It Sounds Like a Japanese Sci-Fi Movie - An "Ice Wall" to Sequester Fukushima

The Japanese government claims it will build a wall of frozen soil to surround the Fukushima nuclear plant and, it's hoped, prevent radioactive cooling water from leaking.

Shafts will be drilled into the ice wall to a depth of 27 metres through which coolant will be circulated to freeze the soil.

Typhoon Heading for Fukushima?

A major typhoon is barreling toward Japan.  Typhoon Ma-on is expected to make landfall around noon Sunday.   It's path, shown above, indicates it will hit Tokyo and, just past that along that path, lies Fukushima Prefecture.

According to the Saffir-Simpson damage scale the potential property damage and flooding from a storm ofMa-on'sstrength (category 4)at landfall includes:

• Storm surge generally 4.0-5.5 metres (13-18 feet) above normal.
• Curtainwall failures with some complete roof structure failures on small residences.
• Shrubs, trees, and all signs are blown down.
• Complete destruction of mobile homes.
• Extensive damage to doors and windows.
• Low-lying escape routes may be cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the centre of the storm.
• Major damage to lower floors of structures near the shore.
• Terrain lower than 3 metres (10 feet) above sea level may be flooded requiring massive evacuation of residential areas as far inland as 10 km (6 miles).

This is from reader Chuck's tip, Weather Underground

 

 

The map above is the predicted path of Ma-On next week.  It shows the typhoon could be at category 3 strength pretty much directly over Fukushima by Wednesday.

Now There's a Clever Thought

 

Those Japanese are just so damned smart!

Taking a page out of the Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster, Japanese authorities have decided that other reactors must pass a tsunami test before reopening.   Brilliant!  Why didn't they think of that before?

The tests will examine the reactors' ability to withstand natural onslaughts of far greater force than previously factored into safety checks.

They will, for example, examine their ability to withstand an unusually severe event similar to the magnitude-9 earthquake and 15m tsunami that knocked out back-up generators at Fukushima Daiichi, leading to core meltdowns in three reactors.

What Really Happened at Fukushima

The Guardian has published a series of photographs of the tsunami inundating Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant.   Here are four of them showing just what occurred inside the plant:

It's pretty easy from these to gauge the massive amount of seawater that slammed into the plant, carrying cars and debris that smashed critical pipes and even broke down walls.