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good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm carolyn tyler. you can add an erupting volcano facing japan. a volcano erupted in southern japan spewing ash and lava but the major threat is the growing nuclear crisis in the aftermath of last weeks killer quake. they say japan has declared a state of emergency at an earthquake affected nuclear plant where higher permitted

levels of radioactivity was seen a precaution in case a radioactive cloud escapes from the plant located 124 miles away from tokyo. a partial meltdown occurred yesterday at number one reactor. there is a hydrogen bubble of the number three reactor which could lead to an explosion. a shortage of electricity means power is being rationed with rolling blackouts in tokyo and other cities. >> reporter: this is could be the worst nuclear disaster since chernobyl 25 years ago. >> we're not out of the woods yet. >>. >> reporter: they say partial melt downs could have occurred at two reacters and they are facing problems at three more.

>> first, the back-up systems failed. the pumps and electricity were all gone. this was not supposed to happen. >> the unusual combination of events has brought japan to the brink. >> they are trying to end the crisis but the question of capability, can they? >> they are testing evacuees for exposure to high levels of radiation. >> the place where i work might be contaminated so i came here for a check. here the lady immigration exposure is coupled with the sobering aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. millions don't have drinking water or electricity. they are searching for the missing that vary from the hundreds to the thousands where the death toll continue to climb. >> they say a sudden explosion at the nuclear facility is

possible. >> we're starting to get a glimpse of the damage closest to the epicenter. clarissa reached the port city of sendai is better shown in pictures than described in words. the port of this modern city now almost like a war zone. soldiers watching over charred debris, plumes of smoke billowing from a burning refinery. police and firemen pouring in to assess the enormous damage. >> this area was completely sub mernd by that wall of water coming with that force and completely devastating this area looking around it's almost a terrible scene. cars are literally on top of houses. other houses completely crumpled. it's hard to imagine how anyone could have possibly survived in

this 6. >> moments later a fireman orders people to get out. residents of the area have less than half an hour to get to higher ground. >> when i got home, i heard a neighbor shouting a tsunami is coming. when i got out of the house, i saw the tsunami approaching. today the roads are checked with ten block lines for gas now being rationed. countless homeless living in schools and hospitals. >> everything was turned upside-down after the tsunami. our house was gone. we lost everything. >> here in california, public health officials are closely monitoring efforts in japan to contain any leaks of radiation that could be blown across the pacific. california does have radioactivity monitors in place for air water and the food supply. for people here in the bay area

with loved ones in japan there has been a lot of waiting and worrying. a person who has a store in san francisco's japantown has been desperately trying to get in touch with relatives in a city where a nuclear meltdown is especially frightening because brings back the death of her brother. >> he was just a baby. he lived about four and a half. >> finally she got word that her daughter and grandsons are okay. meanwhile, the community center of northern california has created a relief fund for victims and bay area japanese business and community leaders are collecting donations. >> the recovery effort is going to take not days or months. it's going to take decades.

i can't go on and on but it has to go on as long as it can. >> donations will be accepting at all union bank locations. 100% of the money will go directly to the victims. while the tsunami damage along the california coast doesn't compare to japan's, there is significant destruction in crescent city and santa cruz. karina rusk has that part of the story. >> reporter: this harbor is what is left of the dock. the debris can be seen everywhere but unfortunately the boats cannot. many of the boats have sunk. cheryl and her son says trident is underwater. >> my son was on the boat and we lost everything on it. >> it's a massive response, crews range from the coastguard to the department of fish and game. >> at this time we're mobilizing

especially engineers to look at all the pierce throughout the harbors to make sure that our businesses and commercial fisheries can continue to operate. >> the tsunami caused $17.1 million in damage, sinking 18 boats and damaging hundred others. there the environmental concern with spills and leaking fuel. >> the primary concern is to get the sunken boats out of the water and get the fuel stopped leaking. >> debris removal has already begun. one method involves autos of giant air bags. >> large balloons and put underneath over there and helps raise it up. there are other things like cranes. >> as the cleanup moves forward, those hardest hit even those with insurance are wondering how long the recovery will take. >> it will probably be two or three months before we take a

