Disaster in Japan Post #5
This post is for the latest news regarding the disaster in Japan.
First Post
Second Post
Third Post
Fourth Post
PLEASE READ ALL OF THE PREVIOUS POSTS FIRST. I cannot keep reposting the same information over and over again, there's simply too much of it and it can't all fit into one post. This post is going to be dedicated to the most recent news and updating as it happens, so for information on what has already transpired, look to the previous posts. Please.
As it happened on Friday
As it happened on Saturday
Before and After Pictures via ABC News
More Before and After Pictures via NY Times
Map of Damage via NY Times
Video of tsunami as seen by someone in the city
Click to viewLatest Earthquakes Magnitude 2.5 or Greater
NEW NEWS:
The number of people who have died or remain unaccounted for across the affected areas in northeast and eastern Japan exceeded 3,200, with police confirming 1,597 deaths and 1,481 people as missing.
The figures exclude about 200 to 300 bodies in Sendai, the capital of hardest-hit Miyagi Prefecture (about 10,000), that have yet to be recovered by police and other workers due to the difficulty of reaching them amid the devastation and rubble.
The whereabouts of about 2,500 tourists who were visiting the quake-hit areas have not been confirmed, the Japan Tourism Agency said. - via Kyodo
0101: The US Treasury says it has been assured by Japanese counterparts that transactions and settlement systems are operating normally - Reuters.
0102: Sena Sato, in San Jose, writes: "All my relatives live in Japan and they are all right. However, my cousin's house has been severely damaged, yet they continue to occupy it because there is nowhere else to go."
0105: A damaged nuclear power plant is still in an "alarming" state, Prime Minister Naoto Kan says.
0110: Strong tremor felt in Tokyo - AFP.
0112: The new tremor was magnitude 6.2, according to Japanese monitors.
0114: The latest after-shock would probably have been felt by many people in their homes as the government advised people not to go to school or work today due to transport disruption and power cuts.
0134: The tremor struck off-shore 140km (87 miles) north-east of Tokyo, shaking tall buildings in the capital but the authorities did not issue a tsunami alert, AFP reports. It had a depth of 18km, the US Geological Survey says.
0200: Police have confirmed 1,597 deaths to date, not including between 200 and 300 bodies in Sendai which recovery teams have so far been unable to reach, Japan's Kyodo news agency reports. At the same time, some hopeful news has come out of Minamisanriku, the town where 10,000 people were believed to be missing. Kyodo says it has unverified information that "many" residents were evacuated to the neighbouring town of Tome.
0220: Sea level has dropped five metres off Fukushima, confirming imminent arrival of tsunami - Japanese TV.
0221: Urgent: Explosion at Reactor 3 - AFP.
0224: "Hydrogen blast occurs at Fukushima nuke plant's No 3 reactor" - Kyodo.
0229: An ashen-faced Japanese quake monitor is live on Japanese TV right now saying no tsunami has been detected
0231: No data to suggest a tsunami several metres in height, the monitor adds.
0232: Update on the explosion(s) at Reactor 3: "We believe it was a hydrogen explosion. It is not immediately known if it affected the reactor" - nuclear safety agency spokesman Ryo Miyake.
0234: Some 2,000 bodies were found today on two shores in Miyagi Prefecture, 1,000 on the Ojika Peninsula and 1,000 at Minamisanriku - Japanese news agency Kyodo.
0239: The 600 people still living within 20km of the plant where the explosion(s) occurred are ordered to get inside buildings - Kyodo.
0243: Japanese government spokesman Yukio Edano has just spoken on TV. Says that water injection at Reactor 3 seems to be continuing, and the containment vessel is still safe.
0254: To recap, in the past hour we have had reports of a new tsunami which appears to have been a false alarm, and a blast has wrecked a wall at a nuclear reactor but its containment vessel withstood the impact. We also had reports of 2,000 bodies found on the tsunami-ravaged north-eastern coast.
