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Total donations:
$9431.44
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Total confirmed deaths and reported missing as of October 7th (JST):
19,748
Total Confirmed Deaths:
15,822
Total reported Missing:
3,926
Total reported injuries:
5,942
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Total aftershocks (over M3.0) since March 11th as of October 11th 12:03 JST
1586
Over M7.5: 1 Over M7: 4 Over M6.5: 15 Over M6: 73 Over M5.5: 198 Over M5: 579 Over M4.5: 1538 |
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Special thanks to our sponsors:
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Phi Delts gives the deepest condolences to everybody affected by this catastrophe.
東日本大震災で被災された皆さまに心よりお見舞い申し上げます。
Total of $9431.44 has been sent to Japan on May 11, 2011.
東日本大震災で被災された皆さまに心よりお見舞い申し上げます。
Total of $9431.44 has been sent to Japan on May 11, 2011.
All transaction fees were covered by Phi Delts.
Disaster updates below. - New: Warning Zone 20km radius of Fukushima Daiichi N.P.
Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund
- Sunday, April 26th, 2011 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Phi Delta Theta thanks every body who contributed to the relief fund which ran for over a month. We will be closing our online site, and will be preparing to send the money to Japan in the very near future.
Again, thank you all for your help.
- Brothers of Phi Delta Theta
relief-japan(at)mit.edu
Again, thank you all for your help.
- Brothers of Phi Delta Theta
relief-japan(at)mit.edu
+
Sunday, April 15th, 2011 (Eastern Daylight Time)
+ Sunday, April 2nd, 2011 (Eastern Daylight Time)
+ Sunday, March 21, 2011 (Eastern Daylight Time)
+ Saturday, March 12, 2011 (Eastern Standard Time)
東北地方太平洋沖地震の義援金
- 平成２３年４月２６日 （米国東海岸夏時間）
皆さま、
長い間のご協力、誠にありがとうございました。想定以上の期間で行われた義援金の募金活動ですが、本日をもってオンライン募金を終了させて頂きます。
近日中に日本へ送金いたします。
ご協力、感謝いたします。
ΦΔΘ一同
relief-japan＠mit.edu
+ 平成２３年４月１５日 （米国東海岸夏時間）
+ 平成２３年４月２日 （米国東海岸夏時間）
+ 平成２３年３月２１日 （米国東海岸夏時間）
Disaster updates below.
Related Efforts
Japanese Red Cross
+ 20:50 am Saturday, March 15, 2011 (Eastern Daylight Time)
日本赤十字社
+ ２０時５０分 平成２３年３月１５日 （米国東海岸夏時間）
Note on the U. S. Patriots Act Section 311
+ 06:00 am Saturday, March 15, 2011 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Ｕ．Ｓ． Ｐａｔｒｉｏｔｓ Ａｃｔ 第３１１章について
+ ６時００分 平成２３年３月１５日 （米国東海岸夏時間）
Footages
First report of the earthquake - NHK
Warning shows few seconds before the shake arrives in the Tokyo area. Within seconds, the seismic intensity is reported, and High Tsunami wave warning is issued throughout the north-eastern coastal area.
Japan Coast Guard vessel goes over the Tsunami waves
Tsunami wave crashing into the coast - Minami-Souma city
More Tsunami waves approaching the coast of Natori, Miyagi
H.M. Emperor of Japan's message to the Victims
Supplies arriving on R. Reagan
Tsunami Waves map by NOAA
Warning shows few seconds before the shake arrives in the Tokyo area. Within seconds, the seismic intensity is reported, and High Tsunami wave warning is issued throughout the north-eastern coastal area.
Japan Coast Guard vessel goes over the Tsunami waves
Tsunami wave crashing into the coast - Minami-Souma city
More Tsunami waves approaching the coast of Natori, Miyagi
H.M. Emperor of Japan's message to the Victims
Supplies arriving on R. Reagan
Tsunami Waves map by NOAA
Links
Timeline of earthquake and aftershocks
Japan Quake Map - You can see how the M9.0 earthquake triggered countless aftershocks.
Japan Quake Map - You can see how the M9.0 earthquake triggered countless aftershocks.
The Disaster
Name: 東北地方太平洋沖地震 (Touhoku chihou taiheiyou oki jishin) - Earthquake in the Pacific off the North-Eastern region coast
Alias: 東日本大震災 (Higashi Nihon Dai Shinsai) - East Japan Earthquake Disaster
Update: 2011/04/21 - 16:00 EDT
20km radius of Fukushima Daiichi under Warning Zone
The following cities have now entered a state of Warning Zone (as of April 22nd - April 21st 11:00):
Evacuation was ordered by the Prime Minister and the Chief Officer of the Nuclear Power Plant Disaster Committee under the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness (Heisei 11 - 1999 No. 156) Section 28 Article 2, which sets the Warning Zone as per Section 63 Article 1 of the General Acts on Measures Concerning Disasters (Showa 36 - 1961 No. 223), allowing only those who are working to resolve the state of emergency to enter the towns under warning to enter the zone. The mayors of the towns included in the zone will force all residents to evacuate, and will not allow anyone to enter, unless temporary permission is issued.
Update: 2011/04/21 - 10:30 EDT
Strong earthquake east of Tokyo
A magnitude 6.0 aftershock hit about an hour ago east of Tokyo in Asahi, Chiba. Asahi-City observed a seismic intensity of 5-. Parts of Tokyo felt an intensity of 3.
