nuclear fears emerge after quake, tsunami in japan - house battery backup

On Friday, a huge tsunami triggered by the biggest earthquake ever flooded the east coast of northern Japan, causing huge damage and causing safety concerns at two nuclear power plants.
Despite the severe damage caused by floods and fires, Japanese officials are racing to repair the cooling system failure at neighboring nuclear power plants.
Meanwhile, Japan's Nuclear Security Agency will order the release of substances known as "minor" radioactive steam.
The final death toll from the disaster is unclear, but hundreds have been killed.
The worst road
The disaster area was washed away or blocked by garbage and the airport was closed.
The earthquake sent a tsunami to Hawaii and the United States. S.
A few hours later, the West Coast of the United States, as far as South America and Canada, was covered with warnings throughout the Pacific Ocean.
With the dawn of Saturday, the level of destruction began to become more obvious.
Air scenes in the town of Ofunato show houses and warehouses in ruins.
Several acres of land are covered with sludge and high water levels, and people seek refuge on the roofs of partially submerged buildings.
At a school, a large white "SOS" was spelled in English ". Level 8.
Earthquake struck Japan. m. local time —
Since officials began recording in the 1800 s, the country has suffered its biggest earthquake.
Dozens of cities and villages along 1,300 kilometers
The mile-long coastline was shaken by a powerful earthquake in Tokyo hundreds of miles from the epicenter.
The quake caused a tsunami of up to 30 feet in some places, followed by more than 50 aftershocks, many of which were grade 6. 0 or greater.
On Friday, police said 200 to 300 bodies were found in Sendai, a coastal city in northeastern Miyagi prefecture closest to the epicenter.
The number of official casualties is 236, and more than 700 people are still missing.
Police also said more than a thousand people were injured.
The Japanese coast guard reported that they were searching for about 80 dock workers from a shipyard in Miyagi.
Naoto Kan, Japan's prime minister, said at a news conference: "The earthquake has caused major damage in the vast area of northern Japan . ".
The damage to the nuclear power plant prompted evacuation. The earthquake caused a power outage, causing the cooling system of a reactor unit at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to be paralyzed.
1 nuclear power plant-
150 miles north of Tokyo
There are three nearby Fukushima one. 2 plant.
Officials stressed that there was no risk of radiation leakage.
But nearly 3,000 people were ordered to leave the area in Fukushima prefecture.
Initially, residents were told to be at least two miles from the factory.
The border expanded to six miles later.
Although the factories were closed after the earthquake
Some people turn off automatically.
The remaining radioactive material will continue to produce high temperatures within a day or two, so the pump must maintain circulating cooling water to prevent the core from melting.
The pump lost its main power in the earthquake.
The backup system of the diesel generator failed to start, possibly due to damage caused by the tsunami.
This only leaves a battery backup designed to run for about 8 hours.
Meanwhile, officials are considering the possibility of releasing slightly radioactive steam to reduce system pressure.
Yukio Edano, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, said radioactive elements in steam were "very small" and would not affect the environment or human health.
"The evacuation is in place, the ocean --
We can make sure we're safe, "he said at a television news conference earlier Saturday.
Nuclear power plants such as the Fukushima nuclear power plant, even if the cooling system fails, are designed to contain nuclear materials.
Japan, which relies on nuclear power to generate electricity nearly, closed at least three factories as a precaution after reports of damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plant and other facilities, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The airport was flooded and hundreds of houses were screened by TV pictures from Sendai, Japan, showing the highway bending and the shaking forces of the wooded old buildings razed to the ground.
When the tsunami swept the coast, Sendai airport was flooded in an instant.
The waves rushed past a fish market near the coast, picked up a car park full of cars and swept them into the sea.
Only in a small town on the northeast coast, Minano-
A defense ministry spokesman said about 1,800 homes were destroyed or severely destroyed in Soma.
In Tokyo, video footage showed a building on fire in the big terrace area and smoke billowing.
The earthquake bent the top of the iconic Tokyo Tower 1,093
Walking steel structure inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Is earthquake prevention helpful?
When the earthquake struck, buildings shook violently and workers poured into the streets to ensure safety, but so far there have been few reports of collapsed buildings --
Strict building codes may have avoided a bigger disaster.
Earthquake experts in the United StatesS.
Japan has the strongest seismic building standard in the world.
It trains and prepares more for them.
Unlike the United States, Japan has adopted an expensive earthquake warning system that gives people valuable seconds to avoid.
