Twitter Stream with updates from Japan

[annewandering]

bumping in case anyone has new information. ^^

[Tsukino_Kaji]

bumping in case anyone has new information. ^^

It's about the time Riast goes to sleep, so we'll all have to wait until tomorrow.

Raist.

[annewandering]

Still it will be easier for him to find in the morning! And maybe someone else has read something

[Arconis]

a lot less info comeing out of Japan now on Tepco mostly its News about Libia now its taken over

[Ibiku]

I'm excited they are atleast making progress in preventing a total meltdown. Unfortunately the nuclear plant is lost for good, the sea water will corrode components that will not be replaceable. You have to remember that the sea water is being sprayed ON the reactor so small parts, components, and very sensitive equipment will see major corrosion that cant be reversed. And it has already been announced that once the situation is under control the plant will be decommissioned permanently. I think its the best decision at this time due to the major cost of repairing the plant and the massive compromise the structure has undergone. From the looks of other incidents that have happened with nuclear plants they are a "Use while you can." Facility because if there is even the slightest compromise in the integrity of the core or the protective casing the plant is pretty much written off as unusable.

[Alhanelem]

Unfortunately the nuclear plant is lost for good, the sea water will corrode components that will not be replaceable.

The sea water is not the problem. The vessel is mostly made of concrete, not anything that corrodes. It's the boron that's the problem.

Reactors 5 and 6 might operate again as they were already shut down when the disaster struck. (They also said they MIGHT have to decommission the entire plant; reactor 1+2 were already slated to be decomissioned anyway)

[NightDagger]

Yeah they will have to bury it in concrete eventually, but getting everything controlled is first step. On a good note they do have 2 new plants that were planned to be opened at the end of April so that will even things out when they bury them.

I wonder how long till they fire up the rest of the coal plants. still puzzles me as to why we do not hear more about them..

[annewandering]

Coal plants are boring compared to toxic nuclear radiation contaminating the earth for unknown millennia. The coal plants that were shut down are coming back on line. I think there were hmm about 11 shut down. All in all things are looking up for power in Japan.
I dont know whether it means that the game will be up soon but there is good progress being made for the power grid. The news that two reactors were due to come on line in April is very good timing. Hope that holds to schedule if not early.

[Nataskiller]

mmmm japan is holding in there hope they get the situation of the nuclear plants figured out asap

[RAIST]

Manage to scrape up a few tweets about things in general. Business trying to resume operations, but with some difficulties:

Many buses are running between Sendai & Yamagata. From YMGT, other buses are running to Tokyo, Niigata, etc

Asahi: JR Freight Co increasing no. of gas/kerosene tankcar runs to Iwate from 3/23. Equiv to 20% normal delivery.

Amid, crisis Tokyo's Shangri-La hotel closes "temporarily": http://on.wsj.com/fDE3ne (Perhaps it will reopen at less than $863 a night...)

It is now possible to drive from Tokyo to Sendai, albeit slowly. Exprsswy from Urawa to Yaita. From there, take Highway 4.

Handy table showing all blockout groups for tomorrow.
http://translate.google.com/translat...n.yahoo.co.jp/

(unfortunately, the graphic isn't translated, but they have it broken down in charts that did)

Skimming over the schedule, I see Chiba Prefect which is close to SE's building, and I saw Hamura city mentioned--so sections of SE's prefect may be going down, but possibly not their particular ward.

A LOT of chatter went on about the gray and white smoke they saw coming out of #2 and #3 last night...of course, TEPCO dind't say much in their press release... imagine that:

Press Release (Mar 21,2011)
Smoke from the Southeast Side of the Rooftop of the Unit 3 Building in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

At around 3:55 PM on March 21st, an employee of TEPCO confirmed light
gray smoke arising from the southeast side of the rooftop of the Unit
3 building, and reported the situation to a fire station at 4:21 PM.

The parameters of reactor pressure vessel and reactor containment
vessel of Unit 3, and monitored environmental data around the Nuclear
Power Station remains at the same level. However, employees working
around Unit 3 evacuated to a safe location.
It is observed the smoke has been decreasing.

TEPCO continues to take all measures to restore the safety and security
of the site and are monitoring the site's immediate surroundings.