BLOGS R US: March 2011

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

US relief effort rebuilds lives, ties to Japan

ON BOARD THE RONALD REAGAN — When United States Navy helicopters swept down on the school in a ruined Japanese village, survivors first looked hesitantly from the windows. Then they rushed out, helping unload food, water and clothes. They clasped hands with the Americans. Some embraced them.

“They are like gods descending from the sky,” said a tearful Junko Fujiwara, 37, a secretary at the elementary-school-turned-shelter in the northern coastal town of Kesennuma. “It’s cold and dark here, so we need everything: food, water, electricity, gasoline, candles.”
Video: Tsunami makes heroes and victims of same family (on this page) Soon after the devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, the United States military began what it calls Operation Tomodachi (Friend), one of its largest relief efforts in recent years. At present, about 20 American ships have massed off Japan’s northeastern coast, including the Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered carrier whose helicopters are busily ferrying supplies to survivors.

Japan earthquake

That relief is getting through to sometimes difficult-to-reach coastal areas devastated by the March 11 double disaster. They are also the latest showcase in the Pentagon’s efforts to use its forces to win good will for the United States abroad, a strategy that it used successfully in Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami there.
In particular, the United States has grabbed a chance to rebuild ties with a crucial Asian ally that just a year seemed to be flirting with pulling out of Washington’s orbit. The fact that American ships arrived so quickly on the scene has been a chance to demonstrate the value of having dozens of American bases in Japan, which hosts some 50,000 military personnel.
PhotoBlog: 'What do these people need?' “What we are doing here is diplomacy,” said George Aguilar, the commander of the HS-4 Black Knights, a helicopter squadron on the Ronald Reagan. “This is our best friend in the region.”
Deep gratitude It seems so far to be a highly successful effort, at least in the areas the helicopters visited. On Sunday, as the squadron ferried supplies to towns devastated by the tsunami, usually to schoolyards or sporting grounds converted into landing zones, Japanese residents welcomed them with deep gratitude. Many were isolated when roads were washed away.
“We will always remember the Americans’ coming at a time when we needed help,” said Osamu Abe, 43, an official in the town of Minamisanriku, where Commander Aguilar’s squadron dropped off bottled water, military rations and children’s clothing on Sunday.
At the same time, the American military has found itself trying to achieve a delicate balance. The United States has played a role in many aspects of the response to the recent crisis in Japan, including sending fire trucks to the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. But the Americans seem keen to avoid embarrassing the Japanese, or suggesting that the United States is running the show.
Story: Japan quake victims enjoy their first baths since disaster Indeed, Japan has at times appeared overwhelmed by the multiple disasters — the earthquake and tsunami have left more than 26,000 dead or missing, and hundreds of thousands homeless, and the plant still faces a possible meltdown. The United States mustered a large presence in tsunami-hit areas quickly, while Japan has been slow to reach some heavily damaged areas, especially around the nuclear plant. The Navy said Monday that it had delivered 194,700 pounds in supplies to ruined areas, much of it essentials like food, water and clothing.
“We really appreciate this swift and huge capability,” said Capt. Hidetoshi Iwasaki of the Maritime Self-Defense Forces, Japan’s navy.

Disaster at a glance

Magnitude, location A massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake — fifth largest since 1900 — struck at 2:46 p.m. local time (12:46 a.m. ET) on March 11, centered approximately 100 miles east of Sendai city on Japan’s main island, Honshu.
Tsunami The quake generated a tsunami of at least 23 feet that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland in Japan. Smaller swells struck other Pacific Rim countries and even the United States, causing serious but far less extensive damage.
Casualties Police have confirmed 9,080 deaths, and 13,561 others are reported missing, Japan's Kyodo news service reported on Tuesday.
Nuclear plants Workers have reconnected electrical power to all six reactors at the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, raising hopes that they may soon be able to restart the primary cooling system. The fuel rods in three of the Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s reactors at the plant are believed to have at least partially melted, and the units are leaking radiation. In addition, the spent fuel pools containing used fuel rods all are experiencing increased temperatures and in some cases the water has receded to expose the rods, releasing more radiation. Japanese authorities, who have ordered the evacuation of a 19-mile radius around the plant, are working to restore power to the plant in hopes that they will be able to restart cooling systems. The U.S. has recommended that its citizens living within 50 miles of the plant evacuate the area or take shelter indoors.
Other impacts Approximately 320,000 people are living in about 2,100 makeshift shelters set up in 16 prefectures, according to Kyodo. Transportation and communications systems were largely paralyzed in the immediate aftermath of the quake, but are returning to near normal, except in the hardest-hit areas. Approximately 220,871 households in the north remained without power, TEPCO reported Monday. Rolling blackouts have been imposed to conserve power around Tokyo and northern Honshu. Some commodities, including gas, medicine and other necessities, are scarce in parts of the country. Radiation has been detected in both food and water in four prefectures nearest the Fukushima plant and beyond, though officials have said neither poses a health risk.

