Huge aftershock rattles nerves in Japan

News from The Australian

Huge aftershock rattles nerves in Japan

Rick Wallace, Tokyo correspondent
From: The Australian
April 09, 2011 12:00AM

A MAJOR new quake has claimed four lives in Japan but has had no effect on delicate operations to cool the cripple Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, just 100km from the epicentre.

The quake knocked out power to 4 million homes and dealt another blow to the psyche of stressed residents of quake-and tsunami-ravaged northern Honshu.

At the Onagawa nuclear power plant, close to the epicentre of the quake, water sloshed out of spent fuel rod pools. Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the spills were minor and did not lead to elevated radiation readings. Still, the incident reinforced the vulnerability of Japan's nuclear power system to strong earthquakes.

Several other nuclear facilities in northern Honshu were forced to switch to back-up power.

A tsunami warning forced the brief evacuation of workers at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

Operator TEPCO continued to inject nitrogen into the No 1 reactor and maintained efforts to cool the cores of all the reactors.

The quake shook buildings in much of northern Honshu and sent furniture and light fittings crashing to the floor, as well as sparking several fires.

The Japan Meterological Agency said the quake - of a magnitude between 7.1 and 7.4 - was an aftershock linked to the March 11 megaquake. The epicentres were both off the east coast near Sendai.

The warning of a tsunami of between 0.5m and 1m along the northern Honshu coast was revoked a few hours later.

The official death toll from the original March 11 earthquake and tsunami reached 12,731 yesterday, with 14,706 people missing.

Tokyo University earthquake expert Satoko Ohki said aftershocks could follow for up to 20 years from a major quake, although they tended to diminish in size and frequency with time.

Associate Professor Ohki told The Weekend Australian Japan needed to be prepared for a quake of up to magnitude-8 for as long as a year after the March 11 megaquake.

She said aftershocks usually occurred near the epicentre of the main shock, although the focus of new shocks could be anywhere along the northern Honshu coast from Ibaraki to Iwate prefecture.

In the first official glimpse of the impact of the disaster on economic sentiment, Japan's cabinet office released data yesterday showing its "economy watchers" survey fell a record 20 points.

The index, compiled from interviews with taxi drivers, hotel and restaurant staff, showed their confidence about economic conditions dropped from 48.4 before the quake to just 27.7.

However, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock index rose more than 1.8 per cent as it emerged the aftershock had not sparked another tsunami or nuclear crisis.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said there were some "early signs of recovery" at Fukushima, although the situation remained "very serious".

Another nuclear supervisory agency, the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation, reported that its network of monitoring stations showed that minute traces of radioactive emissions from the Fukushima Daiichi plant had spread across the northern hemisphere within two weeks of the crisis.

SOURCE

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Let's continue to pray for Japan...

Science officials: No threat of nuclear clouds, acid rain in PH

Many SMS (text messages) are now circulating here in the Philippines regarding the aftermath of earthquake and tsumani in Japan, specifically about the leak from one of the nuclear plants in Japan following an 8.9-magnitude earthquake last week.  That's why I decided to search the latest news regarding this matter.  Here's one from Inquirer,

Science officials: No threat of nuclear clouds, acid rain in PH

By Katherine Evangelista, Kristine L. Alave
INQUIRER.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 15:24:00 03/14/2011

Filed Under: Nuclear power, Politics

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) Government officials stamped down fears that acid rain and nuclear clouds allegedly resulting from a leak from one of the nuclear plants in Japan following an 8.9-magnitude earthquake last week.

The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), sought to allay the public's fears as warnings of radioactive clouds and acid rains circulated through text messages.

The PNRI said it had been conducting tests of the air since the first explosion at the Fukushima power station on Saturday, a day after a deadly quake and tsunami struck Japan.

"Based on (our) monitoring, there has been no increase in the levels of radioactivity since the time of the Fukushima event," the agency said in an emergency response bulletin Monday.

The bulletin came hours after a second explosion at the Fukushima plant.

The PNRI also allayed fears of radiation clouds coming over to the Philippines. And should there be one, "the plume from the site of the incident will not pass Philippine territory as of March 14," PNRI said.

“It does not make sense,” said weather forecaster Raymond Ordinario when asked to react to text messages warning the public of possible contaminated rainfall caused by radiation emitted from a leak inside the Fukushima plant.

