Has anyone been keeping up with all the disaster in Japan?

The threat of radiation exposure was heightened Tuesday following an explosion and fire at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant which later prompted officials to warn people in a 30-kilometer (19-mile) radius to stay indoors.
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"Please do not go outside. Please stay indoors. Please close windows and make your homes airtight. Don't turn on ventilators. Please hang your laundry indoors," Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano said to the residents in the danger zone. "These are figures that potentially affect health. There is no mistake about that."

According to the Associated Press, about 140,000 people were impacted by the warning.

Hours after the explosion and fire, elevated levels of radiation were detected in Tokyo, 175 miles away, though government officials said there was no health risk there, according to the Associated Press.

The explosion, which occurred at 6:10 a.m. local time Tuesday came shortly after the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant were shut down.

While the previous explosions at Fukushima Daiichi reactors Nos. 1 and 3 were hydrogen blasts caused by a buildup of steam in the reactor units, the new blast at reactor No. 2 has officials very concerned.

This time, the roof did not blow off and it's now believed the trapped pressure cracked the containment vessel around the reactor's core - allowing radio active material to seep out.

"It is likely that the level of radiation increased sharply due to a fire at Unit 4," Edano said. "Now we are talking about levels that can damage human health. These are readings taken near the area where we believe the releases are happening. Far away, the levels should be lower."

Also, Japanese officials told the International Atomic Energy Agency that the fire at unit 4 was "a pool where nuclear fuel is kept cool," the Associated Press reported.

And for the first time, nearly 800 workers at the plant were told to leave.

Katsaki Mitsui, an expert at Japan's Institute of Applied Technology told NHK TV that it's a "very serious" situation around the plant.

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It would take a tremendous effort not to
keep up - it is all the TV here is talking about...
It is absolutely heartbreaking.

the earth quakes and tsunami were bad enough, and now the reactors are an even worse threat. god knows what will happen there ...and elsewhere ...
i've always hated the damn things, and they even built them on fault lines in some places !! it's beyong believe that people would actually do that , not sugesting that the reactors in question are on a fault line .So sad to see our world crumble, mother nature is doing what she always has done, and we giving her plenty of fuel, making things worse.

People, many people, are questioning if the U.S. would be ready for such a disaster. I don't think anyone is ever really ready, or prepared, for that kind of disaster or other disaster of huge magnitude.

I understand what you're saying, Roxanna. I really do.

Hello, you two... [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] (<-get it? [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.])

Here - right! freakin' HERE... is the U.S.'s LARGEST!
freakin plant. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
I was NOT thrilled - I did everything legally possible
(and sorta alienated my Mom's BFF) BUT... we've GOT it.
YAY.
WHY on God's green EARTH! would human beings build! something that they can NOT dispose of the WASTE! from???
Two- or TWO HUNDRED millenia ! from "now" - Dig it up and it's
still every single bit! as deadly! as it is the mnute! it becomes "waste".
Morons.