Partly, the speedy response was a result of chance: the Ronald Reagan and its battle group happened to be passing nearby en route to war games off South Korea. The carrier, with a crew of 4,500, can launch aircraft and also create drinking water, something needed in the disaster zones.
The Americans said they wanted to stay until the Japanese were able to get regular supplies into the remote coastal towns that were slammed by the waves. Japan appeared to be making steady progress in building such overland links, they said.
The American response to the nuclear crisis includes not only fire trucks, adding to efforts to spray water on the overheating fuel rods, but also United States reconnaissance aircraft, which have been helping the Japanese monitor radiation levels.
On the Ronald Reagan, emissions from the crippled plant have been an acute concern for the Americans. The Navy fliers said they were trying to stay at least 50 miles away. When helicopters returned from relief, they and their crew were carefully scanned with Geiger counters.
The carrier itself has also pulled back to at least 100 miles away from the reactors. When the wind near the plant changed direction, the Ronald Reagan went into what sailors called “Circle William” mode — closing off all hatches and ventilation openings to prevent outside air from entering. Crew members said radiation was something the ship had not had to deal with in years.
“We’re digging out the old cold war-era manuals on how to protect the ship from radiation,” said Commander Aguilar, the squadron chief.
Commander Aguilar, 40, said the damage and death toll from Japan’s tsunami were far larger than another disaster in which he was involved in relief efforts: Hurricane Katrina.
'Exceeds Katrina' “This exceeds Katrina,” he said. “This looks like the arm of God just scraped the land clean.”
He and other American helicopter crewmen said they were stunned by the randomness of the tsunami, witnessed by a large ferry boat placed perfectly atop a three-story building, or an entire house floating intact miles out at sea, with curtains still in the window. A debris field of splintered wooden pieces of Japanese homes and capsized boats of all sizes encircled the Ronald Reagan, about 15 miles offshore.
Another surprise, the airmen say, was the lack of injured. The Reagan had considered offering its vast hangars as makeshift hospital space. However, few of the survivors who crowded into schools and other makeshift shelters needed emergency medical attention. The Americans said they evacuated only a small number of injured, including a Swedish national with appendicitis.
“You were either in the way of the tsunami, or not,” said Lt. Chad Upright.
At the crowded refugee center in Minamisanriku, where 250 survivors slept on the floor, Mr. Abe said the most urgent thing needed was medicine for colds, fever and allergies. But the American airmen said they could not hand out medicine without the permission of the Japanese government, which they did not have.
Something similar happened after the deadly Kobe earthquake in 1995, when foreign medical supplies and even doctors were turned away at the border by Japanese bureaucrats.

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This time, the Americans promised to ask the Japanese for quick permission to hand out American-made medicine, and for help in translating the directions into Japanese.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

UCLA Student Latest to Joke About Japan Quake Alexandra Wallace Apologizes for Video Tirade As List of People Making Light of Disaster Grows

UCLA student Alexandra Wallace received death threats after her Internet rant about Asians on campus went viral last weekend, making her just the latest person to face a backlash for off-color comments following Japan's earthquake and tsunami disaster.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Anxiety in Japan grows as rescue workers find more bodies

Sendai, Japan (CNN) -- In a nation besieged with grief over mounting casualties, fears of possible radiation and the threat of more earthquakes, the nightmare grew for Japanese residents Monday as thousands of bodies reportedly were found and crews struggled to keep damaged nuclear plants under control.
Friday's 8.9 earthquake and ensuing tsunami killed thousands, based on official and Japanese media reports, but an exact accounting of the disaster remains hidden beneath widespread damage that rescuers are only beginning to penetrate.
The confirmed death toll, rising every few hours, reached 1,897 on Monday. But that didn't account for thousands of bodies Japan's Kyodo News said had been found in the hard-hit Miyagi Prefecture on Japan's northeast coast. The number of dead is expected to go up as rescuers reach more hard-hit areas.
At least 3,002 people were missing Monday, the National Police Agency said,. Public broadcaster NHK reported that 450,000 people were living in shelters.

