My area of Japan is almost completely unaffected. We get our power from somewhere further west so we aren't even part of the rolling blackouts here. It's eerily normal although there is a somewhat subdued atmosphere in town, unless I'm projecting that.
I am grateful if guilty that my area is ok. I'm also grateful for strict building codes that probably saved thousands of lives in the areas affected.
The thing that is really scaring me at the moment is the possibility of meltdown at Fukushima. I grew up next to a nuclear power plant, most of my family has worked there at one point or another so I know that in general it's pretty safe and well-regulated. But I also know what can happen when radiation gets out, we all do. I'm not sure what my stance on nuclear power in general is any more, but I do think that countries which have a high risk of natural disaster may want to re-think their nuclear stance.
There was a fire at Sellafield (then Windscale) in 1957, it's Britian's worst nuclear accident. My mother was three months old and was outside in her pram when she was covered in radioactive ash. I believe she remains the youngest person in Britain to have had a full radiation scan. And she is one of the healthiest people I know. And I know that little is known about exactly what radiation does and I know that news reports (even the most reliable ones) need to grab headlines. "Radiation leak - all fine" wouldn't really get you clicking would it?
Still, we are brought up in a culture of fear, and radiation is one of those. It's not something we can see, it's hardly something we can run from, and it's not likely to turn us into cool X-Men mutants.
I think this whole thing is freaking me out more than I was aware. I thought I was fine until I was watching a DVD and a plane flew over a little closer than normal. Luckily I wasn't alone so I calmed down a bit but I hadn't realised I was so on edge about another quake coming. Especially as my area is due a big one. I'm carrying my passport around with me now.
I'm not sure this entry is very cohesive but my head's a bit jumbled up right now. You'd think I'd be used to crises considering everything but there we go. Half of me is calm, half is freaking out!
I am grateful if guilty that my area is ok. I'm also grateful for strict building codes that probably saved thousands of lives in the areas affected.
The thing that is really scaring me at the moment is the possibility of meltdown at Fukushima. I grew up next to a nuclear power plant, most of my family has worked there at one point or another so I know that in general it's pretty safe and well-regulated. But I also know what can happen when radiation gets out, we all do. I'm not sure what my stance on nuclear power in general is any more, but I do think that countries which have a high risk of natural disaster may want to re-think their nuclear stance.
There was a fire at Sellafield (then Windscale) in 1957, it's Britian's worst nuclear accident. My mother was three months old and was outside in her pram when she was covered in radioactive ash. I believe she remains the youngest person in Britain to have had a full radiation scan. And she is one of the healthiest people I know. And I know that little is known about exactly what radiation does and I know that news reports (even the most reliable ones) need to grab headlines. "Radiation leak - all fine" wouldn't really get you clicking would it?
Still, we are brought up in a culture of fear, and radiation is one of those. It's not something we can see, it's hardly something we can run from, and it's not likely to turn us into cool X-Men mutants.
I think this whole thing is freaking me out more than I was aware. I thought I was fine until I was watching a DVD and a plane flew over a little closer than normal. Luckily I wasn't alone so I calmed down a bit but I hadn't realised I was so on edge about another quake coming. Especially as my area is due a big one. I'm carrying my passport around with me now.
I'm not sure this entry is very cohesive but my head's a bit jumbled up right now. You'd think I'd be used to crises considering everything but there we go. Half of me is calm, half is freaking out!
No comments:
Post a Comment