First Evacuee Death Reported in Rukuzen-Takada City

due to LACK OF FOOD, WATER, HEAT - effectively killed by the petty bureaucrats at the local municipalities who are supposed to be overseeing the distribution of such essentials.

And they are likely to announce that the death was due to "post-traumatic stress syndrome".

WELL EXCUSE ME?

The article linked above says in the same shelter where the evacuee died, a 78-year old woman asked the official at the shelter if she could have another comforter because it was so freezing cold, but the official refused, saying there was no extra. WELL TAKE YOUR F--KING COMFORTER AND GIVE IT TO THE OLD LADY!

Various Japanese newspaper articles say THERE ARE PLENTY OF FOOD, WATER, BLANKET, FUEL, EVERYTHING that have been transported to the official emergency depots. Actually in one such depot in Sendai City, there are MOUNTAINS OF GOODS SPILLING OUTSIDE THE DEPOT.

And they are not reaching the people. The petty bureaucrats' excuse in those municipalities?

They don't have fuel to run the trucks to reach the evacuees;
They say they can't find truck drivers;
They haven't drawn up a plan to distribute them to people who are NOT IN THE OFFICIAL SHELTERS.

And what does the Self Defense Force do, who has helicopters that could airlift such goods to the evacuees at various shelters?

They say they are told to look for survivors, they say.

Look, people who survived will die because of you, bureaucrats and bureaucrats at the Self Defense Force.

This is Japan at its worst: bureaucratic red tapes that kill, all the way from the top of the government (e.g. Prime Minister delaying the press conference for hours after a critical accident so that he can claim he's in charge) all the way down to the petty bureaucrats in a small town up in Tohoku, who are doing all they can according to the protocol that they drew up carefully. Never mind that the protocol doesn't work in an emergency like this, where there couldn't have been an orderly evacuation to officially designated shelters from a rushing tsunami that went as high as 20 meters at a very high speed.

And they dare not speak up the chain of bureaucracy. The lowest rank bureaucrat can refuse a blanket to an old woman because there is no blanket left, and he/she can express regret, according to the protocol. The soldiers can ignore mountains of foods and water because that's not their business. And they can wring their collective hands and say "If only we had..."

Bureaucracy that kills. I just hope it doesn't kill as much as the earthquake and tsunami have killed already.

Tweet

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: TEPCO Bans Public Access to Webcam

(UPDATE) It is apparently back on, as of this morning (US time). I still call on Anonymous to hack all the computers at the government and government agencies and free the information that they jealously guard so that they can appear to be in control.

--------------------------------------------

Calling for Hackers Anonymous! Please hack TEPCO's system. Information wants to be free, it needs to be free!

Reuters Live on Japan Earthquake:

TEPCO has removed public access to a webcam showing the Fukoshima reactors. Now a password is needed in order to observe the complex.

It is a comment by Tim Childers at 9:51 PM. I'm looking for his source info, will update.

Tweet

Newspaper Front Page That Cheered the Japanese

Thank you, The Independent. Japanese people were so grateful for your gesture.

The print version of the UK paper The Independent on Sunday March 13, 2011 featured a large "Hinomaru" (Japanese national flag) with the Japanese words,

がんばれ日本、がんばれ東北

日本 (Nippon) is Japan.　東北 (Tohoku) is the name of the region of northern Japan most affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

がんばれ is pronounced "gan-bah-reh". It's all of these, I think:

Cheer up!
Don't give up!
You can do it!
We know you can do it!

It's particularly the last element that touched many Japanese: that someone believes the Japanese can bounce back and is cheering for them.

Thank you again, The Independent. All my friends and family members in Japan saw your paper's front page, and they told me they were in tears.

Japanese people will persevere, despite their government and petty bureaucrats, I hope.

I just read the Yomiuri Shinbun article (in Japanese, 3/16/2011) that says there are plenty of food, water, heating oil, fuel and other necessities already delivered to the affected area, but they are stopped at - guess where... - depots officially designated before the earthquake by the local governments, who are responsible for distributing to the evacuees and refugees. The local bureaucrats, who themselves are the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami, say they will have to draw up a plan to distribute the goods to people who are not in the officially designated shelters.

