Anyone here from the northern islands of Japan?

Let us know how things are . . .

I really pray to all of them....

We Finn's and Japs have plenty of common and we like each others alot. Good example is that we both like alot of samekind instrumental guiitar groups, like The Ventures, The Shadows, etc.... Such music is very popular in Japan and here in Finland.

I read from news that Finland want to help as much as possible Japan now with sending doctors and healty groups to work there if they need and i quess, they really need such help. Same with USA, Germany, etc.... we like Japans very much, no matter they dont make motorbikes with that "character", like Ducati... ok, it is also already little different with Ducati

There is already many awfull videos in Utube, etc. from Japan earthquake and tsunami and they destroy life of huge amount of peopple there... God bless all them....

edit: Just very bad news from Fukushima nucler power plant: seems, that we have now again one "Chernobyl" I saw one official video what showed, that reactor building exploded very hardly in few seconds.... U can imagine what happens there just now Only good thing is that wind is going just now to sea, but if it turns close days to north, then is really bad thing. I work in natural gas company and natural gas in much safe energy, no matter it is fossil one... Sadly they started to make more nuclear power also here in Finland

Everybody should look this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyQn4PgMkaE and understand, that Chernobyl was maybe only small tragedy compared to this one in Japan.

Tsunami look like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3AdFjklR50&NR=1

And here are official videos about explotion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WufPGwp7rEY You can see clearly that building exploded dramatically in seconds

update: Seems, that Fukushima power plant were designed by USA. Reserve generators of power plant failed by tsunami water, so no power to water pums to cool down reactor.... SHIT !!! STUPID planning !!!! This comes from official news from tv.

I am only electrician, but i know VERY WELL, that if nuclear power plant is in such "tsunami area" close to seaside AND if extra generators are loceted to SEASIDE, it is very, very stupid planning with things !!! IF thigns are really this way, i can "congratulate" USA (with planning such stupid things)

Ps. This all was written before saturday 18:00 Finland time, so, i dont know, what have been happened after that time!

Looks like mother nature is on the war path...what next?

It was that they say in news that those nuclear plants are "designed by usa".... nothing more. Dont worry Higgy, You havent planned them, (i quess,) no matter You seems to be clever guy.... Or have You?

The explosion is from a hydrogen release and it blew up the square outer building that is just there to make it look nice. This outer building has NOTHING to do with containment. The concrete DOME shaped structure is still intact as is the reactor vessel (as of Monday morning USA time). Don't get me wrong, this is a disaster of epic proportions for Japan, but it lookes like they will get the nukes under control.

Here is a pretty good drawing of the BWR reactor:



This is the outer steel frame building that blew up in Japan. This is NOT a containment structure!!!:





I do lots of engineering for nuclear reactors and they are in trouble but are doing everything they can to get it safe. Flooding the reactors with seawater renders them useless so they are doing everything possible.

Chernobyl was a graphite pile reactor that had no containment building at all. In a general sense, this is much more like the Three Mile Island event from that late 70's. A partial core meltdown where the reactor vessel contained the uranium.

hearing that the core of one reactor is now dry and that the US Navy retreated as they measured a low contamination already 160km out at sea is not a good sign.

G.

Don`t think they get it under control. It is too late.
In 3 reactors they have a meltdown only in that facility. Reactor #2 is completely without cooling. This reactor will not explode. The Uranium & Plutonium will melt its way to the ground water and contaminate it for thousands of years. #1 & #3 are cooled with Seawater. They cool the nuclear fuel rods directly with seawater. The heavily contaminated seawater and steam is released into the environment.

This is a serious nuclear catastrophe, no matter what THEY say.

I hope that I am wrong. But I know i am not.

Jon put good wrawing about constructure, but seems, that they cant do so much there anymore... I am not sure, but i think, that i hear something such from radio news, that there can be see already that very hot "heart" of reactor, so if it is truth, then all radioactivity flyes to sky...Or am i wrong?

Anyway main point was that "poor planning", if they lost reserve energy generators caused by tsunami. I mean, that did they really put those reserve generators (for extra cooling water)too low/too close seaside??? They HAD TO UNDERSTANT that tsunami can destroy them then very easily Also my just died 89 year old mother could understand such stupid thing....

Anyway, seem, that things start to slip from hands there.... Good bless all around there and also inside that radioactiv cloud.... I saw some map about possible wind direction and timezones, how it reach Canada and USA coastline in about 5 days.

Jon, things are NOT under control there anymore, no matter they try cool reactor with seawater

Here is quite good source and live broadcasting: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698 and they explanned very well, what is going on and what can happen in worst case.

It's a mess that is for sure. Things are not good but they have not had the reactor or containment break/fail. This is good! If they release steam then that will be a bad sign as the steam would be radioactive.


This plant came on line 40 years ago so it was built in the mid 60's. There have been many updates but my guess is thatthe Tsunami was above what they figured the worst case would be. This was a 9.0 earthquake, much worse than they ever expected. They were built to withstand a 6.5 earthquake and the buildings are still standing after 9.0 but the sub-systems have broken.

If they only estimated a 6.5 this would be very careless.
They had at least 2 earthquakes > 7 in de first 2 1/2 months of this year.

Newsflash:
-Fire in Reactor 4
-Explosion in Reactor 2 (3rd one).
-Dramatic increase of radiation since this detonation.

Following the operating company, the latest explosion in reactor #2 damaged the reactors steel shell itself.
A big amount of radioactivity has been measured at the facility (400 mSv (milliSievert)).
The short time dose of 250 mSv causes radiation sickness.

Seems like the worst case happens...

erthquake, tsunami, thousands of deaths, radiation leakage...thats enough to spoil your day
...sorry to ear about your Mom passing away Antti...89, good age, but its still sad.