Breaking: Air Drops on Nuke Plant Suspended

[itsrobert]

AP: No air drops of water tomorrow.

[snappyturtle]

1. Do you know why the air drops are suspended? nt

[Quixote1818]

9. I heard the levels of radiation were at their highest level today

I would guess it's simply gotten to hot for them to work it.

[snappyturtle]

19. I just heard a newscast on NHK and they're going to start using

30 specialized firetrucks that can pump large volumes of water.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-world-tv

[krispos42]

18. Because military pilots like to brag about having big balls...

...not big scrotal tumors.

[ReggieVeggie]

2. does that mean they're ready to let it go?

and hope for the best?

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Could be weather, or it is "hot" in rad sense

[TheMadMonk]

23. Or more hopefully, the "hottest" of the rubbish in the fuel has decayed...

...enough that the effort can be safely suspended. (The worst of the worst is gone in days.)

Air dropping is neither precise nor gentle.

[Selatius]

3. Given the levels of radiation at the reactors, their pilots are likely going to die anyway.

Why suspend the flights if they want to give their lives to save Japan?

[Common Sense Party]

5. Any link? Reason? Anything? n/t

[Raschel]

6. Is the power reconnected?

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. THey said partial yes

[tabatha]

7. Probably it is like

"squirting a water pistol at a forest fire" according to a commentator.

If they have power back on, then possibly the designed way of cooling can now be used.

[jannyk]

12. I think the 'power restored' is not going to be a quick fix

I don't think just plugging in is going to help this one much :(

[tabatha]

15. Well, I hope they have thought of another way

of delivering water.

[jannyk]

10. Not getting this anywhere else. Edano presser said opposite

just an hour or two ago per Kyodo News. Water pumping was to begin again Fri, but there was no mention of helicopters doing the pumping (or dumping).

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/79057.html

[Tx4obama]

11. This may or may not have anything to do with their decision but....

Someone on the news today was saying something about that when water is poured on 'exposed rods' that are leaking/melting (and not completely covered in water) then when the water evaporates it moves the radiation around more into the air. Or something like that.
They were saying that for the workers that have to be there that it would be worse to have the evaporated contaminated water in the air.

I wish I could remember who was talking about that and where I heard it.

[Raschel]

13. I heard something similar. Something about if they're melted and cold water. Was it Rachel Maddow?

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. The Rachel Maddow show

[Tx4obama]

20. Thanks! I've been watching and reading so much that it's hard to keep track of it all n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. I just saw it

You want a slight laugh?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x677509

Go down to the milk.

:-)

and go back to the harassment I got over that...

[Tx4obama]

22. Here's a link to another 'milk' thread I saw today

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x674944

[Rex]

14. Maybe it is too dangerous for a human to fly and deliver the water.

You can only ask someone to do so much and they have a risk of radiation poisoning along with all the longterm concerns. I'm not at the point of 'we'll we are all concerned' doom and gloom, but I hope they come up with a solution and quick. Japan must get control over this, this is the worst catastrophe ever but can still be stopped by human ingenuity. All the slide ruler virtuosos that were on there non-stop the first few days saying everything was fine and dandy - how about getting that brain working on a solution?

Shit poor a billion pounds of clay on top of the whole thing!

[Codeine]

17. It didn't seem terribly effective anyway.

With any luck they'll have the power reconnected.

[jannyk]

24. Fire Trucks just started pumping - KyodoNews

I don't think the helicopters were 'canceled' 'cause as far as I can see they were never 'scheduled'. Anyhow, a few mins ago The scheduled fire truck pummping began. No more details - on the Kyodonews 'breaking' crawl.

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/japan_quake/