I hope everyone has found high ground.  We’re all waiting to hear from you.

I am three miles from the coast…and plan to stay there!

Well, I think more appropriately, good luck Japan! What a terrible disaster.

I just read on CNN that Santa Monica could see 2.8 feet waves. I hope everyone has found high ground, that is, if you are a midget.

That’s probably a worst-case waveheight. Still, 2.8 feet is no joke for someone on the waterfront.

Since it’s low tide here, the tsunami will probably just make it appear as if the tide were a bit higher.

Occam

TromboneAndrew - 11 March 2011 10:04 AM

Still, 2.8 feet is no joke for someone on the waterfront.

Yes, if you’re a midget.

My local Atlantic coast news makes it sound like a tsunami story, they haven’t known how severe it would be.  I suppose that this is an earthquake story in Japan, that’s the difference between world news and local news I suppose.  I suppose that the tsunami has hit the USA mainland by now and the waves are passing, assuming no more earthquakes.

I saw some HI local news from Honolulu (Maui island, Hawai’i News Now), they seem to be getting back to they homes, but I haven’t heard about Kauaʻi island (NW) which had the worst warnings. 

I hear 80,000 missing in one Japan city, a bullet train and a cruise ship with 100 people on it is missing. 

BTW, the Pacific coast is on the global scale, reaching from Japan, to Australia, to Chile, to the USA, and beyond.  That’s the big story, the world news.  The broad-minded view-point. 

jump_in_the_pit - 11 March 2011 01:23 PM

I hear 80,000 missing in one Japan city

I am sure that is not right.

Anybody have any idea of what the effects of the atmospheric radiation will be if either or both of the effected nuclear plants blow?

Fission reactors should be built with fail-safes, they should fail to a safe state when the electricity is out, and when the water supply is gone.  Existing reactors should be upgraded to fail-safe.

Oh thank Grodd.  I just read that the tsunamis will have no effect on Ohio.  The last thing we need here in Michigan is a bunch of panicking Ohioans fleeing across our border to safety.

garythehuman - 11 March 2011 04:47 PM

Anybody have any idea of what the effects of the atmospheric radiation will be if either or both of the effected nuclear plants blow?

According to Japanese sources the radiation level at the gate is at a level that would require 70 days exposure to reach
the safety limit set by the Japanese safety agency in charge.  The fires are reportedly out though the reactors are still in
an emergency mode.

If I were a religious man, I’d say a prayer for the people of Japan. The Earth is remorseless!

I just saw this too: A GOP budget plan that passed the house would slash funding for the Pacific tsunami warning system.

The plan approved by the GOP-controlled House last month would trigger deep cuts for the National Weather Service, including the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.

FAIL

Hey, California voted Democratic. What do you expect?  If they could figure how to trigger the San Andreas fault so California would slide into the sea, I think they’d be quite willing to find the money to do it.  Imagine the new west coast being Arizona and Nevada.   

Occam

garythehuman - 11 March 2011 04:47 PM

Anybody have any idea of what the effects of the atmospheric radiation will be if either or both of the effected nuclear plants blow?

I have no idea, but I remember when Chernobyl exploded, the effect it had on my town. We were about 1000 km (600 miles) away from Chernobyl and I remember when my brother came home his face was burned as if he was lying in the sun for hours—which he wasn’t. My grandfather’s tomatoes were the size of cherries and the government (of Czechoslovakia) allowed women to have abortions without asking any questions. All Germans and Austrians were hiding in their houses and we were marching (it was May 1, the International Workers’ Day) with Soviet flags and singing the Soviet hymn. F!@#ing idiots.