“It does not make sense dahil masyado malayo ang location ng explosion, so it does not affect our local rainfall,” Ordinario told INQUIRER.net.

“PAALALA: 4:30 in the afternoon sumabog ung isang nuclear power plant sa Fukumi (sic). Kapag umulan daw mamaya at bukas, wala daw lalabas. Kung kung lalabas kayo,siguraduhin nyong nkakapote o nkapayong kayo dhl kpag naulanan kayo, delikado daw, may tendency na masunog balat nyo, mkalbo o mgka cancer. Pls pass (REMINDER: 4:30 in the afternoon, a nuclear power plant exploded in Fukumi. Do not go out if it rains later and tomorrow. If you are going out, wear a raincoat or use an umbrella because if you get rained on it’s said to be dangerous. There is tendency that your skin will be burned, you will go bald or will get cancer. Please pass),” one of the circulating text messages read.

Ordinario denied this saying that what the message described was possible effects of acid rain.

He said that acid rain was formed when gaseous substances like sulphur and nitrogen mix and react with water in the clouds.

Ordinario said that radioactive materials were in metal form so it would not react with water.

Another text message has been spreading allegedly from BBC saying, “Japan govt confirms radiation leak at Fukushima nuclear plants. Asian countries should take necessary precautions. Remain indoors first 24hrs. Close doors n windows. Swab neck skin with betadine where thyroid area is, radiation hits thyroid first. Take extra precaution, radiation may hit Philat startng 4pm 2day. Pls send to ur loved ones."

The Agence France Presse reported that United Nations atomic watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency, has declared the radiation levels from the Fukushima nuclear power plant normal.

"Radiation dose rate measurements observed at four locations around the plant's perimeter over a 16-hour period on 13 March were all normal," the IAEA said in a statement.

Likewise, Pagasa forecaster Robert Sawi said the winds from Japan would not travel to the country. As of Monday, it has been moving west to east, which meant it has been traveling from Japan to the Pacific Ocean, he said.

“Kung sino man nagpapakalat nito, baka nananakot lang [Whoever is spreading this is probably just scaring people],” Ordinario said.


To know more, Go to SOURCE

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My son's school decided to suspend classes today as a precautionary measure...

RP pays it forward to Haiti with medical teams

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Inquirer Visayas

MALAY, Aklan, Philippines—Citing the country's own disasters and the outpouring of international assistance when a series of calamities ravaged the country, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Friday said the Philippines would be sending aid to earthquake-devastated Haiti to help hundreds of thousands of victims.

"I had instructed the (Department of Health) to send medical teams to Haiti to help the earthquake victims there. And I instructed the (Armed Forces) to put our reserve peacekeeping company on standby in case the US asks for additional troops," the President said in a speech during the launching of the P2.5-billion Caticlan Airport Development Project here.

"Why? Because we are more than ready to give a helping hand as we were victims ourselves (tropical storm) ‘Ondoy,’ and (typhoons) ‘Pepeng’ and ‘Frank’ a few months ago and a year ago," she said.

"We have also been a recipient of international assistance. Now it is our turn to do that," she added.

She said that in past, the country's worst typhoons—including Reming, Ondoy and Pepeng—claimed almost a thousand lives each but in the earthquake in Haiti, at least 100,000 were casualties.

"If we suffered that way we can imagine their suffering a hundred times," Ms Arroyo said.

She said Haiti is "especially close to our hearts" because of the Filipino peacekeeping troops "who are doing a good job there and who have once again risen to the occasion as they (done) here in the Philippines each time."

The peacekeeping troops would be given medals when they return from duty, Arroyo said.

The President recalled the devastation wrought by Typhoon Frank in 2007, which ravaged Western Visayas, especially Aklan.

"Not so long ago, it was like Armageddon hit the province of Aklan. Kalibo was the worst-hit urban area in the whole impact area of typhoon Frank but now everything is back to normal," Arroyo said.

She said she was happy that Aklan has turned around from the devastation of Frank as symbolized by the new airport project.

"We are here very grateful to the Lord for our recovedry from our own calamities of nature," she said.

SOURCE

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I love the principle of "paying it forward."
Doing this principle will make the world a better place whether there is or no crisis.