Nuclear Explosions In Japan Downplayed? (Fukushima - Appropriately Named?)

(If throwing a contribution Pottersville2's way won't break your budget in these difficult financial times, I really need it, and would wholeheartedly appreciate it. Anything you can afford will make a huge difference in this blog's lifetime.)

So, you still think that nuclear power is "safe enough?"

Still wanna build a bunch of new reactor sites and call them "green?"

Get a ticket to Fukushima and then tell me that.

For the latest news on what's been happening in Japan, go to your most trusted source. I suggest the Brad Blog:

An explosion has occurred within the past hour at the Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 nuclear reactor in Japan. It appears to by a hydrogen explosion similar to the one which occurred at Unit 1 on Saturday. There had been reports earlier in the day that radiation had been rising at the reactor, similar to what had been reported before the earlier explosion at Unit 1.

Yesterday, the emergency cooling system at Unit 3 had failed following, prompting official to announce another "nuclear emergency" following the earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Japan one day earlier.

The previous explosion at Unit 1 is said to have destroyed the building housing the nuclear reactor, but did not breach the reactor container itself, so the release of radioactivity is said to have been minor.

• Reuters brief breaking story...

8:20pm PT: CNN reports officials are saying the container at Unit 3, just like at Unit 1 before it, was not been breached in the blast . . .

. . . but there are others.

Here is ABC's (h/t to Bryan at Why Now?):

New Tsunami Alert for Japan, Explosion at Reactor Site

A three-metre tsunami has reportedly been spotted by a helicopter off the Pacific coast of north-eastern Japan, local media is reporting. A five-metre change in sea level has been reported off the coast and the tsunami is expected to hit land within minutes. Residents have been told to evacuate to higher ground. At the same time, there are reports of sounds of a fresh explosion and smoke billowing from one of the reactors at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plants.

The second reactor may have had a hydrogen explosion, like the first. They don’t seem to be able to cool the reactor, even with the sea water. The tsunami is probably the result of an aftershock. Update: If you look at the listing of the individual events on the USGS map for the last week, you will see over 400 ‘quakes. This cycle started with a 7.2 on 2011/03/09 at 02:45:20 UTC and ends with a 5.1 on 2011/03/14 at 01:57:54. There are more than 30 ‘quakes in the 6.0 to 6.9 range, and a 7.1 on 2011/03/11 at 06:25:50, 40 minutes after the 8.9. While the trend has been to less powerful shocks, looking at the list you can see occurrences of multiple 6+ shocks hitting in quick succession at random intervals.

Here's the latest:

Nuke Plant Explosion Amid Tsunami False Alarm There has been a fresh explosion at Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, but authorities said claims that a fresh tsunami was heading for the devastated north-east coast were a false alarm. Authorities warned locals within 20km to stay indoors after an explosion in the No. 3 reactor at the Fukushima complex sent a cloud of smoke billowing into the sky. Japan's nuclear safety agency could not confirm whether or not the explosion had led to an uncontrolled leak of radioactivity, but the Jiji news agency said the plant's owners TEPCO had reported the blast had not damaged the reactor vessel. TEPCO says nine people were injured in the blast, but seven staff initially reported as missing have been found, according to Jiji Press. Authorities say the explosion was caused by hydrogen build up, the same as the one that blew part of the housing off the site's No. 1 reactor on Saturday. "We believe it was a hydrogen explosion. It is not immediately known if it affected the reactor," said spokesman Ryo Miyake. Government spokesman Yukio Edano says according to the operators the core container at the reactor remains intact. "At this point we believe that the best information we have is the report from the head of the nuclear power plant, and he is saying that the container vessel is still safe," he said. Operators had earlier halted injection of sea water into the reactor, resulting in a rise in radiation levels and pressure. The government had warned that an explosion was possible because of the build up of hydrogen in the building housing the reactor. Earlier today, prime minister Naoto Kan described the situation at the stricken nuclear plant as "alarming". Meanwhile Japan's meteorological agency said there was no data to support claims that a fresh tsunami was about to hit the coast, despite local press reports that an estimated 3-metre tidal wave had been spotted by a helicopter out to sea. Local media had reported the sea level on the coast had fallen by 5 metres and said the tsunami was about to hit the coast.

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