This just arrived from the Canadian Government:
On March 12th, the Prime Minister of Japan declared a nuclear emergency following a problem with the cooling system power supply at nuclear reactors at the Fukushima plants. The emergency declaration followed the March 11th 8.9-magnitude earthquake off the country's northeast coast.
We strongly advise against non-essential travel to Tokyo and surrounding areas, as well as the prefectures of Chiba, Miyagi, Ibaraki, Iwate, Aomori and Fukushima (see regional warning below), due to damages caused by the March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunamis. Sendai City, Fukushima City and Aomori City have been hardest hit.
Reports indicate that the earthquake caused extensive damage to infrastructure in the northeastern prefectures of the country. Power and telecommunications have been disrupted. Transportation routes, emergency and medical care, as well as water, food, and fuel supplies may also be affected. Canadians travelling to affected areas should contact their airline or tour operator to determine whether the situation will disrupt travel arrangements. They should also exercise caution, monitor local news and weather reports, and follow the advice of local authorities.
The Tokyo region also experienced significant shaking. Travellers should be aware that transportation routes, power and telecommunications systems could be affected in some areas. Travel to and from Narita International Airport may be difficult.
Temporary rolling blackouts in Tokyo and neighbouring areas are occuring. Canadians in need of assistance should visit our Assistance for Canadians in Japan page.
We advise against all travel within 80 km of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.
Following damage to the Fukushima nuclear power station in Okumacho, Canadians are strongly advised to follow the advice issued by the Japanese authorities. An evacuation order is in effect for the zone within 20km of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Japanese authorities recommend that people between 20km and 30km from the plant remain indoors with windows and doors closed and refrain from using ventilation systems.
There is no radiation health risk to Canadians travelling into or out of Japan, provided they have not been within the evacuation zone established by Japan.
Given the evolving situation, Canadians living within 80 km of the plant are advised that they should, as a further precautionary measure, evacuate this area. The directions of the Japanese government and local emergency response personnel should also be followed by all Canadians in Japan.
Information on the status of nuclear facilities in Japan can be obtained on the websites of the Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
If you require assistance, please let us know by sending an e-mail or calling us at 03.5412.6200. If you require immediate emergency assistance after Embassy office hours (09:00 - 17:30 JST), you may call 03.5412.6200 and your call will be transferred automatically to our Emergency Operation Center in Ottawa, Canada, or you can call directly at 1.613.996.8885. They are available 24/7.
We also suggest that you contact your family in Canada and inform them of your situation.
Best regards,
Consular Section / Section consulaire
Embassy of Canada / Ambassade du Canada
Can you request an air drop of bacon? ;-) All joking aside, I pray for your safety and the safety of all affected by this disaster.
ReplyDelete80 km seems a bit of an over reaction to me...even if the reactor catches fire and spreads radioactive smoke your direction(depending on where the wind blows),you'd have days to get further away before the cumulative level would become any kind of hazard(as long as your facemask was on)
ReplyDeletethe only issue would be getting Everybody moved...i can't comment to the absolute worst case of all reactors catching fire and what evacuation zone would be required~i'm not the expert here
ReplyDeleteAmerica started the 80km thing...
ReplyDeleteBest of the day to everyone,
ReplyDeleteJust a quick note,... the reason for the 80km / 50 mile thing is because of accidental exposure to civilians back in the 1950's and 1960's at the height of nuclear testing (and an accident or two) in the United States. (Checkout Google Earth some time,... the number of craters are amazing)
The fallout did travel that far, and did cause some problems.
Unfortunately,... that isn't the limit of how far fallout can travel. (This was part of the briefing India and Pakistan received from the US when the two were kicking around the notion of going nuclear against each other. They weren't going to devastate just themselves.)
The most fortunate outcome would be for it all to keep blowing out to sea.
Stay safe Cam,.. you and your friends, co-workers and neighbors near and far over there.
Respectfully,
John - I guess we can all convert to meat eaters, instead of an island of seafood and fish lovers...
ReplyDeleteP.S. If anybody is wondering who this Respectfully Yours John F. Palermo is... well, let me just say he is one mysterious dude who I've known for a long time now, but actually know nothing about him in spite of his verrry mysterious plethora of information that very few people seem privileged to.
Oh, and he lives near Texas Cattle Gates.
(GRIN)
ReplyDeleteIt's cause I'm from Texas!!! And while all roads lead to Rome, all roads pass through here!!!
Ok, Cam you didn't buy that one, but it's still the reason for the Cattle Gates!!
Seriously though, the reason for my seemingly strange familiarity with all things nuclear and technological in general goes back to my time in the US Navy. I trained as an Electronics Technician and a Reactor Operator.
Needless to say, the Navy makes it a point to have us study all kinds of accidents (known and classified), so at some point in the future they don't have to start off letters to our parents with, "Dear Mr & Mrs Smith,... your son is dead because he was stupid." (Unfortunately a few still get through)
Because the requirements to get into (much less graduate) the US Navy's nuclear power program are so stringent, there are only a few thousand of us,... total. This includes everyone who was ever in the program all the way back to the 1950's when Admiral HG Rickover started it. (He's more commonly known as the father of the Nuclear Navy)
In the US there are roughly 5,000 or so workers in the nuclear industry,... out of the 300 million plus people who live here. (I'm not one of the 5,000 - I took one look at how the civilian industry was doing it and said "No way!!")
I hope this eliminates some of the mystery.
The other part of it, is that I've been keeping up with it ever since I left the service. Radiation hazards aside, the physics and the opportunities that haven't been explored yet are fascinating. (Did you know there are 4 different kinds of nuclear reactions? And 1 of them doesn't produce radioactive by products?)
Have a great day and a great weekend,.... and stay safe.
Respectfully,
John F. Palermo
18 March 2011
And sorry about the sea food.
ReplyDeleteRespectfully,
And now you make a living castrating bulls.... damn! you like to live dangerously!
ReplyDeleteI love you!
and that they face political backpressure because it's too easy to get bomb quality fissile material from the downchain....
ReplyDeletei'm voting for fusion myself
(p.s. i just read the science journals and have nowhere near your qualifications sir)
ReplyDelete