0345: AP reports that Tokyo Electric Power has postponed imposing rolling blackouts, but is calling for all to try to limit electricity use. This tallies with the BBC's Mariko Oi reported earlier, that there had been no shutdown in Tokyo.
0340: USAID explains what it has sent to Japan in another tweet: "Our teams include 144 personnel,12 canines trained to detect live victims,&more than 85 tons of equipment. #Japan"
0339: USAID tweets: "USAID's Search&Rescue teams from Fairfax County and LA arrived in Misawa #Japan."
0405: The central control room of Reactor 3 remains intact after the blast, the Japanese government says.
0402: Jane, in Tokyo, writes: "We are still feeling some powerful aftershocks in Tokyo and everyone is on high alert as government warns there is 70% chance of another powerful aftershock happening in capital in the next few days. The commuter trains were completely full and people were being pushed onto the trains by conductors due to the reduced number of trains running from the scheduled power cuts. More people than usual are also choosing to cycle to work if they can. Restaurants, supermarkets and convenience stores are low on stock as deliveries are slow, if any. Though there is a strong sense that people are trying to get on with their lives in any way they can."
0400: Ben Sugiyama, in Tsuyama, writes: "I live in western Japan, very far away from all the devestation but still close enough to be feeling the effects and witnessing the amazing fighting spirit of the Japanese. I just want to say thank you for allowing your live coverage to be shown on the internet here, It has been very comforting for me to be able to follow the news in English. However, I think there is a slight error in your article today - I quote: 'The authorities ordered nationwide power outages after being forced to close all the country's nuclear plants.' This isn't true, in fact the power outages are only affecting the northern part of Japan. We have been asked to conserve as much energy as possible down here but we aren't experiencing any black outs."
0427: Officials in Iwate, one of the three prefectures hardest hit by the quake and tsunami, are appealing for funeral homes nationwide to send body bags and coffins. "We simply don't have enough," Hajime Sato tells the Associated Press news agency. "We just did not expect such a thing to happen. It's just overwhelming."
0629: Urgent news: Cooling functions have stopped and water levels are falling in Reactor 2 at the Fukushima 1 nuclear plant - Jiji news agency, quoted by Reuters.
0650: Japan's government is insisting that radiation levels across the country are safe, says the BBC's Chris Hogg in Tokyo, but a German businessman has told our correspondent that some foreign firms are starting to move their expatriate staff south - or out of the country altogether - because they don't have confidence in what the government is saying any more
0710: Engineers have been working to stabilise two reactors at the plant which lost their cooling systems for a time after the quake and tsunami, leading to what officials believe was a partial nuclear meltdown. Tokyo Electric Power, the operator of the nuclear plant, says the reactor container was not damaged by the blast. It says says six people were injured, and 22 have been treated for the effects of radiation.
0746: Stephanie Leung in Hamamatsu writes: "I'm an English teacher in Japan from Scotland. Sitting in the staffroom at school and just a minute ago, several Japanese teachers' mobile phones all start to sound an alarm simultaneously. There are alerts and warnings for an earthquake in Nagano."
1121: For a break-down of the situation at Fukushima, and the impact of the lowering water levels inside the plant's Number 2 reactor, have a look at this piece by our environment correspondent Richard Black. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12726628
1125: Worrying news, this: The operators of the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant say it's possible that cooling water at one of the reactors has evaporated, Reuters reports. The company says it can't rule out the possibility that the nuclear fuel rods in Number 2 reactor were now exposed and could be at risk of meltdown.
1134: More than 500,000 people have been displaced by the quake, tsunami and nuclear emergency, Japan's Kyodo news agency reports, while millions have spent three nights without water, food or heat in near-freezing winter weather.
1138: The New York Daily News is reporting that radioactive contamination has been found in 17 US Navy crewmembers off Japan.
