another storm on the way

a skype pic :)



Camps Foster & Lester
Tropical Depression #18. It's small but we are tracking it. Hopefully it doesn't turn into something big. Of course, it is projected to be here on Friday and Saturday. Typhoons love Okinawa Weekends.

Typhoon Nanmadol five day forcast

looking like it might hit Okinawa after all..

as Hurricane Irene heads for the US

ALL eastern coastal states are expected to be affected, Currently bracing: FL, GA, SC, NC, VA. All states above these northwards are expected to be affected. The storm seems to be heading directly for upper SC, NC and VA.

Military installs two high-powered radiation detectors in Japan

By CHARLIE REED
Stars and Stripes
Published: August 20, 2011


U.S. wasn't fully prepared for radiation risks following Japan earthquake, top general says
Military to calculate radiation doses for those living, working in Japan following earthquake
U.S. spent $11.7M to fly dependents out of Japan after earthquake
U.S. troops not exposed to high levels of toxins, radiation during quake cleanup, military says
Radiation fears outpaced the facts after quake, USFJ commander says

Maj. Ru Zhao, a health scientist at Camp Zama, removes the heavy medal lid from the high-purity germanium detector that was recently installed at the existing epidemiology lab at Camp Zama, bringing permanent advanced on-site radiation testing to Japan.
CHARLIE REED/STARS AND STRIPES

CAMP ZAMA, Japan — The U.S. military can now do in-depth radiation testing and analysis in Japan, though officials say the new capability is only precautionary.

Two high-powered detectors recently installed at the Army public health laboratory at Camp Zama can provide advanced radiation analysis and eliminate the need to send samples to the U.S., officials said.

The new gear enhances the military’s ongoing radiation monitoring program in the aftermath of the nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plant, sparked by the massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

All four services in Japan have equipment such as handheld meters to gauge radiation on and around people and objects — basic but critical information in a nuclear crisis.

Much of that equipment was already on hand before the Fukushima incident and was used as part of standard monitoring for radiation and other environmental contaminants.

However, the high-purity germanium detector and the sodium iodide crystal detector now at Camp Zama measure internal radiation on a molecular level, providing more detailed information for determining the extent of possible exposure, officials said. The two detectors cost about $1 million total.

Stateside military radiation teams temporarily provided the same kind of equipment and analysis while deployed throughout Japan during the height of the crisis in March and April. During that time, Camp Zama simultaneously conducted similar testing using a Food and Drug Administration lab in California, a process that required physically sending radiation samples from Japan to the U.S.

“But we needed the (permanent) capability in Japan, should there be another release from any of the reactors, to be able to ramp up analysis quickly,” said Col. Michael Brumage, commander of the Army’s Public Health Command-Region Pacific at Zama.


Army scientists at Camp Zama also have established testing methods for the new equipment that mimic those of the FDA lab. “It’s the gold standard for this kind of testing,” said Maj. Jama Vanhorne-Sealy, a health physicist who oversaw the implementation of the new equipment and procedures at the lab.

It now serves as the military’s central radiation testing facility in Japan, working closely with Navy and Air Force radiological units at Yokosuka Naval Base on the mainland and Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, Brumage said.

Keeping closer track of radiation levels in food, water, air and soil in and around U.S. bases will be an enduring mission for U.S. forces in Japan, officials said.

That includes the “Tomodachi Registry” project, which aims to calculate individual radiation dose assessments for the 61,000 U.S. military personnel in Japan during the crisis and include them in those troops’ medical records. Rear Adm. Michael H. Mittelman, the top surgeon for U.S. Pacific Command, announced the registry project last month while in Japan trying to allay lingering radiation fears in the military community.

“Now we live in an environment where this (nuclear meltdown) has occurred,” said Maj. Neal Fisher, spokesman for U.S. Forces Japan. “We will probably always monitor (radiation) for the health and safety of all our forces and the people of Japan.”

Radiation detected in and around U.S. military bases in Japan has never exceeded safe levels and continues to pose no threat to U.S. military personnel and family members stationed in the country, according to military officials.

But fears of exposure prompted the military to authorize the voluntary evacuation of 10,000 family members from Japan, distribute hundreds of thousands of potassium iodide pills to U.S. personnel and their families and prohibit travel within 50 miles of the crippled nuclear energy plant.

If the military had had the capabilities now available at Camp Zama at the time of the crisis, it likely would not have changed that course of action because “we didn’t know what was going to happen,” Fisher said. “It was all precautionary.”

Meanwhile, the equipment is being calibrated and used as part of ongoing radiological testing at Camp Zama, where the Army’s regional veterinary command manages the food safety program for all four services in Japan.

That mission includes ensuring food brought into Japan through the Defense Commissary Agency and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service as well as from Japanese vendors is free of radiation and other contamination.

Of the 60 Japanese food plants that supply the U.S. military community, 26 were quickly banned early on in the crisis, some because of their proximity to the Fukushima nuclear station and others because of damage they sustained in the 9.0 earthquake or subsequent tsunami, said Lt. Col. Margery Hanfelt.

Although the process of recertifying them is not simple, the new radiation testing lab will help expedite the process, she said, adding that the military’s food supply is not dependent on local vendors in Japan.

