Category: Japan

Not like we really needed anymore; but here we go….:

Via International Business Times:

The company’s workers have put iRobot PackBots to measure radiation, oxygen and temperature inside the reactor.

TEPCO announced plans on Monday to take about 10,000 cubic meters of contaminated water from the reactor unit 2, and move it to a treatment plant that will be built on site.

The company said there is somewhat less radioactive water in the tunnel linked to one of the reactors, amounting to 210 metric tons of water, according to broadcaster NHK.

This is one of those rare times, when I am actually going to agree with a liberal. Susie Madrak over at Crooks and Lairs says:

Remember that old joke about the guy who went on vacation and left his brother home to watch his cat? The cat fell off the roof and died. When the brother called to ask how his cat was, his brother said, “I’m sorry to tell you that your cat just died.”

The brother was really upset and said, “You don’t just come out and say something like that. You should have prepared me. You could have said, ‘The cat’s on the roof, I’ve called the fire department, we’re trying to get him down’. That’s how you prepare someone for bad news: something like that.”

Then he asked his brother, “By the way, how’s mom?”

“She’s on the roof…”

[…]

Do I hear a “meow”?

Um…:

Meow! 😯

Continuing from last night.

Remember that picture that I posted of that massive explosion?

Here’s the video: (H/T HotAir)

Via the U.K Telegraph shows a huge whirlpool:

This man talks about the experience:

Check out this crazy photo to get an idea just bad this was.

Fox News is now reporting:

Japanese police say 200 to 300 bodies have been found in a northeastern coastal area where a massive earthquake spawned a ferocious tsunami Friday that swept away boats, cars and homes.

The magnitude 8.9 offshore quake — the largest in Japan’s history — unleashed a 23-foot (7-meter) tsunami and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0.

The bodies found were in Sendai city, the closest major city to the epicenter, Japanese police said. Earlier, police confirmed at least 60 people had been killed and 56 were missing. The death toll was likely to continue climbing given the scale of Friday’s disaster.

Tsunami waves generated by the massive quake hit Hawaii early Friday morning. The first waves crashed into the island of Kauai at 3:13 a.m. local time. Officials predicted they would experience waves up to 6 feet (2 meters).

Alaska Emergency Management also reported a 5.1-foot wave at Shemya, 1.5-foot at Adak, and 1.6-foot at Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands. Shemya is 1,200 miles southwest of Anchorage.

If you are reading this blog; and you happen to be in the area that these waves are expected to hit. GET THE HECK OUT OF THAT AREA NOW! Nothing is worth your life, nothing.

Then, there’s this:

TOKYO — Japan ordered thousands of residents near a northeastern nuclear power plant to evacuate on Friday following a massive earthquake that caused a problem in the plant’s cooling system.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the Fukushima No. 1 power plant was not leaking radiation. The plant is in Onahama city, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.

Japan’s nuclear safety agency said the evacuation, ordered by the local government of Fukushima, affects at least 2,800 people. It comes after the government declared a state of emergency at the plant.

The quake triggered a power outage and when a backup generator also failed, the cooling system was unable to supply water to cool the reactor. The reactor core remains hot even after a shutdown.

Edano said residents were told to stay at least two miles (three kilometers) from the plant and to stay inside buildings.

and this:

TOKYO — A Japanese coast guard official says a search is under way for a ship carrying 80 dock workers that was swept away when a tsunami struck the northeastern coast.

The vessel was washed away from a shipbuilding site in Miyagi prefecture (state). That’s the area most affected by a massive offshore earthquake on Friday. The quake triggered the tsunami.

Needless to day, this is not going to be a good day in Japan.

Check out this video from Fox News:

Check out these unbelievable photos from The Atlantic

Update 1: Check out this video: (H/T Protein Wisdom)

Okay, one tasteless comment; Pearl Harbor’s dead finally get their revenge? Hmmmmmmm.

Consider this a live blog and I will be updating as I get info…