The weather forecast, for northern Honshu, is for a week of rain and snow. This will exacerbate landslide conditions. Already there have been 66 confirmed landslides.
All posts by Hutchins AAron
Wild Fires Spreading in Japan
An NHK reporter discovered, in an abandoned fishing town of Kesennuma, that fires that destroyed the city have spread to the country side.
No firefighting capabilities due to the destruction. Wild fires likely to spread.
The reporter talked to the few survivors in the area and they said the fire was spread by a fishing boat, that was on fire, being pushed around the city by the tsunami. Kesennuma was destroyed by flood and fire.
New Quakes & Tsunami for Japan Expected by Thursday
NHK is reporting that Meterological officials are predicting new earthquakes up to magnitude 7 are expected by Thursday, March 17. This would be followed by tsunami.
This is more evidence that a major geological upheaval is taking place under Japan’s main state of Honshu.
Reactor 3 Explodes New Tsunami Approaches
Russia Today is reporting that massive smoke is pouring from reactor 3 at the Fukushima nuclear plant 1, Monday morning Japan time. People living on Russian territory near Japan have received warnings from Japan about a second melt down.
Video on YouTube shows the reactor 3 explosion is bigger than the reactor 1 blast.
RT is also reporting that there are warnings of an approaching tsunami. Reuters says the claim of an approaching tsunami came from a local Japanese TV station.
Reuters says the announcement of an explosion came from a Japanese nuclear agency official. A Canadian news source says the reactor 3 explosion was felt 40km away. 3 plant workers injured, 7 are missing.
Officials are also trying to determine if high radiation levels in Miyagi Prefecture are from a local nuclear power plant, or is coming from the damaged Fukushima plants.
Despite officials downplaying the threat of radiation contamination, hospitals in Miyagi Prefecture are reporting more and more people coming in with radiation poisoning.
Part of the reason why officials are not strongly concerned about radiation is that winds are blowing towards the Pacific Ocean.
Japanese Self Defense forces are also warning of a tsunami, but Japan’s Meteorlogical Agency says otherwise. Fukushima Prefecture officials claim it could be 3 meters high.
Japanese Car Makers Shutting Down, forget economic recovery
Japan’s NHK is reporting that Japanese car maker Toyota is extending its plant closers. Other auto manufactures are joining Toyota in closing down operation. These include, Honda and Nissan.
It is not damage to their factories that caused them to shut down, it is the near total destruction of Japans infrastructure. There is no power, and because roads are destroyed employees and supply of parts can not get to the factories.
The near total lose of infrastructure, in the northern half of the state of Honshu, guarantees that there will be no economic recovery for Japan, in the short run. The northern area of Honshu is home to many of Japan’s major factories. This include factories that are for other products, besides automobiles. If they can not operate, they can not sell anything. Don’t forget that the area’s agriculture industry has been wiped out.
The only way Japan can recover quickly is with economic help equal to what the United States provided after World War 2, and the U.S. is not able to do that now.
Idaho INL Official statements ominously similar to statements made by Japanese Nuclear Officials
A local East Idaho TV news reporter interviewed an official at the Idaho National Laboratory, regarding the safety of the INL’s nuclear reactor during a seismic event. INL’s emergency director Riley Chase made almost the same statements that Japanese officials made right before their nuclear disaster.
“If we were to have a seismic event, the safety systems would shut that reactor down…”, also, “…we have diesel generators that run, and we have battery backed-up systems that will provide and constantly keep cooling…”
I’d like to remind people that this is what the officials said in Japan. Their safety systems and back up systems failed. This is because the quake and tsunami in Japan was much stronger than anyone planned for. The Japanese systems were set up to withstand a 7.9 quake. It is now clear that the event was much, much stronger. I believe if we in Eastern Idaho experienced such a strong event the INL system would fail as well. A major fault line does run through East Idaho, from Salt Lake up to Yellowstone.
On the plus side, the INL reactor is low power, and is run for 6 weeks each time it’s powered up. So hope that the big one hits when the reactor is shut down.
By the way, the INL reactor is not the only nuclear plant in East Idaho. Idaho State University has a graphite reactor on its Pocatello campus. Shouldn’t be much concern, their ANG-201 reactor produces only 5 watts of power (at least that’s the maximum it is allowed to produce).
I have talked to long time building maintenance employees at the University, and they have told stories of the radioactive waste, from ANG-201, being stored in unmarked buildings. The story I heard was that some maintenance employees were on the roof of a building when they were suddenly told to get off the building. They were sent for medical exams, where they learned they were being checked for radiation exposure. Apparently the building they were on was being used to store radioactive waste.