nickel out of this. so what are we are going to do? >> there is a lot of heartache and unanswered questions but the cleanup is well underway. the first boat that was pulled from the harbor floor has been hauled away and because of that there is a strong smell of dees nel the air but that fuel is being mopped up. >> yesterday the u.s. coastguard surveyed the damage in crescent city by helicopter and provided this footage. at least six boats were confirmed sunk. much of the harbor's docks and moorings have been destroyed. tides of up to eight feet tossed boats around for 24 hours. some fishermen returned yesterday. >> this is the first time i have been down there since it happened. my boat is somewhere over there underwater crushed. i was changing the engines.

>> strong surges also caused the boats to rupture and leak diesel into the harbor. >> coming up next, why a new television ad is targeting the nation's illegal immigrant. and most pressing issues for voters in san francisco, find out what is

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a new maneuver in the debate over immigration. most of the topics have been focused on illegal immigrants but one person says it's time to stop the flow of foreigners that live here legally, that is about a million a year. >> now that so many californians are out of work, how about the millions of illegal workers in the state. but what about these workers? legal foreign workers. >> the ad is targeting roman the software worker has a green card that entitles him to permanent residency here. >> the group behind the ad is californians for population stabilization. they have long battled illegal immigration but with the

unemployment rate at very high they are shifting the dialogue. >> we don't think it makes sense for the federal government to bring in more workers to compete with americans who desperately need jobs. >> they represent employers that recruit highly skilled temporary foreign workers. they are prevalent in the silicon valley. about 65,000 are allowed in the u.s. each year and he says it would be a mistake to cut off access. >> we should do everything we can to hang on to these folks. they are hard working who are contributing to our competitiveness in a global fight for dominance. >> several studies including a recent one by the reserve bank of san francisco found little evidence that immigrants diminish the employment opportunities of u.s. born workers. it will encourage you to ask

congress to take a second look. >> it's not a matter of finding scapegoats. it's a matter of being concerned about american workers. >> that commercial is running here in the bay area. next stop, bakersfield. >> a new survey conducted by san francisco's chamber of commerce identifies pressing issues, number one response mentioned by 32%, homelessness, that even tops jobs. third on the list is the city budget followed by education and muni. gavin newsom made a homeless program to move 12,000 people off the streets and into housing but many hang out on the streets during the day and they point out the recession has doubled the waiting list of families seeking shelter. >> did you remember to spring forward this morning? the hands of time moved forward

on the clock tower of the san francisco ferry building early this morning. we sped up this video showing that change. pacific daylight time officially begin at 2:00 this morning. firefighters use this day to remind us all to change batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. fires occur in homes in the u.s. every three hours. and there is a new at a time law that requires homes to have carbon monoxide protectors. we hated to give up that hour of sleep this morning. lisa argen is here. >> we have a sun setting at 7:15 tonight so that is what we gained. mist and drizzle right no now. 54 degrees in san jose. when will the rain reach your neighborhood? i'll have the forecast next. >> also next, san jose sharks get a rare visit from the

new york rangers. for some reason, these folks like to punch each other out. the highlights of thehehehehehee

>> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld. well, lisa argen is here to talk about the accu weather forecast and i guess rain is on the way. >> it's on the way. we have a couple of systems to talk about. we have one pretty cold one that is going to bring snow but today this system is still pretty far off.