The new lab not only symbolizes the military’s watchful eye in tracking nuclear fallout in Japan, Brumage said, but also signals a new era in the military’s radiological response efforts.

“Up until now much of the military’s policies have focused on nuclear warfare and radiological risks associated with the battlefield versus low-level releases from a civilian nuclear power plant,” he said. “So we’re doing something new here.”

reedc@pstripes.osd.mil

good and bad

you know how it is .. there are good days and bad days .. I pray everyday the she has more good then bad... I try not to tell her the bad from home.. trying to keep her spirits up .. but sometimes she does need to know it might not be better at home... I do love it though when I see she is happy and has good some good times. It puts a smile on my face even if I don't have many of those lately... it does make my day to see photos like this...

miss Erica and some buddies from her unit

Keep this rose going for the 31 US Special Forces and 7 Afghan Commandos and 1 warrior dog who lost their lives in a helicopter crash ♥♥♥♥
_____/)___/)______./¯"""/')
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\)¯¯\)¯¯¯'\_„„„„\)
¯`v´¯) Your families are in our thoughts
`*.¸.*´ and prayers during this
¸.•´ ¸.•*¨)¸.•*¨) difficult time!!!
(¸.•´(¸.• (¸.•´¸¸.•¨¯`•.¸¸.♥

typhoon muifa approaching okinawa 8/4/11

During your preparations for the approaching storm, did you ever stop to think about the word “muifa?” Other than the fact that it’s fun to say over and over…what exactly IS a muifa anyway? Countries throughout Asia contribute names for tropical cyclones in this part of the world, and a “muifa” is a name submitted by Macau that means “plum blossom.” See all the names (and meanings) of upcoming

the red dot if where miss erica is at on okinawa apx.

update as of 8/4/11 5:55pm pacific time

Typhoon Muifa, centered east-northeast of Taiwan and south of Japan, is equivalent to a category 2 hurricane. Its northern eyewall is passing very near or directly over Kadena Air Base on Okinawa tonight U.S. time. It is forecast to move generally northwestward through the weekend, and it could impact some portions of eastern China on Saturday and Sunday U.S. time

having to close up OP early .. hurricane approaching

Super Typhoon 11W (Muifa), # 7: It's a big one!

By DAVE ORNAUER
Published: July 31, 2011

1 p.m. Sunday, July 31, Japan time: They’re calling it Super Typhoon Muifa for a reason. In a span of less than 18 hours, Muifa went from Category I- to Category IV-equivalent status and in relatively short order should become a Cat V-equivalent storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

The latest Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecast track (noon Sunday local time) calls for Muifa to rumble 26 miles southwest of Kadena Air Base at 8 a.m. Friday, packing sustained 138-mph winds and 167-mph gusts at its center.

Kadena’s 18^th Wing Weather Flight’s latest forecast (12:30 p.m. Sunday) calls for the following wind timeline:

-- Winds of 35 mph or greater, 6 p.m. Tuesday.
-- Winds of 40 mph or greater, 9 p.m. Tuesday.
-- Wind gusts of 58 mph or greater, 9 p.m. Wednesday.
-- Sustained 58-mph winds or greater, between 9 p.m. Thursday-2 p.m. Friday.
-- Sustained 98-mph winds and 144-mph gusts between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Friday.
-- Wind gusts diminishing below 58 mph, 6 a.m. Saturday.
-- Winds diminishing below 40 mph, 8 a.m. Saturday.
-- Winds diminishing below 35 mph, 10 a.m. Saturday.

PST can’t say it enough and with very great emphasis: This one’s big. Even the locals, laid-back, friendly folk given to frequent fits of understatement, are using terms like “sugoi” and “taihen” regarding Muifa’s potential severity.

Not since I’ve been doing this on a consistent basis since the fall of 2004 has PST ever – and I mean ever – seen a tropical cyclone forecast to peak at 180-mph sustained winds and 220-mph gusts, until now (between 9 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m. Tuesday, when Muifa will still be quite far from Okinawa).

What remains most worrisome is how Muifa’s forward speed has slowed to a virtual crawl. Over the last 18 hours, Muifa has slowed from 12 mph to just over 3 mph, and over an area of high ocean heat content, on which tropical cyclones feast as PST does over a well-done Porterhouse steak, baked potato and a glass of Bordeaux. The longer it remains over high OHC areas, the fatter and more monstrous it grows.

No accelerated tropical cyclone conditions of readiness have been issued yet, but take heed, my Okinawa peepz: Start preparing for this thing NOW. It is NEVER too soon. Clean up around your home or tower apartment right away, and do the same around your office or work area tomorrow. Stock up on batteries, bottled water and non-perishable foods.

For those living off base on Okinawa with AFN satellite decoder boxes, Channel 21 shows the local sea and typhoon conditions. Keep in mind, though, that the signal could be interrupted during heavy squalls, which will likely occur. Wave 89.1-FM, Surf 648-AM or AFN Okinawa’s Facebook page are also available.

Start preparing now. Better safe than sorry. Better to have too many supplies and a storm veering away at the last minute than to have it run over us and not be prepared.

expected to hit okinawa thursday a category five.