# Large earthquake in Northeast Japan **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 11, 2011, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279 "2011-03-11T06:10:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/462 "2011-03-15T18:35:51Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > Can someone explain to me what staying inside will do to avoid radiation exposure? It’s in the air, right? So unless your house is made of lead or has a self-contained ventilation system, I don’t understand how being inside helps anything. Maybe I’m just not getting how radiation works. There are two physical sorts of radiation exposure. One is the “pure” radiation itself. Think of it as light or sound. Well, get in your house, and its going to be a bit quiter or darker isnt it? While you are exposed to it and the longer you are exposed to it, the greater your chances that you will get cancer over the course of your lifetime. Now these levels can range from “0.01 percent greater than normal chance of getting cancer over your lifetime” to dead within a few day (note, that except for the people right at the plant, the danger is more towards the 0.01 percent end of the spectrum than the “your gonna die soon” end). But when the radiation source is turned off or removed, thats it. You just live your life normally and roll the dice as to whether you end up getting cancer or not. The other type of exposure is to the physical SOURCE of the radiation. Take for example a small dust particle of a radioactive material. If you breath it in, or ingest it or it gets working into your skin say, that little radioactive particle could end up staying in your body for years. And generally, thats the more dangerous way to be exposed to “radiation” because that little particle has years and years to keep causing possible damage. Now, if you’ve possibly got stuff like radioactive dust/debris floating around in the air, the best and simplest way to minimize your exposure to it is to stay indoors right? Yeah, it won’t be like being in a lead lined clean room, but it will cut your exposure level way down. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/463 "2011-03-15T19:01:46Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > They are down to a volunteer crew at the plants pulling a Spock (as in _Wrath of Khan_) trying to prevent the bigger disaster. What I read was almost all personnel are gone now and that would indicate the remaining crew will be exceeding any safe dosage before they are done and clearly they must know what they are doing. I hope they are making their sacrifice in a successful heroic act. They will probably live long enough to be properly lauded for it at least. Yeah, I’ve been thinking about those guys since this started. Those are your heroes. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/464 "2011-03-15T19:02:24Z")
The video I posted a few days ago is now on youtube: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7MR7u8xSr-8/maxresdefault.jpg "Japan Tsunami Footage 2011") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MR7u8xSr-8) ---
**Author:** ![Headrush042](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/465 "2011-03-15T19:34:27Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > I was wondering if people would be less likely to donate to Japan relief because Japan is a rich country, sure enough there was an article about it that there has been less money donated than for Haiti or Post-Katrina. Yes, Japan is rich but something on this scale is going to drain resources and people and I don’t see how they can do this on their own. Yesterday, my company notified us employees that they would match up to $100,000 in donations to the ACR specifically for this disaster. As of this morning, we were about halfway there (~20,000ish employees). I have nothing to compare this to, so I have no idea whether this is a good effort or if it’s really quite anemic, but from where I’m sitting it sure sounds nice! ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/466 "2011-03-15T19:36:42Z")
> [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](#): > > The video I posted a few days ago is now on youtube: > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MR7u8xSr-8](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MR7u8xSr-8) God, what happened to the people standing in the rubble at the very end? ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/467 "2011-03-15T20:13:31Z")
In regards to the passports, see if they can get them renewed. They might expedite the process given what’s going on. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/468 "2011-03-15T20:37:12Z")
> [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](#): > > The video I posted a few days ago is now on youtube: > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MR7u8xSr-8](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MR7u8xSr-8) It’s also running on CNN ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/469 "2011-03-15T20:53:54Z")
The Navy is picking up elevated levels of radiation 200 miles out. At what point are they going to admit it’s already hit the fan. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/470 "2011-03-15T21:29:58Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The Navy is picking up elevated levels of radiation 200 miles out. At what point are they going to admit it’s already hit the fan. They won’t until much, much later and they’ll start the statement with “In hindsight”. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/471 "2011-03-15T21:47:44Z")
the navy has decided to relocate to the other side of the island according to news i heard. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/472 "2011-03-15T23:57:05Z")
