Posted on by Willem

Japan One Year After 3.11

Sunday on Japan’s NHK World TV was dedicated to extensive coverage of the first anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami of March 11 last year. It made for a somber day to watch some of it. Isn’t the first anniversary is the most celebrated for happy events, and the most traumatic for disasters? (Yes).  As for the nuclear industry there, the situation of running only 2 nuclear reactors out of 54 is unsustainable.  It is costing utility companies billions of dollars to import gas, oil or coal to burn to make up the lost electricity, and they have not yet been allowed by the government to raise rates for consumers.

Here is the link for the interactive Fukushima radiation map (last picture).   http://jciv.iidj.net/map/fukushima/, a compilation of readings done on 6 and 7 July 2011.  I couldn’t immediately find a more recent update on-line.

Only TWO of the country's 54 nuclear reactors are currently in operation - and even those might be shut down by the end of April.
A segment of the 9 o'clock news every night the last week was dedicated to 3.11 reports.
This was the only tree of a centuries-old pine forest by the sea at Rikuzentakata that survived. But now there are reports that it is dying because of the salty water in the ground.
I think this diagram shows the height of the tsunami waves that hit the coast.
.. snd this one shows that 530 km (330 mi) of coast line was hit.
I'm not sure where this is - but it shows a vast surface area that was under water.
This is inside a theater in Tokyo on Sunday. Japanese Emperor Akihito, 22 days after heart bypass surgery, stood with everyone inside for a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m.
This is at one of many lookout points over the sea where the public could come and place flowers and remember the people that were lost. The boy grabbed the microphone as soon as he held it toward the mom to answer a question.
Tens of thousands of people still cannot go back to their homes in the Fukushima area due to concerns over radiation levels there.
This is on the pier and seawall of one of the many coastal communities where an alarm was sounded at exactly the same time as when the tsunami struck last year.
This is one of many survivor's tales. This guy was first swept inward by the water, and then out to sea ..
.. and here he shows how he sat on a large piece of floating debris until he was saved.

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