1143: If you're following the latest Japanese language news bulletins, the Japan Newbie website has helpfully put together this list of earthquake-related Japanese vocabulary with translations. -> http://www.japannewbie.com/2011/03/13/japanese-news-earthquake-vocabulary/
1200: Tens of thousands of troops and rescue workers have now been deployed to Japan's worst-hit areas, says the BBC's Chris Hogg in Tokyo. They are continuing their work despite the aftershocks that are still rattling the country. Millions of people are still without water, food, electricity or gas. Hundreds of thousands are homeless. Many are separated from loved ones unsure what will happen to them now.
1205: The BBC's Hasit Shah in Tokyo tweets: "Tokyo is quiet and subdued compared to what I've seen before. Last experience of japan was watching the istanbul miracle of 2005 at 5am."
1207: kunisakai tweets: "No electricy means no way of contacting other people. Telephone companies have set up emergency phone booths "
1215: The ordered response to Japan's disaster is down to the high level of education and "collective values" of the Japanese, says Takehiko Kariya, professor in the Sociology of Japanese Society at Oxford University. "In this situation it works well for people to work together and take care of each other," he says. Mr Kariya tells the BBC World Service that with the democratisation of the country since World War II, Japanese citizens have increasingly perceived their society to be a homogenous and equal one. Anybody putting himself first in such a disaster and, for example, trying to jump a food queue, "socially punished".
1224: A quick summary of the nuclear crisis in Japan: The nuclear emergency following Friday's earthquake and tsunami has worsened, with the operators of the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant warning that they can't rule out a possible meltdown. The company says it's possible that cooling water at the number two reactor has evaporated, exposing the nuclear fuel rods. The BBC environment correspondent Richard Black says such an outcome would be very serious.
1228: Colette Bunker in Sendai says: "Since the quake, in what has been a scary and confusing time here in Sendai, the Japanese people have been astonishingly calm and efficient. I've seen no signs of hysteria despite most households still being without running water and electricity. It seems that people have a lot of faith in Japan's ability to get back on her feet after such a devastating event."
1229: A major explosion is unlikely at Fukushima's Number 2 reactor, Kyodo news agency quotes a government spokesman as saying, adding that seawater is being pumped in to stabilise it.
1431: More from Japanese nuclear engineer Masashi Goto: He say that as the reactor uses mox (mixed oxide) fuel, the melting point is lower than that of conventional fuel. Should a meltdown and an explosion occur, he says, plutonium could be spread over an area up to twice as far as estimated for a conventional nuclear fuel explosion. The next 24 hours are critical, he says.
1707: IAEA chief Yukiya Amano is making a statement in Vienna: Says the focus is on cooling the Fukushima reactors.
1712: IAEA chief Yukiya Amano: We need stable source of energy and to mitigate effects of climate change. We need to learn lessons from this incident
1710: IAEA chief Yukiya Amano: IAEA will give daily briefings on the situation with the damaged nuclear plant in Japan.
2022: A Russian diplomatic source has told the Interfax news agency that Moscow is "awaiting trustworthy information regarding the situation at Japanese nuclear power plants" from the authorities in Tokyo. The source said Russian officials had not ruled out that the Japanese were playing down the possible threat for fear of causing panic among members of the public. Moscow planned to send seismologists to Japan to assess the situation on the ground so it could be "a thousand times more sure tht everything is safe", the source added.
2016: The US Geological Survey says that was a 5.2-magnitude earthquake, whose epicentre was 386km (239 miles) north-north-east of Tokyo.
2039: Regis de Lavison, who lives in Fukushima city - about 60km from the nuclear power plant - tells the BBC: "It's been nerve-wracking having the multiple tremors since the earthquake. We've been following the situation with the nuclear reactors - of course, that is a big concern. But at the same time, we see images of the tsunami and of the coastal towns being wiped out, so in a way we are very lucky. There is very little damage, just a few power outages, no running water, very little petrol, rationed food, but all that seems not that important."
