Global Research

America on radiation alert: Japan faces world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl as experts warn fallout may reach U.S. –California ‘monitoring situation closely’ amid dramatic escalation of disaster –Japan’s nuclear crisis now appears worse than the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in 1979 –Radioactive wind could reach Tokyo within hours – and radiation levels are already rising in city –Nuclear Regulatory Commission admits it is ‘quite possible’ radiation could reach the U.S. –‘Worst-case scenario’ could see 30,000ft winds sending nuclear cloud across Pacific – possibly hitting by Tuesday night 15 Mar 2011 Fears that America could be hit by the nuclear fallout from the Japan earthquake have dramatically increased as workers prepared to abandon a reactor crippled by the earthquake and tsunami last night in the face of what is set to become the world’s second worst nuclear disaster – topped only by Chernobyl. Damage at the number two reactor at the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power complex is worse than thought, the Japanese government admitted tonight, sparking fears for human health both in Japan and the U.S. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has admitted it is ‘quite possible’ the fallout could reach America.
 
Navy ships off Japan move to avoid radiation 14 Mar 2011 Ships in 7th Fleet, including the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, moved to avoid a radioactive plume flowing from a damaged Japanese nuclear power plant, the Navy said. In a post Monday on the fleet’s Facebook page, an official explained that low levels of radiation were detected in the air and on aircraft flying near the plant, a discovery that prompted the ships to move to a position away from the plume’s downwind path. The Reagan was at sea, around 100 miles northeast of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear power plant, when the hazardous material was discovered.
 
U.S. Military Crew Passes Through Radioactive Cloud –Prevailing winds picking up radioactive material from crippled reactors in northeastern Japan –U.S. helicopters flying missions north of damaged reactors became coated with particulate radiation 14 Mar 2011 The Pentagon was expected to announce that the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, which is sailing in the Pacific, passed through a radioactive cloud from stricken nuclear reactors in Japan, causing crew members on deck to receive a month’s worth of radiation in about an hour, government officials said Sunday. The officials added that American helicopters flying missions about 60 miles north of the damaged reactors became coated with particulate radiation that had to be washed off.
 
Radiation spewing from reactors, residents told to stay indoors 15 Mar 2011 Radiation is spewing from damaged reactors at a crippled nuclear power plant in tsunami-ravaged northeastern Japan in a dramatic escalation of the 4-day-old catastrophe, forcing the government to tell people nearby to stay indoors to avoid exposure. Prime Minister Naoto Kan warned that there are dangers of more leaks and told people living within 30 kilometres of the Fukushima Daiichi complex stay indoors. In a nationally televised statement, Kan said radiation has spread from four reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Fukushima province that was one of the hardest-hit in Friday’s 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the ensuing tsunami.
 
Radiation fears after Japan blast 15 Mar 2011 Radiation fears after Japan blast 15 Mar 2011 Explosions at a Japanese quake-stricken nuclear plant have led to radiation levels that can affect human health, a senior Japanese official has said. Prime Minister Naoto Kan has urged those living within 30km (18 miles) of the plant to stay indoors. Earlier, reactor 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant was hit by a blast – the third reactor to explode in four days – leading to fears of a meltdown.
 
Rise in radiation detected in neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture: local nuclear authorities 15 Mar 2011 A sharp rise in radiation was detected in Ibaraki Prefecture, south of Fukushima, the prefectural nuclear safety department said Tuesday. The radiation monitored in Hitachiota city rose to 100 times as high as the normal level, said an official from the safety department. Radiation ten times as high as the normal level was also monitored in Naka city and Hitachi city in the prefecture, Xinhua reported.
 
Japan distributes iodine to evacuation centres-IAEA 14 Mar 2011 Japan has provided 230,000 units of stable iodine to evacuation centres as a precautionary measure in the country’s nuclear emergency, the U.N. atomic watchdog said on Monday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), citing information it had received from Japanese authorities, said about 185,000 residents in areas near nuclear power plants affected by Friday’s quake had been evacuated by March 13.
 
