More Japan links/Useful info for donations

[nenena]

TEPCO is updating their English-language website with hourly technical briefings on the status of their reactors, including the two in Fukushima that may or may not have experienced meltdowns.

More terrifying Science Facts: The initial 8.9-magnitude quake has opened up a new gigantic fault in the seabed and tilted the Earth's axis by 10 cm.

HuffingtonPost is reporting that parts of Japan have literally sunk - because the quake was caused by the Pacific plate slipping ten meters below the North American plate - which in turn may have lowered the elevation of huge chunks of Pacific terrain, including Japan. Says the geologist quoted therein: ""You see cities still underwater; the reason is subsidence. The land actually dropped, so when the tsunami came in, it's just staying."

Speaking of HuffPo, they have also set up an excellent page keeping track of which charity/aid organizations are already on the ground in Japan and what kind of work they are doing. If you have money to donate, please donate to these groups in order to make sure that your money will directly help somebody in need.

Comments

[badninja.livejournal.com]

The meltdowns are not positive?

[nenena.livejournal.com]

They're operating under the assumption that a meltdown occurred in Reactor #3, for safety's sake. But they don't know for sure if a meltdown happened or not.

That's what Yukio Edano is saying on the clip being played over and over again on NHK. There are some... not-quite-accurate translations being reported on CNN and BBC.

[badninja.livejournal.com]

It's the possibility of the inaccurate translations that makes me afraid of looking for information on this. I don't really understand what's happening, but I don't want to get freaked at the wrong things, you know?

I really wish I knew how I could help in any of this. I have no money to donate and it seems like that's what's needed right now.

[nenena.livejournal.com]

Participate in help_japan, maybe? There's also a help_japan on Dreamwidth.

[badninja.livejournal.com]

That is a really good idea! Thank you.

[animeshen.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that link, I didn't know that auction was happening and went and donated my artistic services to the cause. I already donated but I'll probably buy more art later too.

[chiikaboom.livejournal.com]

The initial 8.9-magnitude quake has opened up a new gigantic fault in the seabed and tilted the Earth's axis by 10 cm.

Holy fuckcakeshit.

Also ive been meaning to say thanks for all of the links, ive been trying to signal boost as much as I can to my friends and on youtube, esp since I have no money to donate myself :(

[nenena.livejournal.com]

Actually I may have been a little hasty in repeating that "tilted the Earth's axis" thing as a Big Scary Deal since apparently that happens all the time. Whoops. I guess the media is a little hasty to sensationalize every aspect of this story that they can because apparently 10,000 people missing, part of Japan sinking, a new fault opening up in the ocean bed, and a potential nuclear meltdown aren't sensationalist *enough* for some reporters.

BTW I'm about to make a post about help_japan which might be an option if you want to help out but don't have money to donate.

[vega-jd.livejournal.com]

Thank you for all the information, good God, it just keeps getting worse :(

[(Anonymous)]

Without sounding like a total idiot, this new update on a possible meltdown at the Japan reactor, what does this mean for Japan and possibly the rest of the world? The way they talk about it in the news, is like we should know already what this means, but really, I don't. I know you aren't a scientist, but to be honest, your the only person I could think of asking.

[nenena.livejournal.com]

It means the same thing now that it meant on Friday morning.

A "meltdown" means that the rods inside of the reactor core overheat to the point of melting. This is bad because molten hot radioactive rod-goo can burn a hole through the reactor's containment vessel, which would allow radiation to escape the core.

A "meltdown" may have already occurred inside one of the reactors, but the containment vessel is still intact.

The cores of two reactors are still overheating, but they are intact.

In order for something Very Bad to happen to the people immediately surrounding the plant, the core's containment vessel will have to be breached. After that, there are a million factors that could affect how much radiation is leaked and how large of a geographical area it covers. But it is extremely unlikely that any other country will be affected by a radiation leak from Japan. Fukushima is on the Pacific coast of Japan so there is a gigantic mountain range and the entire Sea of Japan separating it from every other Asian country. It is also unlikely that anybody except the people actually working at the nuclear plant are in danger anymore, since such a large area around the plant has been evacuated. As of two hours ago NHK was reporting that everybody living near the evacuation zone is being tested for radiation poisoning but so far nobody has shown any signs of radiation exposure.

I think people are panicking because they see the word "meltdown" and they immediately think of a Chernobyl-like scenario, although that's not actually what a meltdown means.

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks very much :)