Sendai, Japan (CNN) -- A deepening crisis at a damaged nuclear power plant compounded the misery in Japan Tuesday as the death toll rose to 2,734 and the stock market plummeted for a second straight day.
In areas decimated by the strongest quake in the country's history, survivors huddled in cramped shelters with temperatures forecast to drop below freezing by Wednesday. And in cities spared the devastation, the specter of radioactive exposure loomed large in rattled residents' minds.
"I think from a sanity standpoint I'm trying to side with the cool-headed point of view because I don't want to think about the possibly of a full-blown meltdown," said Osaki resident Tyler Martin.
Radiation level readings have decreased at the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Tuesday afternoon.
"The level has come down to the level to cause no harm to human health, according to the report I have received," Edano said.
But for many, calming jittery nerves is becoming increasingly difficult as the situation at the damaged facility looks increasingly dire with each passing day.
Earlier Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the risk of further releases of radioactive material was "very high."
The government imposed a no-fly zone over a 30-kilometer radius of the plant and anyone within that area were urged to remain indoors.
Kan spoke as a fire burned at the No. 4 reactor building at the plant in northeastern Japan. Officials said later Tuesday that the fire had been extinguished. Also on Tuesday, an "explosive impact" occurred at the No. 2 reactor building, the plant's owner said.
Two other explosions have taken place in reactor buildings at the nuclear plant since Saturday.
Edano said Tuesday he could not rule out the possibility of a meltdown at the troubled reactors. While sea water was being pumped into the reactors in an effort to prevent further damage, "it cannot necessarily be called a stable situation," he said.
Radiation levels in Tokyo were twice the usual level on Tuesday but was too negligible to pose a health threat, officials said.
"So far the winds are blowing north/northeast, so if a lot of radiation leaks, Tokyo shouldn't get a lot of the exposure," said Robert F. Mendel, who lives in suburban Tokyo. "Of course, if the winds change, that's a different story. We've been advised to wear long sleeves, a cap, a surgical mask to reduce the amount of exposure -- that is, cover as much skin as possible."
But Martin said some government-issued precautions -- such as not bringing in laundry from outdoors -- "seems like a drop in the bucket."
"It doesn't seem like there's a lot you can do," he said.
Meanwhile, rescue workers continued Tuesday to scour tangled and displaced piles of debris, searching for survivors.
At least 3,743 people were still missing Tuesday, the National Police Agency said. Public broadcaster NHK reported that 450,000 people were living in shelters. Many schools had turned into emergency shelters.
In the area of Sendai, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, several tractor trailers with cars on top had flipped over. Personal belongings -- a child's doll, an empty shoe, wedding photos covered in mud --lay in heaps where houses once stood.
At a shelter in the city, a shell-shocked man who fled the tsunami would not let go of his 3-week-old infant. "I have to protect my children. I have to protect my children," he said.
Another survivor wiped away tears after someone she barely knew gave her food and water.
Members of the Japanese army paddled across heavily-flooded streets in Ishinomaki to rescue several people at an office building. The group, was huddled on a ramp surrounded by water, had been stranded for three days.
Cold weather has increased the hardship for disaster victims and rescuers. Rescuers report that some victims have been exposed to cold weather and water, in some cases for days.
Conditions are expected to worsen, with temperatures forecast to drop below freezing by Wednesday across portions of the earthquake zone, accompanied by snow, heavy rain and the threat of mudslides.
Already in Sendai, cold rain and sleet fell on the decimated city Tuesday, and snow fell in parts of northeastern Japan.
Economic and power problems also loomed.
With the imperiled Fukushima plant offline, Tokyo Electric Power said it was expecting a shortfall of about 25 percent capacity, which necessitated blackouts. Up to 45 million people will be affected by the rolling outages, which will last until April 8.
Experts predict that the earthquake and tsunami will rank among the costliest natural disasters on record.
Japan's central bank announced plans Monday to inject 15 trillion yen ($186 billion) into the economy to reassure global investors of the stability of Japanese financial markets and banks.
Still, Japanese stocks closed down 10.55 percent Tuesday -- the third steepest percentage fall in the Nikkei's history.
That was on top of a 6.2% drop Monday, the first full trading day after the quake, which also marked the largest single-day fall since September 2008 after the collapse of Lehman Brothers during the financial crisis.
A massive emergency response operation is under way in northern Japan, with world governments and international aid groups coming together to bring relief to the beleaguered island nation. Ninety-one countries and regions and six international organizations have offered assistance, according to the Japanese foreign affairs ministry.
Friday's quake was the strongest in recorded history to hit Japan, according to U.S. Geological Survey records that date to 1900. The USGS revised the magnitude of the quake from 8.9 to 9.0 on Monday.
With fears of radiation and the ever-present threat of more earthquakes on the minds of residents, Martin said he's most concerned about survivors and those in immediate need for help.
"My biggest worry is making sure the rescue efforts and the country don't get hindered by the possibility of a nuclear meltdown," he said. "Theres' still a lot of work to be done."
