Wind near nuclear plant to blow out to sea

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Wind near nuclear plant to blow out to sea
March 17, 2011 - 12:53PM

The wind near a quake-hit nuclear complex in north-east Japan that has released radiation into the atmosphere is forecast to blow from the north-west today, moving towards the Pacific Ocean, the weather agency said.

Plus, the tsunami-ravaged coast has now been hit by an unseasonal late snow dump, compounding the misery.

The wind near the plant, which is on the coast, will blow as fast as at 12 metres a second, the Japan Meteorological Agency in Fukushima prefecture said.
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The Fukushima Daiichi plant, run by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) , is about 240 kilometres north of Tokyo.

The plant sent low levels of radiation wafting into Tokyo this week, triggering both fear in the capital and international alarm.

Officials said radiation in Tokyo was 10 times normal at one point on Tuesday, but not a threat to human health in the sprawling high-tech city of 13 million.

Early today, radiation levels were barely above average.

But many Tokyo residents stayed indoors. Usually busy streets were nearly deserted. Many shops and offices were closed.

A Japanese military helicopter has dumped water from a huge bucket on to the stricken nuclear power plant, as US officials warned of a rising risk of a catastrophic radiation leak from spent fuel rods.

Cold snap

The plight of hundreds of thousands left homeless by the earthquake and devastating tsunami that followed worsened following a cold snap that brought snow to worst-affected areas.

Supplies of water and heating oil are low at evacuation centres, where many survivors wait bundled in blankets.

About 850,000 households in the north were still without electricity in near-freezing weather, Tohuku Electric Power Co. said, and the government said at least 1.5 million households lack running water.

"It's cold today so many people have fallen ill, getting diarrhoea and other symptoms," said Takanori Watanabe, a Red Cross doctor in Otsuchi, a low-lying town where more than half the 17,000 residents are still missing.

Reuters, agencies

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The crisis worsens.  But there's always a good news here.  People helping each other! I heard from different news channels that there a lot of people helping, not only experts regarding nuclear radiation but also people from different walks of life, from children to business people around the world.