Tag Archives: martial law

Business/Economics, Fukushima, U.S.

GM joins Toyota in reducing U.S. production

General Motors (GM) has announced that due to auto parts shortages, caused by the disasters in Japan, they will have to shut down some production in the United States.

A GM plant in Louisiana is the first to be closed, for a week, as a result.

Toyota had announced that it would slow production in its U.S. factories. Officials say production will not be affected at their engine plants. Instead of closing plants altogether, Toyota has eliminated overtime work.

Ford says so far their U.S. operations are not affected, Honda said the same thing.

Fukushima

Analyst says water dropping NOT enough

To put the cooling situation in perspective, an analyst in Japan pointed out that each water drop by helicopter, drops about 7 tons of water.

The spent fuel pools/ponds use up to 2000 tons of water (yes, 2000 tons). It is clear that even with several drops, it is not enough.  Plant officials reported that most coolant had evaporated or boiled off.  This means the ponds are dry.

Business/Economics, Fukushima, Opinion

Japan Disaster start of Global Great Depression

For a third day, the DOW fell big, along with other U.S. stock markets.  Stock markets around the world being affected. This is because Japan has become the “parts” supplier to the global economy.  Auto parts to electronic chips are made in Japan.  This production has come to a virtual stand still.  One analyst said that if this situation lasts a few weeks (best case) consumers can expect noticeable increases in prices.

It must be remembered that the Great Depression, that hit the United States in the 1930s, was not solely caused by the investment/finance crash of ’29.  What put the U.S. into a Great Depression was the loss of its main industry at the time; agriculture. Because of the quake, tsunami, and now nuclear disaster, Japan has essentially lost its main industries.

Until the Second World War, agriculture was the biggest industry in the U.S.  Most Americans worked in farming, or agriculture related jobs.  The industry was hit by a disaster that was a combination of Mother Earth, and man made.  The plain states, and mid west, had been dealing with a major drought, and,   farming techniques destroyed the top soil.  This is where the term “Dust Bowl” came from.

The result was that hundreds of thousands of Americans lost their jobs and their homes, just from the collapse of the agriculture industry. Combined with the losses of the finance/investment industries (which affected manufacturing) this created the Great Depression.

The World is already in a major financial crisis, bigger than what hit the world prior to the Great Depression in the U.S. (other countries, like Germany had already experience a depression). Now we have the natural/man made disasters that could push the World into a Great Depression.

Never before have the economies of the World been so tied together.  We have a dominoes situation. Japan, being a major parts supplier, could be the dominoe that starts the fall.

Fukushima

Japan expands evacuation area, asks Medical Personnel all over Japan to Help

Japanese Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, says nuclear danger area expanded to 80km (50 miles).

Reports that the U.S. has expanded the area to 90km, Edano could not confirm.

Edano also asking all medical personnel in Japan to prepare to help.  Expectant women have priority.

Fukushima, Idaho

Idaho National Labratory watching events in Japan, Sea Water may not work

Officials at INL are watching events in Japan very carefully. The INL has their own reactor, and it is the location for the first nuclear plant in the United States.

The INL continues to be active in nuclear power, and clean up, applications.

INL officials say the use of sea water to cool nuclear reactors has never been done before. It is a true last ditch effort.

Fukushima, International

Almost No Time to Escape Tsunami

After watching interviews of tsunami survivors it has become clear that there was very little time between the 9.0 quake and the first tsunami surge.

Most survivors say there was less than 15 minutes from the time of the quake to the tsunami impact.  An environmental activist from the United States, Brian Barnes, says where he was it was less than 7 minutes.  He says most of the people of Otsuchi, where he was, died. The city is wiped out. Barnes survived because he immediately drove to higher ground after the quake, with the tsunami showing up after he got to the top of the hill.

Most survivors say any emergency preparedness training they underwent in the past, did not prepare them for this.

Fukushima

Japan’s Government turns to Private Companies for Help

The Japanese government is pleading with private companies to help supply people evacuated from around the Fukushima nuclear plant, with food, water and other supplies.

This is a clear indicator that the Japanese government is not prepared for such an emergency, despite the international perception of Japan’s high level of disaster readiness.

Fukushima, U.S.

U.S. Military issuing Iodide Pills to Aircrews, U.S. taking Radiation Readings

The United States military is issuing Potassium Iodide pills to helicopter crews flying operations in Japan.  The crews take the pills before their missions.

U.S. nuclear experts now in Japan will start taking their own radiation readings.  Officially this is to “help” Japan with the Fukushima nuclear disaster, but I think it’s because U.S. officials don’t trust what TEPCo, and Japanese officials, are reporting.

Fukushima

Survivors being Stressed by Lack of Info, Confusing Reports, being Forced to Move

An NHK interview has revealed failures in Japan’s emergency plans. Possibly lack of planning, or implementation.

Survivors are being stressed by confusing reports, lack of reliable information, and due to being forced to move from one shelter to another.

Many survivors from smaller cities and towns say no emergency drills were ever practiced where they lived.  Others say the emergency drills they took part in never addressed anything like the current situation.  This contradicts the accepted belief that Japan is the best prepared for natural disasters.

Survivors say it has become clear to them that they can’t trust what their officials are saying, especially since the survivors have witnessed, or experienced things that don’t match the official statements.

Survivors being moved from one shelter to another is the result of lack of food and water, fear of radiation exposure, and lack of heating capabilities.  Temperatures in northern Honshu are still around freezing.