Radiation Prank Texts

On March 14,2011 there was a text message making the rounds that claimed radiation from Japan would reach the Philippines by 4pm. I checked the supposed source of the information, the BBC, and found no mention of a massive radiation leak. The Nuclear Research Institute and the International Energy Commission also did not have any warnings. The text was a prank.

It's times like these that I'm glad we don't have a nuclear power plant in the country. I can imagine the panic when a text like this would mention a national nuclear plant. Given the trouble Japan's having over the endangered nuclear plants, I think we should seriously reconsider our ideas. We can barely respond properly when storms and motor accidents strike. Remember Ondoy? Nobody had rubber rafts despite the fact it rains yearly. How about the settlers on the banks of rivers that often flood. Or the incident where dam authorities released water and forgot to tell local governments. Can you imagine that comedy of errors in a nuclear incident?