It's snowing up there today and cold. They are without food, water and heat, even though they are not very far away from them.

People will die from cold and hunger, after having survived the earthquake and tsunami. All thanks to their own government, national and local.

OK that's enough depression for the night. I will believe in the belief of The Independent in the Japanese.

Tweet

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Reactor No.5 Is "LIVE"

These bloody liars... Has anyone paid attention to this?

There are two slightly different pieces of information on this, but first, from NHK (Japanese; 5:15AM JST 3/16/2011), who, with so many polite, soothing Japanese words in an archaic-looking Mincho font, essentially says the government agency was hiding the important truth (link, emphasis added):

Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency [English website] announced earlier today that the water level in the Reactor Pressure Vessel of the Reactor No.5 has started to fall slightly. The reactor was supposed to be safe and "cold", as it had been shut down for maintenance before the earthquake struck.

However, the nuclear fuel rods were already in place inside the Reactor Pressure Vessel in preparation for the restart of the operation, and so it was necessary to keep water circulating in the Vessel. Then the earthquake struck on March 11, and tsunami destroyed the diesel power generator, which occasionally caused the temperature of the Vessel to rise. In order to adjust the pressure, the valve [on the Vessel] was opened to let the steam escape. Then the water level was observed to have dropped to 2 meter 1 centimeter above the fuel rods, at 9PM on March 15. That was 40 centimeter lower than at 4PM.

According to the Agency, they currently using the diesel power generator of the Reactor 6 to pump water to both the Reactors No.5 and 6. The Agency is confident that the water level can be well-controlled.

In other words, it was not just the matter of the used fuel rods in the storage pool (spent fuel pool)! The Reactor No.5 was, and always has been, "live".

According to BLTWY MSNBC (3/15/2011), it is the same with the Reactor No.6, that it, too, is "live" with the fuel rods in the Pressure Vessel:

Units 5 and 6 were loaded with nuclear fuel but not producing when Friday's quake and tsunami struck. They had been considered stable, but on Tuesday a senior Japanese official said temperatures there were slightly elevated."The power for cooling is not working well and the temperature is gradually rising, so it is necessary to control it," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters.

"Plant operators were considering the removal of panels from units 5 and 6 reactor buildings to prevent a possible buildup of hydrogen," the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.

If MSNBC is correct, then both the Reactor No.5 and No.6 are loaded with nuclear fuel rods in the Reactor Pressure Vessels and so both are "live", and both Reactors are also loaded with hundreds of used fuel rods stored in the spent fuel pools near the top of the buildings.

And the temperatures of the spent fuel pools of these Reactors are rising. (See my previous post.)

I am counting how many nuclear fuel rods are there in each Reactor, from various Japanese news sources. That's another post. Stay tuned.

Tweet

#Fukushima I Nuclear Plant: Fire on Reactor No.4 on March 15 Was Not Even Reported

From Yomiuri Shinbun (in Japanese; 3/16/2011):

TEPCO didn't even notify the local fire department when the fire first broke out on March 15. The TEPCO employee who noticed the fire telephoned the fire department twice, but he abandoned the effort after the line was not connected and never bothered again.

As to the 2nd fire in the morning of March 16, TEPCO admitted in the press conference that they hadn't confirmed whether the fire on March 15 was completely extinguished. TEPCO had announced that the fire on March 15 died down naturally, based on the visual inspection from a distance.

TEPCO explained that the workers couldn't not go anywhere near the reactor because of high radiation.

Tweet

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Now the Japanese Have to Deal with Petty Bureaucrats on Top of Inept Politicians

Just shoot these people.

Career bureaucrats at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (what a stupid name), after measuring for the first time the radiation level in the evacuation zone, tell reporters that they should ask the Prime Minister's Office for the interpretation of the data. Sorry we are not about to tell you..

As if this prime minister knows anything.

It is a typically Japanese, petty bureaucratic sneering. The bureaucrats would rather not tell the reporters (and thus to the Japanese people), because, oh we've been told that the prime minister is in charge of the nuke plant problem..