The quake was 700 times more powerful than the one that struck Haiti last year, but the death toll seems to be far below 220,000.
And killed in the Caribbean.
David Applegate, a senior US science consultant, said: "If someone has the ability to control all this, it is the Japanese . "S.
Geological Survey.
Even so, Friday's earthquake caused a 186-mile-long, 93-mile-wide breakdown on the sea floor 80 miles off Japan's east coast.
This is due to a huge plate being pushed under another plate.
Similar movements that caused the 2004 Indonesian tsunami.
"What you see is destroying a very important part of the crust," Applegate said . ".
At the time of the earthquake, Akihito, 46, worked in the office of a trading company in Tokyo.
It crashed the bookshelf and computer on the floor, and there was a crack in the wall.
"I have experienced many earthquakes, but I have never felt that way," he said . ".
"I don't know if we can go home tonight.
Tokyo airport is closed and all public transport is closed.
NHK says more than 4 million buildings in the city and its suburbs do not have electricity.
Night falls, temperatures hover above freezing, and thousands of people remain stranded in Tokyo.
The streets are packed with cars, buses and trucks trying to get out of town.
The city has set up 33 shelters in City Hall, University campus and government office, but many are planning on 24-
Cafe, hotel and office.
"Normally, we get used to shaking, but this continues," Lucy Croft reports for NPR in Tokyo.
She said she was in the parliament building in Tokyo when the earthquake struck.
"The subway has stopped, and now most of the traffic has stopped;
The highway is closed;
The train is not running.
"It's hard to make a phone call," Craft said . ".
"The country has just come to a sharp standstill.
Japan has spent a lot of money on disaster prevention and disaster relief, she said.
But even for a country that has had an earthquake, the scale of the earthquake is terrible.
According to U. S. media reports, the earthquake occurred about 80 miles off the east coast at a depth of 6 miles. S.
Geological Survey.
The area is 240 miles northeast of Tokyo.
USGS scientist Brian Atwater told the Associated Press that "the energy emitted by this earthquake is almost equal to the energy consumption of one month ".
Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the Ministry of Defense is sending troops to the quake-hit areas. hit region.
A general aircraft and several helicopters are en route. U. N.
Spokeswoman Elizabeth Byers said in Geneva, Switzerland, 35 international searchesand-
Rescue teams are on alert and will be dispatched immediately if Japan requests assistance.
Obama expressed his condolences and saidS. aid to Japan.
"Our hearts are open to our friends in Japan and throughout the region, and as they recover and rebuild from this tragedy, we will stand with them, he said at a press conference in Washington on Friday afternoon.
The president saidS.
I will send an aircraft carrier to Japan and another ship to the Mariana Islands to provide assistance as needed.
The Department of Defense is also working to take responsibility for all military personnel stationed in Japan, where the State Department is trying to take responsibility for all American citizens.
Obama said he was heartbroken by the tragedy in Japan, which "reminds people how fragile life is.
Earlier, he saidS.
Officials are monitoring the tsunami in the Pacific, and he has ordered the federal emergency service to be ready to help Hawaii and any other affected U.
States and regions of the United States.
In Hawaii, the fragile area is evacuated, the water on the road is rushing up, entering the hotel lobby on the Big Island, low
The terrain of Maui is flooded
The waves at the foot rushed to the shore.
The California port was badly damaged and at least one person was reported missing after being swept out to sea in Northern California.
Tsunami warnings extend to some Pacific, Southeast Asian and Latin American countries including Japan, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Chile.
The Japanese region devastated by Friday's earthquake has suffered several earthquakes in recent days, including a magnitude 7 earthquake.
Wednesday's event
Japan's worst earthquake hit Kanto in 1923. 9-
According to the US Geological Survey, 143,000 people were killed in the earthquake. A 6. 9-
On 1995, a Richter earthquake occurred in Kobe city, killing 6,400 people.
Japan is located on the "Ring of Fire", an earthquake and volcanic zone that surrounds the Pacific Ocean, where about 90% of the world's earthquakes occur, including the earthquake that triggered December.
26. the Indian Ocean tsunami claimed the month of 2300 million people. A magnitude-8.
The last February earthquake in central Chile also triggered a tsunami that killed 524 people.
NPR's Luisa Lin reports in Beijing;
Lucy Craft in Tokyo
Lisa Schlein in Geneva
Jon Hamilton in Washington
The Associated Press material was used in this story.