8.9 Earthquake Strikes Japan..Tsunami warnings..

Oranguh said:
hm. Japan will survive~ I don't think it's a country known for succumbing to disasters. On the contrary, it seems to thrive from them.

Isn't that odd? Maybe it's a phenomenon worth pouring some thought into.
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It's nice to see some positivity here.
Thank you, Oranguh.
 
We're supposed to be getting waves in Seattle because of this. I can only imagine what it's like to be there, my heart goes out to those in Japan and those with loved ones there.
 
  1. 1443: Back to Japan now: The official Kyodo news agency is reporting that about 88,000 people are missing.
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Holy hells.
 
sad . . . keep them in our prayers.
 
I really hope any of our members over there are safe and that they find most of the missing people alive.
 
I like how Canon have reported 'the production has not been hit, but reports of lesser damages on factories'.

No mentioning of the employees. While Nikon in their statement mention their employees first. It's funny, as Nikon colours are more warm, while Canon more cold.
 
I just read where 2 bullet trains are now missing. There's going to be thousands affected by this. My heart goes out to Japan.
 
And now...
  1. 1706: The Tokyo Electric Power Company has said the pressure inside the No. 1 reactor at its Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant has been rising, with the risk of a radiation leak, according to the Jiji Press news agency. Tepco planned to take measures to release the pressure, the report added. The reactor's cooling system began to malfunction after the earthquake. People living close to the plant were later evacuated as a precaution.

  2. 1708: Nuclear physicist Dr Walt Patterson tells the BBC it sounds like there is a "serious problem" at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant. "It's the sort of thing that nuclear engineers have nightmares about," he says. "If it is not resolved in the next few hours it will get serious. If the core is uncovered, then those rods at the top may get hot enough to melt themselves."
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GAH. I hope it's just a false alarm.
 
I don't like that the nuclear reactors are overheating. That could add a lot to the catastrophe if they blow.
 
Woke up this morning to the news and immediately felt sick. My heart goes out to all of those effected by the disaster.

A pic from tumblr of some of the destruction:

tumblr_lhvytuIOIA1qgpnydo1_400.jpg


):
 
Trifoilum said:
And now...


  1. 1706: The Tokyo Electric Power Company has said the pressure inside the No. 1 reactor at its Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant has been rising, with the risk of a radiation leak, according to the Jiji Press news agency. Tepco planned to take measures to release the pressure, the report added. The reactor's cooling system began to malfunction after the earthquake. People living close to the plant were later evacuated as a precaution.
  2. 1708: Nuclear physicist Dr Walt Patterson tells the BBC it sounds like there is a "serious problem" at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant. "It's the sort of thing that nuclear engineers have nightmares about," he says. "If it is not resolved in the next few hours it will get serious. If the core is uncovered, then those rods at the top may get hot enough to melt themselves."


GAH. I hope it's just a false alarm.
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Yes - let's hope it's just media hyping for attention and nothing that the nuclear company can't handle.
 
The quake was the latest in a series around Japan this week.
Early Thursday, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 struck off the coast of Honshu. A day earlier, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the same coast, the country's meteorological agency said
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this makes things interesting. did they try to warn ppl or predict whtat might happen after the first two? or even better, are these done after the third or going for another, is there anyway to know?
 
I really feel bad for Japan, not in a "my heart goes out to them." I mean, you live in the f'ing pacific rim, this is what you do.

But in a... hmm... In a, idk I can't quite put the words to them, its just a brooding feeling of sickness emanating from that region.
 
I can't help but wonder if California is next :(
 
bagelriffic said:
this makes things interesting. did they try to warn ppl or predict whtat might happen after the first two? or even better, are these done after the third or going for another, is there anyway to know?
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It's a common theme that when earthquakes strike another one follows. (It can be greater in strength or smaller). But truth be told, it's very difficult to predict anything. You just know that there's a high chance "something" might come.

Last summer when I was in Japan for 2 weeks I experienced a dozen or so small earthquakes. (peaking one was 6.0 mag I think....) And yes, there were quakes afterwords but usually they were smaller. (or there were earthquakes prior but I never 'felt' them. They elude me so often :P)

Anyways, I experience earthquakes as a reminder that one is alive. That I'm but a mere mortal in a big exciting world.
For others it's a nothing short of fear, a reminder that death and catastrophe could looming around the next corner.