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/15/japan.disaster/index.html?hpt=T1
In areas decimated by the strongest quake in the country's history, survivors huddled in cramped shelters with temperatures forecast to drop below freezing by Wednesday. And in cities spared the devastation, the specter of radioactive exposure loomed large in rattled residents' minds.
"I think from a sanity standpoint I'm trying to side with the cool-headed point of view because I don't want to think about the possibly of a full-blown meltdown," said Osaki resident Tyler Martin.
Radiation level readings have decreased at the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Tuesday afternoon.
"The level has come down to the level to cause no harm to human health, according to the report I have received," Edano said.
But for many, calming jittery nerves is becoming increasingly difficult as the situation at the damaged facility looks increasingly dire with each passing day.
Earlier Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the risk of further releases of radioactive material was "very high."
The government imposed a no-fly zone over a 30-kilometer radius of the plant and anyone within that area were urged to remain indoors.
Kan spoke as a fire burned at the No. 4 reactor building at the plant in northeastern Japan. Officials said later Tuesday that the fire had been extinguished. Also on Tuesday, an "explosive impact" occurred at the No. 2 reactor building, the plant's owner said.
Two other explosions have taken place in reactor buildings at the nuclear plant since Saturday.
Edano said Tuesday he could not rule out the possibility of a meltdown at the troubled reactors. While sea water was being pumped into the reactors in an effort to prevent further damage, "it cannot necessarily be called a stable situation," he said.
Radiation levels in Tokyo were twice the usual level on Tuesday but was too negligible to pose a health threat, officials said.
"So far the winds are blowing north/northeast, so if a lot of radiation leaks, Tokyo shouldn't get a lot of the exposure," said Robert F. Mendel, who lives in suburban Tokyo. "Of course, if the winds change, that's a different story. We've been advised to wear long sleeves, a cap, a surgical mask to reduce the amount of exposure -- that is, cover as much skin as possible."
But Martin said some government-issued precautions -- such as not bringing in laundry from outdoors -- "seems like a drop in the bucket."
"It doesn't seem like there's a lot you can do," he said.
Meanwhile, rescue workers continued Tuesday to scour tangled and displaced piles of debris, searching for survivors.
At least 3,743 people were still missing Tuesday, the National Police Agency said. Public broadcaster NHK reported that 450,000 people were living in shelters. Many schools had turned into emergency shelters.
In the area of Sendai, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, several tractor trailers with cars on top had flipped over. Personal belongings -- a child's doll, an empty shoe, wedding photos covered in mud --lay in heaps where houses once stood.
At a shelter in the city, a shell-shocked man who fled the tsunami would not let go of his 3-week-old infant. "I have to protect my children. I have to protect my children," he said.
Another survivor wiped away tears after someone she barely knew gave her food and water.
Members of the Japanese army paddled across heavily-flooded streets in Ishinomaki to rescue several people at an office building. The group, was huddled on a ramp surrounded by water, had been stranded for three days.
Cold weather has increased the hardship for disaster victims and rescuers. Rescuers report that some victims have been exposed to cold weather and water, in some cases for days.
Conditions are expected to worsen, with temperatures forecast to drop below freezing by Wednesday across portions of the earthquake zone, accompanied by snow, heavy rain and the threat of mudslides.
Already in Sendai, cold rain and sleet fell on the decimated city Tuesday, and snow fell in parts of northeastern Japan.
Economic and power problems also loomed.
With the imperiled Fukushima plant offline, Tokyo Electric Power said it was expecting a shortfall of about 25 percent capacity, which necessitated blackouts. Up to 45 million people will be affected by the rolling outages, which will last until April 8.
Experts predict that the earthquake and tsunami will rank among the costliest natural disasters on record.
Japan's central bank announced plans Monday to inject 15 trillion yen ($186 billion) into the economy to reassure global investors of the stability of Japanese financial markets and banks.
Still, Japanese stocks closed down 10.55 percent Tuesday -- the third steepest percentage fall in the Nikkei's history.
That was on top of a 6.2% drop Monday, the first full trading day after the quake, which also marked the largest single-day fall since September 2008 after the collapse of Lehman Brothers during the financial crisis.
A massive emergency response operation is under way in northern Japan, with world governments and international aid groups coming together to bring relief to the beleaguered island nation. Ninety-one countries and regions and six international organizations have offered assistance, according to the Japanese foreign affairs ministry.
Friday's quake was the strongest in recorded history to hit Japan, according to U.S. Geological Survey records that date to 1900. The USGS revised the magnitude of the quake from 8.9 to 9.0 on Monday.
With fears of radiation and the ever-present threat of more earthquakes on the minds of residents, Martin said he's most concerned about survivors and those in immediate need for help.
"My biggest worry is making sure the rescue efforts and the country don't get hindered by the possibility of a nuclear meltdown," he said. "Theres' still a lot of work to be done."
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/15/japan.disaster/index.html?hpt=T1
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