THE KELLY LETTER OR
Lots happening, so haven’t been able to update. Am working on a report that I’ll post and send late tonight this morning America time. Thank you for the notes of concern. I’m still fine, still working, and still hopeful that the nuclear crisis can be tamed.
UPDATED AT 1:30 AM JAPAN TIME, FRIDAY As of 11 pm Thursday (10 am EDT), radiation in Tochigi City near my office was down even farther since Wednesday’s report to only 0.183 microsieverts per hour (μSv/hr). Recent history of this measurement: 0.224 μSv/hr Mar 16 at 12 pm 0.216 μSv/hr Mar 16 at 4 pm [...]
America’s quick, powerful response to Japan’s crises has touched many hearts here, and the choice of name is charming: Operation Tomodachi, which means Operation Friend. Excellent touch, just the kind of goodwill everybody here needed. A neighbor woman not known for public displays of emotion hugged me with tears in her eyes, and said she [...]
We’ll take it! From the BBC: Radiation levels have fallen at Japan’s earthquake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the government says. The announcement was made after a fire was extinguished at the plant. The government had earlier warned that radiation leaks from the plant had reached harmful levels. Weather reports indicate winds are dispersing radiation from [...]
Thanks to the resourcefulness of my readers, I received the personal phone number of Ken Bergeron within moments of requesting it. Ken is is a physicist and former Sandia scientist who worked on nuclear reactor accident simulation, and the author of Tritium on Ice: The Dangerous New Alliance of Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Power, published [...]
We’re getting conflicting information here in the Tokyo area. Some scientists are saying there’s little risk of widespread radiation from the reactor meltdown emergency; others say to get out while we can because this could get to the worst case in a hurry, being that we’re in uncharted territory. Internet access is spotty amid rolling [...]
The power interruptions and damage to infrastructure are leaving stores in Japan’s earthquake area sold out. Gas stations are rationing, but closing one by one as they go dry. Between a third and half of the shops in my town, Sano, are closed for various reasons, not least of which is to let society catch [...]