Paging CL
PeterM
Charlie San - not sure just where you're based & so don't know whether
you're being affected by the terrible events resulting from the
tsunami.
Let us know how you're doing.
W
>
> Charlie San - not sure just where you're based& so don't know whether
> you're being affected by the terrible events resulting from the
> tsunami.
>
> Let us know how you're doing.
Not only a Tsunami but a preceding massive earthquake
W
PeterM
I hadn't forgotten but, at the point when I wrote that, the fatalities
and major damage being reported were being caused by the tsunami.
At that point at least, no fatalities had been reported from the quake
itself. I don't know whether that's changed.
PeterM
More, and much worse, news coming through - including the explosion
at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The reported casualty count/death toll has risen alarmingly.
PeterN
>
> Charlie San - not sure just where you're based& so don't know whether
> you're being affected by the terrible events resulting from the
> tsunami.
>
> Let us know how you're doing.
I tried reaching him through his email account, but it bounced. Let's
just hope he's OK.
--
Peter
PeterM
I'm not sure exactly where in Japan he's based. Tokyo or its environs,
I assume. Any idea?
PeterN
IIRC near the Tokyo area
--
Peter
CL
Actually, we're in Ibaraki-ken, Hokota-shi, about 125km north of Tokyo.
Let me know whether you used my gol.com account to reach me so I can
say angry things to the provider.
Our power was restored at 17:50 this evening (Sunday, 13 MAR 11) and
our Internet came back between 20:00~21:00 when we were eating dinner.
We were without portable phone service most of yesterday and the only
way to connect was to drive about 7km south to Kashima-shi.
Hokota-shi received the second strongest level of the earthquake's
force (roku-jakku [6-strong] on the Japanese scale of seven) but there
is little obvious damage, especially when compared to areas to the north
and south. All of the local bridges are now about 8~12 cm above their
approaches and the newer bridges collapsed or are closed as structurally
unsound. Our house is okay but the inside looks like someone left it on
"frappe" for about an hour. Everything that was more than a meter above
the floor wound up on top of it, including all of our PCs, printers, and
the bookshelves. We're still moving around in cleared out spaces.
They're predicting another 7.0 will strike within 2~3 days, so none of
us are too comfortable.
Neither my wife or I were hurt, but a 36" CRT television fell on our
nine-year-old daughter as she was helping smaller classmates through
the emergency exit door. She's bruised but not seriously injured. The
dog (a Shiba-Husky mix), on the other hand is a nervous wreck and the
cats are quite unhappy with his constant whining every time there is
another tremor.
I got to witness the first tsunami hit Oarai's Golden Beach ... 5 meters
high, traveling 800kph ... from a hilltop national road about 100
meters above the beach. I was on my way to pick up my wife at her
school in Mito, 55 km from our house. The round trip, normally an hour
each way, took over eight hours over roads that looked like concrete
waves with lanes that had 15~20cm wide cracks and slabs that were
almost 10cm higher than the lane next to them.
I have spent most of the time I wasn't on four wheels riding my XLR250R
Baja to farms and old houses up in the back roads of the old towns of
Nakai, Fuda, Shiratori, and Takagama (all now part of Taiyo-mura and
Hokota). Wearing a police reserve happi coat, and woven cloth gloves
with my old Malcom Smith off-road pants and Alpinestars, I've recently
ridden some roads that haven't been on maps for over 300 years because
the newer ones were blocked or collapsed. I've been to several villages
that haven't officially existed since the 1840s and are now one or two
houses.
I have been hauling tanks of water to elderly shut-ins, carrying
medicine and food in a backpack, knocking on doors to make sure none of
the injured are missed, and riding the surfing beaches with one of the
local cops looking for washed up bodies.
Physical damage wasn't severe compare to that suffered by our
neighboring towns despite the fact that the didn't get hit with as
strong a shock. Towns to the north and south are lower than we are and
they suffered significant tsunami damage that the bluffs along our
section of ocean stopped.
--
CL
Joe727
"CL" <flo...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:iljjfk$jpt$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
Glad to hear you and your family are ok, especially your daughter who was
not seriously hurt.
I am certain Malcolm Smith would be proud of your service to your neighbors.
If you get a chance, take a look at this article in Cycle World magazine.
It might give you a few minutes of respite.
If the link doesn't work, just go to the website and type in Red Bull
Catalina Grand Prix. Malcolm was there. I wish I had been.
Joe
P.S. I sure hope the nuclear experts get those reactors under control.
Whew! What a catastrophe.
PeterM
-----------------------------8><
>Physical damage wasn't severe compare to that suffered by our
>neighboring towns despite the fact that the didn't get hit with as
>strong a shock. Towns to the north and south are lower than we are and
>they suffered significant tsunami damage that the bluffs along our
>section of ocean stopped.
Relieved to hear you're all OK, Charlie, and hope your daughter's
bruising heals quickly. The consequences of this event beggar belief
and we've seen some quite shocking footage on TV and the Internet.
I'll join Joe in applauding the selfless efforts you've been putting
in since. You're the best kind of neighbour.
PeterM
wrote:
>P.S. I sure hope the nuclear experts get those reactors under control.
>Whew! What a catastrophe.
