Debris coming to North America from the earthquakes, tsunamis and nuclear accidents in Japan in September 2011 is not expected to be as bad as first anticipated.
Coun. Ken Jamieson relayed this information at a recent meeting of Salmon Arm council after attending a session at the Union of BC Municipalities convention last month.
He said the main part of the debris will probably land on North American shores in the winter months of 2013/2014.
“It’s not as bad as expected, but it is still causing a lot of concern,” he said, noting that a number of jurisdictions have come together to deal with and monitor the potentially radioactive debris, including Alaska, B.C., the Canadian and U.S. governments, as well as U.S. states bordering the Pacific.
“The second thing is there’s no radiation showing up on any of the debris, mainly because the explosions and break down of (nuclear) plants came after the tsunamis hit. Most is on the floor of the ocean near Japan. Volunteers up and down the continent’s coast are cleaning up.”
Last month, a Japanese National Police Agency report confirmed 15,870 deaths, 6,114 injured, and 2,814 people missing in the aftermath of the earthquakes and tsunamis. Five million tonnes of debris is estimated to have gone into the ocean following the tsunami.