as we head outside we are looking breezy wind, southerly winds from mount tam and cloudy skies. sun is setting at 7:15. we are looking at some returns on live doppler 7 hd, much of this not hitting the ground, mist and drizzle out there, around the bay area but for the most part we will be waiting on the rain, here is the cold front up to the north, around crescent city and mt. shasta reporting rain. we are looking at the cold front swinging is on the south. overnight hours we'll begin to dry out. 53 in concord. fremont, highway. we are looking at 53 degrees in san francisco. so highlights, we're showing we have a lot warmer air this morning than we had yesterday. 8 degrees warmer than we were yesterday in half moon bay or

redwood city. same thing, we are looking at significant warmup due to the cloud cover and southerly winds. so cloudy skies, chance of rain, mainly in the north bay and we'll be looking at rain to spread south throughout the entire bay area. although the south bay, you will stay dry throughout the even tire day. loo looks like the evening hours you'll get wet. keep the umbrellas handy. here is a look at satellite and radar composite. high pressure giving way to the cold front. it will continue to sweep to the south and east. it will set the stage for a series of wet weather systems to move our way throughout the workweek. in fact in the middle of the week should be colder. by the end of the week sha should be the strongest system. if you are planning the rest of your sunday, here is the time line. i'll notice by about 1:00 we're looking at the rain moving south into marin county. 2:00 but it really takes to 3:00

to push into san francisco in the east bay. here comes the main rain, not until later on tonight. that will keep the showers going throughout the overnight hours. it's going to be a damp afternoon and damp evening out there but morning commute. we should have a few showers confined to the santa cruz mountains. rainfall amounts favoring the north bay up to an inch here with a 10th to a quarter of an inch along the peninsula. maybe .2 in the east bay. winter weather advisory to 7,000 to 8,000 feet. four inches in the higher elevations. 64 in campbell. look for 62 inwood redwood city. 59 in san francisco. about 1:00 or 2:00 you should be getting wet. maybe a chance of a shower sooner. north bay, 61 in sonoma. 61 in castro valley. mild afternoon and rain-cooled air keeping it a little chilly today, pleasanton, low 60s and

monterey, seeing sunshine at 63. so look for the rain to move out tomorrow. next system will be colder coming in on tuesday and then on st. paddy's day, maybe a quarter to half an inch of rain. >> thanks, lisa. let's check out sports. today, st. mary's is waiting to find out they'll be part of the field of 68 in the ncaa tournament. last night. sharks played the rangers at the tank. their knowledge am this season against an eastern conference team. mike shumann has your highlights in this morning's sports. >> hosting the rangers for the first time since 2008 and second time they faced eacher on the past two years. they don't meet off, check out

this. wow! sharks deliver the first blow on the power play, the shot is deflected and finds it's a way into the net, 1-0 lead. rangers go up 2-1. late in the period, troy falls on one redirected and lines up at the back of the net, game tied at 2. for the second straight game, this would go to a shootout and second straight game sharks would is lose. rangers go on to win it 3-2. >> how about cactus league action but when the giants and dodgers play, they seem to be in mid season form. brian wilson, the beard. cody ross, two-run homer. g-men 4-3. see ya, secretary homer of the

spring, 6-3 giants. bottom of the ninth, tied at 7. gary is the here hero nor the day. a single into right. a score from second to give them an 8-7 victory followed by the pie in the face. >> over 'n peoria, in a sun soaked afternoon. mark ellis would score and a's go up 1-0. milton bradley smokes one down the right field line. 3-1 and seattle goes on to win 10-2. >> stanford women, they will be going to the tournament as number one ranked cede. they are looking for a win over their opponent but ucla, here is the 3.

browns up 9 at the half. campbell connects deep. here is the foul. she had 15 and puts stanford up by one. on to the final five minutes, a career high of 17 for tony. stanford comes back to win, 64-55 the final. >> arizona and washington, 30 seconds left, cats are up by one this makes it 66-62. here is huge 3. we head to overtime. in ot, 25 seconds left. kevin changes out. check out this finish.

[ crowd noise ] >> isaiah thomas had 28 points, none more important than those two. washington on their way to the dance upsetting arizona 77-75. >> find more out at 5:00. i'm mike shumann, have a great day. >> up next, the latest on the devastation in japan. >> this is already one of the worst nuclear accidents in history if it stops right now. >> a nuclear policy experts' dire assessment of the radiation leak in japan.

