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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Japan...

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Very sad. Our thoughts are with the Japanese people.
 
I completely empathize with the plight of the Japanese people - and I understand fully how it feels to be in something like this Japan disaster.

As many of you know, I was on the coast of Chile right by the epicenter on February 27, 2010 for the monster 8.8 quake and multiple tsunamis. That quake was basically as powerful as this Japan quake, and the first tsunami (estimated at 33' or 10 meters) got to the part of the coast where we were with 5 minutes of when the shaking stopped. We barely survived the quake and that first tsunami, just in time to nearly get killed by a huge landslide of boulders and trees as we scrambled into the coastal foothills. Seven more tsunamis followed - three of which were estimated by experts to be over 60' (20 meters) high. A whole week of strong aftershocks followed.

The greatest loss of life in Chile was in a small town just south of where we were sleeping on the beach. In that town several hundred people drowned in that first tsunami we just escaped by seconds. One other really freaky fact - the earthquake in Chile hit in the middle of the night (3:27am), and the first three giant tsunamis hit before daylight. Now that you've seen the terrifying images from Japan, where the disaster hit during afternoon daylight, imagine being right on the coast by the epicenter in Chile, then experiencing the same size earthquake and even bigger tsunamis in the pitch darkness of night! The sheer terror of that night is indescribable - and keep in mind I am a full tour (1 year) Viet Nam war veteran, so I have deep knowledge of what life-threatening terror feels like. You really don't want to know what experiencing a giant quake and running from huge tsunamis feels like...

When daylight arrived, the devastation was shocking and appalling. In short, it looked like what you've been seeing in the Japanese disaster photos and video. Its impossible to describe the annihilation...it was simply stunning.

Having barely survived the Chile earthquake basically as powerful as that in Japan, which shook for as long, and spawned tsunamis twice as large as Japan, I can fully empathize with the plight of the Japanese people in this disaster. My thoughts, best wishes, and prayers go out for them, and will continue to.

Last thoughts:
Nobody who lost their lives in the Chile or Japan disasters knew that day or night would be their last one alive. This adds a whole new dimension to the proverb "Live each day as if its your last - and someday you'll be right". My suggestion to all of you is to embrace each day with great thankfulness, respect, and personal commitment. Don't take anything or anyone for granted - you or they could very well be gone tomorrow. I know...
 
Thoughts go out to everyone over there. Hoping Paul is ok.
 
Jannard said:
What has happened, and what is currently happening, is almost hard to believe. The monumental nature of this has significantly touched everyone in the world who has a pulse.

All of us at RED offer our heartfelt prayers to those affected by this tragedy. We have many friends and business associates in Japan as well as a sense of the world community we are all a part of.

Jim
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Well said Jim, We were on the Oregon Coast with a shoot at 6:30am and we woke to this footage and was shocked and amazed at how tragic this all was.
We headed in land and were glued to the radio of warnings all the way home. Scary time, I hope Japan and other city's and towns that are effected get the aid they need in this hard time.
 
This thread is not the place for a political discussion on the ramifications of Nuclear Power. Start a new thread in OT to discuss if you'd like.

I have family in Japan (thankfully unharmed) and many close friends. My heart goes out to the people of Japan for what they are dealing with right now.

Lucas
 
I hope our country does everything it can to help the people of Japan. My thoughts and prayers are with them many times a day.
 
Small world, Jeremiah - my mom runs the Oklahoma disaster relief efforts for the Southern Baptists (she's the admin assistant) and I'm a certified relief worker. Our response out of Oklahoma will be delayed until needed... those of you that have ever been involved with disaster relief will know that response must be coordinated locally, and that international relief efforts take some time to get rolling.

Good on you for heading out - please keep us posted.

Jeremiah McLamb said:
It's all so heartbreaking. I'm headed out this week with a disaster relief team made up of men from the North Carolina Baptist State Convention. I'll be shooting a documentary of their work. (no not on my RED...I wish...but have to travel a little lighter so I'm shooting on 7D...since I don't have my epic yet :o)

I would appreciate it if you guys kept all of us in your prayers that we will be able to accomplish good work and also because it is still quite dangerous over there.

