Northern Japan hit by 8.0 magnitude earthquake.

[Jingo Jaden]

Don't like to be the bringer of bad news, but there might be a radiation leak that is quite significant at the moment. A thousand times more than the standard in fact. The nuclear facility in Fukushima has had an explosion or fire of some kind. There is quite an extensive disagreement on how much damage is being done and will potentially be done by this, but the leak is still active and the condition of it's cores are unknown. It is however close to the ocean which might be bad news in itself. People with radiation poisoning have been confirmed, but they are few in numbers as things stand now.

[ShiroiHikari]

But they're saying there was no explosion:

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/77149.html

[TheMewster]

Is Yuki-anne still ok? Let's give her prayers and Pms!

[Nate]

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/uk-japan-quake-experts-idUKTRE72B1KP20110312

As long as the steel casing remains intact, there's very little chance of anything really terrible happening.

[Cognitive Gear]

But they're saying there was no explosion:

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/77149.html

Yeah, a lot of people are confused about the explosion. There was an explosion, but it was not a reactor explosion like many people would automatically assume. Basically, the reactor got very hot and melted through the bottom of the reactor vessel and fell into the containment vessel (this is a safety feature). So that worked as it should have. Unfortunately, the containment vessel, which is cooled by water pumped in from other power sources, had it's primary, secondary, and tertiary power sources go out. They then brought in diesel generators to keep it pumping, but these went out. (there have been no reports as to why they went out, though)

Since it wasn't actively having water pumped in to keep it cool, the water that was in there became steam, slowly building up pressure that it shouldn't ever need to contain. They had some people working on it to relieve the pressure, and that is what ended up exploding, releasing a bit of radiation. Apparently this reactor is about 40 years old, and was scheduled to be shutdown this month.



[B]TL]: The reactor did not explode, but the backup containment unit built up a lot of pressure. They attempted to relieve some of that pressure, and shortly afterwards there was a small explosion. There was some radiation involved, but not as much as people normally expect. The plant was scheduled to be shutdown this month.


EDIT: It sounds like the nuclear plants are all cooling down now. This shouldn't be cause for any further concern. Good news!

[ShiroiHikari]

Thank you for the info, Cog, and thank God the situation is getting under control.

[ChristianKitsune]

o.o oh my goodness, well, I'm glad the nuclear reactor didn't really explode but I'm sure there is still a lot of panic going on there...my prayers continue to go out to Japan.

[Sailor Kenshin]

One good thing our cable provider has done is to give us free TV Japan until March 17.

So I've been watching the news reports there live, and the flood footage is pretty terrible. The streets in some cities are awash with boats and there are cars stacked up like jackstraws in the tsunami's wake.

Continuing prayers for the people of Japan.

[TheMewster]

I'm so glad God didn't let the nuclear reactor go out! I also heard that U. S. Military troops and supplies are headed to Japan! Let's keep not only PRAYING for Japan, but let's do something too! Anyone know of any ways to help out from the USA? God bless you!

[AnimeGirl]

I was pretty horrified when I heard of this and saw the footage of the waves and the devastation that it's caused. One of my mom's childhood friends and her family live in Japan (I'm not sure where though) and I REALLY HOPE they are alright!

[TheMewster]

I hope so too, Animegirl. I just prayed for them.

[c.t.,girl]

Anyone know how about hawaii (maui specifically) did? Just asking because I have cousins over there and I haven't heard from them since.

[Cognitive Gear]

I just wanted to update and let people know that there is still one reactor that is currently having difficulties with cooling. Keep praying about that. (getting info on this seems to be a difficult and inconsistent thing for journalists right now)

[ashfire]

I heard the beachs got a little swamped but not bad. California had some harbors and boats get messed up and one person missing.

[samurai10]

Since this is an extremely special case, I'll be posting to say what's happening in Cali.

Cali hasn't been hit too bad. As ashfire said, there's a person missing. =/ Although we can thank the Lord that it wasn't more. Coast Guard's still looking for him. He's 25. That's all I know though....

Lots of harbors got messed up, and a harbor near me got swamped with....dead fish? o.0 So no REAL damage there.

My heart goes out to all the people in Japan who have died. I'll be praying for them, and Yuki.

[ChristianKitsune]

Not that we should value those who are in the anime and manga industry over the lives of the rest of the people who have endured this tragedy.
But if anyone is interested, ANN has put together a list of those involved in the anime and manga industry who have at least posted information on their twitter and facebook since the earthquake.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-03-11/anime/manga/game-industry-members-check-in-after-quake

Again, let's remember that the entire country has been affected by this earthquake. I've been reading about people who are only concerned because of the anime and manga industry, and that really makes me sad. :/ Pray for Japan because of its people... and the lives who are being affected by this.