>> welcome back.

the nuclear crisis in japan is growing this morning. japanese authorities warn that multiple meltdowns are possible, the death toll from the quake and tsunami now stands above -- they have declared an emergency after radiation levels exceeded government standards. this is lowest state of emergency on the scale but the plant is the second facility where an emergency has been declared. the first is biyukhi plant where two of three are in crisis. an explosion reacted the reactor one but it remained inside the protective shell. reactor three which is also at risk of exploding. a hydrogen gas bubble has built up. this is happening as earthquake

experts there is 70% chance of a another major aftershock in the next three days. a shortage of electricity means power is being rationed with rolling blackouts in tokyo and other cities. >> experts say the japanese government is notorious for down playing disaster situations and this one is no exception. just listen to how an american nuclear policy expert assessed the situation. >> this is already one of the worst nuclear accidents in history if it stops down and we are dealing with multiple meltdown possibilities as reactors one and two and also concerns and incidents of other nuclear facilities in japan that would have been significant incidents but they are caught in the wake of these major crisis at these nuclear reactors that possibly will meltdown in the

next couple of days. >> the nuclear plant managers are moving into uncharted territory to try anything to keep them from overheating. as we told you, they are flooding some of those reactors with sea water. it's a desperate attempt to avoid another meltdown. we want to show you how the devastation has changed the coastline of japan. take a look at the images before the tsunami and after. greenland is now brown because of all the mud left behind. the area of land where buildings and homes used to be is banned and the notori river is completely brown by mud and debris. >> other news for you. iranian officials have set a date for a second session in the trial of three u.c. berkeley hikers accused of spying. head of the justice department it will be held on may 11th and likely take place behind closed doors.

the three were detained in northern iraq along the iranian border nearly two years ago. they have been charged with espionage. two pleaded not guilty in the first session. shourd has been back in the bay area. she has pleaded not guilty in be a sentence sha. >> officials say pg&e misinterpreted pipeline inspection rules for testing for weld problems in older lines like the one that exploded in san bruno. that blast killed eight people, destroyed 38 homes. today san francisco chronicle quotes officials as saying pg&e avoided testing transmission pipelines for weld problems by creating its own weaker safety standards in 2008. the utility decided it would only inspect pipelines that exceeded 10% above standard. one official says he has never

heard of a utility doing that. jackie speier says she hopes the government will clamp down on pg&e for devising their own rules. people are declaring victory. utility has been ordered to come up with a plan to let customers opt out refuse to have a smart meter installed. here is lilian kim with the story. >> i became very, very sick. i had constant migraines, ringing pressure in my ear. >> she was among the thousands of people who complained to the public utilities commission about health problems she says was because of the installation of smart meters. she is thrilled that the regulatory body is taking action. >> its good beginning. you have to start somewhere. >> the president of the commission announced he will ask pg&e to develop a program where customers could opt out of smart meters for a reasonable cost.

they made headlines by blocking installation crews from entering neighborhoods it's clear the time has come for some kind of movement for customer opt out. >> pg&e has maintained that the radio frequencies in the wireless meters are safe nevertheless they want to come up with a plan over the next two weeks. >> our customers, some of them have expressed concern with radio frequencies associated with smart meters. we are looking how to balance their concerns with deploying the same program. >> but many smart meter program an opt out program may not be far enough. barbara dolan says her health problems begin as soon as the smart meters were installed in january. >> we really should do more studying to make sure the american people are going to have health effects so they do

need to do a study and make sure that what they are doing is safe. >> other california utilities have not had the same number of complaints that pg&e has had. so southern california edison is not being required to develop opt out programs. >> meg whitman tells the "wall street journal", she is definitely not planning to run against dianne feinstein in next year's election. she poured $144 million of her own money in last year's failed run for governor. whitman tells the journal she wants to stay involved with public policy. she says she will likely campaign for republican mitt romney in the next presidential race. she plans to continue serving on the boards of several, including the stanford institute for economic policy research. >> let's remind folks that it is