I'm sure it is out of frustration and a whole lot of disdain against Prime Minister Kan, whose grandstanding is probably costing many lives by having critical information withheld (so that he can be the one to break the news to the Japanese people "directly and personally").

However, THERE ARE HUMAN LIVES AT STAKE HERE, AND THIS IS AN UNPRECEDENTED EMERGENCY. Can't you get that into your bureaucratic mess of your head?

From Yomiuri Shinbun (in Japanese; 10:48AM Japan Time 3/16/2011):

The Ministry of Education and Science announced the results of radiation measurement in the evacuation zone where the residents are advised to stain indoors (20 to 30 kilometers), measured for the first time since the accident first happened in Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant.

At 20 kilometers from the Plant, it measured 330 micro-sievert. The Ministry officials said that "the number is generally considered high, but we suggest you ask the Prime Minister's Office to interpret the number and evaluate whether it has any effect on the human health."

One gets radiated with 600 micro-sievert with stomach X-ray. The Ministry's result is half that level. The Ministry officials said the results were already reported to the Prime Minister's Office.

On March 15 the Ministry decided to start measuring the radiation in the area between 20 and 30 kilometers away from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. The monitoring vehicle measured radiation at 3 points 20 kilometers northwest. It measured 240 to 330 micro-sievert outside the vehicle, and 190 to 300 micro-sievert inside the vehicle. The Ministry will continue the measurement at different points.

Tweet

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Maybe a Level 7 Disaster

Kyodo News (in Washington, 3/15/2011):

The situation at the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant in northeastern Japan ''has worsened considerably,'' the Institute for Science and International Security said in a statement released Tuesday.

Referring to fresh explosions that occurred earlier in the day at the site and problems in a pool storing spent nuclear fuel rods, the Washington-based think tank said, ''This accident can no longer be viewed as a level 4 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Events scale that ranks events from 1 to 7.''

Noting that a level 4 incident involves ''only local radiological consequences,'' it said the ongoing crisis is ''now closer to a level 6, and it may unfortunately reach a level 7'' -- a worst case scenario with extensive health and environmental consequences.

''The international community should increase assistance to Japan to both contain the emergency at the reactors and to address the wider contamination. We need to find a solution together,'' it said.

Tweet

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Reactor No.4 on Fire Again

From Nikkei Shinbun (7:01AM Japan Time, 3/16/2011) and others:

TEPCO announced that the fire broke out in the Reactor No.4 at 5:45AM. The fire is burning on the 4th floor, northwest side of the building.

TEPCO has notified the local fire department, and the effort to extinguish the fire is on-going.

The radiation level is too dangerously high to enter the building.

It is the same area that was on fire the day before (3/15/2011).

The fire was spotted by a TEPCO employee making an inspection round of the site. (Correction: from KYODO News) A TEPCO employee brought the batteries to the central control room of the Reactor No.4, and noticed the fire on his way out the building.

TEPCO was going to ask the US military to dump water from air on this reactor. (See my

previous post.)

Tweet

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Reactor No.4 Radiation Abnormally High, Government Asking US Military to Spray Water From Air

(UPDATE) THE REACTOR NO.4 IS ON FIRE AGAIN.
-------------------------------------------------------

Here I was, thinking things have calmed down a bit over in Japan..

From Asahi Shinbun (in Japanese, 3:02AM Japan Time, 3/16/2011):

• Repair workers cannot enter the Reactor No.4, which had an explosion [now they are saying it was an explosion, not just fire] due to highly elevated radiation level.

• There are two 8-meter square holes on the building's northwest wall. When TEPCO went inside the building to measure the radiation on the 4th floor, it measured 400 milli-sievert (400,000 micro-sievert).

• The storage pool is located on the 5th floor, but they couldn't not proceed from the 4th floor as the radiation was too strong.

• TEPCO confirmed that there was still water in the storage pool at noon (3/15/2011) through the hole on the side wall, but since then they haven't been able to confirm.

