CNN An 8.8-magnitude earthquake has struck Japan

[exopolitician]

It is tossing boats around in Santa Cruz.

Apparently it's been reported that the Harbor has been completely destroyed.

There was damage, but it is far from completely destroyed.

I'm going off AP Reports.

Apparently Radiation levels have surged at that power plant.

[J. J.]

It is tossing boats around in Santa Cruz.

Apparently it's been reported that the Harbor has been completely destroyed.

There was damage, but it is far from completely destroyed.

I'm going off AP Reports.

Apparently Radiation levels have surged at that power plant.

I just watched videos; 100 boats damaged with 20 sunk, but still more are afloat.

The reactor is at 150% of normal pressure.  Backup coolant pumps have failed as well.

[J. J.]

Fox:  Fukushima radiation now at 1,000 times normal.

[Horus]

This can't be good... Thoughts and prayers are with the Japanese and anyone else affected.

[J. J.]

This can't be good... Thoughts and prayers are with the Japanese and anyone else affected.

It isn't good, though Fukushima i is on battery power.

[Ban my account ffs!]

I watched some of this unfold last night in the middle of the night... pretty awesome destruction (I, of course, use that word in its literal sense).

My thoughts and prayers are with the Japanese people.  They are probably the most quake/tsunami prepared nation on earth... and even so... nobody can prepare for something like this.

[J. J.]

A second plant is also have pressure problems.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

It is tossing boats around in Santa Cruz.

Apparently it's been reported that the Harbor has been completely destroyed.

There was damage, but it is far from completely destroyed.

I'm going off AP Reports.

Apparently Radiation levels have surged at that power plant.

I just watched videos; 100 boats damaged with 20 sunk, but still more are afloat.

The reactor is at 150% of normal pressure.  Backup coolant pumps have failed as well.

I would've figured with this much warning, they'd try to get as many of the boats out to see until the tsunami was over.

[minionofmidas]

Fingers crossed against a Chernobyl repeat, but it's looking pretty scarily realistic by now.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Fuck. Fingers crossed against a Chernobyl repeat, but it's looking pretty scarily realistic by now.

Indeed.

5 plants are actually in states of emergency with the Fukushima plant resulting in evacuations.  Radiation levels are 1000 times normal in the core room and were reported earlier to be 8 times the normal level at a gate leading to the plant campus.

Officials are still saying that a Chernobyl-like event is almost 100% unlikely at this point... but just a few hours ago they were assuring everyone that there was nothing to worry about... and now they're evacuating up to 10 km out.

I should add:  Unlike Chernobyl, which resulted in the evacuation of thousands... but was a relatively isolated area... a similar event in Japan would have much more devastating consequences.

[J. J.]

Fuck. Fingers crossed against a Chernobyl repeat, but it's looking pretty scarily realistic by now.

Indeed.

5 plants are actually in states of emergency with the Fukushima plant resulting in evacuations.  Radiation levels are 1000 times normal in the core room and were reported earlier to be 8 times the normal level at a gate leading to the plant campus.

Officials are still saying that a Chernobyl-like event is almost 100% unlikely at this point... but just a few hours ago they were assuring everyone that there was nothing to worry about... and now they're evacuating up to 10 km out.

I should add:  Unlike Chernobyl, which resulted in the evacuation of thousands... but was a relatively isolated area... a similar event in Japan would have much more devastating consequences.

40,000-50,000 people live in the evacuation area (10 KM).  It's pre-TMI right now, but it could turn into another Chernobyl.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

This isn't going to be a Chernobyl, as much as those who are anti-nuclear power wish it to be.  It isn't even close to be being a Three Mile Island yet.  Unless something else goes wrong, it won't be worse for the general public than Tokaimura was in 1999 and probably not even that bad.

[Thomas D]

And MSNBC goes to an episode of '"Lockdown"

Way to go guys.  Off to CNN we go.

Though to be fair, Fox News is good in things like this.

[Nhoj]

And MSNBC goes to an episode of '"Lockdown"

Way to go guys.  Off to CNN we go.

Though to be fair, Fox News is good in things like this.

MSNBC doesn't have  enough money to run on weekends full time.

[Marokai Backbeat]

This isn't going to be a Chernobyl, as much as those who are anti-nuclear power wish it to be.

Yeah, we're sitting here crossing our fingers for it.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

This isn't going to be a Chernobyl, as much as those who are anti-nuclear power wish it to be.

Yeah, we're sitting here crossing our fingers for it.

If you think that there will inevitably be another Chernobyl, why wouldn't you want it to happen sooner than later so that nuclear power will be stopped sooner as well, thereby limiting the amount of nuclear material that needs to be dealt with?

[minionofmidas]

Tokaimura is not remotely comparable - totally different processes and dimensions. (Note that they only evacuated the facility's immediate surrounds back then - they're evacuating a ten kilometer zone now). While how almost everything that can go wrong, did go wrong there makes it, as it were, a Micro-Chernobyl.
You're of course right that another Chernobyl, while on the cards by now, remains quite unlikely.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Well, there was $15 million in damage to boats in Santa Cruz. Basically every dock was destroyed in Crescent City. The tsumani even hit Emeryville, which is in the East Bay.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Japan just had another Earthquake, this one a 6.6 magnitude.

Holy sh*t...........
it sucks to be Japan right now.  God help those people.

Those aren't so bad if you're not that near them. The power is proportional to the 10^(1.5*magnitude), or roughly 32^magnitude, so a 6.6 is over 1000 times weaker than the 8.8.

Anyways, they already had a 7.1 a couple of days ago, and a 7.2 aftershock, but again those are hundreds of times weaker.

[Lunar]

"Fuji TV news reports cesium detected around First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant due to fuel rod meltdown.”

[Lunar]

REUTERS FLASH: #Japan nuclear authorities say high possibility of meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi No. 1 reactor - Jiji

[bullmoose88]

REUTERS FLASH: #Japan nuclear authorities say high possibility of meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi No. 1 reactor - Jiji

Not. Good.

[Marokai Backbeat]

This isn't going to be a Chernobyl, as much as those who are anti-nuclear power wish it to be.

Yeah, we're sitting here crossing our fingers for it.

If you think that there will inevitably be another Chernobyl, why wouldn't you want it to happen sooner than later so that nuclear power will be stopped sooner as well, thereby limiting the amount of nuclear material that needs to be dealt with?

I doubt anyone actively wants it to happen for any reason. They just fear this is exactly the sort of thing that could happen. Extreme scenario right now? Yes. But the possibilities are extreme enough for that to matter.

[Lunar]

A NYT reporter:

@lexinyt: “@TimeOutTokyo: Gov't asks Japanese population not to panic over meltdown, saying problem is contained within facility.”

[Beet]

Hmm. What is actually going on? There are 5 reactors in trouble, and the issue is to get power to the cooling systems. So they either have it or they don't. And if they don't, how far are they away from getting power, and how far are they away from meltdown? The problem is there doesn't seem to be a lot of details going on.