japan earthquakes aftermath

[Sentura]

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011 ... unami.html

shows before and after satellite images of areas hit by the tsunami. shit is fucked up, it's sad to see so many people who've lost their homes, not to mention those who died.

[Minos]

And it gets worse and worse

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/ ... SS20110315

[Mazy]

It is so incredibly fucked up that it's hard to fully comprehend. Not alone the earthquake and tsunami, but a potential nuclear disaster.

I still get goosebumps when I see the videos of the waves hitting, the force of it and the level of destruction is just unreal to watch.

[dux]

Another Chernobyl incoming.

[Skjalg]

I think its incredible how the Japanese are handling the situation.

[Izuno]

That one video of the black water coming over the roadway that pulls the fishing boat under the sorta-perpendicular elevated roadway is just crazy. I can't imagine how that must have felt to have been there filming it and wondering if where you were standing was safe.

[twiz]

I would like to say Bravo to the folks at the Fukushima plant. Flooding, explosions, power outages, fires, just about everything that can possibly go wrong, and so far they're keeping the environmental impact as low as possible (WAY below what it could have been!). Speaks to the safety measures in those plants. I can't imagine the stress everyone there must be under right now. It sounds like basically all their reactors are FUBAR, likely won't be usable for decades, if ever.

On a related note, I just flew in to Oswego, NY, and will be getting my first glimpse of a nuke plant tomorrow

[Jetsetlemming]

I would like to say Bravo to the folks at the Fukushima plant. Flooding, explosions, power outages, fires, just about everything that can possibly go wrong, and so far they're keeping the environmental impact as low as possible (WAY below what it could have been!). Speaks to the safety measures in those plants. I can't imagine the stress everyone there must be under right now. It sounds like basically all their reactors are FUBAR, likely won't be usable for decades, if ever.

On a related note, I just flew in to Oswego, NY, and will be getting my first glimpse of a nuke plant tomorrow

The reactors effected won't ever be used, they're completely ruined. There were maybe a slim chance to recover them possibly when everything started, but once they pour seawater in them, they're fubar. The stuff in there is super delicate and sensitive, and salt water is corrosive.

I agree though, the Fukushima plants have impressed me. It's not every day you can say your building smugly shrugged off the fourth strongest earthquake in history, with the only issues caused by a 20 foot wall of water knocking out the infrastructure managing the cooling systems.

Also is it just me, or are all the people across the world not in Japan who focus 100% on "OMG WE'RE IN DANGER! BUY UP ALL THE IODINE CONSTANTLY REFERENCE CHERNOBYL BOARD UP YOUR WINDOWS" coming off as really super self-centered and callous? Thousands of people have died, there are people working inside those power plants, and so many people are concerned only for themselves due to completely ridiculous chicken little statements being spread around. Even news sources I normally trust like Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, and NPR, have been going all "CHERNOBYL!" and "RADIATION IS THE WORST THING ON EARTH!" and "SCARY SOUNDING HYPOTHETICAL ABOUT THREAT TO AMERICANS!" and "NEGATIVE ASPERSIONS ON ALL NUCLEAR POWER PRODUCTION WORLDWIDE!" Because Lord knows, we could sure use some more fucking coal and natural gas plants shitting up the Earth.

[-HP-]

I loled at:

"German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that seven of the country's nuclear power plants that began operations before the end of 1980 would be shut down temporarily for a three months review to see how they would react in emergency situations like that in Japan"

Like what? A tsunami hitting Germany?

All of sudden, everyone is worried with nuclear energy? Has everyone forgot Chernobyl already?

[the0rthopaedicsurgeon]

Also is it just me, or are all the people across the world not in Japan who focus 100% on "OMG WE'RE IN DANGER! BUY UP ALL THE IODINE CONSTANTLY REFERENCE CHERNOBYL BOARD UP YOUR WINDOWS" coming off as really super self-centered and callous? Thousands of people have died, there are people working inside those power plants, and so many people are concerned only for themselves due to completely ridiculous chicken little statements being spread around. Even news sources I normally trust like Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, and NPR, have been going all "CHERNOBYL!" and "RADIATION IS THE WORST THING ON EARTH!" and "SCARY SOUNDING HYPOTHETICAL ABOUT THREAT TO AMERICANS!" and "NEGATIVE ASPERSIONS ON ALL NUCLEAR POWER PRODUCTION WORLDWIDE!" Because Lord knows, we could sure use some more fucking coal and natural gas plants shitting up the Earth.

The BBC has been like this since the day after the quake. At the time, the plant was under control and being cooled. It only became more serious a few days ago when it caught fire and even then it's still not as serious as it's made out to be. But while tens of thousands were still missing (and an oil refinery burnt not far away, which says it all about nuclear vs fossil fuels and how people perceive them), they almost totally ignored that and went on and on about 'nuclear explosions' or getting Greenpeace in to tell us all how this will be like Chernobyl x100.

A nuclear reactor survives one of the world's worst ever natural disasters and everyone starts calling for nuclear to be abandoned. BP causes one of the worst man-made disasters in all of history, and months later we're back to deep-water drilling.

[st0lve]

Maybe Chernobyl might become the least radiated place on the planet in a few years

Did anyone also notice that there were absolutely NO LOOTING in Japan? They must have something in the water, since in most other places in the world, people would kill for supplies.

[dux]

The Japanese people aren't white or black. Do don't do looting.

Oooh, two birds with one stone!

Whenever something goes bad it becomes the focus of everyone's attention, naturally. So of course it will be the worst thing ever until something else goes wrong to divert everyone's attention. basically, what I would like to go wrong (right) is all the Newspaper headline writers suddenly explode.

[Bunglo]

Maybe Chernobyl might become the least radiated place on the planet in a few years

I actually read Chernobyl is becoming a wild life "sanctuary" as there's no people allowed there without special permission from the government and nature is pretty much over taking it again.

[Jetsetlemming]

[JeanPaul]

If anyone ever thinks Chernobyl was a result of anything but the inherent problems in the USSR at the time, then you are poorly educated on the subject. Nuclear power is fine.