Japan’s Stricken Nuclear Power Plant Rocked by Two Blasts, Fire 15 Mar 2011 Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s stricken nuclear power plant was today rocked by two further explosions and a fire as workers struggled to avert the risk of a meltdown. A hydrogen blast hit the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant’s No. 4 reactor, where Tokyo Electric earlier reported a blaze, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said at a briefing. Four of the complex’s six reactors have been damaged by explosions. Prime Minister Naoto Kan appealed for calm as he said the danger of further radiation leaks was rising at the crippled nuclear facility, 135 miles (220 kilometers) north of Tokyo.
 
4th reactor of Fukushima NPP on fire: Japan’s PM 15 Mar 2011 A fire at the fourth reactor of the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant resulted in a leak of highly concentrated radiation, the Japanese premier said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Naoto Kan called on the citizens residing within the 20-km (13 miles) distance from the reactor to immediately leave this zone and those living more than 20-30 km (13-17 miles) from the NPP to stay in their houses, but to shut windows and doors.
 
Japan crisis: third explosion raises spectre of nuclear nightmare –New explosion at Fukushima plant, as engineers fought to prevent a meltdown in the second worst nuclear accident in history. 14 Mar 2011 A huge explosion hit another reactor at an earthquake-damaged Japanese nuclear power plant early Tuesday, the third blast since Saturday, the plant operator said. “There was a huge explosion” between 6:00 am (2100 GMT Monday) and 6:15 am at the number-two reactor of Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant, a Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) spokesman said. The government also reported apparent damage to part of the container shielding the same reactor at Fukushima 250 kilometres (155 miles) northeast of Tokyo, although it was unclear whether this resulted from the blast.
 
US Nuclear Experts Worry About Possible Japan Reactor Meltdown 13 Mar 2011 Underscoring grave concerns about the Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant some 150 miles north of Tokyo, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. Air Force had delivered coolant to try to lower the temperature of the facility’s nuclear rods. Tokyo Electric Power Co said pressure inside a reactor at its Fukushima-Daiichi plant rose after the cooling system was knocked out by the earthquake.
 
Reactor Fuel Rods May Be Melting After Exposed a Second Time 14 Mar 2011 Tokyo Electric Power Co. can’t rule out that the fuel rods are melting at the Fukushima Dai Ichi No. 2 reactor, heightening the risk of a meltdown, after water levels dropped, exposing them a second time. An air flow gauge was accidentally turned off causing air pressure into the reactor to rise suddenly and blocking the flow of cooling water, the company said in a press conference on national broadcaster NHK’s website. Tokyo Electric is now attempting to reopen the valve to release pressure building inside the reactor and inject water to cool the rods, the company said.
 
At least 15 Japanese hospitalized with radiation poisoning 13 Mar 2011 At least 15 people have been admitted to hospital with symptoms of radiation poisoning following an accident at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant, the Kyodo news agency said on Sunday. A blast ripped through the Fukushima Number One nuclear reactor on Saturday, destroying the building, but leaving the nuclear reactor itself undamaged, according to official Japanese reports.
 
Japan’s Nikkei slumps 10.6% on radiation fears 15 Mar 2011 Japanese shares plunged Tuesday on panic-selling over worries that radiation from a damaged nuclear reactor would further complicate and endanger the nation’s recovery from its worst-ever earthquake on record Friday. The benchmark Nikkei Stock Average, which fell more than 14% at one point during the session, ended 10.6% to 8,605.15 for its biggest percentage fall since late 2008; the drop comes on top of a 6.2% tumble on Monday.
 