Update: 2011/04/15 - 22:28 EDT
Strong earthquake northeast of Tokyo - 11 minutes ago
There was a strong earthquake centered around southern Ibaraki prefecture at April 16th 11:19 JST (April 15th 22:19 EDT). Seismic intensity at southern Ibaraki was 5+. Parts of Metropolitan Tokyo felt a level 4, which is around how strong it shook on March 11th during the main earthquake.
Update: 2011/04/13 - 19:50 EDT
Nuclear Reactor - INES Level 7
The Japanese government raised the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) to Level 7, a level that matches that of Chernobyl Disaster. The Japanese government has been considering raising the INES to Level 7 since late last month.
Update: 2011/04/11 - 02:17 EDT
Strong aftershock in Chiba and Fukushima 9 minutes ago
Seismic intensity is said to be around 5- or 4 in certain areas around Chiba prefecture. [Update: 19:32 - Magnitude at 6.3].
There was also another M5.5 earthquake in Central Japan in Nagano at 7:26 am on the 12th (18:26 EDT on the 11th), where the seismic intensity was at most 5-.
Earlier that day, a magnitude 7.0 aftershock hit Hama-douri in Fukushima at 17:16 (11th at 4:16 am EDT), where Iwaki-city, Fukushima and Hokota-city, Ibaraki felt a seismic intensity of 6-. Within that 10 minute period, there were 3 aftershocks, one with seismic intensity of 6-, and two with 5-. By midnight of the 12th, there were 30 total aftershocks. 1 high-school girl died, 3 injured, and 1 more person is said to be buried after a 3 story building collapsed due to a landslide.
Update: 2011/04/08 - 02:10 EDT
Original Earthquake moved the plates SE 55 meters, raised 5 meters
Earthquake Research Institute at the Tokyo University said that the main quake (on March 11th) had shifted the plates which Japan sits on by 55 meters southeast-ward. The area of the plate that moved is around 200 km off the coast of Miyagi prefecture, and spreads as wide as 55 km latidutinal and 160 km longitudinal. Research lab at Tohoku University also has claimed that the plate in the area also rose by 5 meters from the quake. These two enormous movements combined were factors that led to the massive tsunami waves.
Even after the tsunami waves pulled back out, there are still areas along the coast where there are still water left. Some reports say that the ground in those areas may have sunk by about 1 meter, making it below sea-level. This means that some parts of land has potentially turned into a part of the Pacific Ocean.
Update: 2011/04/07 - 16:30 EDT
M7.4 aftershock off the coast of Miyagi
Third strongest (in magnitude) aftershock since the main quake on the 11th hit off the coast of Miyagi prefecture at 23:32 today (JST - 10:32 am). The seismic intensity was recorded at 6+ in Sendai-City making this the strongest in seismic intensity for an aftershock. Several people were injured, but no tsunamis were observed. This aftershock was felt also in Tokyo at a seismic intensity near 4. Over 900 aftershocks have occurred since the 11th. To put this in perspective, Japan usually gets about 300 earthquakes per year, so within the past month, Japan has felt 3 years worth of earthquakes.
Update: 2011/04/07 - 01:30 EDT
Nitrogen injected into First Unit
Tokyo Electric announced that on the evening of the 7th (JST), they started to inject Nitrogen into the first unit (at the Fukushima 1st Nuclear Plant). The injection is to prevent further hydrogen explosions, which may spread large amounts of radiation. For the same reason, Tokyo Electric plans to inject Nitrogen into the second and the third unit as well in the near future.
Fear of radiation rain spreads to Korea
After observing minor increase in radiation in capital city of South Korea, Seoul, schools and kindergartens around the country, close to 100 schools, have had emergency closing in fear of radiation rain.
Death toll at 12,569 as of 10am JST
As of 10:00 am today JST (21:00 pm on the 6th), the National Police Agency reported total confirmed death to be at 12,596. Of the total reported deaths, Miyagi prefecture is reported to have 7,680. Reported missing is at 14,747, of which Miyagi prefecture reported 6,320.
Total reported refugees is currently at 157,895 spread across 2,353 camps in 18 prefectures. In the Kanto region (area including Tokyo), there are 11,154 refugees, where 3,528 are in Saitama prefecture, just north of Tokyo.
Update: 2011/03/25 - 01:10 EDT
Chief Cabinet Secretary advises residents in 20-30 km radius to evacuate
Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano advised today in the morning press conference that residents currently ordered to "evacuate indoors" are now advised to evacuate the area. Edano stated that as residents start to evacuate the area, it is expected that supplies will stop being shipped to within the 30 km radius, making life extremely difficult. Edano also added that there is still the possibility that, depending on the radiation level, people within the 30 km radius may be ordered to evacuate.
Update: 2011/03/24 - 23:00 EDT
Confirmed death rises above 10,000
As of 11:00 JST (22:00 Mar. 24 EDT), the total confirmed death reached above 10,000; of which Miyagi Prefecture confirmed 6,097 deaths. There are 26,548 houses that were recorded as either completely or partially destroyed or burned, or washed away.
Three workers burned by radiation, two were hospitalized
Three workers laying out the cables in the basement of the third unit were burned by radiation after their legs were soaked by water that leaked into their boots. Two of them were diagnosed with Beta ray burns and were transported to Fukushima Prefecture Medical University Hospital, and are to be treated at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Chiba Prefecture.
Workers at Fukushima plant under stressful conditions
Families of the workers at the Fukushima plant said that the workers are under stressful conditions. They get 1 to 2 hours of sleep sitting in chairs, no running water for the toilets, no showers, and their food consists of only power drinks. Despite workers' radiation levels reaching close to the limit before becoming harmful, Tokyo Electric Company has no other option but have their workers continue doing their job.