2050: The BBC's Nick Ravenscroft, who is in the city of Sendai, says: "Crushed together, piled into improbable stacks or sprinkled across the landscape, stuck in fields or poking out of ditches - thousands of cars still lie where the surge of water left them. Each has to be checked by the rescuers in case there is a body inside. There have been reports that in some areas the teams have been running out of bags to put corpses in. On Monday, there were more aftershocks, as there have been every few hours since the earthquake, but also fears of another tsunami."
2106: More from Prime Minister Kan: He says he will personally lead operations at the joint response headquarters, which will be based at Tepco's main office in Tokyo. The company earlier said fuel rods at Fukushima Daiichi's reactor 2 were once again fully exposed, just hours after it managed to stabilise a similar emergency.
2112: Shinpuren from Tokyo tweets: "Trains are running today but few, so getting in early, its already crowded."
2114: Steve Nagata in Tokyo tweets: "After a early morning aftershock wakeup call, Tokyo waking up to an uncertain day with blackouts, delays, and a potential nuclear disaster"
2121: Prime Minister Kan has said the deputy heads of the joint response headquarters dealing with the nuclear crisis will be the minister of economy, trade and industry, and the president of Tepco. He added: ''A worrisome situation remains but I hope to take the lead in overcoming this crisis. I will take all measures so that damage will not expand.''
2124: Work resumed early on Tuesday morning to pump sea water into reactor 2 at Fukushima Daiichi to prevent its fuel rods inside from overheating. As of 0300 local time on Tuesday, pressure inside the reactor container had dropped and it was believed seawater had been pumped in succesfully, Tepco said, according to the Kyodo news agency. However, Tepco admitted that it had not yet been able to confirm that water levels inside the reactor had risen. The fuel rods were fully exposed at 2300 local time on Monday.
2126: Engineers were having difficulty injecting seawater into the reactor because its vents - necessary to release pressure in the containment vessel by allowing radioactive steam to escape - had stopped working properly, the New York Times reports. However, by Tuesday morning they had succeeded in opening a malfunctioning valve, reducing pressure in the container vessel. They then resumed flooding the reactor with water.
2129: Tepco said water levels inside the containment vessel were not immediately rising to the desired level, possibly because of a leak. Nevertheless, an official told a news conference: "We do not feel that a critical event is imminent."
1937: Aftershocks have continued to shake Japan, days after the massive magnitude 9 earthquake that triggered a devastating tsunami on Friday. More than 20 have been larger than magnitude 6.0. The BBC News website has plotted the tremors on a map so you can see when and where they have struck.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12748215
nytimes The New York Times
NYT NEWS ALERT: Experts Say Radioactive Releases From Japanese Plants Could Last Weeks or Months
BreakingNews Breaking News
U.S. helicopters detect radiation 60 miles from damaged Japanese plant, suggesting wider contamination - nytimes http://nyti.ms/fp9b7L
BreakingNews Breaking News
More on Hachinohe: City says tide has receded 2 meters; residents urged to go to higher ground - @HachinoheCity
BreakingNews Breaking News
More on plant explosion: Nuclear agency says build-up of hydrogen caused the blast; not know if radiation leaked - BBC http://bbc.in/fQR67c
SkyNewsBreak Sky News Newsdesk
by BreakingNews
Jiji News Agency: Cooling functions stop and water levels falling in No. 2 reactor at Fukushima nuclear plant. http://bit.ly/i6BIfL
cnnbrk CNN Breaking News
Blast at #quake-damaged nuclear plant in Japan hurts 6 people http://on.cnn.com/egJRmX
Reuters Reuters Top News
FLASH: U.S. nuclear regulatory commission says Japanese government formally asks U.S. for help with cooling nuclear reactors
The Japanese weather agency has reported that a volcano in southern Japan began spewing ash and rock even as the country struggled to recover Sunday from the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.