Obama Stands By Nuclear Power 14 Mar 2011 Obama administration officials Monday brushed aside calls for a freeze on new U.S. nuclear power development, and sought to reassure the public the nation’s nuclear facilities are safe and the threat of harmful radiation reaching U.S. soil from Japan is minimal. Meanwhile, the U.S. was sending more technical experts to Japan to get more information about the damaged nuclear reactors there as Japanese crews scrambled to prevent meltdowns at the facilities. [Remember the Exelon fiasco for which most members of the left gave him a pass? Corporate-owned Obusha is *still* giving billions to his nuclear industry overlords even nuclear catastrophe won’t stop him from funding construction of the plants! *Primary Obusha in 2012* – since we can’t impeach, apparently! –LRP]
 
Millions of Quake Victims Face Freezing Temperatures as Snow Is Forecast 14 Mar 2011 Rain and snow are forecast for areas of northern Japan ravaged by a record earthquake on March 11 as rescue workers struggle to reach thousands of people and others huddle in emergency shelters. In tsunami-ravaged Miyagi prefecture, where officials say the death toll may reach 10,000, there is a 70 percent chance of rain this evening in the capital of Sendai, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The precipitation is expected to turn to snow tomorrow morning as the temperature drops to 1 degree Celsius (33.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and below freezing in other areas.
 
Japan tsunami survivor Hiromitsu Shinkawa found 10 miles out at sea 13 Mar 2011 A 60-year-old man has been found on the roof of his floating house nearly 10 miles out at sea, two days after the tsunami that devastated the north-east coast of Japan. Hiromitsu Shinkawa must have resigned himself to his fate when he was swept away by the retreating tsunami that roared ashore in his home town of Minami Soma in Fukushima prefecture… Incredibly, he was spotted by a maritime self-defence force destroyer taking part in the rescue effort as he clung to the wreckage with one hand and waved a self-made red flag with the other.
 
Soldiers warn of tsunami threat in NE Japan 13 Mar 2011 Soldiers and officials in northeastern Japan are warning residents that the area could be hit by another tsunami and are ordering residents to higher ground. Sirens around the town of Soma went off late Monday morning and public address systems ordered residents to higher ground. Kyodo News Agency said the tsunami could be 10 feet (3 meters) high, citing Fukushima prefectural officials.
 
Number of missing, dead in Japan soars to 6,000 15 Mar 2011 More than 6,000 people are confirmed dead or missing in Japan, four days after an earthquake triggered a tsunami that wiped out entire towns in the country’s northeast. Police said nearly 2,475 people were confirmed dead and 3,611 missing Tuesday. But with hundreds of bodies washing ashore, the death toll was expected to climb much higher — possibly as high as 10,000.
 
Death toll in Japan expected to rise above 10,000 14 Mar 2011 Hundreds of bodies are washing up along the shore in Japan’s northeast, as officials struggled to retrieve the dead and provide relief to thousands of homeless survivors. Local officials say they have lost contact with about 30,000 people as the country faces what Prime Minister Naoto Kan calls its greatest crisis since World War Two. There is a sense of urgency among rescuers as the weather forecasts call for temperatures just above freezing. There is also worries that rain could cause deadly mudslides.
 
Japan quake upgraded to 9.0 magnitude 15 Mar 2011 US experts on Monday upgraded the strength of the earthquake which rocked Japan last week from a magnitude of 8.9 to 9.0, making it the fourth largest in the world since 1900. The US Geological Survey (USGS) said Japanese seismologists have also independently updated their estimate of the earthquake which struck offshore in northern Japan on Friday unleashing a devastating tsunami.
 
Fire and Ice: Melting Glaciers Trigger Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Volcanoes –Geologists Say Global Warming Expected to Cause Many New Seismic Events By Larry West 14 Mar 2011 Climatologists have been raising alarms about global warming for years, and now geologists are getting into the act, warning that melting glaciers will lead to an increasing number of earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions in unexpected places. People in northern climates who have been looking south and shaking their heads sadly over the plight of people living in the path of Atlantic hurricanes and Pacific tsunamis had better get ready for a few seismic events of their own, according to a growing number of prominent geologists.