a second explosion at a nuclear plant in japan. new fierears of radiation leaks. new video of friday's tsunami as it takes down everything in its path. this as the death toll spikes dramatically. good morning. i'm christy smith. after a b.a.r.t. train derailment yesterday in the east bay, we'll tell you what commuters can expect this morning. a live look outside. it's monday, march 14th. this is "today in the east bay." reporting what matters to you. this is "today in the east bay."

good morning, christina. >> good morning to you, scott. unfortunately, a back-to-work monday. we've got showers to start you out this morning in the east bay. right now they're not moving very fast. they're going to be very light in nature if you do see these showers over your house. in livermore and moving through tracy right now. this is evaporating before it moves over the surface. your roads nice and slick for your monday drive. here's mike and noah. >> good morning. we have light rain and light traffic so far. so your east bay commute moving all right. there are slick conditions out there. you'll watch that bay bridge as you come over the east bay to san francisco. a disabled vehicle reported over the last few minutes right over treasure island. a person fixing their flat tire. use caution. and there will be flashing

lights as well. your drive across the water is moving smoothly. >> thank you. this morning we are following the latest out of japan. in the wake of last week's quake and tsunami. the latest 2800 people confirmed dead following that tragedy. the death toll shot up after about 1,000 bodies were washed up on the miyagi coastline. a second explosion caused by a buildup of hydrogen has rocked a japanese nuclear facility. people living nearby staying indoors. last night's blast sent a column of smoke into the air. 11 workers were hurt. these explosions are fueling question here at home about whether our own plants are safe in the event of a massive earthquake. today in the east bay, tracy potts reports from washington. >> put the brake on right now until we understand the ramifications of what's happened in japan. >> reporter: there are 104 nuclear plant in the u.s., about a quarter designed like those

under a state of emergency in japan. the nuclear regulatory commission insists each american plant is built to withstand the most severe shocks. at least four more are on the drawing board. president obama is asking for $36 billion next year to build even more. but in light of the explosions in japan, some on capitol hill want to take it slow. >> we stro listen to what is listening in japan to protect ourselves and our people. >> reporter: with 20 applications pending, some lawmakers now suggest holding off building any nuclear facilities near major fault lines. >> i don't think right after a major environmental catastrophe is a very good time to be making american domestic policy. >> reporter: rescue teams and supplies are arriving in japan. the needs now even more severe. tens of thousands were evacuated near the reactors. dozens are being treated for exposure to radiation. could some of that radiation

make to it the united states in harmful levels? the nuclear regulatory commission says no. tracy potts, nbc news, washington. the shaking is not over in japan. aftershocks continue. we're in the tokyo area this morning with descriptions of what's happening there. >> we've been feeling aftershock after aftershock. 6.2 magnitude. we were told that it felt like a 6.2. the place is rattling. at one point i felt like i had to go under the desk to make sure nothing would fall on top of me. that got our attention here at the hotel. i was on the third floor when it happened. my other colleagues were on the ninth floor. they said it was shaking pretty good up on the top floor. there have been lines of people stocking up on food and water in the supermarkets in tokyo, trying to stock up on food and water. as well as gasoline. long lines at gasoline stations. north of tokyo. back to you. we're getting more estimates

at the damage here at home. in santa cruz a wave caused $17 million in damage to the harbor, $4 million in damage to private boats. right now no boats are allowed to travel in and out of the harbor. one dock holding 40 boats ripped away completely and floated out to sea. several of course found on the harbor floor and that's an environmental risk due to leaking fuel. the harbor will not reopen until march 20th at the earliest. this morning reports say pg&e avoided -- let's talk quickly about this. the japan earthquake and tsunami relief effort. you can go to americanredcross.com. that's one way of funding it. as there has been with other tragedies, you can text red÷kd cross 29099.

meanwhile, let's talk about pg&e. the "san francisco chronicle" this morning says the company would inspect problems on its older lines only if pressure rose 10% above safety rules. pg&e defending its actions as safe. experts say that practice may have played a part in a san bruno pipeline explosion. they twice exceeded the pressure of the line but never conducted an inspection for faulty seams. we'll have a rainy start to the day. and on b.a.r.t. service, it's back on track after a train derailed yesterday at the c concord b.a.r.t. station. christy smith is live there. >> reporter: good morning to you. we have good news for b.a.r.t. riders in the east bay. we have an update for b.a.r.t. full service has been restored from the pittsburg station.

we saw the first twain leave 25 minutes ago. although ut pulled out very slowly. the last of two cars that derailed were lifted off the tracks outside the concord b.a.r.t. station last night. this after a car destined for san francisco derailed. the wheel on the eighth car came off totally and the ninth car, that one came off partial. there were about 65 people on board. three were taken to the hospital where minor injuries. b.a.r.t. had set up a bus bridge between pittsburg bay point and pleasant hill to get people around. today this morning the plan was for b.a.r.t. to run from bay point to concord with a bus bridge to pleasant hill if necessary, then b.a.r.t. would carry people into the city. but that won't be necessary this morning. when we first arrived there about a half dozen charter buses ready to go. but when a train rolled through

this morning, all those took off with no passengers. so again b.a.r.t. service fully restored. reporting live in concord christie smith. b.a.r.t. looking good across the board there. >> that's right. good news for folks taking those rals. reconfirming what christie said. no delay for the b.a.r.t. system. regular service from the pittsburg point. we'll take you over to the san mateo bridge where i do have to tell you about an issue there. that happened on saturday. heading over towards 880, either direction, north or south of of eastbound 9 2 you have to stay in the two lanes to the right. it did cause a stir for folks that i contacted on facebook over the weekend. rain causing some issue. but nothing going on in the castro valley. check the san mateo bridge. coming off the bridge, you're moving smoothly.

