Japan Radiation Leak confirmed by Prime Minister

Forty revs per hour causes radiation sickness when exposed. “Stay indoors” is what Prime Minister Naoto Kan has advised residents. Residents who have remained within 30 Kilometers of the stricken plant have been advised to evacuate. Evacuation has been proceeding ever since the first explosion occurred in the number 1 power plant of the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Exposure to large doses of radiation and long exposure causes nausea, vomiting and internal bleeding. Inhaling radioactive dust causes cancer over time. These are symptoms and outcomes to expect according to a Nuclear Scientist. The radiation level has risen 9 times higher than acceptable levels.

Efforts to control the overheating has challenged the Japanese authorities due to the damage to the diesel generators flooded by the tsunami and the lack of electricity for the back-up pumps. Authorities have been using sea water to maintain heat levels in the reactors. 2.9 Million households remain without electricity in and around Tokyo.

The announcement of the radiation leak has hampered search and rescue which slowly turning into a body recovery effort. In Minami Sanriku 3,000 bodies washed ashore. In Rikusan Takata, 8,000 are still missing. Death toll currently stands at 2,800 in the humanitarian crisis. A Philippine Embassy team is in Sendai City to confirm the status of Filipino residents and OFWs. A GMA 7 news team has reported that they themselves are running out of food in the disaster stricken area.

Philippine Nuclear energy officials have debunked SMS messages that a nuclear cloud is headed towards the Philippines. They have noted that the current weather conditions makes this occurrence nearly impossible as winds are blowing from the South near the stricken plant in Fukushima. Any radiation leak would greatly affect the Northern Provinces and the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia.

Death toll rises in Japan earthquake

Japanese authorities have found over 2,000 bodies on the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, one of the hardest hit by the earthquake. This raises the body count to over 3,000 and is still expected to rise as each hour brings new discoveries and developments.

Food, Fuel and other necessities are scarce and officials are racing to meet these requirements. Rescue operations have been hampered due to road closures and the exclusion zone due to the nuclear emergency. International relief teams have landed from various countries to assist in the recovery efforts. Survivors have been found under collapsed buildings. One woman survived the tsunami by holding on to a tree and riding a japanese mat. Thousands have been rescued, but thousands are yet to be found as families have been separated. Aid organizations are also mobilizing to help in the recovery efforts. 69 governments have promised aid including the United States, China, Australia and France. The Philippines is sending a team from the Philippine Red Cross.

The Philippine DFA has been exhausting efforts to enter the afflicted zones but have yet to report any Filipino casualties. Tokyo embassy staff will be entering the northeastern prefectures this week. Filipinos have been advised to seek shelter in police, fire stations and designated evacuation centers and get in touch with the embassy in Tokyo or the DFA hotline in the Philippines.

Naoto Kan, Japanese Prime Minister has said that this has been the biggest disaster after World War 2.

Search on after Japan quake, DFA mobilized for Filipino residents

As aftershocks continued to be felt in the earthquake zone, search and rescue operations have begun in earnest to find survivors and determine the total number of casualties. It has been determined that 420 lives have been lost and 800 still remain missing. Over 300,000 remain homeless and have sought shelter in Malls, Train Stations, Gyms, Hospitals and designated evacuation centers across the torn regions.

Tsunami in Miyagi prefecture

Water and food have been scarce as most stores have remained closed. Officials in Tokyo and other parts of Japan unaffected by the large tremor are mobilizing to provide for those who have been affected. Residents who have been moved to higher ground in fear of further aftershocks that may trigger more deadly tsunamis.

It was reported earlier that the Nuclear Plants where shut down safely, however the Nuclear plant in Fukushima is reported to have overheated after the cooling system has shut down. A 10 mile wide radius has been declared as a radiation danger zone by the government of Prime Minister Naoto Kan to ensure the safety of people residing around the said plant. Four Million residents remain without electricity in Tokyo and the other Northern Prefectures.

Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant under close guard after leaks found due to overheating

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs have started the search for Filipinos residing and working in the affected areas. According to Undersecretary Eduardo Malaya, DFA Spokesperson, the whole staff of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo and the 4 Consulates have been mobilized to determine the location and status of Philippine Citizens and resident migrants. Based on DFA data, of the 305,972 Filipinos in Japan there are 84,407 permanent Filipino residents in the whole of Northern Japan. There are 1,309 in Miyagi, 2,366 in Fukushima, 906 in Iwate and 551 in Aomori prefectures. He said that the Tokyo embassy are verifying the condition of Filipinos in the area. DFA has set a hotline for people to call to ask about their relatives or to report their status: (632)834-4646 and (632)834-4580. The Philippines through the Philippine Red Cross headed by Richard Gordon will be sending a search and rescue contingent to Japan to help with the rescue and recovery efforts in recognition of the close relationship between the Philippines and Japan.

Philippine Embassy complement in a pre-earthquake photo

In the Philippines, over 55,000 residents have returned to their coastal towns and homes on the Northern and Northeastern pacific coasts after a night in designated relocation areas.