MELTDOWN DISASTER ESCALATES RAPIDLY - Japan

[Lovelee]

Radiation rose to an unusually high level in and near Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant Saturday following the powerful earthquake that hit northern Japan the previous day, the nuclear safety agency said, making it the first case of an external leak of radioactive material since the disaster.

While the agency denied the radiation amount will pose an immediate threat to the health of nearby residents, the impact of the quake appeared to widen as the agency added the area close to the Fukushima No. 2 nuclear plant as a zone that requires evacuation.

Given the adjacent No. 2 plant also has quake-triggered malfunctions, the operator of the two plants in Fukushima Prefecture released pressure in containers housing their reactors under an unprecedented government order, so as to prevent the plants from sustaining damage and losing their critical containment function.

But the action would involve the release of steam that would likely include radioactive materials.

The amount of radiation reached around 1,000 times the normal level in the control room of the No. 1 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 plant, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said.

The agency also said radiation has been measured at more than eight times the normal level near the main gate of the plant.

The authorities expanded the evacuation area for residents in the vicinity of the No. 1 plant from a 3-kilometer radius to 10 km on the orders of Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who visited the facility.

The government also declared that the Fukushima No. 2 plant is under a state of atomic-power emergency, in addition to the No. 1 plant, and expanded the evacuation area to include the vicinity of the No. 2 plant.

The instruction covers residents living in a radius of 3 kilometers of the Fukushima No. 2 plant. Those living in a radius of 3-10 km of the plant have been advised to stay inside.


http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110312x3.html

[Lovelee]

Media in the area are now saying the plant IS experiencing a meltdown - just getting this from tweets coming through Facebook - are the media in Japan believable, more believable than ours or more believable than their govt might be 

[Lovelee]

Japan has declared states of emergency at two nuclear plants damaged by Friday's massive earthquake along the country's northeastern coast.

Officials said the 8.9 magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami knocked power out and caused cooling systems to fail at two plants in Fukushima. They warned of radiation leaks as steam was vented from reactors in an effort to relieve growing pressure.

Japanese officials said Saturday the venting would not pose a major safety risk to the public, although authorities ordered people living around the plants to evacuate.

Strong aftershocks rocked Japan as Japanese troops and helicopters worked Saturday to rescue people stranded by the tsunami. More than 1,000 people are feared dead.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Japans-Tsunami-Death-Toll-Seen-Reaching-1000-117829978.html

[Lovelee]

Some 3000 people within three kilometres of the plant had already been urged to leave their homes, but the evacuation zone was more than tripled to 10 kilometres after authorities detected eight times the normal radiation levels outside the facility and 1,000 times normal inside Unit 1's control room.

Ad Feedback Most of the 51,000 residents living within that radius have been evacuated, Shiomi said.

He said that even if there was a meltdown, it wouldn't affect humans within a 10-kilometre radius.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/4758653/Japan-tsunami-Check-for-nuclear-plant-meltdown

and they know that cos ..

[Lovelee]

The AFP agency reported that a blast was heard and white smoke seen billowing into the air at one of two power plants which the Japanese government had placed under a state of emergency. Several workers were reported to have been injured.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8377506/Japan-earthquake-nuclear-disaster-feared-after-power-plant-explosion.html

still nothing concrete yet, but the net is live with reports, nothing OFFICIAL 

[Lovelee]

Nuclear plant explosion.
Twitter - seconds ago

[Brownie55]

This is creepy bad news.  Love to have the whole thing explained in simple terms for my quake addled brain.

[Lovelee]

There appears to be a building missing after the explosion at the nuclear plant as shown on NHK. Anyone know which building?

[Lovelee]

Tokyo fire department was ordered by national fire dept to send 'hyper-rescue team' to nuclear pp around 3:30

[Lovelee]

Japanese government officials say there was shaking and a trail of white smoke at the nuclear plant in the area devastated by a massive earthquake.

Fukushima Prefecture official Masato Abe says the cause is still under investigation, and it was unclear whether there was an explosion.

Another official said the utility that runs the Fukushima Daiichi plant is reporting Saturday that several workers may have been injured.