9:37 this morning. >> springtime showers coming our way. high elevation snow. plenty of opportunities this week for some snow. here is a look outside, high definition emeryville. high thin veil of clouds is going to stay with us throughout the morning hours. rain coming in those clouds later on. i'll tell you when, next. >> also ahead, trying to resurrect a lot of art

southern marin county towns are gearing up to cash in on tourism when the america's cup yacht races come to san francisco two years from now.

sausalito's chamber of commerce is planning for the crush of visitors that will come with the races. america's cup organizers estimate the event will pump $1.4 billion into the bay area economy and they are expecting tourists from all over the world to come for the races. it's not too early to start planning, not too early to prepare for this rain coming today. >> yeah, we're going to get bit by bit this week. keep the umbrellas with you. as we head outside, we have the high sierra. temperatures are in the 30s. highs today, 49 degrees and high elevation snow above 7,000 feet. winter weather advisory and we'll see more snow at lake level by the middle of the week with a colder system. a look at live doppler 7 hd, you'll notice all the clouds here from our roof camera. those clouds will thicken and lower and bring us some of the

rain that is still pretty far to the north. you see right there, we are looking at main rain line well up to north around crescent city and ft. bragg. eventually it's going to shift to the south and by this afternoon and evening hours, we'll see more of the green here. this light blue representing verga moisture not hitting the ground but wouldn't be surprised to see mist and drizzle. temperatures are quite mild, 50 in redwood city. 54 in mountain view as well as san jose. sounds winds will be picking up a and south winds kept us warm overnight. 8 degrees warmer than yesterday in redwood city. 9 degrees warmer non-san rafael but with the rain cool evening. main rain comes in this afternoon and then the rain will become more scattered overnight and we'll see a couple of

systems mid-week and one by st. patrick's day. >> this area will send the showers our way. here the time line on it. you notice through noon, rain is up in sonoma county but by 2:00, marin county looking at wet weather even san francisco. but before then, not out of question to see a shower and mist and drizzle around the entire bay area. it's really a 3:00 or 4:00, we'll see rain in the east bay and then in the south bay. not until the evening hours will we see the rain push on through the monterey bay area. then by the overnight hours, scattered showers, morning commute. a few leftover showers in the east and south bay. rainfall amounts in the north bay, up to an inch which is .2 to .6 in the north bay. marin county but look at the south bay, .01 and a little bit more than that in the east bay.

4-8 inches above 8,000 feet but snow levels lowering to lake level. 62 redwood city, after showers for you. 59 downtown today with the rain coming in. shower possibility in the morning hours in the north bay. 61 in union city. late afternoon rain and east bay valleys with monterey bay staying dry throughout the day. we'll look for just scattered shower tomorrow morning and next rain comes in tuesday mainly in the north bay and widespread rain st. patrick's day into next weekend. >> a teacher in wisconsin recently predicted electronic devices will replace pens and paper in the classroom. in much of the rest of the world

it's already happened but as wayne freedman, not without a fight. >> there is something missing in this picture. what we do, writing except with a computer. >> i am definitely one. >> not that he opposes technology, he doesn't need it. he is old-fashioned that way. >> i think handwriting is probably history. >> so let's think about that. when did you last scribble a thank you note? call it evolution, but in the need for speed, most of lost touch of the power of the pen. what is with that? >> they do not teach handwriting in school at all. want to bet? must have been a catholic school