Update: 2011/03/23 - 18:15 EDT
Confirmed death and Reported missing at 25,617
As of 23:00 on March 22nd (JST - 10:00 on Mar. 22 EDT), National Police Agency reported that total death toll was up to 9,523, and reported missing at 16,094. The reported number of refugees has decreased a bit to 256,714; however those people are suspected to have moved to other parts of Japan, where their relatives and families live.
Earthquake's surface wave circled the earth at least 5 times
The surface wave of the Richter-scale (=magnitude) 9.0 earthquake is said to have circled the earth at least five times. Japan Meteorology Agency's seismological observatory, 700 meters in the ground in Nagano prefecture observed the first wave right after the quake, and two waves, one from the pacific (east), and another from the Asian continent (west), two and a half hours later, indicating the return of the wave generated off the coast of Miyagi. The observatory saw similar waves every two and a half hours, total of five times, excluding the initial wave. Japan Meteorology Agency has 14 workers around the globe observing the earth's seismic activities.
Update: 2011/03/22 - 19:40 EDT
Two M6 level aftershocks this morning
At 7:12 and 7:36 am (JST 6:12 and 6:36pm respectively in EDT), there were two earthquakes that shook as much as seismic intensity of 5+ in Iwaki-city in Fukushima Prefecture. Both quakes had the epicenter in Hamadouri in Fukushima. First one was M6.0, and the second M5.8. The earthquake was felt as far as parts of Ibaraki prefecture, including Tsukuba, where the seismic intensity was a 4.
Caesium detected from Vegetables and tap water
Ministry of Welfare reported that some vegetables, such as broccolis and spinaches grown in Fukushima were detected with Caesium as much as 164 times over the government limit. 35 other vegetables were also detected of having radioactive materials. It is said that the consumers can wash away the materials, but because Caesium 137's halflife is approximately 30 years, government is advising the people to avoid eating those affected vegetables.
Light is back in the central control room of the 3rd unit
Tokyo Electric reported that their central control room for the third unit now has electricity, which is a step forward in their mission to recover the cooling system. However, Tokyo Electric says that they still need to see first, if the control panels will work properly with the cooling system, before the cooling system itself can be fixed. However, by this day, all 6 units have electricity supplied to them, and most have switched back from the emergency diesel power supply to the regular electrical power.
Touhoku Bullet Train expected to be back in service as early as in late April
Department of Transportation said that because the tracks, bridges, and tunnels for the Touhoku Bullet Train did not suffer major damages, the service for the Touhoku Bullet Train is expected to resume as early as sometime in late April. In the past, it took 66 days to resume service after the 2004 earthquake in Niigata area where a train de-railed during the earthquake, and 81 days during the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, where the overpass collapsed.
Update: 2011/03/20 - 13:10 EDT
Confirmed Death toll 8,450
As of 23:00pm on the 20th (JST) - 10:00 am (EDT)
Confirmed Deaths: 8,450 in 12 Prefectures
Iwate Pref.: 2,650
Miyagi Pref.: 5,053
Fukushima Pref.: 691
Tokyo Pref.: 7
Reported Missing: 12,909
Iwate Pref.: 5,023
Miyagi Pref.: 3,413
Fukushima Pref.: 4,468
Timeline of earthquake and aftershocks
Japan Quake Map - You can see how the M9.0 earthquake triggered countless aftershocks.
The Tsunami took down world's biggest jetty
Taro district in the city of Miyako, Iwate Prefecture found their world's biggest jetty taken down after the tsunami stormed through, in a way that made the jetty look like nothing but toys. The double layered jetty, which the town boasted as their "Great Wall" or "Japan's #1 Jetty," stretched 2.4 kilometers, width of 3 meters, and height of 10 meters was built after their town was hit by two tsunamis, one in 1896 and another in 1933 taking a total of 2,770 lives over a period of close to 50 years. This jetty protected every resident when the tsunami all the way from Chile hit in 1960, when there were casualties in other parts of the coast. However, this tsunami tore down close to 500 meters of the outer wall leaving many missing. The disaster left the people without a clue of how to rebuild their tsunami-safe town.
Update: 2011/03/18 - 10:30 EDT
Confirmed Death toll exceeds that of the 1995 Earthquake in Kobe at over 6,911
As of 21:00pm on the 18th (JST) - 8:00 am (EDT)
Confirmed Deaths:
Iwate Pref.: 2223
Miyagi Pref.: 4030
Fukushima Pref.: 602
Reported Missing: 10,754
Iwate Pref.: 4253
Miyagi Pref.: 2214
Fukushima Pref.: 4282
Update: 2011/03/18 - 04:00 EDT
MIT prohibits students from travelling to Japan for MIT-related activities
See article on MIT news office for more information.
Update: 2011/03/17 - 20:20 EDT
Confirmed Death rise over 5,692 as of 11am EDT
Update: 2011/03/16 - 21:15 EDT
JSDF use their choppers to spray the units 3 and 4.
Update: 2011/03/16 - 09:35 EDT
Runways at Matsushima JSDF Base are back in service
The 2,700 meter and 1,500 meter runways at the Matsushima Japanese Self-Defense Force base are back in service. This will increase the variety and the quantity of supplies to send to the victims in the area. The base is in Miyagi Prefecture by the coastline, and was out of service since the tsunami waves came in.
Update: 2011/03/16 - 01:10 EDT
M6.0 earthquake off the coast of Chiba Prefecture
At 12:52 pm on the 16th (23:52 pm 3/15), a seismic intensity of 5- is felt at Choshi, a city near Narita, the biggest international airport in the Tokyo area.
