Anyone in Japan? Tsunami alert - any more news ? PLEASE

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

DH who gets these things has had a tsunami alert for Japan. Does anyone have any more info? Itsjust breaking news about the massive earthquake at the moment.

Glad your friend is OK MrsChemist x

thank you winny
I hope they get that system up and running ASAP. Nuclear emergency WTF

MmmeLindt It's madness isn't it. the lengths people/countries will go to for some quick cash

Thanks unrulysun, yes my brother did say its very mountainous, I know he will be ok where he is.

Totoros: if a nuclear plant were affected, it could go into meltdown - a bit like Chernobyl - releasing vast amounts of radiation. Clearly a very dangerous situation.

The IAEA is still saying 4 reactors have been safely shut down. It's less clear how this fits with the reports from the Kyodo news agency (is it talking about a 5th plant).

Reports are likely to remain confused and contradictory for a while. Let's hope for the best.

Pagwatch, exactly, the power of that water. So upsetting.

This is making me want to go and get my boys from school :(

TotorosOcarina Fri 11-Mar-11 09:59:18
Ummm what exactly could happen if something goes seriously wrong at one of these plants??

I'm in a fit of hysterical giggles at this post

NOt at the post, but it triggered something in me

I'd never really understood what it meant about the tsunami being full of debris - I'd imagine the odd tree or car, but from those aerial photos it is like wall and lorry soup.

why?

I was surprised at the pictures of people standing on a bridge, watching the water sweep cars and lorries underneath them.

I would be worried the bridge would collapse underneath me.

The pictures are so scary - the power behind the water is just immense. It's sweeping buildings and cars like pieces of paper.

TBH, nuclear disasters generally occur when something goes wrong, but it's not noticed, or they misdiagnose the problem (ala Three Mile Island and Chernobyl)
As long as they know what wrong, there will be safety protocol in place to deal with it

because the thought is so awful to contemplate, sorry I'm not articulating myself well

seth they said on the news it starts off as sea water but as it comes inland it picks up everything from mud to rubbish, to cars and ends up as a wall of thick sludge rather than the wall of water you wouuld imagine.

That makes sense MrsChemist, thanks

List of news outlets for live streaming

yes MadameLindt, very often here (Vale of York) after there is a flood you end up with bridges closed because they have been damaged by debris being swept underneath and are unsafe. And the scale of that is nothing compared to the tsunami.

Did anyone see the wave carrying houses that were on fire?

It's awful

More detail coming in about the nuclear power station. Reports say there is a fire in a turbine hall. Sounds worrying, but I don't know enough about nuclear power station design to know if that poses a radiation danger (are turbines near the actual reactor?), nor is there news yet about severity of the fire.

I think Kyodo News are saying that all's ok with nuclear power stations.

they're absolutely not reporting that at all in the Japanese news meditrina. YOu see, that's the sort of thing that worries me, the non-reporting

IAEA say that the four nuclear reactors closest to quake have been safely shut down so hopefully nothing to worry about.

I wouldn't have thought turbines would be near the reactor.

poor New Zealand, they really don't need this!

Sakura: it's Kyodo that is being quoted.