Japan's recovery will take years

Chaos as quake hits

Rescuers prep for search

Narrow escapes in Japan

Gallery: Japan begins road to recovery

Friday's earthquake and tsunami led to problems at three nuclear power plants, one of which remained a serious concern Monday as crews continued a seesaw battle to control a damaged nuclear reactor complex.
In Fukushima Prefecture, an explosion in a building housing the No. 3 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi plant injured 11 workers. Hours later, cooling problems at the plant's No. 2 reactor allowed nuclear fuel rods to overheat and generate radioactive steam that officials will have to vent into the atmosphere.
Crews thought they had the situation under control, but water levels dropped dangerously again Monday night when a buildup of steam prevented fresh seawater from entering the reactor chamber, Tokyo Electric Power Co. reported. Officials said they would be able to fix the problem.
A similar explosion over the weekend occurred in another reactor at the Fukushima plant.
Government officials have tried to calm the public, saying the releases of radiation are modest. But people are still nervous.
"I'm due to give birth soon," said a woman who had to evacuate from the area. "I want to know what's going on at the nuclear plant. I'm scared."
"It's just adding insult to injury," said Ryan McDonald, an American living in Kitakata, about 60 miles west of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. "The earthquake was horrible. Then the tsunami was horrible. And that's not enough. Now there's a nuclear fear."
In Tokyo, where many trains were not running or were severely delayed because of power outages, residents worried about the threat of more aftershocks as they started their workweek Monday.
Since the initial earthquake, the country has endured 44 aftershocks of a magnitude greater than 6.0, the point at which seismologists define an earthquake as "strong." Three of those have exceeded 7.0, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
"It didn't really feel safe going to an empty office," Tokyo resident Mia Moore said, citing the ongoing tremors that continue to rattle the city every few hours. "People want to stay with their families at this time to recover, really. It's quite exhausting feeling so nervous all the time. I think people want to get back to normality as soon as they can."
But normalcy seems a distant memory across the hardest-hit region of Japan. NHK, citing police and disaster management officials, reported that 63,000 buildings had been damaged, more than 6,000 of them obliterated.
"I've never imagined this kind of devastation," Nobuko Ogasawara told NHK after failing to reach a relative's home in a devastated coastal area.
In Miyagi Prefecture, rescue workers sifted through mountains of debris, and hope for survivors appeared to dim.
New video Monday from the area showed a broad wave of Friday's tsunami washing away an entire residential neighborhood, as residents who had fled to higher ground could be heard crying out in despair. Some people can be seen perilously close to the churning debris and running away on a road leading out of the neighborhood.

Fears of spreading radiation

Gallery: Japan reeling after massive quake

Gallery: Japan's empty supermarket aisles

The tsunami's destruction: Before and after

In the 65 years after the end of World War II, this is the toughest and the most difficult crisis for Japan
--Japan Prime Minister Naoto Kan

