SOCIAL MEDIA USE DURING DISASTERS > JAPAN Personal messages (tweets) from Japan on 11MAR2011 post Great Eastern Japan Earthquake

[To Tweet or not to Tweet....]



On Twitter, we saw a 500% increase in Tweets from Japan as people reached out to friends, family and loved ones in the moments after the March 2011 earthquake. This video shows the volume of @replies traveling into and out of Japan in a one-hour period just before and then after the earthquake. Replies directed to users in Japan are shown in pink; messages directed at others from Japan are shown in yellow.

EARTHQUAKE DETECTION > Volunteers help California build quake sensor network

Image courtesy of USGS.gov

Published 12 July 2011

Thousands of residents across California are helping the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) build a dense network of seismic sensors across the state; as part of the Quake Catcher Network, Californians are being asked to place 6,000 seismic sensors in their homes to help geologists study earthquakes

Thousands of residents across California are helping the U.S Geological Survey (USGS)build a dense network of seismic sensors across the state.

As part of the Quake Catcher Network, Californians are being asked to place 6,000 seismic sensors in their homes to help geologists study earthquakes. Last weekend the program was introduced in the San Francisco Bay Area with the help of University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University.

“With thousands of volunteers hosting our seismic sensors, forming dense networks in these regions, we’ll be able to get data on a level of detail and with a degree of accuracy that we could only dream about before” said Jesse Lawrence, assistant professor of geophysics at Stanford University, where the project is based.

The sensors can be plugged into a computer’s USB port and need to be firmly secured to the ground to prevent false readings. Using special software and an internet connection, data is transmitted from the device back to Stanford University, where the information is being collected.

Elizabeth Cochran, a USGS research geophysicist,explained that the sensors will allow geologists to track ground movements after an earthquake from more locations to enable a denser record of seismic data.  Read more

Japan Plans Safety Review for Every Atomic Reactor

Image courtesy of: http://www.nucleartourist.com/world/japan.htm 

Japan on Wednesday announced plans to probe how well each of its atomic energy facilities could stand up to significant environmental pressures, a new effort to alleviate the fear of nearby populations following the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Jiji Press reported (see GSN, July 5).Wednesday, July 6, 2011The Fukushima plant's operator has struggled to prevent radioactive contaminants from escaping the six-reactor facility following a March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left more than 20,000 people dead or missing in Japan (Jiji Press, July 6). Multiple additional reactors in Japan have remained switched off amid fears of potential new crises, Reuters reported (Tsukimori/White, Reuters, July 6).

The "stress tests" would take place in addition to standard risk audits, Jiji Press quoted Japanese Industry Minister Banri Kaieda as saying.

"Although the safety of nuclear power plants in Japan has already been ensured, we will be doing the stress tests to have Japanese people feel safer," Kaieda said (Jiji Press).

Meanwhile, a trace amount of cesium 137 has turned up in Tokyo's public water supply, the Dow Jones Newswires reported on Monday.

A quantity drawn on Saturday had .14 becquerels per kilogram of the radioactive substance, down from the .21 becquerels found in a April 22 check, the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health said. Cesium 137 was the only contaminant seen in the fluid, the organization indicated.

Water containing as much as 100 becquerels per kilogram is considered reasonable for consumption by very young children (Hiroyuki Kachi, Dow Jones Newswires, July 4)

Japan > Fuel Melted in Additional Japan Nuclear Reactors: Operator

Fuel Melted in Additional Japan Nuclear Reactors: Operator

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

photo courtesy channel4.com

Nuclear material melted down inside three reactors at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after a March 11 earthquake and tsunami severely damaged the facility, according to an initial Tokyo Electric Power assessment made public on Tuesday (see GSN, May 23).  

The finding suggests fuel in the six-reactor Fukushima plant's No. 2 and No. 3 reactors sustained a level of damage comparable to what Tokyo and independent specialists said the No. 1 reactor's material had experienced in the aftermath of the the March 11 events, Reuters reported. The devastating earthquake and tsunami left more than 20,000 people dead or missing in Japan (Shinichi Saoshiro, Reuters I, May 24).

“We have analyzed data, which showed that it was highly likely that most of the fuel rods have melted. But it is unlikely that melting fuel rods could worsen the crisis because the melted fuels are covered in water,” the Associated Press quoted firm spokesman Takeo Iwamoto as saying (Associated Press/Washington Post, May 23).Full article

Japan > Nuclear Plant Reactor Structure Opened to Personnel

Third Japan Plant Reactor Structure Opened to Personnel

Thursday, May 19, 2011

image courtesy of  gc.nautilus.org

Personnel on Wednesday moved inside the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant's No. 3 reactor site for the first time since a March earthquake and tsunami devastated the Japanese facility, Reuters reported (see GSN, May 18).

