Japan hit by 8.9 quake and following tsunami

[Neil]

Was their any expectation that their breakwaters would be effective against a wave of that magnitude?

[jimmy olsen]

Hmmm... that raises some questions with me then, as the Sendai plain has been hit with very large tsunamis in the past (there was one in the middle ages that IIRC was so destructive that it helped the Japanese win a war against the Ainu that still inhabited the area) and there had been predictions for some time that the area was overdue for another massive quake.

From what I read, the Japanese invested massively in breakwaters.  A coastal city just earned a place in the Guiness book of records for having the most elaborate and deepest breakwaters in the world.  The system was completely ineffective in this crisis and was destroyed. 

The nuclear plants were also protected by breakwaters that were not up to the task.  That's why the Japanese were caught off-guard.  They thought they had enough protection and the cooling system would remain intact.

A magnitude 9 right off the coast, just six miles deep, that's gonna fuck any country in the world up unless they built like 10m walls all the way down the coast.

[jimmy olsen]

Now it's getting bad. They spent too long trying to save the reactor and now they're in trouble.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42066534/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

[jimmy olsen]

Wow! 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42066622/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

TAKAJO, Japan — Japanese police say the official death toll from last week's massive earthquake and tsunami has risen to 2,414.

Police said Tuesday that a big share of the deaths were in Miyagi prefecture, where 1,254 people are confirmed dead.

The number of people officially missing is at 3,118. But regional officials said they believe that tens of thousands may have been swept away by the tsunami that devastated a long stretch of Japan's northeastern coast Friday.

Millions of people were facing a fifth day without water, food or heating in near-freezing temperatures along the devastated northeast coast. Meanwhile, a third reactor at a nuclear power plant lost its cooling capacity, raising fears of a meltdown, while the Japanese stock market plunged for a second day.

[Jacob]

Apparently the US military was involved in fighting one of the reactor fires: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/03/14/report-us-military-h.html

[jimmy olsen]

It's a good thing CdM didn't go into advertising.

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/local_news/water_cooler/aflac-fires-gilbert-gottfried-after-he-tweeted-tsunami-jokes

Aflac fires Gilbert Gottfried after tsunami jokes via Twitter
The comedian is facing backlash from the public

Last Updated: 1 hour and 58 minutes ago

    * By: Mollie Reynolds

Aflac has fired actor Gilbert Gottfried, voice of the Aflac duck, for offensive remarks about the Japanese earthquake and tsunami on Twitter.

@RealGilbert tweeted, "Japan is really advanced. They don't go to the beach. The beach comes to them." Another tweet said, "I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, They'll be another one floating by any minute now."

"Gilbert's recent comments about the crisis in Japan were lacking in humor and certainly do not represent the thoughts and feelings of anyone at Aflac," Aflac Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Michael Zuna said in a written release. "Aflac Japan – and, by extension, Japan itself – is part of the Aflac family, and there is no place for anything but compassion and concern during these difficult times."

Aflac is one of the biggest insurers in Japan and  has pledged 100 million yen to the International Red Cross to help earthquake and tsunami victims.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Was their any expectation that their breakwaters would be effective against a wave of that magnitude?

The problem is that one would need something more like a dam than a mere wall. With the tsunami's long wavelength the water keeps on piling up when it encounters a breakwater, eventually spilling over, though the breakwater will have had a mitigating effect.

[Camerus]

Media hype aside, seems like the situation at the plant is, in fact, getting worse and worse.   

[Caliga]

Not only did Gilbert get fired, but he got fired for cracking jokes that weren't even funny.

[Berkut]

Was their any expectation that their breakwaters would be effective against a wave of that magnitude?

The problem is that one would need something more like a dam than a mere wall. With the tsunami's long wavelength the water keeps on piling up when it encounters a breakwater, eventually spilling over, though the breakwater will have had a mitigating effect.

Sounds like a breakwater could actually make it worse, holding back a rather huge amount of water until it inevitably fails, imparting that much more momentum to the mass of water.

[Admiral Yi]

Not only did Gilbert get fired, but he got fired for cracking jokes that weren't even funny.

And those duck voicing jobs don't just grow on trees.

[Ed Anger]

Gilbert still has the shoehorn on a stick gig.

[Malthus]

Was their any expectation that their breakwaters would be effective against a wave of that magnitude?

The problem is that one would need something more like a dam than a mere wall. With the tsunami's long wavelength the water keeps on piling up when it encounters a breakwater, eventually spilling over, though the breakwater will have had a mitigating effect.

I was wondering this very thing myself: would a sea-wall that was only slightly lower than the tsunami do any good at all (assuming it held)? From the videos I get the impression that it would not really - any more than a dike slightly lower than sea-level would protect Holland.

[Caliga]

...

Hey, what ever happened to that OldMan dude?  Wasn't he an English teacher in Japan?

[Camerus]

Oldman taught in S. Korea, I believe.