RELATED TOPICS

Japan

The town of Minamisanriku -- about five kilometers (three miles) from the Pacific Ocean -- had morphed into a massive pile of wood that used to house 20,000 residents. An eerie silence prevailed as emergency rescue officials said they didn't think anyone was still alive under the rubble. About half of Minamisanriku's population was unaccounted for.
In the Sendai area, where buildings were disintegrated by rushing water within seconds during the tsunami, a bizarre mix of sport-utility vehicles, cabinets, sofas, a taxi and a doll were heaped in a pile outside the remnants of a house. A white car sat precariously at the top of a sloped house.
Solemn residents waited in lines that stretched blocks for food, water and gas. Despite the devastation surrounding them, the crowds appeared calm and orderly.
At a shelter in Sendai, a shell-shocked man who fled the tsunami would not let go of his 3-week-old infant. "I have to protect my children. I have to protect my children," he said.
Some areas in the city of Ishinomaki remained inaccessible by ground Monday. Japanese troops had gone door-to-door in hope of finding survivors -- but found mostly the bodies of elderly residents.
Cold weather has increased the hardship for disaster victims and rescuers. Rescuers report that some victims have been exposed to cold weather and water, in some cases for days. Conditions are expected to worsen, with temperatures forecast to drop below freezing by Wednesday across portions of the earthquake zone, accompanied by snow, heavy rain and the threat of mudslides.
About 15,000 people have been rescued, Kyodo News reported Monday, citing Prime Minister Nato Kan.
Among them was Hiromitsu Shinkawa, a 60-year-old man from Minamisoma who was swept away with his house, Kyodo said.
The crew of a Japanese naval ship found him floating 15 kilometers (nine miles) off Fukushima Prefecture on Sunday, waving a self-made red flag while standing on a piece of his house's roof, according to Kyodo.
"I was saved by holding onto the roof, but my wife was swept away," he told Kyodo.
The problem of trying to keep Japan's large, modern industrial economy running added to the difficulties facing the nation.
On Sunday, the country's prime minister called on people to pull together and face sacrifices.
"In the 65 years after the end of World War II, this is the toughest and the most difficult crisis for Japan," Kan said.
With the imperiled Fukushima plant offline, Tokyo Electric Power said it was expecting a shortfall of about 25 percent capacity, which necessitated blackouts.
Rolling blackouts began in eight prefectures Monday evening, with electricity turned off for three to six hours some parts. Downtown Tokyo was not included. Up to 45 million people will be affected by the rolling outages, which will last until April 8.
Kazuya Matsuo, who lives near Tokyo in Saitama Prefecture, said residents are limiting power consumption on their own.
"Many people appeal (to) each other to save electric power on (the) internet," including on social media sites, Matsuo said. "Many Japanese people are cooperating."
The earthquake and tsunami will rank among the costliest natural disasters on record, experts predict.
Japan's central bank announced plans Monday to inject 15 trillion yen ($186 billion) into the economy to reassure global investors in the stability of Japanese financial markets and banks.
Still, Japanese markets dropped sharply Monday, the first trading day since the disaster. The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 6.18 percent.
The drop was the largest single-day fall since September 2008 after the collapse of Lehman Brothers during the financial crisis.
A massive emergency response operation is under way in northern Japan, with world governments and international aid groups coming together to bring relief to the beleaguered island nation. Sixty-nine governments have offered to help with search and rescue, said the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Friday's quake was the strongest in recorded history to hit Japan, according to U.S. Geological Survey records that date to 1900. The world's largest recorded quake took place in Chile on May 22, 1960, with a magnitude of 9.5, the agency said.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Angry customer goes crazy at burger king

LAUDERDALE LAKES, Fla. -- An angry customer went on a rampage inside a Burger King restaurant, and it was all caught on tape.

A surveillance camera was rolling as customer, Tara Lyons, went berserk after receiving her breakfast sandwich.

"She thinks that somebody spits in her sandwich, so she goes to complain to the manager. The manager says, 'Okay. I'll give you your money back.' It was a dollar-six. When the manager turns to go get the money, the woman, still irate, throws the sandwich at her. It hits her in the back," explained Dani Moschella with the Broward County Sheriff's Office.

The 38-year old attempted to climb over the counter to get to the store manager, but was pushed to the floor.

The video shows she then started throwing breakfast sandwiches and condiments at Burger King employees.

She left but police caught up with her within minutes.

Lyons is charged with assault, battery and burglary.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Libyan no-fly zone would be risky, provocative

