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Hokkaido quake disrupts business activities, hospitals

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According to the Japanese Association of Dialysis Physicians, 16 hospitals in Hokkaido were unable to treat patients requiring dialysis,

I worked in a hospital for a number of years, and one year in a particularly bad typhoon, the power went out and backup generators overheated due to the direction and force of the wind, thus losing ALL power in the hospital.

We had numerous patients on heart-lung machines, and nurses and staff were forced to continue pumping air into the patients lungs to keep them alive. It was a grueling job that went on for 2 days, as other hospitals as well had the same problems and it was nearly impossible to get back up batteries for the machines as well.

THESE emergency services MUST be the priority along with rescuing those under the rubble!

7 ( +7 / -0 )

while Kirin Brewery Co canceled operations at its plant in Chitose on Thursday.

While I am personally saddened to hear this, I hope the folks up there will consider Asahi, Sapporo, or Suntory, while waiting for the factory to reopen!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Good luck to all affected! I hope your recovery is quick and complete.

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I exchanged e-mail with my cousin who live in the suburbs of Sapporo last night. His house was not damaged much but his trouble is a life without power. He said he was communicating with me in the dark. Modern life depends greatly on electricity while power in Hokkaido relied too much on one major power plant at Tomato Atsuma (50%) after their nuclear power plant at Tomari which generated 40% was suspended. Tomari nuclear plant should be opened to avoid concentrations.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

“Power outages also wreaked havoc at hospitals, with an infant girl briefly falling into serious condition after her oxygen inhalator stopped.

According to the health ministry, 349 hospitals lost power after the quake. Many were forced to turn off equipment and turn away patients. There was no running water at 62 hospitals”

Remember this. Including all of you in Tokyo.

Can you imagine what would things be like if it were over 7? Or if there were tens of thousands injured?

at the very least , hospitals should be built to be able to keep running.

Japan needs many more medically qualified people and many more of its citizenry trained in first aid.

The sad sad reality is that when the big one hits Tokyo, thousands with cuts, wounds and various injuries will have to look after each other because roads to hospitals will be blocked and hospitals won’t be able to take people in.

(And I won’t get into the problem we face that Japan has too few general practitioners. Nor will I elaborate on the fact that 86 % of female doctors quit within a few years. Just hope every retired doctor is on hand to help)

terrible tragedy in Hikkaido - but - an earthquake of his size in summer as bad as it is should make officials think about what a bigger one in winter would be like.

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Been following the news on almost every channel and have yet to hear about foreigners in the area. Is there foreigner's support in an event like this? Or are they left to fend for themselves. I even watched NHK World this morning and no mention of the non-native Japanese community. Kinda makes me worried.

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"What do we do then?" a worker asked.

You don't wait for "then", you do something about it now. Find some diesel, try a bus company, trucking company but don't wait until the generator stops before doing something.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Power outages also wreaked havoc at hospitals, with an infant girl briefly falling into serious condition after her oxygen inhalator stopped.

A simple UPS on such life-support equipment would give them time to sort out a more permanent solution.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Since 1981. NHK World's website has had this link up since yesterday:

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180906_58/

"I hope the folks up there will consider Asahi, Sapporo, or Suntory, while waiting for the factory to reopen!"

I hope those who can afford it will consider local craft alternatives like North Island, Otaru, Abashiri or Okhotsk beer, though they're no doubt struggling themselves. The big brewers can better weather disruptions like this.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

jcapan; thank you for the info. Much appreciated.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

More worried about the NPP.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Power trouble this time in Hokkaido is the defeat of technology and preparedness. Concentration of power plant at Tomato Atsuma and lack of power networking. Hokkaido being an island was unfortunate. People say it would not have happened if it were in the mainland Japan.

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After the Osaka quake we didn'T have hot water, it was troublesome but in Hokkaido they dont even have water and electricity. I can't imagine one day without it, must be hell. Being in darkness and then suffer the aftershocks. Sjeesh. Hope everything gets up and running soon.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What is the prospect of the electric cars' future?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Fingers crossed for the poor people in hospital whose lives are threatened by this.

Natural disasters are a given in Japan, so it is very poor for Hokkaido to have such a bottleneck/dependency in their electricity supply. The system should be more distributed and designed to have far more resilience. A Hokkaido-wide power outage in winter would be catastrophic. People should not be fobbed off with "shouganai" type excuses about this.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This is horrible. I saw (and met) the Japanese rock band Shonen Knife last night and they gave a killer show. They were outstanding, as always. They're going to be sad to hear about this : (

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Since1981, yes, according to NHK last night, there have been help lines in English, Korean and Chinese for foreign residents/visitors affected by the disaster.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I can't believe that all of the hospitals are not fitted with back up generators.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

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