Bank of Japan officials began selling off Yen, to buy U.S. Dollars.
Besides getting a deal, the move was to prevent a negative impact on world markets. The DOW and the Dollar went up as a result.
G7 (Group of Seven Industrial Countries) also agreed to take actions that would help float international markets (buying U.S. dollars).
NHK reported that for the first time since the quake/tsunami disaster the JSDF (Japanese Self Defense Force) will help supply survivors with food, water and other necessities.
They will begin by sending out helicopters to shelters to determine what is needed. This action is being taken after more than 6 days since the 9.0 quake/tsunami struck.
Until now, the JSDF was involved only with rescue/recovery operations.
This is another example of how unprepared the Japanese government is.
President Barak Obama said he was ready to take military action, along side France, Italy and Britain, against Libya.
The Libyan government responded by saying that if they are attacked by foreign forces they will launch attacks against international shipping, air traffic and civilian targets.
The UN Security Council decision to use military force was influenced by support for a no fly zone from the Arab League.
Latest press conference from Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano.
Officials still not sure about water levels at the reactors & spent fuel pools. Deciding if radiation levels are low enough to fly recon aircraft over to take photos.
Officials still evaluating the effects of yesterday’s water dropping & spraying.
Workers still struggling to get new power lines hooked up to the plant. Power panels on reactors need to be replaced. Radiation levels on site still a problem.
Priority and progress of work affected by number of workers, radiation levels, and other factors.
Help from the United States is appreciated, and specific requests have been made. Reports say U.S. Secretary of State Clinton announced that coolant specifically for nuclear reactors is in short supply. Japanese officials say they will have to continue using water (which is not optimal).
General Motors (GM) has announced that due to auto parts shortages, caused by the disasters in Japan, they will have to shut down some production in the United States.
A GM plant in Louisiana is the first to be closed, for a week, as a result.
Toyota had announced that it would slow production in its U.S. factories. Officials say production will not be affected at their engine plants. Instead of closing plants altogether, Toyota has eliminated overtime work.
Ford says so far their U.S. operations are not affected, Honda said the same thing.
While most American’s attention has been focused on the disasters in Japan, the governments of the United States, France and several other countries, have been pushing for military action against Libya.
The first step towards that has been accomplished, with the UN (United Nations) passing a security resolution which will result in air strikes against Libyan government troops; a no fly zone.
The Libyan government has been making progress against rebels in the past week. Rebels watching the UN Security Council, cheered at hearing the results of the voting.
French officials say action could begin within hours. France, United Kingdom (Britain), United States and one or two unnamed Arab countries, are said to be ready to take part in enforcing the no fly zone.
How do you prepare for natural disaster?
First you need to know what kind of natural disaster/disasters is/are most likely in your area. Tornado, flood, earthquake, hurricane, volcano, wild fire? All the above?
Second you need to figure out the chances of your survivability, based on the level of the disaster. Example: I live about 130 miles (222km) from the super volcano at Yellowstone National Park. The last time I read about the expected eruption (a massive explosion) of Yellowstone, I learned that I live within the “kill zone” of 200-600 miles. However, the rest of North America would be subject to the highly toxic, and abrasive, ash cloud.
That is an extreme example, but geologist keep saying a catastrophic eruption of Yellowstone is overdue.
The next step is: Do you have the ability to prepare? The main problem in a capitalist society is money. I do not have the amount of money it would take to prepare to survive the catastrophic eruption of Yellowstone, given how close I am. The best I can do is prepare to survive the ash cloud (seal doors & windows, wear respirator, along with the usual stockpile of survival goods). People will say, move! That takes money as well, and I currently do not have enough money to even move (thank you Corporate America!). I spent a decade “going where the jobs are”, but after I did some math, I realized that I had lost money with all the moving (I never made enough to make itemized deductions on my taxes, so no deduction for moving. And, one company I worked for actually reneged on its promise to pay my moving expenses).
The best that most people can do, is to prepare as if they will end up on the periphery of a natural disaster. Stock up on food (mainly canned and dry), water, medicals and fuel, these are the basics. Do not discount having a gun, just be sure you know how to use it. And one last thing, if you have pets/livestock you need to make preparations for them as well.
Not only can you never be prepared enough for Mother Earth, but you can not rely on your government for help. Time after time, natural disasters through out history proves this.
It is clear that any disaster preparations in Japan, prior to the 9.0 quake/tsunami, were not enough. In several coastal towns the sea barrier walls did not stand up to the tsunami. Previous ideas of how long people would have before a tsunami would hit, after an earthquake, were shattered. There are coastal towns that have signs demarcating where the expected limits of any tsunami would be, but it’s now clear the tsunami blew past those expected limits.
It is also clear that the national government is not prepared for something like this, but we have to remember it is dealing with the nuclear disaster as well. As a result, local governments are being burdened with dealing with the natural disasters, and many local officials are saying they are not equipped to do so. Local governments had expected the national government to handle such large natural disasters. This is not a good sign for the rest of the world because Japan had always been looked up to as a shining example of disaster preparedness.
The residents of coastal towns and cities, that can be considered the ground zeros of the tsunami, could have never prepared enough. Stocking up on food and water, medical supplies, or any other item considered essential for survival, is a waste of time because it was all swept away by the floods. Everything was destroyed. However, in the periphery of the disaster, where many of the emergency shelters are, it is clear that preparations were not enough, as they have started running out of food, water, heating fuel and medical supplies.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t prepare. People outside the disaster areas are now dealing with food, water and fuel shortages. This is an example of why everyone, everywhere should have a stockpile of food, water and fuel. You never know, you might just survive that big disaster, and that’s when you’ll need the basic necessities.
Clearly disaster preparedness in Japan shows signs of underestimating potential disasters, overestimating the effectiveness of preparations, and overestimating any government assistance.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security is adding radiation checks to anyone, or anything, coming from Japan.
So far no “…harmful levels” of radiation has been detected. Other agencies are involved in the checks.
There are dozens of U.S. military bases on Honshu, with thousands of dependents. At this point the evacuation order is voluntary, it’s called “military-assisted voluntary departure.”
The plan involves taking military dependents to Korea. Because the it is a voluntary evacuation, commercial flights would be used. There is a potential for thousands of people wanting out, in that case they will start using military transports.
Potassium Iodide pills are being shipping in, mainly for JSDF troops, and U.S. personnel involved in fighting to keep Fukushima Daiichi plant cool.