Oh there is definitely a difference with Katrina and what is happening here in Japan. It only took 1 day and New Orleans as in total civil unrest and looting was widespread. Looting has not happened here in Japan and the people here have calmly waited for supplies. Supplies are short and people are existing on ramen noodles and rice if they can cook it.
The picture I attached shows the line that people were in waiting hours for water. The water truck ran out before everyone was served and they were waiting for the next shipment that may take several more hours. Notice the order...this is 4 days later. In actuality, the JASDF may have to start opening up stores that potentially have food in them to distribute, because the people may not do it on their own until it is almost too late.
Japan Nuclear Power Plant Disaster (Hover)
They have ordered the evacation with a radius of 20km and that will make sure there is no issue for those that heed warning and most all are with the help of the JASDF. However, the people left to work around the plant and cleanup groups have been tested for radiation to be sure that the exposure is within limits. So far, there has been no need for anything like radiation pills.
However, I am not sure about those injured (believe 11 people at the plant) in the latest blast that had a short severe spike in radiation.
Based on what you are saying the Japanese have this situation contained. In that case it is just a waiting scenario to see if they can get the reactors under control because the only thing they cannot stop is a cloud of radiation traveling through the air because that can go anywhere.
From what I have heard and the people I have talked with, it is a balancing act of pressure and core cooling. They need to keep the water level sufficiently high enough in the reactor to cool the core but they have to vent the pressure off periodically because the core is just too hot right now. A question that I have asked someone but haven't gotten an answer to is if the core gets so hot that it is close to critical (complete melt down and explosion like Chernobyl) would it be better to just open the vent continuously and pour the sea water into the reactor and just accept the release rather than a explosion like Chernobyl. If that is the case...who can make this call to release what will be a lot of radioactive material in the sky and how quick with they act?
What the people I have talked with seem confident about is that a Chernobyl doesnt seem likely and that it will be more like a 3-Mile Island episode with a release.
All that said, I just read that the 4th line now at the plant has a fire (not an explosion).
Sorry...just read that the fire at the 4th line has been put out and that it was believed to be a hydrogen fire like the ones off of lines 1 and 3. The only difference is that it wasnt an explosion and was just a fire.
Edited: Vincenzo on 15th Mar, 2011 - 3:25am
I read some of those 'ideas' as well and did not bring it up because it was a bit much considering what Japan is going through, but we do have a Thread about the kind of technology that can cause that: HAARP - Should We Be Afraid?
I would just leave anything claiming conspiracy directly in the rumour trash can. The reactor was built to take a strike of I believe 7...it survived that. However, what I can say is the Japanese (because my company is reviewing all our proceedures now) have very good construction and procedures for quakes...what they don't have is anything really planned for tsunami other than just giving a warning. We are reviewing all our procedures since I can see the beach from the lunch room as it is only a few hundred meters away.
The earthquake itself didn't cause the damage directly. It just made the tsunami that took out the diesel generators that is directly responsible. That was the one part of the contingency planning that they didn't full consider because they believed nothing would get passed the sea wall.
It always amazes me how quickly we can develope all these conspiracies for anything that happens. The fact is if you study Japan's earthquake history, they have these events periodically. The area I am in will have a earthquake in the relatively near future that will be a level 7 or higher as it has one every 150 to 200 years. Additionally, Japan wouldn't even exists if this activity didn't happen.