Press
March 11 2011
BBC News
Japan earthquake: Tsunami hits north-east
Cars, ships and buildings were swept away by a wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude tremor, which struck about 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo. A state of emergency has been declared at a nuclear power plant, where pressure has exceeded normal levels. Officials say 350 people are dead and about 500 missing, but it is feared the final death toll will be much higher. In one ward alone in Sendai, a port city in Miyagi prefecture, 200 to 300 bodies were found.
The quake was the fifth-largest in the world since 1900 and nearly 8,000 times stronger than the one which devastated Christchurch, New Zealand, last month, said scientists. Thousands of people living near the Fukushima nuclear power plant have been ordered to evacuate. Japanese nuclear officials said pressure inside a boiling water reactor at the plant was running much higher than normal after the cooling system failed.
Officials said they might need to deliberately release some radioactive steam to relieve pressure, but that there would be no health risk. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had earlier said the US Air Force had flown emergency coolant to the site. But US officials later said no coolant had been handed over because the Japanese had decided to handle the situation themselves. The UN's nuclear agency said four nuclear power plants had shut down safely. Measured at 8.9 by the US Geological Survey, it struck at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) at a depth of about 24km. The tsunami rolled across the Pacific at 800km/h (500mph) - as fast as a jetliner - before hitting Hawaii and the US West Coast, but there were no reports of major damage from those regions.
Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate coastal areas in the states of California, Oregon and Washington. The biggest waves of more than 6-7ft (about 2m) were recorded near California's Crescent City, said the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre. A tsunami warning extended across the Pacific to North and South America, where many other coastal regions were evacuated, but the alert was later lifted in most parts, including the Philippines, Australia and China. Strong waves hit Japan's Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, damaging dozens of coastal communities. A 10m wave struck Sendai, deluging farmland and sweeping cars across the airport's runway. Fires broke out in the centre of the city.
Japan's NHK television showed a massive surge of debris-filled water reaching far inland, consuming houses, cars and ships. In a televised address, Prime Minister Naoto Kan extended his sympathy to the victims of the disaster. As aftershocks rattled the country, residents and workers in Tokyo rushed outside to gather in parks and open spaces. Many people in the Japanese capital said they had never felt such a powerful earthquake. In central Tokyo, a number of office workers are spending the night in their offices because the lifts have stopped working. "This is the kind of earthquake that hits once every 100 years," said restaurant worker Akira Tanaka. Train services were suspended, stranding millions of commuters in the Japanese capital. About four million homes in and around Tokyo suffered power cuts.
Read more of this article at:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12709598
March 18, 2011
"TSUNAGU HIKARI"(Connecting Light) Launched to Support Victims from the Tohoku Kanto Earthquake/Tsunami.
We, volunteer citizens of Japan, wish to announce the launching of "TSUNAGU HIKARI", a support campaign for victims' from the Tohoku Kanto Earthquake/Tsunami afflicted areas.
As there are expected to be serious effects caused by the radiation released from the damaged nuclear power plants, the recovery of those areas afflicted by the earthquake, tsunami and damaged nuclear power plants it is anticipated to be a long term process.
Tsunagu Hikari is an information center created to help find accommodation in Okinawa for pregnant women and families with small children from the affected areas. Among the first to be evacuated will be women and children living within the 30 km (20 mile) unsafe radiation boundary.
Okinawa is located in the most distant part of Japan from the afflicted areas and can be considered to be the safest place for evacuees.
We are recruiting volunteers to help with this project. We need information on available homes and unused hotel rooms, as well as any kind of housing or dormitories etc. in Okinawa that can be offered for this purpose. We are also doing fundraising to cover the costs.
Our Mission:
1. To arrange accommodation in Okinawa for women and children impacted by the tsunami/earthquake and radiation from the nuclear power plants.
2. To provide appropriate personal care as required by the victims, including counseling, clothing and other personal items.
Founding Members of the "Tsunagu Hikari" Project:
Executive Director: Kakuji Nakagawa Public Relations: Yumi Kikuchi Adviser: Gen Morita Staff: Koka Nakagawa
March 26, 2011
Urgent need to evacuate Pregnant Women and Children from Fukushima Nuke Power Plant.
Yumi Kikuchi Japanese author on environment, peace and health The Japanese government is still recommending that those living within 30 km (less than 20 miles) of Fukushima nuclear power plants stay in their homes even today, 16 days after the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan. Radioactive contamination is found not only within but also beyond 20 miles now.
While this disaster is devastating for all of Japan, our immediate concern is the health of pregnant women and children in Fukushima right now as more radiation is released and is spreading.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant has 6 reactors and 4 have already severely damaged. As far as we know this plant is the most severely damaged and where all efforts have gone to prevent a meltdown. Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant has 4 reactors; Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant has 3 reactors. All together, 13 reactors are not in normal working condition. Out of those, 4 reactors at Daiichi are already releasing radiation and the condition of the other 9 reactors is unknown as of today.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant sustained the most damage and those living within 20 km (12 miles) of Fukushima Daiichi have evacuated now by the order of Japanese government, but those people who live between 20 and 30 km are told stay inside the house. I wonder if those people are safe. Is it truly safe for children and pregnant women? I am concerned about them because I know all the standards are usually set for adult males.
After knowing and studying Sternglass's work:
http://www.radiation.org/ & http:// ratical.org/radiation/inetSeries/I cannot agree with what the Japanese government and all the Japanese media are saying to us that it is safe, no need to evacuate, etc. I understand it is important to avoid panic, but even the low level radiation is not safe for pregnant women and small children.
On TV news, they keep saying the level of radiation won't be an immediate health threat and DO NOT WORRY at all. I wish that were true!! But for pregnant women and small children, it is better to take extra caution since they are more prone to radiation.
So, on March 18 we launched a project to EVACUATE AND FIND HOMES FOR PREGNANT WOMEN AND CHILDREN in Okinawa Japan for two reasons: 1. Okinawa has no nuclear plants and rarely has earthquakes, and 2. Okinawa is furthest spot in Japan from the damaged nuclear reactors of Fukushima.
On March 26, radioactive material is already found in Okayama (west part of Japan) so, the contamination of all Japan is just a matter of time and weather (wind and rain).