Tag Archives: fukushima

Fukushima

Japan Modern Day Atlantis round 10: New Mega Quake predicted for Tokyo Bay

After five years of research, a team of scientist, some from the University of Tokyo, have concluded that Tokyo Bay is set to experience a Mega Quake.

The research caused the geologists to realize the fault line, running under the Kanto area of Japan, is actually 10 km (6 miles) closer to the land’s surface, than first thought.  They have upped the expected earthquake on the fault from a Japanese magnitude 6 to magnitude 7.  Magnitude 7 is the maximum on the Japanese quake intensity scale!

But wait, there’s more!  The research does not include any data for the March 11, 2011, Mega Quake. The researchers say they are now updating their five year study with that data.

JAPAN MODERN DAY ATLANTIS ROUND 9: MARCH 11, 2011 MEGA QUAKE CAUSED 80 SEPERATE EARTHQUAKES WITHIN 15 MINUTES

Fukushima

Japan Modern Day Atlantis round 9: March 11, 2011 mega quake caused 80 seperate earthquakes within 15 minutes

Masatoshi Miyazawa, an associate professor at Kyoto University’s Disaster Prevention Research Institute, says that after almost a year of study, he has concluded the March 11 Mega Quake caused a record number of  ‘induced’ earthquakes.

He says that within 15 minutes of the magnitude 9 earthquake, at least 80 quakes were triggered on different fault lines all over Japan.  From islands north of Hokkaido to islands south of Kyushu.  One quake was 1,300 km (807.8 miles) away from the magnitude 9 Mega Quake.

The magnitudes of the 80 earthquakes ranged from 2 to 4.7.

Miyazawa says many of the induced earthquakes occurred near volcanoes, and he suspects the record number of ‘induced’ quakes was the result of a radical shift in the power balance between tectonic plates.

JAPAN MODERN DAY ATLANTIS ROUND 8: NEW STUDY SAYS FUTURE TSUNAMIS A BIGGER THREAT THAN FIRST THOUGHT

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Japan Modern Day Atlantis round 8: New study says future Tsunamis a bigger threat than first thought

Officials with Japan’s Land Ministry have issued new warnings about the dangers of tsunamis.  They revised their estimations of tsunami damage, based on what happened on March 11, 2011.

They concluded that earthquakes of magnitude 8.4 or greater, just off Japan’s Pacific coastline, could generate huge tsunamis.

On the Pacific side of Japan, tsunamis could reach 12 meters (39 feet) high, and destroy eight of Japan’s 19 Pacific ports. Officials say the existing tsunami walls are not sufficient to protect the ports.

JAPAN MODERN DAY ATLANTIS ROUND 7 & WHAT ECONOMIC RECOVERY? PEOPLE FLEEING NUCLEAR DISASTER IN JAPAN DESTROYING THE LOCAL ECONOMY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: 5 People starved to death at Fukushima!

Local officials have revealed that not everyone was evacuated out of the 20km (12.4 miles) “No-Go” zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Officials have revealed that at least five bodies were found that showed signs of starvation.  Most of them were old people.  One man was trapped on the second floor of his home after the tsunami destroyed the first floor. He was found only two weeks after the March 11, 2011, disasters.   A woman was trapped because she could not walk, she was found in April 2011.

 

Fukushima

Experts say you can’t rely on Federal Government or Coporations in times of Nuclear Disasters!

A panel of experts, in Japan, have released recommendations for future nuclear disaster, and one of those recommendations is: Do not rely on corporations or national governments for help!

After investigating disaster response, regarding the ongoing General Electric designed Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster, experts say local governments should have full control of things like evacuations, and radiation monitoring, among other things.

An existing off site (off nuclear plant property) disaster response center failed, because it was overwhelmed with radiation contamination! The expert panel say in the future off site nuclear disaster response centers must be hardened against radiation contamination (you would’ve thought that was a no brainer).

The panel also recommends two radiation response centers; one located some distance from any nuclear plants, to act as a command & control center, and one near nuclear plants to act as a front line radiation monitor and to direct evacuations.

The panel says the response centers should be under control of local governments, not national/federal governments!  Also, local governments should have total authority, and not be reliant on nuclear power corporations for disaster response advice!  Months of investigations have revealed that corporations are grossly incompetent in that regard!

Already the national government of Japan, and Tokyo Electric Power Company, are downplaying the advice from experts.

 

Fukushima

Official Independent Investigation proves Gross Government & Corporate Incompetence regarding Nuclear Safety in Japan!

“The direct causes of the nuclear accident were the unpreparedness of Tokyo Electric Power…and the government’s lack of a sense of responsibility.”-Kitazawa Koichi, lead investigator

A Japanese government sanctioned independent investigation has revealed gross incompetence in the wake of the March, 2011, nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi.  It also says that Tokyo Electric Power Company made the situation worse!

