Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, that were rushed to the hospital after being exposed to 10,000 times the normal radiation levels, might have been exposed due to previously unknown damage in reactor 3.
The workers were in the basement of reactor 3’s turbine building, trying to reconnect electricity. The basement was flooded with radioactive water, that held contamination 10,000 times normal.
TEPCo officials are now worried that there is unseen damage to the reactor, because there was no water in the basement the day before.
Because of the continued problem, after problem, with trying to get the Fukushima Daiichi plant under control, the Japanese government has told people outside the 20km (12.4 miles) evacuation zone, to voluntarily evacuate, and prepare for mandatory evacuations.
A survey of Japanese businesses that shut down, or reduced production, because of the 9.0 quake/tsunami, shows that at least half blame it on damage to their buildings.
The next biggest reason is destroyed infrastructure: Lack of electricity, destroyed roads/rails.
Cabinet Secretary, Edano Yukio, has told Japanese living outside the current 20km (12.4 miles) evacuation zone, to prepare for mandatory evacuations.
Edano has also told people, that if they wish, they should voluntarily evacuate now. The concern is that it looks like efforts to get the reactors at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant under control, are not working.
Also, advisers from the United States, have told TEPCo officials that the use of salty sea water is doing more damage than good. A U.S. Navy tanker ship with fresh water, is on its way to the nuclear plant.
A spray pump, that was about to be shipped off to Vietnam, is instead being used at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The Vietnamese company that bought the pump, gave Japan permission to use the pump to help fight the nuclear disaster.
The pump is designed to pour concrete for construction of high rise buildings. It is equipped with a 50 meter (175 feet) arm, and can accurately reach targets from a distance. It is being used on reactor 4.
Tokyo Electric officials admit they are having trouble controlling temperatures and pressures in the reactors.
The problem is the salty sea water. While it cools down the reactor, it also increases the pressure in the containment chambers. That’s not good, in fact it’s almost as bad as high temperatures. They are looking into ways to bring large amounts of fresh water to the Fukushima Daiichi facility.
Regarding to the employees sent to the hospital with radiation Beta Burns; the water they were standing in was 10,000 times more radioactive than the normal radioactive water in the reactor containment system.
Video aired on NHK, shows multiple tsunami waves racing inland on March 11.
An hour and a half after the 9.0 quake, video was taken by helicopter, which flew from Sendai City south to Iwaki City.
The tsunami waves swallowed everything in their path. People in tall buildings can bee seen scrambling for the roof tops.
Professor Fumihiko Imamura at the Tohoku University Disaster Control Research Center, says he can see a tsunami rare effect, called undular bore, hit Natori City, Miyagi.
Undular Bore is a phenomenon in which a series of tsunami waves surge high near the shore and flood onto land one after another. At least 20 undular bores hit the north east (Pacific) coast of Honshu.
In one north eastern Honshu coastal town, a city employee manned the emergency loudspeaker system, right up to the very end.
In video from NHK you can hear the woman’s voice echoing through the city (it’s truly haunting when you realize what is going on) even as the tsunami sweeps over all the buildings, including the 3 story town hall. Miki Endo told residents to get to higher ground, over and over, with an intensity that caused some residents to think twice about going back home. One woman said if it wasn’t for Miki’s announcements she would not have realized the severity of the situation, and would have returned home instead of seeking higher ground.
Here’s a Spanish language news report that has the haunting NHK video. I had a link to the original NHK report but apparently it’s been removed from the internet.
The 3 story steel I-beam framed town hall is nothing but a skeleton now. The walls, floor and roof are gone. Workers in the building rushed to the roof when they realized the tsunami was taller than the top floor. The roof was still not tall enough, and most lost their lives, the survivors said they held on to exposed pylons for dear life. The whole time Miki Endo, still inside the town hall, stayed at her post telling the towns people to get to higher ground, telling them they must go higher.
From left to right: The top of the 3 story Disaster Center (where people had fled thinking it was safe) completely covered by water, the water begins to recede, in just a few seconds the tsunami had totally striped the 3 story building killing almost everybody.
To update the story, and since so many people continue to read it, it turns out that Miki was not the only one who stayed at her post. Miki’s boss stayed by her side, he also urged residents to get to higher ground, he was lost as well.
Miki has not been seen since, and her parents refuse to leave the devastated town, hoping to find her.
