U.S. braces for tsunami debris, but impact unclear

National Jun. 11, 2012 - 09:19AM JST ( 12 )

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12 Comments

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VespertoJun. 11, 2012 - 08:53AM JST

I think this is far worse than any oil spill that we’ve ever faced on the West Coast

...

a concrete and metal dock washed ashore

Something larger may hit an oil tanker.
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kwattJun. 11, 2012 - 09:15AM JST

There would be not much they can do about millions of pieces of floating debris. They might have to wait until these debris reach to west coasts and then float ashore on beaches or stick inshore for a few years.
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paulinusaJun. 11, 2012 - 09:32AM JST

“You have entire homes and all their contents ... anything you may find in a Japanese home could be floating in the ocean still intact.”

This could really create a dilemma if the house can be identified and something tragic is associated with it.
-1

Christopher BlackwellJun. 11, 2012 - 12:09PM JST

Amusing that knowing this was coming, no studies and no plans were made by the United States.
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JapanGalJun. 11, 2012 - 12:28PM JST

Floating bottles of chemicals is a given. The paper names will have rotted away for sure, but many have plastic labels and they do no trot very easily. Time to start leaning Japanese West Coast residents. If you can read what is in it you can probably still use it.
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smithinjapanJun. 11, 2012 - 02:38PM JST

“I think this is far worse than any oil spill that we’ve ever faced on the West Coast or any other environmental disaster we’ve faced on the West Coast”

Yes and no. The sheer scope and amount of debris should eclipse any oil spill by far, but for the most part it's got to be easier to deal with than an oil spill, and less harmful to the eco-system. Unless, of course, they are right about all the chemicals that could be coming. And yes, of course, there's the issue of barnacles and what not sticking to the items in question that could harm the native living things.
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FarmboyJun. 11, 2012 - 02:46PM JST

People have said that the Pacific Garbage Patch is a greater threat than the tsunami waste, which mostly sank offshore Japan. Still, there will be floating waste for sure, some just junk, and some dangerous. What CAN they do with it? Artificial Island? Land Bridge to San Fran? Freebee road materials? I really don't know, but they'd better figure it out fast.
-3

bajhista65Jun. 11, 2012 - 03:33PM JST

WOW !!!! scary news topic.... BRACES.... seem like another disaster is going to happen..... IMPACT... it's like a huge
meteor about to hit USA. hehehehehe.
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Tom DeMickeJun. 11, 2012 - 05:50PM JST

Recycle?
-1

FadamorJun. 12, 2012 - 02:55AM JST

WOW !!!! scary news topic.... BRACES.... seem like another disaster is going to happen.....

IMPACT... it's like a huge meteor about to hit USA. hehehehehe.

I agree the headline was given to hyperbole. We brace for hurricanes and blizzards, not trash washing ashore. Like it or not, the states are going to have to deal with the clean-up. FEMA funds are for legitimate emergencies and this doesn't constitute one.
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Tom WebbJun. 12, 2012 - 04:55AM JST

Will the Japanese government pay for the clean-up on Canadian and American shores of Japan's trash?