One reactor at the plant is facing a possible meltdown after its cooling system was knocked out.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan_earthquake;_ylt=AlL7FXAKyp8gBPTrQ6zbITb9xg8F;_ylu=

[Lovelee]

Now CNBC cancels last alert. Explosion NOT at plant. #Japan #eqjp good!
Twitter - seconds ago

[Lovelee]

Cant believe I am typing this: #Japan media broadcasting warning & instructions to population how to protect themselves from #nuclear cloud!
Twitter - seconds ago

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Some people want nuclear power in ENZED.


Idiots!

[Lovelee]

this map has since been advised as being rubbish = but the reaction of the Americans was sooo funny!

[Lovelee]

1015μSv microsievert of radiation in 1 hour. That's 1 years' worth of radiation under normal circustances #fukushima #nuclear
Twitter - seconds ago


THE AMERICANS ON TWITTER ARE CRAPPING THEMSELVES ..

"BYE BYE JAPAN, WE LOVED DRIVING YOUR CARS"

[Lovelee]

Government preparing to distribute #iodine to people near Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Plant. #JapanQuake #meltdown #nuclear
Twitter - seconds ago

[dragontamer]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/japan-earthquake/4758653/Explosion-at-Japanese-nuclear-station-following-quake

I thought these things had something like a dozen 'failsafes' built in to their 'state of the art' design. 

[Calliope]

Some 3000 people within three kilometres of the plant had already been urged to leave their homes, but the evacuation zone was more than tripled to 10 kilometres after authorities detected eight times the normal radiation levels outside the facility and 1,000 times normal inside Unit 1's control room.

Ad Feedback Most of the 51,000 residents living within that radius have been evacuated, Shiomi said.

He said that even if there was a meltdown, it wouldn't affect humans within a 10-kilometre radius.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/4758653/Japan-tsunami-Check-for-nuclear-plant-meltdown

and they know that cos ..

The evacuation zone has now been extended to 20km - this is starting to look very dangerous

[Calliope]

1015μSv microsievert of radiation in 1 hour. That's 1 years' worth of radiation under normal circustances #fukushima #nuclear
Twitter - seconds ago


THE AMERICANS ON TWITTER ARE CRAPPING THEMSELVES ..

"BYE BYE JAPAN, WE LOVED DRIVING YOUR CARS"

now dropped to 70.5 microsieverts according to live reports
http://yokosonews.com/live

[Lovelee]

Even the use of seawater to cool it is concerning - will the Japanese have 2 headed fish with 3 eyes after the contaminated water runs back into the sea???

[Lovelee]

Japan's nuclear safety agency is reporting an emergency at a second reactor in the same complex where an explosion had occurred earlier.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said that the cooling system has malfunctioned at Unit 3 of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The agency said it was informed of the emergency by Tokyo Electric, the utility which runs the plant.

The power company was preparing to release pressure from the reactor after cooling failed.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/4762588/Second-reactor-emergency-following-Japan-earthquake-tsunami

[Lovelee]

We are assuming that a meltdown has occurred" at a quake-damaged nuclear reactor, Japan's chief Cabinet secretary says.

CNN

I trust CNN - been watching all the words they have all been using this morning - this is the first positive of a meltdown, from someone in power.

[Lovelee]

Japanese authorities have informed the IAEA that the three reactor units at the Onagawa nuclear power plant are under control and are looking to find the source of the radiation.

Meanwhile there are possible concerns at a third plant - the Tokai Number two nuclear power plant in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture - where one of the two cooling system pumps stopped on Friday following the quake, Kyodo News reported.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/japan-tsunami/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503051&objectid=10712278

[Im2Sexy4MyPants]

Smoke was seen billowing from the Fukushima No. 1 atomic plant after what appeared to be an explosion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhW-vMoyyIo&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q6C8US20jI&feature=player_embedded


There are reports that 11 Jap reactors are in danger of total meltdown,so far 3 are already melting down with more to follow.With the fallout heading via the jet stream towards the USA.

Haha  are we all going to die slowly or roam around the earth like nuclear zombies.

This is nuclear global warming
Who do we pay to make this all go away ?

Why did Japan build 51 nuclear reactors in earthquake zones ?

[Lovelee]

Are those rhetorical questions or are you looking for an answer