This brings up the issue of radioactive waste. In the United States storage of radioactive waste has become a problem, because no one wants it in their back yard. So what happens to it? Some nuclear plants in California have simply been building up a stockpile of waste on their property. Here in East Idaho, the INL has been dealing with the problem of contaminated waste for decades. If the U.S. experiences a major seismic event near nuclear plants, not only will the reactors become an immediate threat, so will the waste.
Japan Nuclear Disaster Update, it’s Bad Bad Bad
As of 1600 Mountain Time, March 13, here is what Japan’s NHK is reporting on the status of Fukushima nuclear plants.
Plant 1:
Reactor 2 coolant levels low. Pressure and gas build up. Use of external generators failed.
Reactor 3 possible explosion imminent. Pressure and gas build up. Relief valves malfunctioning. Coolant levels dropping. Sea water having little affect. Nuclear power rods exposed by 2.2 meters, partial meltdown occurring.
Reactor 1, exploded, sea water being pumped in to flood reactor, but it is taking longer than expected.
Plant 2:
Reactors 1, 2 and 4 cooling system failure.
Iodide Not Iodine
Once again the U.S. media has been getting it wrong; saying that people in Japan are being issued “Iodine” pills. No, it’s “Iodide” pills!
Iodine and Iodide are related, but are different. Both can be good for you, and bad for you. It depends on the form, dosage and how they are used.
Many people think Iodine is good for you, in extreme small doses, and, in fact Iodine deficency can cause health problems. But, some forms of Iodine, like Iodine 131 (used in nuclear reactors), are bad and can cause cancer. Iodine is not used in table salt.
Some table salts are enriched with Potassium Iodide. It is called “Iodized Salt”. The general public has mistakenly called it iodine salt.
Potassium Iodide is what is used in anti-radiation pills. This is what the people, near the crippled nuclear reactors in Honshu, are being given.
The thyroid gland in animals (that’s us humans as well) uses trace amount of Iodide to create proteins and hormones that contains Iodine. Hyperthyroidism can occur with an increase in Iodine consumption. In other words, this substance is finicky when it comes to the health of humans. It can prevent cancer, and, it can also cause cancer and glandular problems, it depends on how much the person is ingesting, or is exposed to.
The lesson here is: Use Iodine and Iodide only when necessary, like in the case of diagnosed Iodine deficiency, or as a disinfectant (Lugol’s Iodine), or to prevent radiation poisoning in a nuclear event (Potassium Iodide). Otherwise, do not eat or drink it on regular basis.
Do your research.
Japan Tsunami Much Higher than Officially Stated!
Japan’s NHK has interviewed survivors on the coast of North East Honshu.
Survivors in one coastal town say they have been told that the official tsunami height was put at 4 meters, for their area. They say that can not be, because sea wall tsunami barriers are built 10 meters high, and the tsunami easily went over the 10 meter high sea walls. One resident says the tsunami that hit their town had to be at least 14 meters high.
1 meter = 3.28 feet. 14 meter wave is 45.9 feet high.
Japan Disaster Predicted, More to Come for Rest of World!
13 March 2011
In February there were several reports that a massive geological event was beginning under Japan. This was driven by the sudden increase in volcanic and quake activity south of Japan. It’s all tied to the increasing activity of the Pacific Plate, and surrounding tectonic plates. It’s also believed that disasters will resonate around the world.
13 March, a report in a Wales newspaper says the Japan event was part of a larger event that changed the tilt of the Earth on its axis. The tilt was changed by 10cm. The article also says Japanese professors claim that events will occur around the world on “…faults that are already on the brink of a tectonic upheaval.” They also say this event in Japan happens every 1000 years.
Another report says that the speed of Earth’s rotation has increased, as a result of the Japan event. It was increased by 1.6 microseconds. The speed was also increased after last years big Chile quake. But after the big 2004 Sumatra quake/tsunami the Earth was slowed down by 6.8 microseconds. The point is that these events are not just ‘normal’ quake events. They are deep events affecting the very rotation of the planet.
For the past few years there have been growing events of quakes and tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean. There’s a reason it’s called the Pacific Ring of Fire: An event on one side of the Pacific will result in an event on the other side. The intervals of events have been getting closer together. So far this year we had New Zealand quake event, then volcanic event in Hawaii, now Japan. There was also a moderate quake off Chile the same day as the big Japan quake. It looks like the Pacific Ring of Fire events are intensifying.
Be prepared.