• Not just inside the Reactor No.4 but also outside, they measured 100 milli-sievert radiation. TEPCO's emergency workers cannot work for more than 1 hour in that radiation level without endangering themselves.

• The Japan's Self Defense Force is considering dropping water from the helicopter, though it is not clear how effective that would be. TEPCO announced on March 15 that it plans to ask the US military for assistance. If the US military agrees, the water dumping may start on March 16.

And my ex-forest fire fighter friend who fought the Big Sir fire back in 1977 doubts the US military has the expertise.

As far as I've gathered, there is no hole in the roof. So the water from the bucket dangling from the helicopter has to go to the storage pool through the hole(s) on the side wall, though we are not told where exactly those holes are on the wall. That is a one tricky maneuvre.

My friend says what TEPCO needs are the best forest fire pilots in the world, who do have the expertise and experience.

CALLING BRAVE, BEST HELICOPTER PILOTS IN THE WORLD WHO CAN DROP WATER SIDEWAYS INTO A DAMAGED NUCLEAR REACTOR...

Take a look at this design. The storage pool is on the top floor, right beneath the ceiling, with no lid. Who designed this? Well, it is the company that just paid over $15 million to its CEO for his stellar performance.

Tweet

#Obama's Schedule for the Day

Speaking of where the US is while the world descends into I don't want to know what, here's the president of the United States is doing today, from the White House website:

10:00AM He and Biden receives daily briefing [It's even later than normal (9:30AM). I guess he needs rest from his partying last night.]

11:45AM He interviews with several TV stations about importance of education reform.

12:30PM He and Biden have lunch together.

1:45PM He meets the finalists of student science talent search.

2:00PM He meets his senior advisors. [ex-JPMorgan banker, ex-Goldman...]

4:30PM He meets Defense Secretary Gates.

5:30PM He meets Combatant Commanders.

7:00PM He and his wife host a dinner for Combatant commanders.

And we're paying for his every single minute.

Tweet

#Bahrain King Declares 3-Month State of Emergency, Orders Military to Battle Protesters

Looks like to be a "hot", civil war, waged against the majority of his defenseless citizens: an act of a coward and a despot, just like that of the master thug Gaddafi in Libya.

After 1,000 Saudi-led forces entered Bahrain, the embattled king declared the state of emergency to suppress the Shi'ite-led opposition.

From AP (3/15/2011):

MANAMA, Bahrain – Frenzied clashes swept Bahrain Tuesday, a day after a Saudi-led military force entered the country to defend its Sunni monarchy from a Shiite-led protest movement. Hundreds of demonstrators were injured by shotgun blasts and clubs, a doctor said.

As the government's crackdown intensified, the Bahraini king declared a three-month state of emergency Tuesday that gave his military chief wide authority to battle protesters demanding political reforms and equal rights for Shiites. One demonstrator was shot in the head and killed, and a Saudi official said one of his country's soldiers was shot dead by a protester.

The force of more than 1,000 Saudi-led troops from several Gulf nations saw its first day of action to help prop up the U.S.-backed regime in Bahrain. Its intervention was the first major cross-border military action to challenge one of the revolts sweeping across the Arab world.

Other Gulf states are solidly behind the Bahraini king, naturally:

Other Gulf leaders have urged Bahrain's king not to give ground, fearing that gains by Bahrain's Shiite Muslims could offer a window for Iran to expand its influence on the Arab side of the Gulf. There are also worries that political concessions could embolden more protests against their own regimes, which have already confronted pro-reform cries in Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

They'd rather see bloodshed of the defenseless citizens than the Bahrain's king becoming more "democratic". It truly shows what kind of "leaders" they are (hint: they are not "leaders").

AP continues:

Tuesday's worst confrontations took place on the Bahraini island of Sitra.

A 24-year-old protester, Ahmed Farhan, was shot in the head and killed, said Dr. Ibrahim Youssef, a member of the medical team at the Sitra Health Center. Youssef said hundreds of others were injured by shotgun blasts and clubs.

"Hundreds of people are here. They are everywhere — in the halls, on the floor of the health center," he said. "People are screaming. There is lots of blood."

