burningman

WOW just wow
I hope with all my heart that anyone here who may be in Japan or has relatives in Japan is ok and to all the Japanese people you have my best wishes!

Dread53

yep, it's going to be ugly when the water recedes. Some of this mornings videos are nothing short of terrifying.

Glenn

why do they put a t in front of tsunamis. Just doesn't seem right. My prayers are with those people.

hi5.0

Because that's a Japanese word and uses the "tsu" sound/character. Lit. meaning can translate to: "harbor (tsu) wave (nami)". I'm sure many have clearly seen why that description is pretty apt.

codeman94

speechless.

Scothew

I dont knwo what else to say besides The devastation is nothing short of amazing, humbling, and tragic all at the same time.

2k7gtcs

My prayers and my heart go out to them.

I have purposely not watched any video as to not watch other people's trauma and horror. Not sure why I did that. I don't know how to feel other than hopeful that everyone who needs help will get it.

cdynaco

That is totally whack!!

cdynaco

That sucks! Doesn't anyone test their goddam backup generators???

Is that so hard to comprehend???

Especially freakin' nuke plants???

Especially those up wind from me???



Here!!

SoFlo Mustang

Agreed. I was waiting for Scylla to pop out

crescent_wrench

Horrifying. Those poor people.

SoFlo Mustang

Thats probably made in Japan too :P

codeman94

too soon guys...too soon


but seriously Charlie, if that thing melts down, I wonder if the fallout will affect the West coast?? I hope not!

SoFlo Mustang

Sorry :P

m4a1mustang

Crazy. I lived in Japan for almost 5 years.

burningman

Backup might have been damaged from the quake

cdynaco

I understand. But they allegedly are required to have redunant systems... and then there's portable gens that should be immediately available - even if they have to deliver them by helicopter. What has been reported up till now is the issue was inability to run coolant pumps. Its not like they don't know they are in a huge earthquake prone area. Should have backups for backups for backups - anything to prevent a runaway chain reaction of the reactors.

I don't see why not - trace amounts of pollution from Chinese coal fired plants are being measured in the peaks of the Cascades for a few years now.

PS: Still, my prayers are with our Japanese friends.

houtex

The backup to the backup to the backup is batteries... and they eventually run out too.

They can't get big enough generators there that fast, it does take a little time to acquire, chain up, and deliver... and have people there to do it... kinda like the entire nation has been *****-slapped (c'mon filters, don't fail me now!)... fires everywhere, roads impassable... hell, nearby airports are down.

I was like you at first, thinking "WTF!", but it's an unfortunate situation... and readin' about things it looks like maybe, just maybe, they drowned it dead and are going to decommission it, as it's 40 years old, so it's kinda 'time' according to the statements.

Just so very sad and horrible, all of it.

cdynaco

Looks like that needs to be added to the backup plan. Power failure in a strong quake - esp in tsunami prone coasts - is a given. And those coolant pumps are critical.

If nothing else you would think they would have had that provision planned out well ahead with heavy lift choppers at the ready. Particularly with how efficient the Japanese are at disaster prep. Plus US military has a base there.

What has been report so far though, is the existing gens failed. Why?? Don't they test regularly? (Like daily?)

I don't have any idea how much power it takes to run the regular pumps, but I would have designed a last recourse/fall back system where a diesel gen could literally be dropped on location and plugged in from the outside of the building with corresponding built in pumps that can run on them. If nothing else to recharge the tertiary battery system. I mean engineers can think this thing through - without having to "learn after the fact of a real disaster", can't they? We've been splitting atoms for what, 70yrs now? (rhetorical - I'm just chatterin')

Rather B.Blown

CNN reporting now that the reactor may be about to melt down.