Why do you think that the people in America and Canada are so ill prepared? Or should I ask why the Japanese were more long term in their thinking than America or Canada seems to be?
REH -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of pete Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 5:51 PM To: RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION Subject: Re: [Futurework] Before/After Northern Japan One thing that struck me, dredging through the myriad youtube clips* for any information from the region I was in (just north of the market at Ourai, where the ship-in-the-whirlpool photo was taken), was the many clips filmed seemingly perilously close to the churning water, from high ground, and the view would turn sideways to show the crowd watching. They were there because it was a high ground marshalling centre where they ran upon hearing the tsunami alert sirens, in accordance with their tsunami drill training. Obviously the volume of the tsunami was so great that it may likely have overtopped some marshalling centres, but the population at least had in place a system that people knew immediately how to implement, and must have saved many lives. Compare that to BC, where the probability of a similar event is at least as frequent as it is there. There is no plan in place whatsoever, and with the likelihood of a warning period being less than ten minutes, it would be reasonable to expect the flatland population of about half a million would be obliterated without a chance. There is no chance that the few roads to higher ground could handle a fraction of the traffic. I wonder if property values in Richmond and Delta will drop at all as the implications of the japanese experience sink in. I seriously doubt that the locals will undertake the seawall that is required. I would say your estimate of 40 feet is about right, and that would have to be about 120 feet wide, and include a core more substantial than an earth berm. Earthquake and tsunami proof refuge towers, spaced closely enough that people can reach and climb them in under 10 minutes might be a cheaper alternative, but without power for elevators, you better not live in the region if you're not a fit adult. By the way, if you're wondering, I found no information on the net about JPARC and Tokai, but some email from people there says for some reason the tsunami did not penetrate the forest along the shore, so there was no flooding at the institute, and all the buildings appear sound, though the roads linking them are all heaved and wrinkled. There are similar breaches in roads throughout the region, but I received no further information about the wider region surrounding the lab. The images of Ourai suggest the tsunami must have travelled up the river immediately north, between Ourai and the lab, but I haven't been able to acquire any information on that. The staff at the lab were evacuated to a marshalling centre on the top of a five storey building just inland from the site immediately upon the quake, and no one reentered any of the buildings since, while waiting for the aftershocks to subside. People will be conducting a survey today to find how much damage has occurred to the structures and their contents. It is likely that the accelerator will be in a similar situation as the SLAC accelerator at Stanford after the big quake of '89 - the submillimetre critical alignment of the components was severely skewed, and it took a couple of years to repair and realign before beam could resume. -Pete *to find the clips, you need to use a cutnpaste with google translate to convert phrases like tsunami sendai earthquake into japanese characters, and enter the result into youtube search, then you will access the japanese local content. Try adding the names for the provinces and cities affected. On Mon, 14 Mar 2011, Arthur Cordell wrote: > In addition to building codes there has to be preparedness for after quake > death and damage. This whole affair might lead to people taking the "big > one' more seriously. > > > > People have been denying the problem and possibilities and have built all > along the coast in improbable places. Maybe new construction will have to > be set back some. I don't know but I hope that this event has awakened > folks from their denial. So maybe the porno-damage 24/7 coverage by the > networks might just do some good in getting people here to think seriously. > > > > arthur > > > > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Michael Gurstein > Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 8:23 AM > To: 'RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION'; > [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Futurework] Before/After Northern Japan > > > > What lesson do you want to draw... Relocate San Fran... Put a 40 foot > seawall out from Robert's Bank to where... Move the population from the CA. > OR, WA coast back to half way up the coastal range... > > > > The atomic meltdowns are horrific (in prospect) but the greatest damage/loss > of life is going to be from the once in 1000 yrs. quake and tsunami and how > do you draw lessons from that... > > > > Seriously... > > > > M > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Arthur Cordell > Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 8:44 AM > To: 'RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION,EDUCATION'; > [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Futurework] Before/After Northern Japan > > I am also in a crabby mood today. The networks have moved from reporting on > events to a kind of repetitive showing of damage, death and destruction. A > kind of porno-damage. Enough. The nuclear issue will have to be resolved > but lesson one is don't put a reactor on an earthquake fault. Another > lesson seems to be that no matter how well prepared a nation is, the force > of "the big one" and tsunami will be very destructive. Any lessons for the > Pacific coasts of Canada and the US? > > > > arthur > > > > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Michael Gurstein > Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 7:17 AM > To: 'RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION'; > [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Futurework] Before/After Northern Japan > > > > I completely agree... I was under the impression that this was in fact on > Hokaido until I saw this map... > > > > We aren't talking Alaska here, we are talking New Hampshire or even Boston! > (i.e. it's not Moose Factory it's Ottawa!)... > > > > BTW, the Grauniad is live blogging at > http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/14/japan-tsunami-nuclear-alert-live > -coverage (source for the below... It is increasingly looking like a > frightful scenario... "Northern" (actually the northern part of central) > Japan as Chernobyl? > > > > M > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ed Weick > Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 7:50 AM > To: RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION,EDUCATION; > [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Futurework] Before/After Northern Japan > > I'm in a crabby mood this morning. For several days now I've been seeing > references to "northern Japan". The scene of the quake was not northern > Japan, it was northern Honshu. You've got all of the island of Hokaido > including the city of Sapporo north of that. Nothern Japan indeed! > > > > Ed > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Michael Gurstein" < <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]> > > To: < <mailto:[email protected]> > [email protected]>; "'RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME > DISTRIBUTION,EDUCATION'" < <mailto:[email protected]> > [email protected]> > > Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 5:58 AM > > Subject: [Futurework] Before/After Northern Japan > > > > > <http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm> > http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Futurework mailing list > > <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] > > <https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework> > https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
