By Jamie Douglas
March 11, 2011, is a date which will live in infamy for the island nation of Japan. It was on that morning that a magnitude 9.0 earthquake changed everything. It changed millions of lives, it changed the way we think of nuclear power, food safety, living on the shores of our oceans as well as feeling safe in our homes. Officially, 15,805 people died on that fateful afternoon, most of them as a result of the 133 foot wall of water that mercilessly attacked the already weakened structures, which include the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant. An additional 4040 souls are missing and presumed dead. There is plenty of blame to go around, but I leave the blame game to those responsible for doing that.
I was in our home in Patagonia, writing late at night, when I saw the first reports of a massive earthquake coming in to the Guardian website. I surfed to NHK Television in Tokyo, just in time to witness the unfolding disaster. NHK had at least one helicopter in the air, which was broadcasting live from the scene of the earthquake, when the camera panned out over the open water to show the viewers the approaching tsunami wave that was making its way toward the nuclear power plant. Within a very short time, the destructive power of the wave became evident, as it came ashore and destroyed everything in its path. From the view provided by NHK, one could see people running and vehicles trying to outrace the approaching water, but all to no avail. There was no escaping this calamity.
Meanwhile at the nuclear power plant, the low lying emergency generators were flooded, with the electrical grid being destroyed at the same time. A perfect scenario for a nuclear disaster was created. Three of the reactors went into full meltdown over the next several hours and days, with seawater being added to cool the fuel rods after the electric cooling system was disabled. This in turn created a large amount of highly explosive hydrogen gas. To no one’s surprise, the accumulated hydrogen gas exploded, causing massive structural damage to the casing and secondary containment.
Now, over six months later, the full extent of the disaster’s impact is finally starting to settle in to the residents of the area. Everything growing within a 20-mile exclusion zone is contaminated, the fruit, rice, seafood, and everything else in the region is not suitable for human consumption. Crops have been left in the fields to rot, and in the case of the seafood, thousands of livelihoods that once depended on the sea for a living are ruined. Tens of thousands are being kept from their land because of radiation and will be kept away for a minimum of 20 years. Many thousands are still displaced, living in shelters and temporary housing, while many more have been uprooted and are living with relatives in faraway places.
In the northeast of the country, hundreds of thousands of people are living in an uncertain environment, not knowing how much radiation they were exposed to when the winds brought the fallout to their part of the nation. Safe levels of exposure have not yet been established, but hundreds of miles away, chicken eggs are now showing dangerous levels of radiation. It stands to reason that if chickens lay contaminated eggs, humans must be equally exposed. The true cost of this disaster will show itself in the next generation born, in increasing rates of cancer and birth defects.
Most of the industries that had been affected have rebuilt or moved, and the supply disruption has largely been eliminated, but it will be a very long time indeed, before things will return to “normal.”
Jamie Douglas
San Rafael, Mendoza
Where the warm glow of that Fine Malbec Wine is natural!
I encourage you to write to me, jamie@expatdailynews.com with any questions or suggestions you may have, and if necessary, we can establish a voice communication via Skype. Disclaimer: I am not in any travel related business. My advice is based on my own experiences, and is free of charge. (Donations accepted). It is always my pleasure to act as a beneficial counselor to those who are seekers of the next adventure.
Jamie Douglas is an Adventurer, Writer and Photographer with an amazing array of Nikon equipment, and a lifetime of experience traveling and documenting. To contact him for assignments, email: jamie.douglas [at] yahoo.com
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