Update: 2011/03/16 - 00:57 EDT
Operation Tomodachi underway outside the coast of the north-eastern region
9 US military ships are just off the coast of the north-eastern region of Japan observing the wind conditions and radioactivity during the Operation Tomodachi (Friend). U.S. Navy's 7th fleet reports that they have delivered 25 tons worth of food and water to the evacuees. 3 ships including U.S.S. Essex carrying U.S. Marines is said to arrive in the area on the 17th (JST).
Update: 2011/03/15 - 23:46 EDT
Scheduled Blackout for the First Sector towns begins
This sector affects the following but not limited to Suginami and Nerima wards in Tokyo Prefecture; Kamakura, Fujisawa, Zama, and Atsugi cities, and parts of Yokohama city, in Kanagawa Prefecture; Kawagoe, Wako, Tokorozawa cities, and parts of Saitama city, in Saitama Prefecture, and Tsukuba-Mirai city in Ibaragi Prefecture. Other prefectures affected are, Tochigi, Chiba, and Shizuoka.
Update: 2011/03/15 - 22:35 EDT
Total Confirmed Death and Missing exceed 8,700; Exceeds that of Disaster in Kobe in 1995
At 9:00 am on the 16th, 5 days after the M9.0 earthquake hit, there have been 4957 confirmed deaths. The combined total of deaths and those missing exceed 8,700, which is more than that of during the Earthquake in Kobe in 1995, making this disaster the worst natural disaster since World War II. Those who cannot be contacted has exceeded 15,000.
Japan has suffered 10 disasters where there were more than 1,000 deaths, since the World War II. In 1896, an earthquake in a similar area killed 22,000, and in 1923, the earthquake in the Kanto region (area including Tokyo) had death toll at approximately 105,000.
Update: 2011/03/15 - 19:35 EDT
Unit 4 of the Fukushima Daiichi in flames again.
4th floor north-west area of the Unit 4 at Fukushima Daiichi has been reported to be on fire. The Fire Department is still planning how to extinguish this fire, as the radiation level at the facility is still around 400 mili Sv/h, a level that is harmful to human body.
Update: 2011/03/15 - 13:40 EDT
Richter scale 6 earthquake at Shizuoka
Approximately 450 kilometers from the M9.0 epicenter, there was an M6.4 at Shizuoka Prefecture at 22:30pm (9:31 3/15 EDT). It is said that there is a possibility that these M6 level earthquakes in Nagano, Niigata, and Shizuoka may have been triggered by the M9 earthquake. The Hamaoka nuclear plant near the epicenter is said to be in good condition.
Update: 2011/03/15 - 08:30 EDT
Radiation in Tokyo area increased by about 40 times
The level has decreased within minutes, and is said to not be harmful, as it is less than one fiftieth of that from one x-ray.
Update: 2011/03/15 - 07:40 EDT
Total Confirmed Death Toll exceeds 3,000
Number of reported missing is over 15,000.
Update: 2011/03/15 - 00:30 EDT
Fire at Unit 4 is said to be extinguished by US Military
U.S. military is said to have been working on extinguishing the fire at Unit 4 of the Daiichi Nuclear Plant.
Update: 2011/03/14 - 23:46 EDT
Confirmed Death Toll at 20:00 JST (7:00am EST today) at 1,898
Fuji News Network reports that confirmed death toll in the 13 prefectures affected by the disaster is at 1,898 as of 20:00 on the 14th local time. Those reported missing rise to 2,946. In addition, there have been well over 2,400 unconfirmed bodies found in the area, and the total number of those dead and missing exceed 7,200. Nippon Housou Kyoku (NHK - Japanese national broadcasting station) reports that there are 450,000 refugees in over 2,000 camps.
Update: 2011/03/14 - 22:31 EDT
Kan Prime Minister explains to the Nation about the plants
Fourth unit also in danger.
Prime Minister ordered all people 20km from the Daiichi Nuclear Plant to evacuate the area (People have started to evacuate already, however, made it an order). People between 20km to 30km are ordered to stay indoors. P.M. Kan thanks the Tokyo Electricity workers for their effort by putting their lives at risk for the nation.
Edano Chief Cabinet Secretary explains that the fourth unit is on fire (not in any critical condition), and that the radiation detected near the plant is at most 400 mili Sv/h, noting the difference in the suffix from micro to mili, which is a value that can cause harm to human body. He requests for everyone in the 30km area to evacuate, unless they are in their homes.
400 mili Sv/h is said to decrease the white blood cell count, and to cause sterilization.
Second Unit at Daiichi Nuclear Plant explodes.
There have been reports from the Tokyo Electricity to the government that there seems to have been an explosion at the second unit at 6:14 am on the 15th (17:14pm on the 14th EDT). It is said that the suppression pool may have been damaged. At the gate of the Daiichi Plant, they have recorded a radiation level of 965 micro Sv/h at 7am, which is approximately equal to a year's worth of radiation you would get in an hour. However, at 8:31 am (19:31pm 3/14 EDT), they have recorded 8217 micro Sv/h. Wind at the Daiichi Nuclear Plant is flowing in the South-West direction at 1.5 m/s.
Update: 2011/03/14 - 14:29 EDT
Second Unit at Daiichi Plant has a very high chance of nuclear meltdown.
The entire nuclear fuel rod is exposed from the water making the chance of the nuclear meltdown extremely high. To decrease the pressure of the unit, around two hours ago (few minutes after midnight of March 15 JST) they have released the steam containing high concentration of radioactive material into the air. This second unit's cooling system went down 13:25 on the 14th (0:25am 3/14 EDT) and has been in state of emergency.
