UDPATE:
- *JMA ISSUES TORNADO WARNINGS IN TOKYO AREA, IZU ISLANDS
- *TYPHOON PHANFONE MAKES LANDFALL AT JAPAN'S SHIZUOKA, JMA SAYS
- *ANA CANCELS 261 DOMESTIC FLIGHTS DUE TO TYPHOON
- *ANA SAYS 36,600 PASSENGERS AFFECTED BY FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS
- *TOYOTA SUSPENDS DAY SHIFT AT 12 PLANTS IN JAPAN ON TYPHOON
- *HONDA DELAYS START OF SUZUKA, HAMAMATSU PLANTS OPS. TODAY
#Typhoon [10] #Phanfone [11] made landfall a cpl hrs ago near Hamamatsu, #Japan [12]. Several rain totals >14" so far via @WxNick [13] pic.twitter.com/LboSFNBOwY [14]
— Jennifer Watson (@JWatson_Wx) October 6, 2014 [15]
With 1 US airman dead and 2 missing, Super Typhoon Phanfone has already wreaked havoc in its doom-strewn approach of Japan, but as RIA reports [16], the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), has revealed that the approaching typhoon could hit the damaged, decommissioned 40-year old nuclear power facility at Fukushima. Rather stunningly, The Japan Times reports tidal waves from the storm are likely to reach a maximum height of 26.3 meters or more (compared to the 2011 tsunami which reached a height of 15.5 meters when it hit the plant). Due to the expected 'mingling' of contaminated and Typhoon-driven ocean water, TEPCO admits 100 trillion becquerels of cesium to escape; Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) plans to verify the accuracy of TEPCO's estimate and the "appropriateness" of countermeasures being taken.
The Super-Typhoon is already deadly...
A powerful typhoon was heading toward Tokyo on Sunday after lashing southern Japan, where it killed at least one U.S. airman on Okinawa island and left two others missing, officials said.
Typhoon Phanfone was off the coast of Shikoku in southwestern Japan on Sunday night, packing winds of up to 144 kilometers (90 miles) per hour after hitting the southern regions of Okinawa and Kyushu, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.
Three U.S. Air Force members were washed away by high waves Sunday, with one found dead and the other two still missing, Japan's coast guard said. Tsuguyoshi Miyagi, an official at the coast guard's Okinawa branch, said the airmen were on the island's northern coast.
The U.S. Air Force confirmed that three of its airmen were washed out to sea and that one had died. It said the search for the other two had been interrupted by rough seas.
But the possibilities are disastrous, (via RIA) [16]
Tepco, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, has revealed that the approaching typhoon could hit the damaged, decommissioned 40-year old nuclear power facility Fukushima No.1, which was severely affected during the earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
U.S. military bases on alert as Typhoon #Phanfone [11] heads for Japan http://t.co/eqwPwJiZbP [17] pic.twitter.com/PxzI57qzCh [18]
— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) October 3, 2014 [19]
"The deluge would likely cause seawater to mingle with the radiation-tainted water accumulating in the basements of the reactor buildings at the six-unit plant, allowing 100 trillion becquerels of cesium to escape, according to an estimate that Tepco revealed Friday at a meeting of the Nuclear Regulation Authority," the Japan Times reports.
According to the media outlet, tidal waves from the storm are likely to reach a maximum height of 26.3 meters or more. The storm is likely to strike the Fukushima No.2 nuclear plant as well, but "its idled reactors and fuel pools" are not expected to be destroyed, Tepco officials assert.
It should be noted that the 2011 tsunami reached a height of 15.5 meters when it hit the plant, which was followed by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake.
In order to minimize the impact of the hurricane, Tepco "will reduce the vast quantity of radioactive water" on the site, the Asahi Shimbun notes. Citing Tepco's officials, the media source claims that the amount of contaminated wate, which is expected to spill into the ocean, could be decreased to 30 percent "by filling in trenches near reactors."
Super Typhoon #Phanfone [11] heading towards #Japan [12] as seen from space few hours ago. pic.twitter.com/5lDQ7WGgSb [20]
— MetDesk (@metdesk) October 4, 2014 [21]
Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) plans to verify the accuracy of Tepco's estimate and the "appropriateness" of countermeasures being taken in the face of the threat posed by the typhoon.
* * *
Cue Shinzo Abe explaining why it's "contained" and how safe the Olympics (aside from the swimming and sailing) will be!
And in case you were wondering, prepare for the headlines proclaiming Q3 GDP impacted negatively by the Typhoon (not a policy of currency debauchment and consumer crushing)