There was a growing conviction among the protesters, centered in the tent camp in the capital's Pearl Square, that the monarchy is unwilling to meet their demands for an elected government and a voice for Shiites in running the nation.

"They brought tanks from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to keep the monarchy as it is, not to change it," said Ali Issa, a protester manning a checkpoint on a road leading to the square. "We are expecting they will attack us any minute now."

At the square, thousands of protesters were still in shock over the arrival of the neighboring armies when the state of emergency was declared.

"We are ready for anything, but this protest started peacefully and it will end peacefully," said Ali Hassan, a demonstrator in Pearl Square. "We have no guns, but we will resist by remaining here as long as we possibly can."

Read the full article at the link.

It makes my heart sink.

And where is the US in all this? Just letting Saudi Arabia do what it wants?

Tweet

Flight to Safety Goes To US Treasuries and... Netflix?

(UPDATE 1:25PM EST) Here we go. Pump is on, for now. Dow recovers to -160.

--------------------------------------------------

After Nikkei dropped more than 1,000 points overnight, the US stock market is sustaining a significant but not so horrendous loss. Dow Jones Industrial is currently down 183; right after the opening it was down almost 300 points. The PPT and dip buyers to the rescue!

Finally a flight to safety and liquidity seem to have arrived, but not necessarily where you may think.

A quick scan of my stock screen shows ETFs on US Treasuries like TLT is getting a bid. TLT is up $1 or 1.17%, for the day so far.

There's another notable stock that has jumped: Netflix, up almost $15 or 7.44%. Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to "Buy" today, and that seems to be enough for momo investors.

US dollar is FLAT.

Oh by the way, did you know that Ben Bernank and the gang are meeting today? The FOMC meeting results will be out any minute now. I don't think the so-called Fed hawks want to say no to Ben's super accommodating policy at this particular point in time. My guess is QE for eternity. I could be wrong. We'll see in about 3 minutes.

Tweet

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: More on Reactors No.5 and 6

TEPCO says the temperature of the storage pool in both reactors is rising, but "relatively stable".

Uh huh... Have we heard it before somewhere from someone?

From Nikkei Shinbun (in Japanese; 10:29PM Japan Standard Time 3/15/2011):

TEPCO, in the latest press conference, said the temperature of the storage pool in the Reactors No.5 and 6 were rising. As of 9:00PM, the temperature was 58.7-degree Celsius for the Reactor No.5, and 57-degree Celsius for the Reactor No.6.

These two reactors, and the Reactor No.4 were not in use when the earthquake hit. They still have the cooling system but it is "not fully functioning", according to TEPCO.

Meanwhile. the fuel rods in the Reactors No.1, 2, and 3 continue to be exposed above water. In the Reactor No.1, the fuel rods are 1.8 meter above water; in the Reactor No.2 they are 1.8 meter above water, and in the Reactor No.3, 2.3 above water. TEPCO officials described the situation as "not getting worse".

(Oh boy is that a Newspeak or is that a Newspeak?)

The Reactor No.4 had an explosive fire after the storage pool's temperature rose above 85-degree Celsius from the exposed used fuel rods in the pool. The normal temperature is 40-degree Celsius.

Tweet

#Japan #Earthquake: Private Businesses to the Rescue

Private businesses are trying to fill the void left by the Kan administration.

According to Asahi Shinbun (in Japanese, link added; 3/15/2011), two pharmaceutical companies are donating prescription drugs that counter the effect of radiation in human body:

Nihon Medi-physics, a drug importer based in Tokyo, will make the drug available for free in Fukushima that they will import from Germany. The drug will counter the effect of Cesium in the body.

Nichi Iko Pharmaceutical, [a generic drug maker] based in Toyama Prefecture (Japan Sea side) already shipped the drug to block the absorption of radioactive iodine in the body [I asume they are talking about potassium iodide] to Fukushima Prefecture on March 12; it will be administered to 250,000 people there.

Tweet

As the World (Literally) Burns, Obama Picks His Favorites on NCAA Tournament, Play Golf, And (Of Course) It's Party Time!