Update: 2011/03/14 - 00:12 EDT
11 injured due to the explosion
Minami-Sanriku, Miyagi Prefecture finds approximately one thousand corpses. Yamamoto-cho also finds countless amounts of corpses.
Update: 2011/03/13 - 22:45 EDT
Third Unit of Fukushima Daiichi has a hydrogen explosion.
Text to Donate
Following places are taking donations for $10 by billing to your cell phone bill:
Update: 2011/03/13 - 18:30 EDT
Confirmed Death tolls
Update: 2011/03/13 - 18:05 EDT
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake 130 kilometers off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture hit on 14:45 on Friday March 11th (00:45 Friday March 11th, EST) causing tsunami as high as 7.9 meters to crash on to the coastline within the first half hour in Miyagi, Aomori, Fukushima, and Hokkaido Prefectures. The earthquake which shook as hard as seismic intensity 7 was felt as far down south as Kyushu over 1000 kilometers (over 600 miles) away from the epicenter. Tokyo, which is about 300 kilometers (approx. 200 miles) away from the epicenter, felt a seismic intensity of 5 causing Butane tanks to explode, and crashing a building.
In Miyagi Prefecture, waves reached as far inland as 5 kilometers wiping out everything on the way. The Miyagi Prefecture estimates that the casualty of this disaster will exceed 10,000. In addition, there are three nuclear plants in danger of nuclear meltdowns; one of which exploded on Saturday. With the lack of power supply, Japan is planning a major rotation power-outage in the entire region (including majority of Tokyo), causing cancellations in transportation. There are still over 30,000 people in evacuation camps, and over 1,000 missing.
image source: Japan Meteorology Agency, UStream.tv (NHK mirror)
news source: Asahi Shimbun, FNN, Reuters, Mainichi, Nippon Housou Kyoku (NHK), National Police Agency.
Alias: 東日本大震災 (Higashi Nihon Dai Shinsai) - East Japan Earthquake Disaster
Update: 2011/04/21 - 16:00 EDT
20km radius of Fukushima Daiichi under Warning Zone
The following cities have now entered a state of Warning Zone (as of April 22nd - April 21st 11:00):
- Tomioka-Machi
- Futaba-Machi
- Ōkuma-Machi
- Namie-Machi
- Kawauchi-Cho
- Naraha-Machi
- Minami-Souma-City
- Tamura-City
- Katsurao-Village
Evacuation was ordered by the Prime Minister and the Chief Officer of the Nuclear Power Plant Disaster Committee under the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness (Heisei 11 - 1999 No. 156) Section 28 Article 2, which sets the Warning Zone as per Section 63 Article 1 of the General Acts on Measures Concerning Disasters (Showa 36 - 1961 No. 223), allowing only those who are working to resolve the state of emergency to enter the towns under warning to enter the zone. The mayors of the towns included in the zone will force all residents to evacuate, and will not allow anyone to enter, unless temporary permission is issued.
**********************************
Update: 2011/04/21 - 10:30 EDT
Strong earthquake east of Tokyo
A magnitude 6.0 aftershock hit about an hour ago east of Tokyo in Asahi, Chiba. Asahi-City observed a seismic intensity of 5-. Parts of Tokyo felt an intensity of 3.
**********************************
Update: 2011/04/15 - 22:28 EDT
Strong earthquake northeast of Tokyo - 11 minutes ago
There was a strong earthquake centered around southern Ibaraki prefecture at April 16th 11:19 JST (April 15th 22:19 EDT). Seismic intensity at southern Ibaraki was 5+. Parts of Metropolitan Tokyo felt a level 4, which is around how strong it shook on March 11th during the main earthquake.
**********************************
Update: 2011/04/13 - 19:50 EDT
Nuclear Reactor - INES Level 7
The Japanese government raised the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) to Level 7, a level that matches that of Chernobyl Disaster. The Japanese government has been considering raising the INES to Level 7 since late last month.
**********************************
Update: 2011/04/11 - 02:17 EDT
Strong aftershock in Chiba and Fukushima 9 minutes ago
Seismic intensity is said to be around 5- or 4 in certain areas around Chiba prefecture. [Update: 19:32 - Magnitude at 6.3].
There was also another M5.5 earthquake in Central Japan in Nagano at 7:26 am on the 12th (18:26 EDT on the 11th), where the seismic intensity was at most 5-.
Earlier that day, a magnitude 7.0 aftershock hit Hama-douri in Fukushima at 17:16 (11th at 4:16 am EDT), where Iwaki-city, Fukushima and Hokota-city, Ibaraki felt a seismic intensity of 6-. Within that 10 minute period, there were 3 aftershocks, one with seismic intensity of 6-, and two with 5-. By midnight of the 12th, there were 30 total aftershocks. 1 high-school girl died, 3 injured, and 1 more person is said to be buried after a 3 story building collapsed due to a landslide.
**********************************
Update: 2011/04/08 - 02:10 EDT
Original Earthquake moved the plates SE 55 meters, raised 5 meters
Earthquake Research Institute at the Tokyo University said that the main quake (on March 11th) had shifted the plates which Japan sits on by 55 meters southeast-ward. The area of the plate that moved is around 200 km off the coast of Miyagi prefecture, and spreads as wide as 55 km latidutinal and 160 km longitudinal. Research lab at Tohoku University also has claimed that the plate in the area also rose by 5 meters from the quake. These two enormous movements combined were factors that led to the massive tsunami waves.
Even after the tsunami waves pulled back out, there are still areas along the coast where there are still water left. Some reports say that the ground in those areas may have sunk by about 1 meter, making it below sea-level. This means that some parts of land has potentially turned into a part of the Pacific Ocean.
