Magnitude 8.9 Earthquake Hits Japan

[PPI Brian]

A massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck Japan today at 2:46 pm Tokyo time, causing extensive damage and loss of life. Miyagi Prefecture was hit by a massive tsunami, and tsunami warnings have been issued for Hawaii, but not for the west coast. That will probably change in the next few hours. Traditionally tsunamis are generated in the direction of the fault caused the quake, and this fault seems to run north to south. This quake is the strongest ever recorded in Japan, but paled in comparison to the 1923 quake that devastated Tokyo and killed over 150,000 people.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12709598

[PPI Debra]

A massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck Japan today at 2:46 pm Tokyo time, causing extensive damage and loss of life. Miyagi Prefecture was hit by a massive tsunami, and tsunami warnings have been issued for Hawaii, but not for the west coast. That will probably change in the next few hours. Traditionally tsunamis are generated in the direction of the fault caused the quake, and this fault seems to run north to south. This quake is the strongest ever recorded in Japan, but paled in comparison to the 1923 quake that devastated Tokyo and killed over 150,000 people.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12709598

We've been watching this unfold. It's so devastating. Have friends with family in both Hawaii and Japan.

[Gary]

I'm not looking forward to the day that event strikes closer to home.  Mother Earth is so beautiful, but boy does she have some claws!!   ::|

[PPI Tracy]

I'm absolutely astounded at the power of Mother Nature.  

My heart goes out to the people of Japan.  I used to live there and it is such an amazing place with the most precious people.  It is so heartbreaking to see such devastation.  I fear that the current total fatalities are only going to increase in the days to come.  What is happening to our world?  

[PPI Debra]

The earth's axis has shifted by 10 inches because of the power of this quake.

[Gary]

The earth's axis has shifted by 10 inches because of the power of this quake.

Oh snap!   :o

[PPI Karl]

I've been following the news coverage all morning.  Sorry I'm just logging in to the boards now.  It's unbelievable.  I shudder to think about the injury and loss of human life as yet undetermined.  I'm sickened already by the way the news has slanted this disaster as a globally economic concern instead of a wide scale human tragedy.  It hasn't even been twelve hours, and already Obama has addressed "our nation's concerns" about the economic impact.   ::|

[PPI Debra]

I've been following the news coverage all morning.  Sorry I'm just logging in to the boards now.  It's unbelievable.  I shudder to think about the injury and loss of human life as yet undetermined.  I'm sickened already by the way the news has slanted this disaster as a globally economic concern instead of a wide scale human tragedy.  It hasn't even been twelve hours, and already Obama has addressed "our nation's concerns" about the economic impact.   ::|

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there are 3 nuclear reactors that they can't cool down and there's red alerts issued. That is scarey to me.

[PPI Brian]

It appears that at least one reactor will melt down before long. Fukushima 1 suffered a structural collapse and explosion this afternoon. If they are unable to maintain the containment system the core will melt down. I hope they are able to contain the reactor core, but it doesn't look good. Fukushima 2 is going critical too. This is a terrible situation that appears to be getting worse every minute.

[PPI Brian]

The earth's axis has shifted by 10 inches because of the power of this quake.

GPS data confirms the entire Japanese island chain shifted 8 feet west of it's original location prior to the quake. The tsunami that followed was over 30 feet high. Absolutely terrifying when you consider an event such as this could happen off the southern California coast. If a 30 foot tsunami swept over the southern California coast the loss of life would be astronomical. Ironically, the new budget proposed by the republicans would cut all funding for tsunami warning systems on the west coast. Way to go, republicans.

[PPI Jason]

The earth's axis has shifted by 10 inches because of the power of this quake.

GPS data confirms the entire Japanese island chain shifted 8 feet west of it's original location prior to the quake. The tsunami that followed was over 30 feet high. Absolutely terrifying when you consider an event such as this could happen off the southern California coast. If a 30 foot tsunami swept over the southern California coast the loss of life would be astronomical. Ironically, the new budget proposed by the republicans would cut all funding for tsunami warning systems on the west coast. Way to go, republicans.

I'm going to stick up for the Republicans on this one. Tsunami warning systems are only effective against tsunamis that originate from earthquakes that are far enough away to allow time for a warning to be transmitted. A tsunami warning system was in place in Indonesia back in 2004. It provided a warning to the coasts 15 minutes after the earthquake occurred (which was very near the moment when the swell crossed the sensors). However, this was not enough time to evacuate the coast. Of course such a system would be useful to California this past week. But you can see that the further you are from the actual quake the less devestating the tsunami. A tsunami warning system would not possibly be able to give us a warning with regard to the most dangerous tsunamis we face: those caused by earthquakes proximate to our own coast line. I feel Democrats are making this an issue just to promote their own party and make Republicans look like they support massive loss of life. I'm sure when an earthquake hits the coast someday, and lots of people die, people will all blame the Republicans for the 40 foot wall of water that took approximately 5 minutes to travel from the epicenter to the coast (eventhough everyone knows 5 minutes would not be enough time for most people to get out of bed let alone get to safety).