That's how he's been spending his time since Saturday. I guess I am just jealous that he gets to be so relaxed and having fun on the taxpayers' money.

Fish rots from the head.

From White House Dossier by Keith Koffler (3/15/2011):

The Middle East is afire with rebellion, Japan is imploding from an earthquake, and the battle of the budget is on in the United States, but none of this seems to be deterring President Obama from a heavy schedule of childish distractions.

....This morning, as Japan’s nuclear crisis enters a potentially catastrophic phase, we are told that Obama is videotaping his NCAA tournament picks and that we’ll be able to tune into ESPN Wednesday to find out who he likes.

Saturday, he made his 61st outing to the golf course as president, and got back to the White House with just enough time for a quick shower before heading out to party with Washington’s elite journalists at the annual Gridiron Dinner.

With various urgencies swirling about him, Saturday’s weekly videotaped presidential address focusing on “Women’s History Month” seemed bizarrely out of touch.

Obama Friday took time out to honor the 2009-10 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. Thursday was a White House conference on bullying – not a bad idea perhaps, but not quite Leader of the Free World stuff either.

This guy is completely AWOL on Libya, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and anywhere else in North Africa and Middle East, as the people who have risen up against their oppressive regimes are being crushed by the regimes. Ditto on deficit reductions. So what does he do now?

More partying, of course.

Koffler continues in the article:

But the fun stuff won’t end anytime soon. On Thursday, the Taoiseach of Ireland will be in town to help the president celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. And then Friday it’s off to Brazil for the start of a three-country Latin American tour.

Anyone gotta celebrate St. Patrick's Day, right?

It is just beyond amazement, borderline disgust and nausea, that there are still 43% (total approve) of Americans who support this man, according to Rasmussen.

Tweet

GE's Immelt 2010 Compensation More Than Doubled to $15.2 Million

GE, who designed all 6 reactors at #Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant (reactors No.1-5 are Mark 1, reactor No.6 is Mark 2) and supplied three of them (No.1, 2, 6), generously gave its CEO $15.2 million dollars compensation for .... What did he do, other than being photographed with Obama?

From AP (3/14/2011; emphasis added):

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) -- General Electric Co. Chairman and CEO Jeffrey R. Immelt's 2010 compensation more than doubled to $15.2 million as the company benefited from a recovering economy.

Immelt's $3.3 million salary was unchanged from the previous year, according to an Associated Press analysis of a company filing on Monday. But he got a $4 million bonus in February for his work in 2010, after getting no bonus for two years in a row. And the company gave him stock options valued at $7.4 million.

His 2009 compensation package amounted to about $5.6 million.

GE's directors decided that Immelt "performed very well in 2010" and beat their goals for him in four financial measures, including earnings from continuing operations, cash generated, and profit margins, according to the filing.

Immelt also received $389,809 in other compensation, almost all of it for his personal use of the company plane. GE said that on Nov. 22, the company and Immelt made a deal where he will lease aircraft from GE for his personal use and pay the actual expenses for each specific flight.

Tweet

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Used Fuel Rods Also in Reactor 5 and 6

Now they're telling us...

In my last post, I told you that over 1,000 used fuel rods are stored in the storage pools in the Reactors No.1, 2, 3 and 4. The Reactor No.4 alone has 783 of those.

According to Nikkan Kogyo Shinbun article (in Japanese; 5:30PM Japan Time 3/15/2011), it turns out these rods are also stored in the pool in the Reactors No.5 and 6, which, just like the Reactor No.4, had been stopped for maintenance when the earthquake struck. Ominously, the temperature of the storage pools in the Reactor No.5 and 6 are RISING.

How are these used fuel rods are "stored"? They are placed in the storage pool that is constantly filled with water. But when the power went out after the quake, the water to the storage pool stopped. Even if the rods are "used", they are still capable of generating heat. They slowly heat the water, which then evaporates, and the rods gets exposed. The metal coating of the rods then reacts with the steam, and we have a hydrogen explosion.

