Not time to say Japan events "out of control": IAEA

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/16/us-japan-nuclear-control-idUSTRE72F6IC20110316

Not time to say Japan events "out of control": IAEA

VIENNA | Wed Mar 16, 2011 12:51pm EDT

VIENNA (Reuters) - Now is not the time to say whether developments at a disaster-hit nuclear reactor in Japan have spiraled "out of control," the U.N. atomic watchdog chief said on Wednesday.

The European Union's energy chief said earlier on Wednesday Japanese authorities had appeared to have lost control of the situation.

"It is not the time to say things are out of control," Yukiya Amano told a news conference when asked about the comments by Guenther Oettinger. "The operators are doing the maximum to restore the safety of the reactor."

…

[JuniperLea]

1. It's never the time...

We keep being told "the next 24 - 48 hours are critical" but that time slot keeps getting pushed to the next 24 hour cycle.

[FBaggins]

2. Well it's certainly not time to say they're UNDER control

The question is how much "doing the maximum" helps.

[SpoonFed]

4. I speculate very little is there maximum...

I just watched a conf with TEPCO officials an hour ago and all they said to
almost all questions was "we'll get back to you tomorrow, the date of 17th on that".

This absurdly included a response to a question along the lines of, "has the
wall of reactor #4 collapsed further?"

A robot manufacturing industry friend has toured various plants including having seen
nuclear reactor pumps, multi-stories high units, that pump the equivalent of Niagara Falls
rates of water apparently.

If and when, are a few firetruck pumps going to do much?
They said they were going to start the makeshift water pumping in the morning.
Sure sounds like nothing is going on.

[AndyTiedye]

3. A Lot Like Saying "Don't Panic"