Six investigators interviewed more than 300 people, including Japanese and U.S. government officials.  However, officials at TEPCo refused to co-operate with the investigators! They have just published their findings, 28 February 2012.

The report calls government response “off the cuff”, and “too late” (as I was posting last year)!

The nuclear power plant operator, TEPCo, was ill prepared for a nuclear disaster, despite decades of telling locals they were prepared (as I posted last year).

The Japanese government, especially the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, failed to ensure the proper training for nuclear disaster response (as I posted last year).

The report also blames Japan’s complicated system of delegating authority and responsibility.  No one knew who was supposed to do what regarding the disaster; from top national government officials down to sub-contractors working for TEPCo (again, as I posted last year).

Things were so bad that local governments have been taking the initiative to try and deal with things like relocating residents, and decontamination efforts, with little help from the national government (again, I posted).

Also, many of the discoveries of radiation contamination came as a result of individuals and private groups, who took it upon themselves to pay for testing things like dirt, water, and even food, like beef, sold in grocery stores (again, I).

It was local governments who discovered farm crops to be contaminated (posted last year).

The report also says that information coming from the private sector to government officials was insufficient to make proper decisions. TEPCo officials simply dragged their feet when it came to dealing with specific issues, like cooling systems being shut down, and vents not being opened.

Not only did TEPCo drag their feet, but the investigators found that there was a back up cooling system that was functional, but TEPCo never used it!!!

Although Japan’s government has a crisis management policy, the investigators said it is totally useless!

 

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Japanese leaders unaware of their own Nuclear Disaster prediction RadNet system!

An investigation by an independent panel discovered that there is indeed a nuclear disaster plan already in place at the national government level in Japan.  But, the Prime Minister’s administration was not aware of it!

Of course, former Prime Minister Kan Naoto and four other politicians blame the Science Ministry officials for not telling them about a computer program/radiation detection sites called SPEEDI (System Prediction Environmental Emergency Dose Information).

The system is similar to the U.S. EPA’s RadNet system (which mysteriously stopped working iimmediately after March 11, 2011).

Former Cabinet Secretary Edano Yukio said he found out about it from the Japanese media.  By then, the Fukushima Daiichi reactor 2 was already spewing radiation.

Edano said when he questioned the Science Ministry politicians about it, they told him SPEEDI was not accurate.

The investigators discovered that SPEEDI is being used to convince local governments the nuclear plants were safe!  So why, when determining plans to deal with a nuclear disaster, SPEEDI is considered inaccurate?

 

 

Fukushima

Medical Incompetence: Japanese hospitals not prepared for nuclear disaster in nuclear power dominated Japan!

Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission reviewed the ability of hospitals to deal with nuclear accidents.  The results were not good.

The found that five hospitals, located near the General Electric designed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, were not able to deal with the nuclear disaster.

Fukushima Medical University Hospital, a core care facility for radiation exposure, was too busy dealing with victims of the natural disasters, to be able to deal with victims of the nuclear disaster.

The Nuclear Safety Commission discovered a huge problem; Japanese hospitals are not set up to co-operate with each other regarding major disasters.  This would have been a great help. They are now working on new policy that will include such co-operation in the future.

Fukushima

Corporate Evil: TEPCo & Toshiba works 60 year old contractor to death at Fukushima!

The Japanese Labor Ministry has ruled that Tokyo Electric Power Company, and contractor Toshiba, caused a 60 year old worker to die by overworking him!  The authorities are ordering compensation for the family.

The man worked only one day at the General Electric designed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant!  The investigation showed TEPCo and Toshiba forced the sub-contracted plumber to work non-stop through the night, wearing a heavy hazmat suit.  He died the next day.

At first people thought the man died from radiation contamination.  Toshiba is refusing to comment.

 

 

Fukushima

Government/Corporate Incompetence: Finally, Japan to use 22,000 square feet of concrete at GE designed Fukushima disater reactor zone! Pacific Ocean under threat!

21 February 2012, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCo) announced they will start pouring concrete! (again?)

They will focus on the floor of the Pacific Ocean, near the water intakes of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, to prevent any further radioactive materials from spreading.

TEPCo says they will begin right away (finally), starting on 22 February.  They will cover a 70,000 square meter (22,9658.7 square feet) area!

TEPCo hopes that the 60 centimeter (nearly 2 feet) thick layer of concrete will stop the spread of radioactive mud and sand, for at least 50 years!  The job could take four months.  The decision was made because high levels of cesium are still being detected in the Pacific Ocean!

People still need to demand an explanation why this decision took so long.  And what about the rest of the nuclear plant?

How did the Soviets deal with Chernobyl?