After days of unrest in Libya, U.S. officials say a no-fly zone is an option for pushing Moammar Gadhafi from power and preventing bloodshed in toppling the regime.
But the use of no-fly zones is rife with danger for both sides, foreign experts say, and instituting one in Libya would raise the geopolitical stakes.
A no-fly zone is the aerial equivalent of a line in the sand. Violators, whether they are civilian aircraft or fighter jets, can get shot at.
A member of the U.N. Security Council who spoke on background told CNN that while there has been no formal discussion of a no-fly zone, there have been informal discussions outside of meetings, and "informal planning" is going on at NATO for such a scenario.
The diplomat said that if the Security Council discovers evidence that Gadhafi is using his air forces to kill or bomb civilians, fly in mercenaries or impede humanitarian assistance, it would be prepared to consider a no-fly zone.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates warned Congress on Wednesday that any effort to create a no-fly zone in Libya would have to begin with an attack on the country.
"If ordered, we can do it," Gates said in answer to a question during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on the Pentagon's 2012 budget. But he warned that imposing such a zone would have to begin with an attack on Libya's anti-aircraft capability.
While testifying on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen said they had no confirmation of reports of aircraft controlled by Gadhafi firing on citizens, which has been an argument for enforcing a no-fly zone over the country.
But CNN's Ben Wedeman reported Wednesday that he had seen an aircraft drop bombs on civilians near the coastal city of Brega.
In a rare bit of bipartisanship in Washington, the Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a nonbinding resolution calling for the Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over the country.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday that the international community "cannot be on the sidelines while airplanes are being allowed to bomb and strafe.
"A no-fly zone is not a long-term proposition, assuming the outcome is what all desire, and I believe that we ought to be ready to implement it as necessary."
U.S. officials say all military and diplomatic options are on the table, but Gates and Mullen told the hearing that pursuing a forced grounding of Libyan aircraft is complicated and risky.
One Western diplomat, leaving a Security Council meeting on Wednesday, said that a no-fly zone over Libya would be "extremely difficult to implement -- you need airports, hundreds of planes. It is an act of war, and you have to bear the consequences."
Such a move could risk the ire of Libya's Muslim and Arab neighbors and inflame already prickly relations with Security Council members Russia and China, experts say. Worse, such a provocative move could be perceived by Gadhafi's regime as a declaration of war.
"The worst-case scenario may not be horrible, but we have seen that the costs of perceived military unilateralism in the Arab world are high," said Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who specializes in national security and defense issues.
While the U.S. response has been diplomatic so far, a no-fly zone could cause things to escalate in a hurry: After the first Gulf War, the United States, with U.N. support, established a no-fly zone over southern Iraq in 1992 after reports that Saddam Hussein had used violence against Iraqis, specifically Kurds and Shiites. In the following years, Hussein's air forces openly challenged the zone, resulting in skirmishes and an air of brinkmanship that didn't end, fully, until 2003's Operation Iraqi Freedom.
And without the ground support that coalition forces had in the Gulf War, foreign policy experts are split on how effective a no-fly zone would be.
But one thing they all agree on: A no-fly zone could touch off a wider conflagration.
"There would be happiness by some that the U.S. and Europe are standing by them," said Steve Clemons, director of the American Strategy Program of the New America Foundation. "But a lot more will be skeptical. There is an institutional skepticism of anything from the West. Some will resent the perception of force robbing the Libyans of their own moment," he said.
Clinton told a congressional hearing Wednesday that is a consideration in how the U.S. is approaching the crisis.
"We are also very conscious of the desire by the Libyan opposition forces that they be seen doing this by themselves, on behalf of the Libyan people; that there not be outside intervention by an external force, because they want this to have been their accomplishment. We respect that," she said.
But she also said that the U.S. is taking steps with NATO allies to be prepared if action is necessary.
"One of those actions that is under review is a no-fly zone. There are arguments that would favor it, questions that would be raised about it, but it is under active consideration," she said.
How would other Security Council members react to a U.S.-instigated no-fly zone?
"China and Russia have been surprisingly supportive of actions in the Security Council over the weekend," said Jamie Fly, executive director of the Foreign Policy Initiative.
But Russia rejects the idea of a no-fly zone over Libya, and China usually opposes foreign intervention.
Clemons and Fly emphasized that international consensus could be difficult to come by.
"The price of China's support will be rather high," said Clemons, of the New America Foundation. "China has had its own Tiananmen Square and is sensitive to governments trying to quell disturbances. Its message [to foreign involvement] has always been 'Stay out,' " Clemons said.
"There's a lot of skepticism on whether China or Russia would support such an action [a no-fly zone], but the preferred option would be for NATO to act like it did in Kosovo," Fly said.
In 1999, NATO forces bombarded Serb and Yugoslav forces by air in response to atrocities committed against the Kosovar population. Kosovo, a province of Yugoslavia at the time, covered an area of about 4,200 square miles. Libya, at 700,000 square miles, would present a much larger task.
Logistical issues posed by Libya's location could be overcome, said O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution. "Because Libya's cities are near the coast or on it, [the United States] could use aircraft carriers as well as bases in Italy, assuming Italy goes along, or Greece," he said.
Italy could well go along. The eastern coastal area of Libya, called Cyrenaica, was once an Italian colony. Bad feelings remain after Gadhafi expelled thousands of Italians shortly after coming to power.
Despite saying earlier that all options were on the table, the Obama administration on Tuesday signaled a cautious approach to any intervention that could be construed as military.
But casting U.N. support aside, the temptation for the United States to aid a people determined to free themselves from the societal restraints of an unpopular dictator may be too much to withstand, experts say.
The imagery of a NATO-backed aircraft swooping through the Tripoli skies may be just the moral boost the Libyan rebels need to topple the regime, said Thomas Donnelly, director of the American Enterprise Institute's Center for Defense Studies.
"Simply buzzing the Gadhafi palace would send a psychological message both to Gadhafi himself ... [and] to the revolutionaries in Libya," Donnelly said.

"It would dispirit the regime and would at least let the rebellion know the U.S. and Europeans are on their side and just over the horizon."