Inside the disaster

          On March 11, 2011 as men and women came home from work, school children set the table for dinner, the ever timely trains of Japan clacked rhythmically over a grid of metal rails bringing loved ones home, the sun began to set in the land of rising sun. At 5:46 a 9.0 magnitude undersea megathrust earthquake triggered a tsunami that would travel up to 10 kilometers in land and set in motion a series of events that would bring a nightmare to life. Incalculable quantities of fast moving water destroying everything in its path would sweep over thousands of homes and roads. This destructive wave would cut Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant off from the power grid and eventually cause the reactors to overheat. On the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) it was rated a level seven given to only the most destructive nuclear events. Many thousands of residents would now have to be evacuated to safer areas. Japan would later confirm that in the hours following the tsunami and earthquake reactors 1, 2 and 3 would experience a full meltdown. In an attempt to cool the systems the Japanese government would later order the use of seawater to cool the reactors. According to The journal of Nuclear Science and Technology the use of the seawater would destroy the reactors and render future operation impossible.

         According to an article by the New York Times and a 500 page interim report of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster, stated quote “the authorities grossly underestimated the risks tsunamis posed to the plant.” Tokyo Electric had only predicted wave heights up to 20 feet. However the waves reached heights in excess of double that. Also, it was assumed that the coolant systems were functional. Several hours passed before the true state of the coolant systems was discovered all the while the uranium fuel rods were melting. The report also discussed how the workers were unprepared to contain a multiple reactor meltdown. Panel chairman Yotaro Hatamura stated that is was the job of those in charge and these workers to be prepared and expect unforeseeable circumstances.

            While the final report is not expected to come out until mid 2012, the evidence outlined by the interim report makes it hard to deny that at least some of this was preventable. However, it is important to keep in mind that the government of a devastated nation may be looking for somewhere to point their finger, and until the final report comes out it is hard to know for sure what happened in the hours and days that followed the Tsunami.