**********************************
Update: 2011/04/07 - 16:30 EDT
M7.4 aftershock off the coast of Miyagi
Third strongest (in magnitude) aftershock since the main quake on the 11th hit off the coast of Miyagi prefecture at 23:32 today (JST - 10:32 am). The seismic intensity was recorded at 6+ in Sendai-City making this the strongest in seismic intensity for an aftershock. Several people were injured, but no tsunamis were observed. This aftershock was felt also in Tokyo at a seismic intensity near 4. Over 900 aftershocks have occurred since the 11th. To put this in perspective, Japan usually gets about 300 earthquakes per year, so within the past month, Japan has felt 3 years worth of earthquakes.
**********************************
Update: 2011/04/07 - 01:30 EDT
Nitrogen injected into First Unit
Tokyo Electric announced that on the evening of the 7th (JST), they started to inject Nitrogen into the first unit (at the Fukushima 1st Nuclear Plant). The injection is to prevent further hydrogen explosions, which may spread large amounts of radiation. For the same reason, Tokyo Electric plans to inject Nitrogen into the second and the third unit as well in the near future.
Fear of radiation rain spreads to Korea
After observing minor increase in radiation in capital city of South Korea, Seoul, schools and kindergartens around the country, close to 100 schools, have had emergency closing in fear of radiation rain.
Death toll at 12,569 as of 10am JST
As of 10:00 am today JST (21:00 pm on the 6th), the National Police Agency reported total confirmed death to be at 12,596. Of the total reported deaths, Miyagi prefecture is reported to have 7,680. Reported missing is at 14,747, of which Miyagi prefecture reported 6,320.
Total reported refugees is currently at 157,895 spread across 2,353 camps in 18 prefectures. In the Kanto region (area including Tokyo), there are 11,154 refugees, where 3,528 are in Saitama prefecture, just north of Tokyo.
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Update: 2011/03/25 - 01:10 EDT
Chief Cabinet Secretary advises residents in 20-30 km radius to evacuate
Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano advised today in the morning press conference that residents currently ordered to "evacuate indoors" are now advised to evacuate the area. Edano stated that as residents start to evacuate the area, it is expected that supplies will stop being shipped to within the 30 km radius, making life extremely difficult. Edano also added that there is still the possibility that, depending on the radiation level, people within the 30 km radius may be ordered to evacuate.
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Update: 2011/03/24 - 23:00 EDT
Confirmed death rises above 10,000
As of 11:00 JST (22:00 Mar. 24 EDT), the total confirmed death reached above 10,000; of which Miyagi Prefecture confirmed 6,097 deaths. There are 26,548 houses that were recorded as either completely or partially destroyed or burned, or washed away.
Three workers burned by radiation, two were hospitalized
Three workers laying out the cables in the basement of the third unit were burned by radiation after their legs were soaked by water that leaked into their boots. Two of them were diagnosed with Beta ray burns and were transported to Fukushima Prefecture Medical University Hospital, and are to be treated at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Chiba Prefecture.
Workers at Fukushima plant under stressful conditions
Families of the workers at the Fukushima plant said that the workers are under stressful conditions. They get 1 to 2 hours of sleep sitting in chairs, no running water for the toilets, no showers, and their food consists of only power drinks. Despite workers' radiation levels reaching close to the limit before becoming harmful, Tokyo Electric Company has no other option but have their workers continue doing their job.
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Update: 2011/03/23 - 18:15 EDT
Confirmed death and Reported missing at 25,617
As of 23:00 on March 22nd (JST - 10:00 on Mar. 22 EDT), National Police Agency reported that total death toll was up to 9,523, and reported missing at 16,094. The reported number of refugees has decreased a bit to 256,714; however those people are suspected to have moved to other parts of Japan, where their relatives and families live.
Earthquake's surface wave circled the earth at least 5 times
The surface wave of the Richter-scale (=magnitude) 9.0 earthquake is said to have circled the earth at least five times. Japan Meteorology Agency's seismological observatory, 700 meters in the ground in Nagano prefecture observed the first wave right after the quake, and two waves, one from the pacific (east), and another from the Asian continent (west), two and a half hours later, indicating the return of the wave generated off the coast of Miyagi. The observatory saw similar waves every two and a half hours, total of five times, excluding the initial wave. Japan Meteorology Agency has 14 workers around the globe observing the earth's seismic activities.
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Update: 2011/03/22 - 19:40 EDT
Two M6 level aftershocks this morning
At 7:12 and 7:36 am (JST 6:12 and 6:36pm respectively in EDT), there were two earthquakes that shook as much as seismic intensity of 5+ in Iwaki-city in Fukushima Prefecture. Both quakes had the epicenter in Hamadouri in Fukushima. First one was M6.0, and the second M5.8. The earthquake was felt as far as parts of Ibaraki prefecture, including Tsukuba, where the seismic intensity was a 4.
Caesium detected from Vegetables and tap water
Ministry of Welfare reported that some vegetables, such as broccolis and spinaches grown in Fukushima were detected with Caesium as much as 164 times over the government limit. 35 other vegetables were also detected of having radioactive materials. It is said that the consumers can wash away the materials, but because Caesium 137's halflife is approximately 30 years, government is advising the people to avoid eating those affected vegetables.
Light is back in the central control room of the 3rd unit
Tokyo Electric reported that their central control room for the third unit now has electricity, which is a step forward in their mission to recover the cooling system. However, Tokyo Electric says that they still need to see first, if the control panels will work properly with the cooling system, before the cooling system itself can be fixed. However, by this day, all 6 units have electricity supplied to them, and most have switched back from the emergency diesel power supply to the regular electrical power.