Japan's Meteorological Agency issued a warning Sunday that the Shinmoedake volcano resumed activity after lying dormant for a couple of weeks.
The volcano is on Kyushu island, about 950 miles from the epicenter of Friday's magnitude 9.0 earthquake, which devastated much of the country's northeastern coast.
Via Kyodo:
NEWS ADVISORY: 3 people sent to 2nd hospital after ineffective radioactive decontamination
NEWS ADVISORY: 3 more people found exposed to radiation near Fukushima nuke plant
BREAKING NEWS: Tsunami feared to reach Pacific coast in northeastern Japan in minutes (11:08)
BREAKING NEWS: Evacuation order issued in Hachinohe (11:05)
BREAKING NEWS: About 1,000 bodies have been found in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Pref. (11:03)BREAKING NEWS: TV footage showing smoke rising from Fukushima nuke plant
BREAKING NEWS: Tsunami observed off Fukushima Pref. (11:17)
BREAKING NEWS: So far no reports of injuries from No. 3 reactor's explosion: Edano (11:46)
BREAKING NEWS: Workers at Fukushima nuke plant injured in explosion: TEPCO (11:59) update: 6 workers injured, everyone accounted for
NEWS ADVISORY: 11 people injured in blast at Fukushima nuke plant: TEPCO (13:06)
NEWS ADVISORY: 3 people sent to 2nd hospital after ineffective radioactive decontamination
NEWS ADVISORY: 3 more people found exposed to radiation near Fukushima nuke plant
BREAKING NEWS: Tsunami feared to reach Pacific coast in northeastern Japan in minutes (11:08)
BREAKING NEWS: Evacuation order issued in Hachinohe (11:05)
BREAKING NEWS: About 1,000 bodies have been found in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Pref.
Relief Efforts:
More than 60 governments offering to help with #quake search and rescue efforts in Japan http://on.cnn.com/dXfIGI
1232: If you're in a postion to donate blood to support the relief effort, here's a list of donation centres in Japan. -> http://www.kenketsu.com/jp/e20r.html
1235: Russia is ready to divert 6,000 MW of electricity to help Japan, one of its ministers says, according to AFP.
1240: To see how the relief operation is going, go to our latest picture gallery. ->http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12729784
1439: More international support for Japan: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says it is his country's "moral responsibility" to help Japan and ordered the government to increase energy supplies to the country, AFP reports.
France and Monaco step up Japanese aid effort:
http://www.rivieratimes.com/index.php/monaco-article/items/france-and-monaco-step-up-japanese-aid-effort-1403.html
France has sent teams of fire fighters to Tokyo this morning to help with the aid effort. Members of the highly skilled civil security regiment (Régiment d’Instruction et d’Intervention de la Sécurité Civile) based in Brignoles in the Var are among those who left on a flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle. The Principality of Monaco has also sent 11 fire fighters with the French contingent, as part of a joint Franco-Monegasque agreement to provide support during natural and humanitarian crises.
The Monegasques have been specifically trained to work in search and rescue operations, as well as extensive training and knowledge in potentially dangerous nuclear situations. However Tony Varo, Lieutenant Colonel of the fire brigade in Monaco, acknowledged that his men could find themselves in a perilous environment. “Knowledge of the radioactive risk is not going to be enough, which is why all our men are equipped with a combination of suits, respirators and detection equipment to measure levels of radiation,” he said. Monaco's 11 seems like a small amount on first glance, but the whole country is smaller than Central Park. Still, any amount helps, especially from trained professionals.
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/14/6267912-rescuers-but-no-one-left-to-rescue-in-natori?GT1=43001 Rescuers Reach Town, Find Few to Rescue :(
Here's some Wall Street companies that are doing donations.
* Goldman Sachs said it will contribute ¥500 million (about $6.1 million).
* Morgan Stanley today said it will donate ¥100 million.