A couple of articles here that are informative about what's going on,
and why:
"The hydrogen was likely produced by the hot fuel." in the second
article isn't an adequate account, although a friend of mine in the
nuclear business says both articles are otherwise reasonable.
William Fred
4ax.com:
I dunno Peter. The guy writing that got the type of explosion at
Chernobyl wrong (he claims it was a steam explosion, but most experts now
think it was a nuclear-driven explosion (although not technically a
bomb), see reference below). Given that he is so sure about something
that is likely wrong, I'm not sure I would trust his rosy estimation of
the situation in Japan. Just my opinion though.
As for you Charles, all I can say is once a cop, always a cop. Don't
burn out, Japan needs marathoners from the looks of it.
--
Bill Asher
wiki entry on Chernobyl disaster:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster#Experiment_and_explosion
PeterM
Good to see you here, Bill. All of us who are usually now missing from
here have missed you. ;-)
I read that as distinguishing between an explosion of the core, as at
Chernobyl, and an explosion within the containment enclosure from a
build-up of hydrogen (which I understand to be released by
disassociation, along with oxygen, from the high temperature steam).
In the latter - Fukushima - event, the reactor vessel has remained
intact (they tell us).
I also understand that the isotopes present in vented steam (which in
a BWR has been in contact with the core) have a pretty short
half-life.
Deborah
september.org:
<Words of relief for alt.corel>
Not being gifted with a knack for the proper words at such a time, best
good thoughts, all 'round.
Regards,
Deborah
William Fred
news:2b4sn6tnap5a2coep...@4ax.com:
>
> I read that as distinguishing between an explosion of the core, as at
> Chernobyl, and an explosion within the containment enclosure from a
> build-up of hydrogen (which I understand to be released by
> disassociation, along with oxygen, from the high temperature steam).
> In the latter - Fukushima - event, the reactor vessel has remained
> intact (they tell us).
>
> I also understand that the isotopes present in vented steam (which in
> a BWR has been in contact with the core) have a pretty short
> half-life.
>
Thanks Peter.
The very important distinction between Chernobyl and Fukushima is the
main explosion at Chernobyl, the big second one, was a criticality event
where the energy for the explosion was nuclear in origin. The pile went
critical, releasing so much energy from radioactive decay that it
vaporized the graphite core, causing the explosion (there was a smaller
initial explosion at Chernobyl that was hydrogen-based, and that one
ripped the roof off the reactor). That process released a lot of heavy
radionucleides. In contrast, the explosions in Japan are chemical,
caused by hydrogen detonating in the presence of oxygen. As you note,
this mainly releases a lot of tritium, which although you wouldn't want
to ingest a lot of, it's way better than cesium or strontium or uranium
from the core.
Of course, I read now that the core got breached in Japan, which is very
bad since further chemical explosions could distribute heavy isotopes.
--
Bill Asher
Joe727
"William Fred" <gcn...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9EA8C85A8...@130.133.4.11...
Hello Bill - thank you for the, as usual, thoughtful insight. I read that
the Seventh Fleet is moving away from the coast of Japan because of the
increased radioactivity detected onboard the ships.
Joe
Joe727
"PeterM" <m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:g7crn6594nb3jphh6...@4ax.com...
Thanks for the links Peter - I am not an engineer, but from what I
understand, the pumping of sea water into the reactor core is a desperation
move. It is my understanding that the reactor will be abandoned in place,
and that it could take up to one year to get the overheated core under
control.
Joe
PeterM
Yeah, the situation has moved on somewhat. :-(
PeterM
wrote:
That's how I understand it too, Joe. Once they started pumping
seawater, the reactors were destined to be write-offs.
Joe727
"PeterM" <m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:mg1un6d9hfahka1fh...@4ax.com...
Peter - since we last posted, the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear
Power Station appears to be getting worse. If I understand correctly, CL
and his family are only 125 Km from those reactors.
Joe
PeterN
Charlie San, good to know that you and your wife are OK and your
daughter's physical injuries are not too serious. Hopefully time will
heal her emotional wounds as well, which have to exist. Words are
inadequate to express the scope of the problems there and you are doing
for others exactly what would probably be done for you. Please, don't
burn yourself out. Your wife and daughter need all the support you can
give them, even more so in view of the horrors you are all facing.
I just have a bad feeling that the Japanese government may be
understating the danger from the damaged plants. I really want to be
wrong on this.
I tried your email at Yahoo as I did not have the other.
--
Peter
PeterM
wrote:
-----------------------------8><
>Peter - since we last posted, the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear
>Power Station appears to be getting worse. If I understand correctly, CL
>and his family are only 125 Km from those reactors.
Yes, it's concerning. It also seems difficult to reach an
understanding today that will still apply tomorrow.
ah
(and--recurringly have had--since) wrt your whereabouts and status.
Of course, I've been entirely out of The Loop, so a great degree of
ketchup is in order.
Back when all this was happening, I had approx. two months where I did
not work (transition from There (D.C.) to Here (ATL)), and I was privy
as a person could be via teh Interwebs 24/7.
I rest somewhat more easy this day.
--
a "<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCCRKzJadpA>" h
ah
Right. Right. Right.
Viva los Trebajo!
--
a "<https://www.bootube.com>" h