Additionally, what have the Republicans said with regard to earthquake warning systems? It seems to me that a more effective way to provide a warning to people about potential tsunamis would be to focus on early warning of under water earthquakes. I imagine that you would have a better warning if alarms started sounding at the moment an underwater earthquake hit, rather than waiting until sensors pick up the presence of the resulting swell. Is it possible that Republicans felt that funding toward this type of system would be a better us of money? I know I could be wrong here, but I'm trying to look at this from a non-partisan perspective (at least more non-partisan than the one presented so far).

I believe our government is way too big. It's like an out-of-control shopper at the mall, spending money without care, charging it, all while thinking they will find a way to pay for it later. And Democrats aren't the only ones doing this. Both parties are making bad decisions. But someday tough decisions are going to have to be made. It seems like we are reaching a crisis. Something has to give. I don't agree with Republicans' decisions to support the wealthy and big business. That party is not the party of Lincoln, and I don't think it represents our best interests at this time. But I also don't believe that every decision to cut spending is a bad one. And the Democrats don't have all the answers. If I had a say in our government (and none of us do, really, because as I said, government is way to big, and sorry people, but it isn't just the Republicans that are responsible for that one) then I would say that we should cut spending on tsunami warning systems and focus our spending on a space program. Our truest and most dangerous source of loss of life is likely going to be from a chunk of rock from outer space, and Bruce Willis is getting too old to save us.

[PPI Brian]

I would almost be inclined to agree with you if I saw the republicans actually making tough decisions. But they're not. The only solution to a budget crisis is to increase our tax revenue. That means increase taxes on the wealthy and increasing taxes on business, and discourage the exporting of jobs to other countries . As long as the republicans refuse to entertain either of these obvious options and only cut cut cut then they're not making the tough decisions.

[PPI Debra]

Sorry to change the subject, but the science of this quake is fascinating (though the suffering is heartbreaking):

"NEW YORK -- The massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake that shook Japan and triggered a powerful tsunami on Friday has had a profound effect on both the surrounding terrain and the planet as a whole.

Dr. Daniel McNamara, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, told The Huffington Post that the disaster left a gigantic rupture in the sea floor, 217-miles long and 50 miles wide. It also shifted Japan's coast by eight feet in some parts, though McNamara was quick to explain much of the coast likely didn't move as far.

McNamara found the way in which the quake actually sunk the elevation of the country's terrain to be more troublesome than coastal shifting. "You see cities still underwater; the reason is subsidence," he said. "The land actually dropped, so when the tsunami came in, it's just staying." "

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/12/japan-earthquake-axis-shift-climate-change_n_834985.html

After reading that , you see just how powerful a quake can be.

[PPI Brian]

Sorry to change the subject, but the science of this quake is fascinating (though the suffering is heartbreaking):

No worries; it's good to bring the thread back on topic. Sorry about that. How much subsidence have they documented?

[PPI Debra]

Sorry to change the subject, but the science of this quake is fascinating (though the suffering is heartbreaking):

No worries; it's good to bring the thread back on topic. Sorry about that. How much subsidence have they documented?

I re-read the article, and from what I could determine, they haven't got that figured out yet.

[PPI Debra]

his just off the BNO newswire:

"AP: Japanese government spokesman says partial meltdown is likely under way at second reactor."
http://twitter.com/#!/BreakingNews

This is a nightmare.

[PPI Jason]

I would almost be inclined to agree with you if I saw the republicans actually making tough decisions. But they're not. The only solution to a budget crisis is to increase our tax revenue. That means increase taxes on the wealthy and increasing taxes on business, and discourage the exporting of jobs to other countries . As long as the republicans refuse to entertain either of these obvious options and only cut cut cut then they're not making the tough decisions.

I agree 1000%. I am not siding with the Republicans on their entire fiscal policy (or their other policies for that matter). I just don't think that throwing money at everything that sounds like a good idea on the outside is a healthy way to spend our money. And making it a partisan issue makes it sound like the Democrats know what the hell they are doing (which they don't either). The bottom line is we don't have anyone on capital hill that has a sense of what our country needs (or rather, we have too many people that think they know but who have too many different ideas and can't come together to make an agreement).

