Well, TEPCO have announced now that they can't meet electricity demands and will most likely be instating a rolling blackout starting tomorrow. This blackout will effect Tokyo, Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Yamanashi and part of Shizuoka.

They estimate that around 41 million kilowatts of power will be in demand every work day, yet can only supply 31 million kilowatts per day for at least the next week, perhaps longer.

The direct result of that, for me, is that I can't sleep tonight as I'll have to ensure my translation that is due tomorrow can be delivered before our turn in this rolling blackout. And as TEPCO have yet to announce when each area will actually have their power cut, I can't risk not having this work finished before 6 am. =/

Also having to charge the kids' DSes tonight as if those run out of batteries and they can't be charged up again, they'll be world war 3 in the house.

Such a rolling blackout being used here will be a first for Japan. Even in past years when they've been unable to meet power demands, TEPCO have never needed to make such a move. Personally, I think they should just force all the Pachinko parlous and similar establishments to close for the week as those places simple eat power like nothing else.

Shops today, mind, were already taking an initiative in this area and were running on 20% lighting or less. There's also very little daily supplies of bread, etc., getting through either. And it looks likely that petrol supplies are going to be very problematic -- especially as everyone was out today queuing up to drain petrol stations dry. So if nothing else, prices are going to go sky high here.

So yeah, while the aftershocks may be dying down in frequency (at least here), the longer term effects are starting to kick in.

And at least I still have roof over my head. Looking around today, I see a fair few houses around here that have lost their roofs. We got off lightly all things considered.