by Nelle Maxey
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/gms/index.html?area=1&element=0&mode=UTC Animation at link.
The MTSAT provides imagery for the Northern Hemisphere every thirty minutes, and full disk imagery every hour.
Expect serious water issues at Fukushima with typhoon Wipha. Seen above in top centre of the globe obscuring most of Japan.
The dikes around the tanks will fill up again with 5 inches of rain predicted.
The government is making a decision about what they can do with the contaminated rainwater. No confirmation yet they can pump it into the sea.
The supersaturated ground between the reactors and ocean will also be a problem as this is likely to lift contaminated ground water over the in-ground barrier and allow it to flow in the ocean, not to mention destabilizing the buildings. Note the ground water rise from previous typhoon precipitation spike on Sept 16 in this graphic. That precipitation was 33mm or approximately 1.3 inches.
The winds are also of great concern although the storm is slowing down and breaking up somewhat. TEPCO is securing the pipes that feed cooling water into the reactors (don’t want those breaking!) and pipes that transfer contaminated water to tanks. These pipes are laying all over the ground and are unsecured. Also of concern are the cranes and the temporary structures housing the decontamination equipment.
Tepco preperations:
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131015_35.html
Video at link
Workers at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have taken measures against approaching powerful typhoon Wipha to prevent leakage of radioactive water.
Officials at the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, say workers confirmed on Tuesday that pumps and piping to inject water into the plant's disabled reactors are fixed by ropes.
When a tropical storm approached the plant this month, water flowed over a barrier surrounding tanks storing radioactive water. Another leak of the contaminated water occurred after workers moved water behind a barrier to tanks on a slope. TEPCO says the leakage occurred due to improper prior checks.
The utility says it has secured new storage tanks capable of holding about 4,000 tons of water to prepare for rising water levels. This measure was taken in addition to conventional steps of moving water that accumulated behind a barrier to another barrier and nearby tanks.
The company also says it has secured more than 50 workers dedicated to transferring water.
Oct. 15, 2013 – Updated 11:58 UTC