United States personnel. And while the 50-mile limit is a — is a good idea for much of the humanitarian assistance and disaster response effort that is currently ongoing, we, when necessary, will conduct operations inside that radius when they’re in support of the Japanese defense forces.

So while U.S. citizens are constrained from operating in there, my forces are not when they’re needed to conduct humanitarian assistance, disaster response or logistics support to our Japanese friends or to our own forces or any other forces that we happen to be supporting. So we will make excursions in that area as necessary, recognizing that the plume that is of such concern is blowing out to sea the vast majority of the time. And the forces that I have operating on the ground, while they have monitoring equipment and they carry in many cases personal dosimetry, have not been detecting activity in the area in which we’ve been conducting the relief operations for the Japanese people that were displaced."


"Q: Yeah. Hi, Admiral Willard. This is Courtney Kube from NBC News. Two questions. First, on the — or I’m sorry, the voluntary departure, do you have a rough estimate of how many family members may take advantage of this departure and may want to leave Japan with the U.S. government’s support?

ADM. WILLARD: Yeah, thank you. On the number of families that may volunteer to depart, I don’t — we don’t know. Our planning was to fulfill the needs of all U.S. citizens in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area. The numbers were on the order of about 87,300, if I recall, and that included the Department of Defense military members. So we have developed the plans in order to meet those kind of capacity requirements should they be needed.

Thus far, the number of volunteers that have departed Japan are relatively small. There, I think, have been about four commercial aircraft working out of Narita, and at times they leave unfilled."

Click to expand...