Update: Japan crisis worse than Three Mile Island, experts say
One reactor shield might be compromised; spent fuel pool leaking radioactivity
NO FLY ZONE Announced.
Excerpts:
SOMA, Japan â The catastrophe at Japan's stricken nuclear complex is now worse than Three Mile Island, experts said Tuesday, after the
two most recent blasts exposed a spent fuel pool to outside air and might have compromised a reactor shield.
An explosion overnight at Unit 4 at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant opened two large holes in the structure housing spent nuclear fuel rods in a large pool.
Japanese officials told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the
spent fuel storage area had caught fire and that radioactivity was "being released directly into the atmosphere."
The radiation releases prompted Japan on Tuesday to order 140,000 people to seal themselves indoors and a
30-kilometer (19-mile) no-fly zone was imposed around the site for commercial traffic.
Weather forecasts for Fukushima were for snow and
wind Tuesday evening, blowing southwest toward Tokyo, then shifting and blowing east out to sea. That's important because it shows which direction a possible nuclear cloud might blow.
Officials in Tokyo â 150 miles to the south of the plant â said radiation in the capital was 10 times normal by evening but there was no threat to human health.
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This seems to be getting worse by the minute. It is as if all worst case scenarios are in play. Imagine, Tokyo with a population of 13 million people in direct line with a nuclear cloud.
I can not help but see panic about to ensue with the population. The Financial markets are going to go into a tail spin (again) and could see drops below the lows of a couple of years ago.
This is horrible, horrible news and outlook on all fronts. It is a terrible human tragedy.
I pray that things get under a better grip but I do not see that happening anytime soon. Remember how long it took to plug the oil leak? Now, how to stop not one, not two, not three, but four nuclear reactors AT ONE FACILITY from total meltdown. Who and from where are these new heroes going to come from?
Keep a close eye on the news, the markets, and conditions. Keep your minds, hearts, and homes open to help in any way you can.
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Panic grips Tokyo as radiation levels rise
France advises citizens to leave city; China organizes mass evacuations from northeast
TOKYO â Panic swept Tokyo on Tuesday as radiation levels surged in the city, causing some to leave the capital and others to stock up on food and supplies.
Several embassies advised staff and citizens to leave affected areas, tourists cut short vacations and multinational companies either urged staff to leave or said they were considering plans to move outside Tokyo.
Radiation levels in Saitama, near Tokyo, were 40 times normal levels â not enough to cause human damage but enough to stoke panic in the bustling, ultra-modern and hyper-efficient metropolis of about 12 million people.