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power dispatched two workers who remained in the building for 10 minutes and received under three millisieverts of radiation in that period. Plant personnel have been battling to prevent new radiation releases from the six-reactor facility, both by restoring critical cooling systems and implementing measures to help prevent additional hydrogen explosions. The March 11 events left more than 20,000 people dead or missing in Japan.

Personnel previously ventured into the outer structures of the plant's No. 1 and No. 2 reactors, the other two segments of the plant that were active at the start of the crisis (Reuters I, May 19).

"Workers being able to enter the reactors is perhaps the biggest improvement" since Tokyo Electric Power announced the schedule for bringing plant components under control, one atomic power specialist told Reuters. "They have made the ventilation of the reactor building possible and it also enables [Tokyo Electric Power] to install heat exchangers and pumps" (Reuters II, May 19).

The plant is due on Friday to receive a massive steel containment system for holding 10,000 metric tons of radiation-tainted fluid that has flooded parts of the facility, hindering restoration efforts, the operator said. In excess of 90,000 metric tons of irradiated liquid is thought to be pooling within and near the site (Reuters I).

The discovery of additional damage to plant components has forced the firm to dramatically revise its site stabilization strategy, which now includes the planned installation of technology to reinsert leaked reactor coolant into the systems, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Tokyo Electric Power, though, says it remains on schedule to put the site into "cold shutdown" five to eight months from now.

The company must also contend with the threat of contaminated fluid seeping into the earth or the Pacific Ocean (Eisuke Sasaki, Asahi Shimbun I, May 19).

Tokyo is permitting the International Atomic Energy Agency to dispatch a team to gather information on the crisis, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said on Tuesday. The U.N. group is expected to include roughly 20 atomic experts (Asahi Shimbun II, May 19).

China and Japan are due on Friday to hold their first bilateral meeting of atomic specialists to address the crisis, Kyodo News reported (Kyodo News, May 19)
.

Turkey plans two earthquake resistant cities to move residents from vulnerable Istanbul

These Istanbul buildings are especially vulnerable
Source: purdue.edu

Infrastructure protection

To encourage residents to move away from seismically unsafe neighborhoods, Turkey's government recently announced that it will begin building two earthquake-resistant developments near Istanbul; the city of more than twelve million people currently sits near a major fault-line that could potentially kill thousands in the event of a major earthquake; engineers and seismic experts warn that Istanbul's poor construction, shoddy city planning, and overcrowding would result in many fatalities in the event of an earthquake; officials plan for the new urban centers to be home to roughly 1 million residents each; any move to the new settlements would be entirely voluntary  Read more

Post-Earthquake Haiti > Injuries Treated at a Field Hospital --- Haiti, 2010

CDC has done it again!  Great statistical data for disaster relief medical personnel, and for that matter, first responders. This link takes you to the short 4 page summary version of the report.  There is a much more indepth report that is a must read for medical response teams that is a 48 page .pdf.  Both are great!  Good readings!

photo courtesy of wn.com

CDC MMWR report January 7, 2011 / 59(51);1673-1677.
"On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, resulting in an estimated 222,570 deaths and 300,000 persons with injuries. The University of Miami Global Institute/Project Medishare (UMGI/PM) established the first field hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after the earthquake (1). To characterize injuries and surgical procedures performed by UMGI/PM and assess specialized medical, surgical, and rehabilitation needs, UMGI/PM and CDC conducted a retrospective medical record review of all available inpatient records for the period January 13--May 28, 2010. This report describes the results of that review, which indicated that, during the study period (when a total of 1,369 admissions occurred), injury-related diagnoses were recorded for 581 (42%) admitted patients, of whom 346 (60%) required a surgical procedure. The most common injury diagnoses were fractures/dislocations, wound infections, and head, face, and brain injuries."

JAPAN > Japan attempts "cold shutdown" at reactor no. 1

The great nuclear experiment...

Workers preparing to enter Fukushima reactor 1 // Source: asiaone.com

Officials at the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) hope to bring reactor no. 1 at the beleaguered Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to a "cold shutdown" by the end of the week; plant operators will attempt to bring the temperature inside the reactor below the boiling point of water so that it will no longer produce radioactive steam; the building housing reactor no. 1 must be vented so that all the radioactive air that has accumulated is released allowing workers to approach the reactor; once inside workers will inject cold water into the reactor's primary containment structure; injecting tons of water into a damaged containment unit that houses uranium makes some scientists uneasy  Read more

SDF Spotlight > Japan State Defense Force

[Japanese Ministry of Defense, State Defense Force.  Lots on the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake. It is in english.]

photo courtesy of:  www.mod.go.jp/e/index.html

Video > Japan Earthquake 2011 Liquefaction Damage

Good article on liquefaction type earthquakes.  There are a few silver linings in the clouds above Japan...the Video is 9:27 and is visually powerful.