[Yuki-Anne]

Hey, guys, I'm still okay. With everything that's going on I've been trying to help with coordinating information for relief efforts. Add me on facebook if you want to get up-to-date information about what my missions organization is doing in general, and how I am specifically. I left the link in the members only area.

I will be incommunicado tomorrow from 7 PM to 10 PM Mountain Time. They are rotating blackouts to provide power to those who have been without. We are grateful to be of assistance to our comrades in this terrible disaster.

To quote Star Wars, "The death toll is catastrophic." It's so sad and it's true, and every time I think that I hear that guy's voice in my head. (Don't feel bad if you find that funny; I do too. Gotta have something to lighten the mood, I guess.) It's estimated that in Miyagi Prefecture alone the death toll will be around 10,000 when all is said and done. That does not include all the other deaths.

In my prefecture, there have been three deaths: two farmers were caught in a landslide, and one old lady's oxygen ran out when the power shut off. We have been relatively protected, but experts are predicting another large earthquake will happen soon. I won't lie; I'm terrified. I'm trusting God as much as I can, but it's absolutely terrifying every time the building shakes enough to rattle the windows. I think hope and pray that the building I live in can hold up. We're better off than many; there are no major cracks in our walls, so that's something to be grateful for.

I sleep in my coat these days, with a bag already packed to save time in case of immediate evacuation. Where I live was less than 300 miles from the epicenter, and is less than 150 miles from the nuclear power plants in Fukushima. The risk of the wind carrying radiation our way is very real.

News organizations aren't covering this very much, but I am concerned about the food situation across Japan. The northeastern coast had a lot of the nation's fisheries; obviously those have been wiped out. Many of those who are trapped because of the tsunami have no supplies; no food, no water, no medical supplies, no diapers for babies, the list goes on and on. In the areas less affected, I am concerned that there will still be a food shortage due to the disruptions in our food industries and businesses. So far there has not been much in the news about this, but I feel it is a very real concern.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

This is the relief organization I am currently working with. If you are interested in donating, please do so. We are sending out assessment teams tomorrow morning to gather information about the needs in hard-hit areas. Each assessment team will need around $3500 to be effective. This need is immediate. Tell as many people as you can about this. http://crashjapan.com/

Again, I will be unable to keep everybody updated on CAA with the same frequency as on facebook. I will do my best to check back at least once a day, but with the situation being what it is, I can't make promises.

There is a bright side to all of this: We had our church service, and many of our regular members were able to come. Everyone in my church is safe. Pray that we will be able to minister to those around us. At least one of my lessons tomorrow will continue as scheduled, however, it is doubtful I will be able to continue some of the lessons I teach in other cities due to gasoline shortages. Be in prayer.

[Sheenar]

Anyone know how about hawaii (maui specifically) did? Just asking because I have cousins over there and I haven't heard from them since.

My old roommate and her husband are on the island of Oahu and they posted that Hawaii wasn't hit and everyone is okay.

I have heard from 3 of my Japanese friends and they are okay. They are terrified, though. Let's all keep praying, friends.

[kairo14]

I pray by the grace of God that in this very difficult time that many Japanese's eyes will be open to the glory and truth of Jesus Christ turning to him.

[Kaori]

Praying for you, Yuki.

It looks like the CRASH website isn’t set up to accept online donations. However, you can donate via PayPal through the JEMA website (Japanese Evangelical Missionary Association, the organization that endorses CRASH) and mark your donation to be used for earthquake relief. Instructions and the PayPal button are on their home page.

For those who don't have time to read the article, the gist of it is basically that Japan hasn't requested any international aid yet, meaning that no relief organizations are actually over there helping. This means the money you're giving isn't going to Japan yet, and it may not ever go to Japan if Japan doesn't request the aid.

As an update, the Prime Minister now has requested foreign aid, and there are several foreign rescue teams already in Japan. Yahoo has an article on how to help; several of the organizations in this list were mentioned earlier by Cognitive Gear.

[Cognitive Gear]

Apparently, after reviewing the seismic data, the quake has been updated to show that it was actually a 9.0.

As far as the reactors are concerned, CNN has a pretty good report with some fairly recent data. Their experts are saying that with the information they have gotten from the Japanese government, the reactors should be relatively under control and should not be too much of a problem.

[Doubleshadow]

First NZ and now Japan. Two powerful and shallow earthquakes under major cities. Sheesh.
I donated via the JEMA website. It can take Paypal or credit cards.

[Cognitive Gear]

Wow.