All these frequent reminders do things to a country, whether they be good or bad, it has very notable psychological consequences.

But earthquakes aren't the only thing Japan has. We have violent volcanoes and tsunami's as well. Not to mention the new "fear" of rising sea levels and more frequent and violent stormsies.

But probably the biggest threat the Japanese people fear of is not external devastation from nature, but rather the crumbling of their own society. With well over 20% of the population being over the 65, having a negative growth rate, faltering economy (Recently fell to the 3rd place in the world), and ever growing suicide rates.
Many Japanese people feel that the work ethic has disappeared, people have become too 'complacent'. A longing for the past is quite apparent in society. So great that a handful of people go to such extremes as to wish disaster to "revive" a sense of lost zeal.

In a sense, they're crazy. But to a sociological standpoint it's just profoundly interesting.

I'm sure people have heard about disasters bringing people closer together. generating a "noble" sense of duty, a kind of "higher calling" if you will. Many people credit the "rekindling" of Japan after the second world war to this phenomenon. (and it's true to some extent, both my grandparents were crazy [I am serious] workaholics, guided only by the unfaltering will to succeed)

If you've ever heard of grim positivism, well here you go, enfp style.

:m183:
 
Hello, I bring grim news. *puts doomsayer hat*

The situation in Tokyo itself doesn't seem to be good..because of how packed it is;
1747: CNN correspondent Kyung Lah tweets: "I've gone 3 miles in 3 hours. Seriously. This is how bad it is in Tokyo right now."
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Scientists have said the earthquake ranked as the fifth-largest in the world since 1900 and was nearly 8,000 times stronger than one that devastated the city of Christchurch in New Zealand last month. "The energy radiated by this quake is nearly equal to one month's worth of energy consumption" in the United States, Brian Atwater of the US Geological Survey told the Associated Press.

Just a reminder that large aftershocks of around magnitude 5.0 are continuing in north-east Japan, more than 12 hours after the devastating 8.9 quake. Stay with us for further live updates.
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Is it common for aftershocks to happen half a day after the initial earthquake?

Then... the radiator issue.
The situation at the nuclear reactor at Fukushima seems to be worsening. Japanese authorities are now to release radioactive vapour to ease pressure, AP news agency reports. Engineers are trying to fix the cooling system to the main reactor, damaged in the quake.

ABC's Christiane Amanpour tweets: "Coolant for compromised nuclear plant in #Japan is simply water. Diesel generators sent in to get water pumps running."

More on the troubled nuclear plant: Japan's trade minister, Banri Kaieda, says authorities are nearing a decision to release radioactive steam from the Fukushima nuclear reactor in a bid to ease a build-up of pressure, AFP reports. Thousands of local residents have been evacuated.
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I am calling this before any changes happen; this will make a great movie, Japan. Don't miss it.

ETA: GAH!

A magnitude 6.6 quake has now struck in central Japan, AP news agency reports, causing Tokyo buildings to sway. It is not clear if this is connected to the earlier quake and aftershocks. More on this as we get it.

Japanese broadcaster NHK says the latest quake was centred in north-west Japan.

More from NHK on that new quake: It struck Japan's mountainous Niigata prefecture in the west of the main Honshu island at about 0400 Saturday (1900 GMT Friday), the broadcaster says.

There have been no reports of damage so far from the new quake. There have been dozens of aftershocks following the main quake more than 13 hours ago, but this one is in a different location.
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ETA : djhfkdshfzdhbfjkdsfdnjfjdksmfk
Contact has been lost with four trains in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, Japan's official Kyodo news agency reports.
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The World Nuclear Association said pressure inside the containment of Reactor 1 at Fukushima-Daichi had been steadily increasing over the time that its emergency core cooling systems had not been active. The Tokyo Electric Power Company reported at 0200 local time (1700 GMT) that pressure had increased beyond reference levels, but was within engineered limits, the WNA added.
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