Which is why I propose that we follow my plan. I say we purchase a bunch of weapons, invade Mel Gibson's island, take it over, and start our own society from scratch. I will be king, Miller can be the professor, and Gary can be Gilligan. We will have a tsunami warning system that Miller will invent entirely from coconut shells. We will also refuse to export jobs and we will have a strict policy of very limited government. Also, we will hold auditions for whoever can get on the island. Mean people will not be allowed. Also, every Friday we will read Charlie Sheen poetry after drinking vast quantities of island brewed beer. And there will be no political parties on the island. Any new ideas have to be shown in the best interest of the entire island and, since the population will be limited, it can be a direct democracy. Finally, all disagreements will be settled by giant paintball fights.

[PPI Brian]

LOL! I nominate Karl for the role of professor. 

I've been watching the developments on the news and it doesn't look good. Authorities are expecting another explosion later today.

[PPI Debra]

I will not play Mrs. Howell or Mary Anne.

[PPI Brian]

I will not play Mrs. Howell or Mary Anne.

How about Ginger?

Here's an update:

While relief efforts continued Monday for survivors of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan's northeast, the country's meteorological agency warned of the possibility of a 7.0 or higher magnitude temblor in the coming days.

According to the agency, there is a 70 per cent chance of another quake in the next three days and a 50 per cent chance of another hitting three days after that because of high tectonic activity.

Meanwhile, the country is racing to prevent a humanitarian disaster as rescue workers struggle to reach tens of thousands of people left homeless by the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami.

Japanese officials raised the estimated death toll to more than 10,000 Sunday, as hundreds of thousands of survivors salvaged what belongings they could, sought food and water at emergency centres and spent three nights in near-freezing temperatures.

Friday's quake and tsunami damaged key nuclear plants and left entire cities demolished in their wake.

So far, the number of confirmed dead is 1,647, with 1,720 missing across the affected areas in the east and northeast. But thousands more are still missing, and the confirmed number is expected to increase significantly after a report that some 2,000 bodies were found Monday on two shores in Miyagi.

Kyoto News Agency reports that about 1,000 bodies were found coming ashore on Miyagi's Ojika Peninsula. Another 1,000 bodies were spotted in the town of Minamisanriku where about 10,000 people, which is over half the local population, are still missing.  

The official death toll also excludes about 200 to 300 bodies in Miyagi's capital, Sendai. Police and other workers are unable to reach these bodies amid the devastation and rubble.

Meanwhile, an estimated 1.4 million households were still without water Monday, and at least 1.9 million homes did not have electricity. Officials in one devastated town said they were running out of body bags.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan called the disaster the worst crisis since World War II, and appealed in a television address for the Japanese people to come together to rebuild.

While the official death toll may not be known for days, or weeks, CTV's Tom Walters, speaking from Narita, Japan, said locals on the ground have little doubt that the death toll is much higher than the estimates being released by officials.

"There really is so much destruction, so many areas of debris that are difficult to search, so many areas were we are told rescuers have yet to reach," Walters told CTV News Channel on Sunday. "I don't think there is any confidence here on a full accounting for the human toll of this disaster."

[PPI Karl]

I'm relieved to see CNN give their infomercial format a rest and start delivering real coverage of this disaster.  There's only so much smirking into Camera 3 and so much stammering and stalling with empty-calorie phrases like " . . . if you will" and "powerful stuff" I can stand listening to from people whose only skill in journalism is to recite what's being said through the microphone in their ear.

The major difference this time is that formal news media has actually relied on social media to fill the gaps.  News stations, it seems, are presenting anthologies of YouTube video (and audio) captured by people in the middle of these events and relying on their own correspondents simply to be on location.  I can't say I have any complaints.  It's the closest we've come to old school journalism on popular news media for a long while.

I just wish it were not large scale devastation.  It's truly horrifying and deeply saddening.  And, for those directly impacted, so much worse.  I expect we'll see refugee airlifts fairly soon.  Keeping aloft all my strongest hopes and wishes.  

Oh, and I was truly impressed that no one in the news was making any cracks about "China Syndrome."  I really thought for sure that was going to be a tacky mantra.  I guess it's up to Glenn Beck now.

[PPI Tracy]

I will not play Mrs. Howell or Mary Anne.

I say we "Troll-nap" Charlie Sheen, put a red wig on top of the already horrendous toupee that he has, give him a grass skirt, a coconut shell bra, and we'll call him, "Ginger."  WINNING!

(sorry...I needed a little levity)

[PPI Tracy]

How about Ginger?

I just "splained" it. 

[PPI Brian]

Today in what must have been a hellish scene thousands of mangled bodies washed up on the shores of north eastern Japan. The Fukushima nuclear power plant is melting down and hundreds of thousands of people are being evacuated. My heart goes out to the people of Japan affected by this disaster.