JAPAN > Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Log 20APR2011

[This is an update from International Atomic Energy Agency in ref to the 7APR earthquake that happened, post 11MAR earthquake and tsunami.  Good info, takes about 3 mins to read.]

http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/tsunamiupdate01.html

photo courtesy of iaea.org

Video > 105th Anniversary of San Francisco Earthquake -18 April 1906

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JAPAN > Nuclear Company to pay Nuclear Evacuees

[TEPCO will distribute $660 million to 50,000 evacuees, initial payment, more to follow.]



Article:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/16/world/asia/16japan.html?_r=2&ref=world

JAPAN > Aftershock (Monday 11APR2011) temporarily halts Fukushima cooling & TEPCO makes Public Apology 1 month later

photo courtesy of
japaneseautoport.com

[Short 3 minute article (World Nuclear News) on most recent quake 7.1 eastern Honshu, Japan.  Article also includes evacuation  zone extension, and a heartfelt public apology from TEPCO, 1 month following Great Eastern Japan Earthquake.]


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS-Aftershock_temporarily_halts_Fukushima_cooling-1104114.html

Great Eastern Japan Earthquake - Silver lining...

[World Nuclear News is on Facebook]

World Nuclear News

Tepco is proposing to design and install a system of tide barriers with watertight doors at Kashiwazaki Kariwa units 1 to 4. In addition, the company says it has installed facilities on the upland part of the site to provide backup power and water injection to both reactors and spent fuel pools, and taken measures to ensure cooling functions in the event of tsunamis flooding the reactor buildings.

"We plan to prevent the waves from flooding inside the nuclear reactor buildings where important facilities in terms of safety such as power supply facilities and emergency diesel electric power generators are installed and to ensure the fundamental safety in the station," the company says. It promises to design the tide barriers and begin their construction in "a rapid manner."

Video > Earthquakes happening on New Madrid faultline...for the past 4 days

just a reference map to area of activity

Interesting youtube video, 11 mins long, conspiracy theorist proves USGS censoring data:

Video > Social Media saves a city: Japanese City’s Cry Resonates Around the World

Mayor of Minamisoma, Japan
posts a plea
 for assistance on youtube!!
News article...

EPA's RadNet Air Monitoring Data - Updated Daily on JapNucDis

[Kind of neat...take a gander at San Francisco's...BEFORE Japanese nuclear disaster and AFTER...makes one wonder...no I am not making these up...]

EPA's website:

http://www.epa.gov/japan2011/rert/radnet-data-map.html

JAPAN > Marines Send Nuclear Team (CBIRF) to Japan to Help with Ongoing Crisis

Marines and sailors offload supplies during a clean-up operation here April 3. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, III Marine Expeditionary Force, is aiding local government authorities and personnel in the clean up after an earthquake and tsunami struck the island March 11. (U. S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Megan Angel/Released)

Stars and Stripes

Published: April 1, 2011

SEOUL — A 155-member U.S. Marine force specially trained to work in chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological environments is expected to arrive Friday in Japan to help the Japanese government deal with the ongoing nuclear crisis.

According to the American Forces Press Service, the unit is part of the Chemical, Biological and Incident Response Force from the Naval Support Facility in Indian Head, Md. The unit will advise Japanese authorities about the ongoing crisis involving radiation leaking from the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
The unit will bring equipment for agent detection and identification; casualty search, rescue and personnel decontamination; and emergency medical care and stabilization of contaminated personnel, the report said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Navy divers helped to reopen the harbor at Hachinohe, according to the press service. American ships used side-scan sonar to survey the harbor’s waterway, enabling divers to remove obstacles such as vehicles, a small storage building, 20-foot storage containers and 100-ton concrete blocks the tsunami washed out to sea.
Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force and commercial divers are coordinating with U.S. 7th Fleet units to assess the port of Miyako and plan for clearance operations there, the report said. The Navy teams might do the same in the port of Oshima after completion of operations at Miyako.
Additionally, U.S. Navy barges containing 500,000 gallons of fresh water from Yokosuka are being used at the crippled nuclear power plant, according to the press service. The water will be used to replace salt water in the reactor cooling system to lessen the corrosive impact of salt from the sea water still being used for emergency cooling. Read more...