3.36pm: According to Associated Press, Japan's weather agency says a volcano in southern Japan has resumed eruptions of ash. The Meteorological Agency issued a warning saying that Shinmoedake volcano had resumed shooting out gas, boulders and ash after a couple weeks of inactivity. The mountain is on the other side of Japan from the epicenter of Friday's magnitude 8.9 earthquake and resulting tsunami, which devastated much of the country's northeast coast. It was unclear if the eruptions were linked to quake.

[source]

I am praying that Japan gets a break somewhere in here. This is just starting to get unbelievable.

EDIT: There are some incredible pictures of the devastation here. They really give you a better sense of the scale of this disaster.

[Nate]

As an update, the Prime Minister now has requested foreign aid, and there are several foreign rescue teams already in Japan.

Ah, good! Thanks for the update; I'll go edit my post accordingly so people who haven't seen this thread yet won't read my post and hold off on donating.

[Wolf-man]

Praying for the country. I really pray that more Christians will open their eyes to Japan. I hope that there will be more missions trips there and that out of this tragedy more of the Japanese people will be able to hear the Gospel.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I'm so glad God didn't let the nuclear reactor go out! I also heard that U. S. Military troops and supplies are headed to Japan! Let's keep not only PRAYING for Japan, but let's do something too! Anyone know of any ways to help out from the USA? God bless you!

Catholic Relief Services accepts online donations I believe... in addition to what other people have posted.

[Dr.Faust]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZkAdv7X2uM&feature=feedu

this dude lives in japan and keeps things up dated.(note i haven't watched the whole vid yet so there might be some bad language.

[J.D3]

Praying for you, Yuki.

It looks like the CRASH website isn’]their home page.[/url]


As an update, the Prime Minister now has requested foreign aid, and there are several foreign rescue teams already in Japan. Yahoo has an article on how to help; several of the organizations in this list were mentioned earlier by Cognitive Gear.

That's good that they've requested aide now! Are you okay Kaori? Hope so!

Apparently, after reviewing the seismic data, the quake has been updated to show that it was actually a 9.0.

As far as the reactors are concerned, CNN has a pretty good report with some fairly recent data. Their experts are saying that with the information they have gotten from the Japanese government, the reactors should be relatively under control and should not be too much of a problem.

That is very good to hear that it seems the reactors can be handled! That's been something I and somebody else I know have been really worried about, so thanks for that!

[Kaori]

I am okay, thanks. ^^; As I said earlier, my area was totally unaffected. That’s because I am in about the farthest-flung corner of Japan that you can be in while still being in Japan.

I hate to be the voice of pessimism and bad news, but there have now been two explosions at the nuclear reactors, one at reactor 1 and one at reactor 3. I’ve been monitoring both the Japanese news and English-language news for a while, and there have been tons of conflicting messages, but what I’m most struck by is how things continually turn out to be worse than what the Japanese government makes them out to be.

Exhibit A: the Prime Minister was saying on Friday night that the nuclear reactors had shut off automatically and that there didn’t seem to be any radiation leaks from them.

Exhibit B:

Officials said the reactor core was still intact, and that radiation levels were below legal limits.
But the US military, which has been helping the relief effort, said it had moved away from the area after one of its aircraft carriers detected low-level radiation about 100 miles (160km) offshore. (source: BBC)

The government is sending out messages trying to reassure people, but at this point I don’t find those assurances to be worth very much.

Also, there are warnings that another major earthquake (M 7 or more) may hit within the next few days. Please pray that further disasters and loss of life would be averted.

[Nate]

Going off of what Kaori has said, nobody should be panicking about Chernobyl II or anything...the reactors in Japan are made completely differently and it is absolutely impossible for them to have anything remotely close to that happen.

Remember that if worst comes to worst, they can flood the reactors with seawater which will render them completely harmless...the only reason they're not doing that now is because flooding the reactors with seawater permanently destroys them. Since Japan relies heavily on nuclear power for their energy needs (having almost no fossil fuels and renewable energy sources not being able to cover it), permanently destroying a reactor is a huge, HUGE loss of money, resources, and availability of power.

As far as radiation goes, well...

Here is a chart showing the effects of various radiation poisoning levels. For perspective, note that this chart starts at 1 Gy, equivalent to 1 Sv; the radiation outside the problematic Fukushima reactors is being measured in micro-Svs per hour. The highest reported levels outside the Fukushima reactors has been around 1000 to 1500 micro-Svs per hour. This means that one would have to stay in this area for four to six weeks, 24 hours a day, without protection in order to experience the lowest level of radiation poisoning, which while unpleasant is not normally fatal. And this level will not stay where it is.