The Miyagi region has experienced similar catostrophic earthquake generated tsunamis in recorded history. In 1898 a 38.2 meter (125 feet) tsunami swept across the region and claimed over 22,000 lives. Here's a link: http://shippai.jst.go.jp/en/Detail?fn=2&id=CA1000616

[PPI Tracy]

The word "devastation" doesn't even begin to describe what has happened. I fear that the worst may be yet to come.  If that is even possible with what they have already endured.

[PPI Brian]

Today Thich Nhat Hanh posted this message on his official facebook page

Thich Nhat Hanh: Message to Friends in Japan

Dear friends in Japan,

As we contemplate the great number of people who have died in this tragedy, we may feel very strongly that we ourselves, in some part or manner, also have died. The pain of one part of humankind is the pain of the whole of humankind. And the human species and the planet Earth are one body. What happens to one part of the body happens to the whole body.

An event such as this reminds us of the impermanent nature of our lives. It helps us remember that what's most important is to love each other, to be there for each other, and to treasure each moment we have that we are alive. This is the best that we can do for those who have died: we can live in such a way that they continue, beautifully, in us.

Here in France and at our practice centers all over the world, our brothers and sisters will continue to chant for you, sending you the energy of peace, healing and protection. Our prayers are with you.

Thich Nhat Hanh

[PPI Debra]

A former Nuclear Regulatory Commission head (who was in charge during the Three Mile Island incident) is on CNN. He has just said that each of the 4 damaged reactors are a worse disaster than 3 Mile Island, independently. Now 5 & 6 are heating up. There are 6 at this one location, which is not the way they are built in other countries. He also said that the worse case can't be predicted because it's never happened before. He did say that the casings and building were not built for the current type of disasters. The plant is on fire yet again.

Larry said all Henry's Stores are running out of Potassium Iodide, due to the fear of nuclear fallout here in the US. (If that happens, I'm a goner. I have zero thyroid function and can't metabolize the iodine.)

[PPI Brian]

Stay indoors, buy plenty of bottled water and don't take any potassium iodine. Seriously, take very good care of yourself, Debra. We don't want anything to happen to you.  

I'm not a nuclear physicist, but my second cousin is a nuclear engineer at San Onofre. For what it's worth, here's what little I know about fallout from nuclear reactors. If there is any radioactive fallout from the Fukushima reactor it will be primarily cesium 137, which has a half-life of 30 years. It is a particulate, in fact it's a form of salt, and disolves readily in water. That means if a plume reaches the jetstream it can be effectively neutralized by weather patterns over the Pacific, and probably won't increase the background radiation levels in southern California. The most common routes of entry into the human body is by consumption of contaminated liquids or inhalation. You can reduce your risk of inhalation by wearing a surgical mask.

We are exposed to about 3,500 microsieverts per year through natural sources in the environment. Granite countertops or marble floor tile in a home can increase your dose because they emit radon gas -- another reason not to get granite or marble in your kitchen.   The average exposure of 3,500 microsieverts per year or 3.5 millisieverts per year equates roughly to an exposure of 0.399 microsieverts per hour, which is a lot higher than the average 0.15 microsieverts per hour baseline we have documented in southern California residences over the years. In other words, there is probably little reason for concern, but you can rest assured I will be monitoring background radiation levels over the next few weeks.

In direct contrast, the situation at Fukushima is grim. Here are some of the readings I've been able to dig up:

Block #1 Fukushima: 3/13/2011  more than 1 millisievert per hour.
At the Gate of Fukushima 1: 3/12/2011 forenoon till explosion of building #1: 1 milli-sieverts per hour, then it dropped to 0.07 milli-sieverts per hour.

3/14/211
9:35 pm 760 microsieverts per hour
9:37 pm 3130 microsieverts per hour
10:15 pm 431 microsierverts per hour
10:35 pm 326 microsieverts per hour

03/15/11
2:00 am 3100 microsieverts per hour

I have not adequately confirmed these readings, so take them with a grain of salt (the non radioactive kind). I just heard a report that the remaining nuclear engineers were evacuating due to the escalating radiation levels. The fuel cells have become exposed to the atmosphere, but they're probably not as dangerous as the spent fuel rods that were being changed out of the three offline reactors at the time the earthquake hit. Hopefully they will get the situation under control before it gets any worse. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[PPI Karl]

Those fifty workers are going back in today to make a last, desperate stand to control the meltdown.  It's a suicide mission.  I have no words right now.

[PPI Tracy]

At this stage, I don't see how there could be a good outcome.  These three back to back horrific sequences of events are beyond anything anyone had even fathomed.  I cannot fathom how you can recover from something of this magnitude.