BBC: Fukushima Updates from Thurs 6.30pm PST

[jannyk]

Firstly, any updates are extremely thin on the ground, with little or no new info being released. I will post what comes in, as it comes in - but it is slim pickings.

We all know that they have now a power cable strung to the plant to hopefully restart cooling operations, how well that is going nobody knows, But....this just came over the wires.

#
0124: Meanwhile, Japanese officials are planning to restart water-spraying at Fukushima later on Friday, Kyodo reports.

(It's already Friday in Japan)



p.s. I apologize in advance for typos and misspellings - most are caused by a 'sticky key' problem I'm having (especially with L, N & M)

[thewiseguy]

1. They will try to reconnect power to reactors 3 and 4 on Sunday.

That is from Kyodo news.

The radiation levels have not changed significantly since yesterday. They will try the water spraying operations on Friday afternoon.

That is all I have.

[jannyk]

3. Thx - please post anything new you come across from a reliable source.

[jannyk]

2. BBC: Rad levels falling

#
0149: Radiation readings at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant have been falling on Friday morning, according to Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. Measurements taken about a kilometre from the plant were 279.4 microsieverts per hour, against 292.2 microsieverts per hour on Thursday evening.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[Bonobo]

4. :praying:

[jannyk]

7. This one's for you B.

#
0135: In possibly the first ever use of Japanese on a British newspaper masthead, the Daily Mirror runs a line of Japanese script immediately under its title - with the translation "Japan, you are not alone".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[thewiseguy]

5. There is smoke coming from the number 2 reactor?

(Reuters) - Smoke or steam rising from the crippled No.2 reactor in northeastern Japan could be coming from the spent fuel pool or from an explosion in the suppression chamber, the nuclear safety agency said on Friday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/18/us-japan-smoke-idUSTRE72H0B620110318?feedType=RSS&feedName=japan&virtualBrandChannel=10464&WT.tsrc=Social%20Media&WT.z_smid=twtr-japan_reuters&WT.z_smid_dest=Twitter

[thewiseguy]

6. There is smoke coming from both number 2 and 3 reactors.

[jannyk]

8. BBC: Edano Presser

#
0153: We are currently awaiting a news conference by chief government spokesman Yukio Edano who is expected to give further details on the nuclear plant crisis, and Japan's response to the wider devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami.

#
0201: Yukio Edano's news conference begins. He says officials are still working to evaluate the results of water spraying at the Fukushima Daiichi power station. He says operations to try to cool Reactor 3 will resume on Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), which operates the plant, is still trying to restore power to the site, Mr Edano says.

#
0206: Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is to meet Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Friday afternoon, Kyodo reports.

Now from Yokosonews (lots of questions about G7 meeting too.

#3 is the priority

5 & 6 temps rising but gradually

[jannyk]

9. Fire trucks to begin spraying #1

Newsflash/Crawl on KyodoNews

#3 & 4 most urgent with #3 being most critical

Smoke coming from #2

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/79057.html

[jannyk]

10. BBC: Edano now willing to accept US help

#
0232: Mr Edano now says that Tokyo is willing to accept US help in dealing with the country's nuclear crisis, and is discussing the matter with Washington, the Associated Press reports. "We are co-ordinating with the US government as to what the US can provide and what people really need. We have repeatedly asked for specific support, and indeed, they are responding to that."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[suffragette]

11. Thank you jannyk

[jannyk]

12. Excellent Updated Status of each Reactor (Kyodo News)

Just updated after Edano presser - too long to post here - if interested please read - quite detailed for a change....

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/79057.html

[jtrockville]

13. ^Nice. Thanks.

[jannyk]

14. BBC: Rad Levels 'Localized' WHO & Edano

#
0259: The World Health Organization believes the spread of radiation from the Fukushima plant remains localised and does not pose an immediate risk to human health, Michael O'Leary, the WHO head in China, is quoted as saying by Reuters.

#
0338: More from Mr Edano's news conference, where he was also talking about radiation levels. He said: "Relatively speaking, as a whole radiation measurement has not been serious enough as to have any health effect. Although some readings are high, these values are not the ones that pose direct human threat today. This all depends on other conditions; environmental monitoring will continue in order to conduct detailed analysis."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

15. BBC: Reactors will take several weeks to cool down

#
0317: US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko says that it is likely to take several weeks to cool down the troubled nuclear reactors at Fukushima.

[jannyk]

16. Kyodonews crawl: Fire Trucks have resumed pumping water

No indication of which/how many reactors

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/japan_quake/

and fro the BBC: #
0512: Japanese fire engines have now resumed spraying water on the Fukushima plant, Japan's news agencies report.

[jannyk]

17. BBC: TepCo priority cooling - encasing a possibility

#
0506: Fukushima's operator TEPCO has said that it would not be impossible to encase the plant's reactors in concrete, though cooling them down is the priority, Reuters reports.

[jannyk]

18. NHK showing live broadcast of truck spraying

#
0516: Japan's NHK broadcaster is now showing live pictures of the water-spraying operation at Fukushima.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-world-tv

[jannyk]

19. NHKNews: Tokyo Fire Dept. sends units to Fukushima plant

The Tokyo Fire Department has sent 30 emergency units and special fire engines to the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The 139 fire-fighters, including elite rescue teams, left for Fukushima in northeastern Japan shortly after 3 AM on Friday. The dispatch order was given by Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara after a request from the Japanese government at 1 AM Friday.

The Tokyo Fire Department says one of the fire engines has a 22-meter-high water discharging tower, used to put out flames in high places or sites that are difficult to get close to.

Also among the vehicles is a truck usually used for airplane disasters, which can discharge 5 tons of water per minute. Another one can supply large amounts of water from the sea or rivers.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/18_11.html