Touhoku Bullet Train expected to be back in service as early as in late April
Department of Transportation said that because the tracks, bridges, and tunnels for the Touhoku Bullet Train did not suffer major damages, the service for the Touhoku Bullet Train is expected to resume as early as sometime in late April. In the past, it took 66 days to resume service after the 2004 earthquake in Niigata area where a train de-railed during the earthquake, and 81 days during the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, where the overpass collapsed.
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Update: 2011/03/20 - 13:10 EDT
Confirmed Death toll 8,450
As of 23:00pm on the 20th (JST) - 10:00 am (EDT)
Confirmed Deaths: 8,450 in 12 Prefectures
Iwate Pref.: 2,650
Miyagi Pref.: 5,053
Fukushima Pref.: 691
Tokyo Pref.: 7
Reported Missing: 12,909
Iwate Pref.: 5,023
Miyagi Pref.: 3,413
Fukushima Pref.: 4,468
Timeline of earthquake and aftershocks
Japan Quake Map - You can see how the M9.0 earthquake triggered countless aftershocks.
The Tsunami took down world's biggest jetty
Taro district in the city of Miyako, Iwate Prefecture found their world's biggest jetty taken down after the tsunami stormed through, in a way that made the jetty look like nothing but toys. The double layered jetty, which the town boasted as their "Great Wall" or "Japan's #1 Jetty," stretched 2.4 kilometers, width of 3 meters, and height of 10 meters was built after their town was hit by two tsunamis, one in 1896 and another in 1933 taking a total of 2,770 lives over a period of close to 50 years. This jetty protected every resident when the tsunami all the way from Chile hit in 1960, when there were casualties in other parts of the coast. However, this tsunami tore down close to 500 meters of the outer wall leaving many missing. The disaster left the people without a clue of how to rebuild their tsunami-safe town.
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Update: 2011/03/18 - 10:30 EDT
Confirmed Death toll exceeds that of the 1995 Earthquake in Kobe at over 6,911
As of 21:00pm on the 18th (JST) - 8:00 am (EDT)
Confirmed Deaths:
Iwate Pref.: 2223
Miyagi Pref.: 4030
Fukushima Pref.: 602
Reported Missing: 10,754
Iwate Pref.: 4253
Miyagi Pref.: 2214
Fukushima Pref.: 4282
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Update: 2011/03/18 - 04:00 EDT
MIT prohibits students from travelling to Japan for MIT-related activities
See article on MIT news office for more information.
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Update: 2011/03/17 - 20:20 EDT
Confirmed Death rise over 5,692 as of 11am EDT
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Update: 2011/03/16 - 21:15 EDT
JSDF use their choppers to spray the units 3 and 4.
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Update: 2011/03/16 - 09:35 EDT
Runways at Matsushima JSDF Base are back in service
The 2,700 meter and 1,500 meter runways at the Matsushima Japanese Self-Defense Force base are back in service. This will increase the variety and the quantity of supplies to send to the victims in the area. The base is in Miyagi Prefecture by the coastline, and was out of service since the tsunami waves came in.
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Update: 2011/03/16 - 01:10 EDT
M6.0 earthquake off the coast of Chiba Prefecture
At 12:52 pm on the 16th (23:52 pm 3/15), a seismic intensity of 5- is felt at Choshi, a city near Narita, the biggest international airport in the Tokyo area.
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Update: 2011/03/16 - 00:57 EDT
Operation Tomodachi underway outside the coast of the north-eastern region
9 US military ships are just off the coast of the north-eastern region of Japan observing the wind conditions and radioactivity during the Operation Tomodachi (Friend). U.S. Navy's 7th fleet reports that they have delivered 25 tons worth of food and water to the evacuees. 3 ships including U.S.S. Essex carrying U.S. Marines is said to arrive in the area on the 17th (JST).
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Update: 2011/03/15 - 23:46 EDT
Scheduled Blackout for the First Sector towns begins
This sector affects the following but not limited to Suginami and Nerima wards in Tokyo Prefecture; Kamakura, Fujisawa, Zama, and Atsugi cities, and parts of Yokohama city, in Kanagawa Prefecture; Kawagoe, Wako, Tokorozawa cities, and parts of Saitama city, in Saitama Prefecture, and Tsukuba-Mirai city in Ibaragi Prefecture. Other prefectures affected are, Tochigi, Chiba, and Shizuoka.
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Update: 2011/03/15 - 22:35 EDT
Total Confirmed Death and Missing exceed 8,700; Exceeds that of Disaster in Kobe in 1995
At 9:00 am on the 16th, 5 days after the M9.0 earthquake hit, there have been 4957 confirmed deaths. The combined total of deaths and those missing exceed 8,700, which is more than that of during the Earthquake in Kobe in 1995, making this disaster the worst natural disaster since World War II. Those who cannot be contacted has exceeded 15,000.
Japan has suffered 10 disasters where there were more than 1,000 deaths, since the World War II. In 1896, an earthquake in a similar area killed 22,000, and in 1923, the earthquake in the Kanto region (area including Tokyo) had death toll at approximately 105,000.
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Update: 2011/03/15 - 19:35 EDT
Unit 4 of the Fukushima Daiichi in flames again.
4th floor north-west area of the Unit 4 at Fukushima Daiichi has been reported to be on fire. The Fire Department is still planning how to extinguish this fire, as the radiation level at the facility is still around 400 mili Sv/h, a level that is harmful to human body.