Are geologists making any progress at all in learning how to accurately predict earthquakes by more than a few minutes? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/473 "2011-03-16T00:00:15Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Bear in mind, this isn’t like the earthquake in Haiti. Japan is rich, modern, fully industrialized country with highly efficient emergency-response services and, I have no doubt, very proficient demolition and construction industries, and a very strong social fabric. Foreign help helps, but the Japanese have **got** this, there’s nothing fixable about it that they can’t fix themselves. In less than week the complete death toll will be known and all survivors rescued and all the injured treated. In a few months all of the displaced will have been more or less settled somewhere semipermanent – and have an easier time of it than displaced New Orleanians had after Katrina. In a year or two all the debris will have been cleared/scavenged away, and plans being laid for the new Sendai. This is Japan, habitable land is too valuable not to use. And now the site is like, pre-earthquaked, as Garp might put it. N.B.: The above predictions are based on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant **not** going full Chernobyl, he weaseled. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/474 "2011-03-16T00:10:18Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > I was wondering if people would be less likely to donate to Japan relief because Japan is a rich country . . . More importantly, because it is a rich **rival** country. An economic competitor that not so long ago left America standing. Not so much recently, but I’m sure there are still some resentments. Like, if they’re so efficient and hardworking, let them clean up their own messes! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/475 "2011-03-16T00:16:51Z")
Commentator – nuke expert? – on CNN says the Japanese have dealt with the NIMBY problem by building fewer plants but more reactors in each. In this case, six (where an American plant would have only one or two). Which now presents a different kind of problem. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/476 "2011-03-16T00:18:19Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > N.B.: The above predictions are based on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant **not** going full Chernobyl, he weaseled. You know, Japan IS the country that rebuilt two cities leveled by atomic bombs. I wouldn’t underestimate their resilience or their ability to rebuild. And there’s no way Fukushima will go “full Chernobyl” - completely different reactor set up, we’re not going to have chunks of core launched out of the pit and littering the neighborhood like in Chernobyl. Yes, there will be a nasty mess but it will be very, very localized. Most of what’s gotten out at all has been the sort of thing that decays into harmlessness rapidly, in days or weeks. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/477 "2011-03-16T01:37:57Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > 6.0 in Shizuoka just an hour ago or so. I wonder if this was the “70% chance of a 7.0 or so quake in the next 3 days” that I heard predicted by Japanese news a few days ago. Quakes, tsunamis, radiation, volcanoes exploding… when will this all end?! Do Japanese carry insurance for Tsunamis? Is it available and how expensive. How about earthquake insurance? I am wondering about so many people having nothing now. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/478 "2011-03-16T01:44:04Z")
There is smoke coming out of the reactor. The smoke is white, which could be water vapor. It’s been about 30 minutes and there isn’t any formal information. Tepco is refusing to speculate on what is happening. The spokesman is saying it’s impossible to know and is losing his cool. He’s refusing to answer any further questions and we to get more information. There are so many problems happening at one time. We decided that there wasn’t any reason for me to stay in Tokyo. I work out of my house with a laptop and a cell phone, so I can do this in Taipei as well. My wife would rather me be there with her. We just found out, I can get the same flight as the family! I would like to stay and help, but you run into limitations of what individuals can do, and balanced with the need to take care of your own family. If it weren’t radiation, I’d be more than willing to head up and help, but the risk is too great. I hope that **Hokkaido Brit’s** husband and others are safe. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/479 "2011-03-16T01:47:15Z")
> [@TokyoPlayer](#): > > We just found out, I can get the same flight as the family! Smart move, good luck to you and your family. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/480 "2011-03-16T01:51:14Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Do Japanese carry insurance for Tsunamis? Is it available and how expensive. How about earthquake insurance? I am wondering about so many people having nothing now. I don’t know about tsunami insurance, as our house is not in a danger zone. We have earthquake insurance, which costs several hundred dollars per year, but will only pay for 50% of the replacement cost of the house, and nothing for personal belongings. A lot of people don’t carry earthquake insurance, but enough do that it’s likely the insurance companies will go bankrupt if the Big One hits Tokyo. I’m sure they don’t have enough money in reserves. Many people wound up bankrupt after the Kobe earthquake, still owing money on homes, and unable to rebuild. If you own a condo, then a certain percentage of people must agree to rebuild. Moral of the story, life somewhere else. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/481 "2011-03-16T03:07:28Z")
leaving is smart tokyoplayer. during tmi’s troubles in pennsylvania they evacuated pregnant women and small children for miles and miles. as the plant disaster is now at a level 6, and not coming under control it is a very smart move. right now the wind is blowing out to sea. there is a cold front coming over the weekend that will put the wind blowing into land. with earthquakes going off on both coasts and a volcano in the south where do you evacuate people? esp. when you have hundreds of thousands of evacuees already. this all hinges on 50 very tired, very courageous workers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279.md?page=25)