>> a sister in burlingame. st. catherines, it starts at the lowest level. ask this the five-year-old staring in their work books. >> who has better handwriting these days. kindergarteners or the average guy. >> i think kindergarteners. >> you are not doing cursive yet? >> not yet. >> are you worried about it? >> students don't have a choice, they will learn to write in cursor. >> it's okay. >> how many do you like cursor writing? >> they love the symmetry. they love for endless. and write it again anyway,

slower. >> learning writing is tradition passed down through generations. they did it and mary did it because back in the day as now, neatness counted. it's an intellectual discipline. by the time they leave the place it's ingrained. >> so some day in the real world in computers fail and they gain their revenge. >> i don't have a clue. >> maybe we'll find a new appreciation who express themselves by hand. >> it makes it all gooey and fuzzy. >> and remember that word expression, it begins with an "e". >> let's say we took away "e"

for the rest of your life, would you like that? >> no. >> the children are learning. >> we have breaking news right now a bart train in concord headed to san francisco this morning has derailed. it's causing major delays on the bay point line in both directions, this according to bart officials, no injuries have been reported as a result of the derailment. again, that is what officials are telling us. the cause is not

if you shall qualified you can get free assistance with your taxes. many more people are eligible than in years past. here is michael finney to explain. >> its typical day at northeast community federal credit union in san francisco. the office is crowded with people looking for help with their taxes. this is one of more than 200 sites around the bay area offering free tax help. >> you know, we're about 25% from last year, up. >> households earning less than $45,000 a year qualify. in recent years, they are getting help for the first time. about 30% have lost their jobs. >> it is really sad and it's terrible but great thing. they are there to help the community.

they have the best interests. >> they took advantage of the free tax help for the first time this year. they will be receiving a tax refund of $3500. including an earned income tax credit in san francisco's working families credit. >> it's going to be a very good feeling. i'll be able to sleep comfortably at help. >> he hasn't a full-time job in 2005, she getting by with temporary contract work. in the past he paid someone to do his taxes for him hoping to get a rapid refund. >> it was rapid getting the money out of my pocket. >> he had to pay a check cashing fee of $75 to get his refund in the past. now he'll get his refinanced within ten days, for free. >> places like this are godsend to people, godsend for people that are low income, that don't

have an idea where to go to get their taxes done for no charge. >> to find the nearest free tax clinic call the hot line at 211. 7 on your side will open our phone lines from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. a panel will answer your questions. we'll have a live chat online at www.abc7.com. you can check your news in advance by going to "abc 7 news".com. >> coming up next, going to war in l.a.. on the aisle review of this new

the movie battle los angeles opened in theaters this weekend. it's about an alien invasion that tears up the landscape.

don sanchez has his review on the aisle. >> they are predicted to enter our atmosphere. >> evacuations are now underway. >> smog problem they used to have in l.a., those are not meteors, those are aliens. can we get along? >> you wipe out the population right now. we are being colonized. >> don't give up. they lead a marine platoon what appears to be an overmatched confrontation. shot documentary style. it gets the award for the green. can't you get those roads repaired. the invaders, they are robotic.

there are metaphors to the wars in iraq and afghanistan. some look like night city. but here. ♪ >> turns out the aliens want our water and oil. if you think $4 a gallon, you ought to see what happens when they are through. it has some dialogue, but it's about explosions and gunfire. it's like a giant video game. an orgy of effects, if you like that kind of thing, you will be satisfied. i'll give it a little more than half a bucket. we will see you on the aisle. >> we want to update our breaking news, a bart train in in concord headed to san francisco has derailed causing major delays in both directions according to bart officials.

concord fire officials say four people have been injured, three were taken to the hospital. bart is providing buses now around the concord station. the cause of the derailment not immediately available but a passenger tells abc7 there were bits of metal on the track after the train derailed. we'll have more tonight at 5:00 and 6:00. let's get a quick final check of accu-weather forecast. >> you can see all the clouds out there. we are looking at temperatures in the 50s right now with a few light returns, mist and drizzle, main rain is well to the north. we'll see the rain move in the north bay. san francisco, by 1:00 to 2:00 right through the evening hours. many opportunities for the rain. >> thank you for joining us. have a good sunday.

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