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Update: 2011/03/15 - 13:40 EDT
Richter scale 6 earthquake at Shizuoka
Approximately 450 kilometers from the M9.0 epicenter, there was an M6.4 at Shizuoka Prefecture at 22:30pm (9:31 3/15 EDT). It is said that there is a possibility that these M6 level earthquakes in Nagano, Niigata, and Shizuoka may have been triggered by the M9 earthquake. The Hamaoka nuclear plant near the epicenter is said to be in good condition.
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Update: 2011/03/15 - 08:30 EDT
Radiation in Tokyo area increased by about 40 times
The level has decreased within minutes, and is said to not be harmful, as it is less than one fiftieth of that from one x-ray.
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Update: 2011/03/15 - 07:40 EDT
Total Confirmed Death Toll exceeds 3,000
Number of reported missing is over 15,000.
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Update: 2011/03/15 - 00:30 EDT
Fire at Unit 4 is said to be extinguished by US Military
U.S. military is said to have been working on extinguishing the fire at Unit 4 of the Daiichi Nuclear Plant.
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Update: 2011/03/14 - 23:46 EDT
Confirmed Death Toll at 20:00 JST (7:00am EST today) at 1,898
Fuji News Network reports that confirmed death toll in the 13 prefectures affected by the disaster is at 1,898 as of 20:00 on the 14th local time. Those reported missing rise to 2,946. In addition, there have been well over 2,400 unconfirmed bodies found in the area, and the total number of those dead and missing exceed 7,200. Nippon Housou Kyoku (NHK - Japanese national broadcasting station) reports that there are 450,000 refugees in over 2,000 camps.
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Update: 2011/03/14 - 22:31 EDT
Kan Prime Minister explains to the Nation about the plants
Fourth unit also in danger.
Prime Minister ordered all people 20km from the Daiichi Nuclear Plant to evacuate the area (People have started to evacuate already, however, made it an order). People between 20km to 30km are ordered to stay indoors. P.M. Kan thanks the Tokyo Electricity workers for their effort by putting their lives at risk for the nation.
Edano Chief Cabinet Secretary explains that the fourth unit is on fire (not in any critical condition), and that the radiation detected near the plant is at most 400 mili Sv/h, noting the difference in the suffix from micro to mili, which is a value that can cause harm to human body. He requests for everyone in the 30km area to evacuate, unless they are in their homes.
400 mili Sv/h is said to decrease the white blood cell count, and to cause sterilization.
Second Unit at Daiichi Nuclear Plant explodes.
There have been reports from the Tokyo Electricity to the government that there seems to have been an explosion at the second unit at 6:14 am on the 15th (17:14pm on the 14th EDT). It is said that the suppression pool may have been damaged. At the gate of the Daiichi Plant, they have recorded a radiation level of 965 micro Sv/h at 7am, which is approximately equal to a year's worth of radiation you would get in an hour. However, at 8:31 am (19:31pm 3/14 EDT), they have recorded 8217 micro Sv/h. Wind at the Daiichi Nuclear Plant is flowing in the South-West direction at 1.5 m/s.
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Update: 2011/03/14 - 14:29 EDT
Second Unit at Daiichi Plant has a very high chance of nuclear meltdown.
The entire nuclear fuel rod is exposed from the water making the chance of the nuclear meltdown extremely high. To decrease the pressure of the unit, around two hours ago (few minutes after midnight of March 15 JST) they have released the steam containing high concentration of radioactive material into the air. This second unit's cooling system went down 13:25 on the 14th (0:25am 3/14 EDT) and has been in state of emergency.
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Update: 2011/03/14 - 00:12 EDT
11 injured due to the explosion
Minami-Sanriku, Miyagi Prefecture finds approximately one thousand corpses. Yamamoto-cho also finds countless amounts of corpses.
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Update: 2011/03/13 - 22:45 EDT
Third Unit of Fukushima Daiichi has a hydrogen explosion.
Text to Donate
Following places are taking donations for $10 by billing to your cell phone bill:
- American Red Cross: text 'REDCROSS' to 90999
- Convoy for Hope: text 'TSUNAMI' to 50555
- Global Giving: text 'JAPAN to 50555
- World Relief Corp of National Association of Evangelicals: text 'WAVE' to 50555
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Update: 2011/03/13 - 18:30 EDT
Confirmed Death tolls
- Miyagi Pref.: 643
- Iwate Pref.: 500
- Fukushima Pref.: 401
- 313,396 people in 1848 location
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Update: 2011/03/13 - 18:05 EDT
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake 130 kilometers off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture hit on 14:45 on Friday March 11th (00:45 Friday March 11th, EST) causing tsunami as high as 7.9 meters to crash on to the coastline within the first half hour in Miyagi, Aomori, Fukushima, and Hokkaido Prefectures. The earthquake which shook as hard as seismic intensity 7 was felt as far down south as Kyushu over 1000 kilometers (over 600 miles) away from the epicenter. Tokyo, which is about 300 kilometers (approx. 200 miles) away from the epicenter, felt a seismic intensity of 5 causing Butane tanks to explode, and crashing a building.
In Miyagi Prefecture, waves reached as far inland as 5 kilometers wiping out everything on the way. The Miyagi Prefecture estimates that the casualty of this disaster will exceed 10,000. In addition, there are three nuclear plants in danger of nuclear meltdowns; one of which exploded on Saturday. With the lack of power supply, Japan is planning a major rotation power-outage in the entire region (including majority of Tokyo), causing cancellations in transportation. There are still over 30,000 people in evacuation camps, and over 1,000 missing.
image source: Japan Meteorology Agency, UStream.tv (NHK mirror)
news source: Asahi Shimbun, FNN, Reuters, Mainichi, Nippon Housou Kyoku (NHK), National Police Agency.
