Tag Archives: disaster

Fukushima

Chubu Electric decides to shut down nuke plant, Japanese auto & electronics industries will be hit

After first saying no, CEPCo now says OK they will shut down their Hamaoka plant.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan asked Chubu Electric Power Company to shut down their Hamaoka nuke plant, because the plant sits on top of a convergence of fault lines, that could produce an 8+ quake.  The plant is not built to withstand such a quake, and the Japanese government wants the plant operators to reinforce the reactors.

The problem for CEPCo is that they have no way to replace the electric power that will be lost when they shut down the reactors.  The Japanese auto industry, and other manufacturers, are worried because they are already dealing with supply problems due to lack of electricity.  The shut down of Hamaoka nuclear plant will only make the supply situation worse.

CEPCo officials say that, so far, they can not come up with any practical alternative to replace the lost electrical power.

Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Suzuki have factories in the prefectures that will be affected by the nuke plant shut down.  Also, electronics makers Panasonic, Toshiba and Fujitsu have factories that will be affected by the shut down.

Fukushima

Chubu Electric refuses Prime Minister’s request to shut down nuke plant, for now

Prime Minister Naoto Kan had asked Chubu Electric Power Company to shut down their Hamaoka nuke plant, because it turns out that it is right over a convergence of fault lines, and scientists expect a magnitude 8+ quake.

Hamaoka is south west of Tokyo. Kan wants CEPCo to shut down the plant, and reinforce the reactors to withstand an 8+ quake.

CEPCo officials studied several options, including how to pay for the cost of reinforcing their nuclear plant.  They decided they don’t have the money to reinforce the plant, and it would not be feasible to raise electric rates high enough to pay for it (because customers would refuse to pay the higher rates).

CEPCo also decided that shutting down the plant would make the already bad situation, for Japanese industries dealing with lack of power, even worse.

CEPCo is not ruling out shutting down the Hamaoka plant, if they can do it with out reducing electrical power, and find money to pay for the reinforcing.

Fukushima

False Flag op? Japanese scientists knew major tsunami was going to hit Japan, at least one month prior!

A report discovered by Japan’s NHK news, shows that officials knew in February that a major tsunami could hit Japan soon.

The report was put together by the Earthquake Research Committee.  It looked at geographical evidence, and recent studies, and came up with a scenario that is exactly like what happened on 11 March.  It even named Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures as being the hardest hit!

The conclusion of the report was that the prefectures of north east Honshu needed to make preparations.  Even though the report was finish in February, the officials weren’t planning on releasing it until April.   Apparently even the experts didn’t think it could actually happen.

International

Japan orders nuke plant shut down, expecting 8+ quake

Prime Minister Naoto Kan ordered the Hamaoka nuclear plant shut down, for fear of a major earthquake.

The Hamaoka plant is run by Chubu Electric Power company.  The plant has two reactors already decommissioned, one shut down for maintenance, and two still operating.  It’s located south west of Tokyo, in Shiuoka Prefecture.

Prime Minister Kan ordered the shut down because Japanese scientists believe an 8.0 quake will take place under the nuclear plants location, anytime in the next 30 years.  Kan says that Chubu Electric must come up with a plan to reinforce the reactors for an earthquake greater than 8.0, before they can resume operations.

Fukushima

TEPCo: problems with another Japan nuke plant

Tokyo Electric Power Company announced early May 2, that another of their nuclear plants in Japan is in trouble.  The Tsuruga nuclear plant is having technical problems, resulting in overheating.

The plant is around 450 km (280 miles) west of Tokyo, in Fukui prefecture.  TEPCo says the problem is so bad they are considering shutting down the whole plant.  There is a possible leak of iodine from Tsuruga nuclear plant #2 reactor’s nuclear fuel assemblies into its coolant.

International

Japan quake bigger than 9.0

Ocean researchers say the March 11 earthquake off the coast of north east Honshu, believe the quake was more powerful than 9.0.

The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, studied the sea floor at the epicenter of the March 11 quake, using a deep sea research vessel named “Kairei”.  They determined that the sea floor rose 7 meters (23 feet), and moved 50 meters (164 feet).

The scientists say that the earthquake had to be more powerful than 9.0, in order to raise the sea floor 23 feet.

 

International, U.S.

U.S. Red Cross investigating where donations for Japan are going

“We are completely committed at the American Red Cross to make sure that they would feel proud about how the money is being spent.”-Gail McGovern, President American Red Cross

McGovern admits that inspecting how U.S. donations are being spent was a key reason for her trip to Japan. The American Red Cross was criticized for its handling of gifts after the 9/11 terror attacks, and Hurricane Katrina.

McGovern claims $100 million of the $187 million collected has been handed over to the Japanese Red Cross.  The donations will help the Japanese Red Cross provide medical care for thousands of people, and relief items like blankets and helped people find missing loved ones.

 

International

Japan warns of major flooding

The north eastern areas of Honshu, devastated by the March 11 disasters, will suffer major flooding.

The Land Ministry says the 9.0 earthquake caused a huge portion of the coast off Miyagi Prefecture, to sink.  Many parts are now at or below sea level.

The ministry used lasers to check ground height on the Sendai Plain, of Miyagi Prefecture.  Before March 11, only 3 square kilometers (1.8 square miles) were below sea level, now 16 square kilometers (9.9 square miles) are below sea level.

Areas known as full tide areas, have increased from 32 square kilometers (19.8 square miles) to 56 square kilometers (34.7 square miles).  Areas that could be affected by record high tides (set by 1980 record high tide) increased from 83 square kilometers (51.5 square miles) to 111 square kilometers (68.9 square miles).

Because the typhoon season is here, the Japanese government is asking locals to start sandbagging, now.

U.S.

Another fatal U.S. mine cave in

After a fatal silver mine collapse, in Mullen, Idaho, a Washingtonville, Ohio, man was killed April 25 in a coal mine accident.

Officials with the East Fairfield Coal Company says the cave in was a freak accident.  They claim it was the first fatal accident in the mine’s 80 years of operation.  State and Federal authorities are investigating.

 

Fukushima

School 50km from Nuke Plant must remove top soil!

The city of Koriyama is 50km (31 miles) away from Fukushima Daiichi, well out of the evac zones, yet the soil at their schools are so contaminated they have get rid it.

Starting this weekend, they will remove the top 2 centimeters (.78 inches) of soil from 28 schools.  Even after the soil removal, school officials say they will not allow the children to play in the yards for more than one hour per day.