2,667 bags of Fukushima's radioactive waste washed out to sea by Typhoon Hagibis

[Mark Crispin Miller]

"Flooded Old-Age Home in Japan Is Evacuated by Boat." Thus the Times headlines

Motoko Rich's piece on the impact of Typhoon Hagibis, on p. A4 of today's paper. 

Down in the second half of the 8th paragraph, Rich makes this brief, vague reference

to the site that must be on the mind of every thinking person:

"In Fukushima, which was hit by the nuclear meltdown that followed an earthquake

and tsunami in 2011, households in several communities were isolated by floodwaters."

And that's it. Our "newspaper of record" gives us plenty on the old folks evacuated from

their residence in Kawagoe, and a bit on the "dramatic rescues" that took place

elsewhere in Japan—Fukushima noted among several other sites where such thrilling 

"rescues" took place—but nothing on the radioactive waste washed out to sea. 

Here's a piece about it from a real reporter from the Taiwan News, which, on this 

urgent subject, functions as a real newspaper should, while we get nothing on it

from the Times, either in the actual newspaper or online (at least that I've been able

to find).  

Those multitudes of children terrified of their "extinction," and whose protests have 

been getting so much reverential coverage in the Times, should consider massing at the

Gray Lady's front door, with pitchforks.  

MCM   

2,667 radioactive bags from Fukushima nuke disaster unleashed by Typhoon Hagibis

Thousands of bags filled with radioactive waste from Fukushima nuclear disaster washed away by Typhoon Hagibis

  10122 

  

By Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

2019/10/14 12:51

(By Associated Press)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As Typhoon Hagibis hammered Japan on Saturday (Oct. 12), thousands of bags containing radioactive waste have reportedly been carried into a local Fukushima stream by floodwaters, potentially having a devastating environmental impact.

According to Asahi Shimbun, a temporary storage facility containing some 2,667 bags stuffed with radioactive contaminants from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was unexpectedly inundated by floodwaters brought by Typhoon Hagibis. Torrential rain flooded the storage facility and released the bags into a stream 100 meters away.

Officials from Tamara City in Fukushima Prefecture said that each bag is approximately one cubic meter in size. Authorities were only able to recover six of the bags by 9 p.m. on Oct. 12, and it is uncertain how many remain on the loose while the possible environmental impact is being assessed.