Japan Earthquake Updates
Monday, March 14, 2011
JAPAN EARTHQUAKE UPDATE
TRAVEL TO JAPAN
The Department of State has issued a travel warning for
Japan. U.S. citizens should avoid travel to Japan at this
time. This Travel Alert expires on April 1, 2011. Full
text of the travel alert is at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_5382.html
US CITIZENS CURRENTLY LIVING OR TRAVELING IN
JAPAN
Ambassador John B. Roos yesterday said U.S. citizens residing or
traveling in Japan they should notify family and friends of their
status. This information is also being posted on the Embassy
website to help family members learn the status of the person they
are looking for. For the latest updates visit http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-arch.html
U.S. citizens in need of emergency consular assistance should
send an e-mail to JapanEmergencyUSC@state.gov
with detailed information about their location and contact
information. We also recommend U.S. citizens in Japan make
contact with loved ones in the United States.
HOW TO HELP
Cash donations are encouraged. The web site www.interaction.org has a
list of organizations accepting contributions. The American
Red Cross is accepting donations of $10 by texting REDCROSS to
90999.
HOW TO FIND INFORMATION
This site carries the latest information from the US Embassy in
Japan
http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-arch/warden-messages-and-acs-newsletters-listing/
Online information with the latest updates is also available travel.state.gov,
the embassy
Tokyo website and http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/tacs-main.html
NUCLEAR POWER FACILITIES AND RELATED ISSUES
U.S. DOE, HHS, and USAID DART (Disaster Assistance Response
Teams) met with Japanese officials from the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and the Nuclear Industry Safety Agency yesterday. The
DART team reports the Japanese government appears to be getting a
handle on the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, where
cooling systems on reactors No. 1 and No. 3 have shut
down. The containment vessels for all six reactors are
intact, and there has been no major release of radioactive
material.
Officials are concerned the same hydrogen buildup that resulted
in an explosion at Daiichi reactor No. 1 might occur at Daiichi
reactor No. 3. If that is the case, a similar visible
explosion in reactor No. 3's outer building could occur, though
that would not likely result in any significant release of
radiation. There are no immediate concerns of radiation
leakage from reactor No. 2.
At the Fukushima Dainii nuclear power plant, media report
Japanese authorities are still trying to reduce the temperature of
reactors Nos. 1, 2, and 4.
A cooling system pump stopped at the Tokai No. 2 nuclear power
plant in the Ibaraki prefecture, approximately 75 miles north of
Tokyo, according to press. The reactor automatically
shut down due to the earthquake, and an emergency generator is now
cooling the reactor. This is the first report of trouble
related to cooling efforts at the Tokai plant since the
earthquake.
A state of emergency at the Onagawa nuclear power plant, 40
miles east of Sendai city, was lifted when radioactivity levels
returned to normal. All three reactors at the plant are under
control.
The Fukushima prefecture requested the central government
provide more equipment and staff so it could start radiation
exposure screening at all evacuation stations by March
15.
After detecting radiological material on four helicopters
operating from ships of the USS Ronald Reagan battle
group, the Navy ordered all of their vessels to remain more than
100 nautical miles off the Japanese coast until an assessment of
the impact of contamination on operations is completed. According
to initial reports, one helicopter had visited a Japan Self Defense
Forces vessel approximately 60 nautical miles northeast of
Fukushima. Three others had engaged in ship-to-shore
overland flights 60-70 nautical miles north of Fukushima.
American Airlines reports it is slightly adjusting its routes
and will carry contingency fuel in case rerouting is required due
to the nuclear power plant situation. The Federal Aviation
Administration reports no known changes or cancellations to
routes.
U.S. GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE
The DART team has seven members in Tokyo and four in Misawa, not
including search and rescue personnel. Three additional
members are scheduled to arrive today in Tokyo.
The U.S. Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams will begin rescue
efforts today in Ofunato town, Iwate Prefecture, in
northeastern Japan. They will coordinate with the UN
disaster assistance team, which arrived in Tokyo
yesterday. The second USAID cargo plane carrying
supplies arrived at Misawa Air Base at 1015 EDT.
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