* Jefferies said it will donate $1 million to relief efforts. The firm also said it will chip in its net equity trading revenue for this week from its offices in Asia, and it will donate all net revenue on Wednesday from its U.S. and European equity trading-operations. Jefferies employees “will be given the opportunity to donate” their salaries for one day to the earthquake relief efforts, the investment bank said.
* J.P. Morgan committed $5 million, including $1 million to match employee contributions to the American Red Cross and World Vision. J.P. Morgan also is letting some of its card holders apply their rewards points to relief efforts in Japan.
* Bank of America said it will contribute ¥100 million, and the bank will match employees’ pledges to the American Red Cross’s earthquake relief fund.
* American Express announced it will donate $100,000 to Red Cross and Save the Children in support of earthquake relief efforts. American Express also said it will match employee donations.
http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2011/03/14/wall-street-donations-roll-into-japan-earthquake-relief/
It's all I've really found so far besides the normal "Text to donate" stuff. But I'll keep poking around.
Construction-equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) said Monday it could provide up to $3 million in cash and machinery to support relief operations following Friday's earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
The Caterpillar Foundation, the company's philanthropic arm, will donate $1 million to the American Red Cross for disaster aid to the northeast coastal region of Japan struck by the earthquake and wall of water from the Pacific Ocean. The foundation also will match up to $500,000 in Red Cross donations from employees, retirees and Caterpillar dealers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110314-713101.html
"Good" News:
0059: Simon Williams writes: "I am from Wales and living in Osaka. I feel bad because we haven't really been affected down here. When I watch the television it is like watching another country, it's hard to believe that it's really happening. After living here for 6 years I know that the Japanese are a strong people. I am positive that they will come back stronger than before."
0149: ?? tweets: "The lucky ones outside of the #tsunami zones are back at their desks this morning in #Japan. This is a resilient nation. We'll be OK.
For those of you in Japan:
Earthquake vocab:
http://www.japannewbie.com/2011/03/13/japanese-news-earthquake-vocabulary/
Road maps for anyone trying to get out of Fukushima area:
http://road.thr.mlit.go.jp/
Some tips for readiness to run, with some super practical tips that I never thought of:
http://nip0.wordpress.com/
Streams:
TBS TV
Fuji TV
Ustream Asia
Yokoso News
TVPC
Complete list of streams
Al Jazeera
List of streams
Sources:
CNN
BBC
Yahoo
New Scientist
Kyodo News
NHK
FDMA Japan
Touhokujishin
Red Cross International People Finder
Google Crisis Response
aramatheydidnt
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Links to where you can donate money to help Japan:
Doctors Without Borders
Peace Winds America
Shelter Box
Save the Children
Global Giving
Red Cross (select their DREF option)
Jewish United Fund
Source for German Organizations
Other International Organizations
International Trustworthy Donation Sites
Animal Refuge Kansai
Pet Connection
World Vets
American Humane Society
Icons for Japan
Causes
eBay Giving Works
Crunchyroll
Lady Gaga Wristband
Give2Asia
help_japan
Direct Relief International
ADRA International
Charity Navigator and z100 both have several more links to places accepting donations to help Japan.
For those of you who are short on money but still want to help out, Free Rice is a game where for every right answer you get, they'll donate rice to people in need in Japan.
Text donations:
Global Giving: text JAPAN to 50555 to give $10
Save the Children: Text "JAPAN" to 20222 to donate $10
Red Cross: text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10
Thanks to bodyline for helping me make this post, and for updating the other posts so consistently over the past few days!
Please accept this post, mods! A lot of new information is pouring in right now and we can't update the previous post anymore. Also, please do not post anything about those "Pearl Harbor karma" facebook/twitter posts. We've all seen them, they're awful, they don't need to be posted.
Please add new information in the comments and I will try to update the post as we learn more.
(if my html is messed up, i apologize. this is my first post using it! also, the picture should be fixed now, mods.)