So, now the chief cabinet secretary is telling us there are used fuel rods in the pools in the Reactors No.5 and 6; no information on how many but enough to start raising the temperature of the water in the storage pools. THEY ARE OUTSIDE THE CONTAINMENT VESSEL. What is preventing from possible radiation from escaping outside is the building shell.

Now are you scared enough? The Reactors No.5 and 6, which were supposed be under total control, could go "hot", just like the Reactor No. 4 apparently has done.

Speaking of the Reactor No.4, which caught an explosive fire earlier, there are now two large holes on the north-west wall of the building that houses the Reactor.

Tweet

#Fukushima Nuke Plant: Very High Radiation in Reactor No.4, Thanks to Used Fuel Rods

Murphy's law at work: anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. And spectacularly.

Now the serious, harmful doze of radiation is coming out of the Reactor No.4, the one that was supposed to be "cold" and safe, as it had been shut down for maintenance prior to the earthquake on March 11.

I told you in my previous post that the used fuel rods were stored in a pool within the building. Apparently, that's an industry-wide practice, not just in Japan but everywhere.

Main points from Yomiuri Shinbun (in Japanese; 1:50PM Japan Standard Time, 3/15/2011):

• After the fire broke out (it has since died down naturally) in the Reactor No.4 building around 9:38AM, the radiation near the storage pool shot up to 400 milli-sievert (or 400,000 micro-sievert). Remember, the radiation at the gate of the plant at 8,217 micro-sievert earlier (see my earlier post) was a big deal.

• 400K micro-sievert is beyond the point where the risk of cancer increases (100K micro-sievert).

• In the Reactor No.2, the Suppression pool was probably damaged by the explosion. It is possible that the fuel rods were damaged, and a large amount of radiation started to leak.

• In the Reactor No.4, the used fuel rods were stored in a storage pool. However, as the power went out and water stopped circulating, the residual heat from the used fuel rods raised the temperature of the pool from the normal 40-degree Celsius to 85-degree Celsius, causing the water level to drop. The used fuel rods were exposed, reacted with steam, producing hydrogen, which led to an explosive fire.

• In the Reactor No.4, there are 783 used fuel rods in the pool. 300 to 500 used fuel rods are also stored in the Reactors No.1, 2, and 3.

• Radiation level inside the Plant:
  
  between the Reactor No.2 and No.3: 30 milli-sievert (30K micro-sievert)
  near the Reactor No.3: 400 milli-sievert (400K micro-sievert)
  near the Reactor No.4: 100 milli-sievert (100K micro-sievert)
  inside the Reactor No.4: 400 milli-sievert (400K micro-sievert)

• 400K micro-sievert is 100 times as much radiation as what's permissible for a person to be exposed in one year.

• The government ordered the complete evacuation of the residents within 20-kilometer radius, and suggested that residents in 20- to 30-kilometer radius that they do not go outside and close all windows and doors.

The government waited 5 hours after the explosion at the Reactor 2, and a hour and a half after the fire at the Reactor 4, to tell the residents and the Japanese people about the seriousness of the situation. During that time, I hate to think how many people were unnecessarily exposed to radiation, however minute.

They waited until 11:00AM to tell the world, so that the Prime Minister Naoto Kan could show off he was in charge (he set himself as the head of this commission to tackle the Nuke problem), giving the dire message "personally and directly (his word)" to the Japanese people.

This is beyond grand-standing incompetence. This is criminal.

Tweet

US Stock Market Futures Sink, Following the Development of #Fukushima Nuke Plant

Dow futures -253, S&P500 -28.60, Nasdaq -45.25, as of 11:51PM EST (Bloomberg).

UK's FTSE 100 futures -143

Nikkei Afternoon session is a pure bloodbath: -1,328 to 8,292, down 13%

I heard that Mr. Jim Cramer was bullish on certain stocks, on his daily program. I think he can probably get a quite a bargain on his buy.

Tweet

Nikkei Futures Trading Halted, Limit Down

after the press conference by the prime minister and the cabinet secretary regarding Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, Nikkei Shinbun (in Japanese) just reported.

Nikkei Futures went down 840 points to 8,620 right after the morning session was over, and trading was halted for 15 minutes.

Tweet