Jeremiah
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I´m nearly speechless. I have family in Japan, but in a moment like this I realise we all belong to the same family anyway. I hope and pray the power plants will be soon under control and safe again. The suffering is unbelievable huge already, lets hope, there will not be a nuclear catastrophe added.
Marc
 
Good vibes for Japan...
 
The Japanese are behaving nobly like the calm against the storm

The Japanese are behaving nobly like the calm against the storm

The great danger now is the nuclear radiation. It appears that the diesel generators used as a back-up for cooling the containment have failed. The decision was made to try and cool the tanks with sea water which effectively kills the future life of the nuclear reactor.

Well said, Steve.
Last thoughts:
Nobody who lost their lives in the Chile or Japan disasters knew that day or night would be their last one alive. This adds a whole new dimension to the proverb "Live each day as if its your last - and someday you'll be right". My suggestion to all of you is to embrace each day with great thankfulness, respect, and personal commitment. Don't take anything or anyone for granted - you or they could very well be gone tomorrow. I know...
Click to expand...
 
My condolences to those who have lost loved ones. I sincerely hope that all available tools/technologies, human kindness and strong dedication will help Japan swiftly recuperate from this natural disaster.
 
Those before and after images really made this all sink in for me. Complete devastation. The challenges they face in rebuilding are overwhelming to me. I'm not sure they're in the clear yet either. There are still some volatile situations over there. Let's hope the worst is over and they can begin the daunting task of rebuilding their proud nation, hopefully with the support of all nations. They are going to need all the help they can get.

To everyone in the RED community who is living, visiting, or working in Japan please be safe and know that our thoughts are with you.
 
So Sad... God be with them.
 
I have to agree that I was very sad to see the news about Japan, and I've been following it very closely, as I have quite a bit of family in Japan (luckily, none of my relatives were seriously injured in the quake or subsequent tsunami).

However, I must also say that the news coverage of the events has been terrible. Instead of reporting about the terrible tragedy, they cover the "nuclear catastrophe."

First off, a disclaimer: I do not represent the views of my employer. Any of the following statements are solely my own opinion,. I am not an expert on BWRs and am in no way a qualified spokesman, nor do I claim to be a spokesperson for my employer. I am withholding the name of said employer to ensure that anything I say will not be misconstrued.


Anyways, the reality is that the nuclear reactors are essentially a non issue. Anyone who wants to know a bit more about the current condition should check out this article written by the nukes at MIT: http://mitnse.com/


Current radiation levels at the plant are something like 20mrem/hr. So if you were living at the plant, it would take you 250 days of continuous exposure (assuming the levels stay the same -- they won't ) to reach the limit of 5mrem/year imposed on radiation workers in the US. Thats 24/7 for 250 days at the plant. For more info on radiation, check here: http://www.deq.idaho.gov/inl_oversight/radiation/radiation_guide.cfm

Also, radiation from Fukushima falls of exponentially as you move away from the reactor. For example, if you have a beaker of radioactive material measured as 25mrem/hr at 1m, the dose falls to ~12.5mrem/hr at two meters, and ~1.5mrem/hr at 4m. Of course, the power plant is pretty big, but if you keep the population >1km away, their radiation dose is going to be insignificant(at current levels).

In summation, I wouldn't worry about the nuclear power plants. Decay heat (the current problem) falls exponentially, and every day we are separated from the initial incident gets us closer to being over with the current situation.

I just hope the media gets away from this, and starts focusing on the real issues; like the thousands of dead or missing and thousands without food or power in Japan. That's the real story.
 
That is a great bit of info Michael.. assuming it is all accurate it is disturbing how far the media is pushing it out of context.

As they say, "Don't ever let the truth get in the way of a good story. "
 
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