westbound you might get some mist as you get over towards the peninsula side as well. 880 -- sorry, the bay ridge toll plaza. there is some ponding and there's been sprinkles overnight. this isn't the end of it, is it? >> no, but it will come to a close by early this morning. you can see most of the moisture has pushed through overnight just like mike pointed out. we still have spotty activity along the coast this morning and in the east bay. if you're waking up in the east bay with us this morning, welcome to your monday. you look pretty good after we get rid of these showers. they'll start clearing the area by 10:00 a.m. livermore, looks like you'll find slick roadways. it looks like as we have been through the next couple of hours, the spotty activity will really start to subside. temperatures are up because of that cloud cover. we're close to 60. 58 in concord. 58 in heyward. we'll see temperatures in the 60s later on today.

good news if you're someone who just got a brand new haircut like our scott mcgrew. >> thank you, kindly. look at this. just incredible. of that tsunami moving into a seaside town in japan. the ncaa kicks off this week, but many bay area basketball fans not excited. look at that face. crew prices rising but you can still find travel deal. we'll show you where to look. you're looking at a live picture of oakland.

it's 4:43. we're looking ining 880 surpri crowded for this time of day. new images coming in this morning from the tsunami in northeast japan last week. incredible home video capturing these dark tsunami waves as it rushed through me ako city. it sent ships crashing into highway overpasses.

some emotional reunions over the weekend as family members and loved ones escaping the disaster in japan returned to u.s. soil. video from honolulu. a mother visibly moved seeing her daughter. each passenger had their own story, where they were when the quake hit. how long it lasted. the stories of things falling, pictures breaking, everyone seemed to have their own unique perspective on japan's largest quake. >> i didn't feel any wind. and i didn't feel any movement yet. i thought it's kind of weird. within a few seconds, i started to feel the ground move under me. >> international flights out of japan operating at reduced levels. many still stuck in the country after 400 flights out of japan were canceled. the tsunami having a dramatic effect on the japanese stock market. for that and the american stock market let's check with nicole.

>> inspectors are still inspecting the global impact of the disaster in japan. the main stock index, the nikkei 225 fell sharply. many economists say that japan could fall back into recession, but growth could pick up in the second half of this year. insured losses in japan are estimated to hit $35 billion. european markets are in the red this morning although they are flat lining. it is a pretty busy week on top of all of that for economic data out of the united states. wall street comes off a down week despite friday's gains. the dow rose 59 on friday to 12044 but fell 1% for the week. the nasdaq added 14 to 2715 but still lost 2% for the week. nicole, thank you very much. honda and toyota were having to shut down fact ris as well. >> that's a good point because we're looking very closely at

toyota halting production at its domestic plants through wednesday. they've cut 40,000 vehicles. the disaster is making it hard for toyota and other manufacturers to get parts because they're affected by rolling power blackouts throughout the country. bay area basketball fans will spent this march without a team to root for. not a single team made it through to the tournament including st. mary's which had the best shot. they did not get the at-large bid they were hoping for so they'll play in the n.i.t. first game is tomorrow. the cal bears, the spartans, santa clara will play in the insider.com tournament. we didn't forget the women's tournament. stanford is ranked number one in its bracket after winning the pac-10 tourney this weekend. today in the bay absolutely mad about march madness. take the bracket challenge with us. today the bay team is going to

fill out our own brackets. we're challenging you to fill out one, too. go to bracket.csnbayarea.com. and you can join in. i know very little about basketball, but i'll do my very best. >> best thing to do is go on to espn and go with the experts. that's what i do every year. hey, i turn out okay. we're okay in the weather department. we do have a little shower activity for you in the bay area this morning. this is enough to slow a commute even though it's early out there. give yourself time to get to your destination. let's show you where the showers are headed right now. pretty much moving slowly over to livermore and past tracy. we'll see this over the next hours, then it will really deteriorate. we're starting out warm right now. temperatures in the upper 50s. almost 60 out there in places

like oakland and concord this morning. we'll see enough sunshine for our attempts to warm up 70. after all daylight savings time did go into effect. and hopefully you'll get to work on time bus of it. that's a sign that spring is moving into the bay area and our days will be warmer as we head into the next coming week, which is good news. we do have a lot of rain anticipated this week. so bad week to take the ipad outside. >> fair enough, christina. coming up, a well known online marketplace cuts off business. see what's behind that drastic action. planning your vacation this year? you can still find deals. we'll show you where to look. as you get going for your monday morning commute. stand by tore your monday morning traffic.

it is 4:51. you're looking at the toll plaza at the bay bridge. you can see the sheen on the roads. we'll be checking in with christina and mike throughout the morning. oakland police will get a special honor today. the china town community and special groups will show their appreciation for the service. they're calling it appreciation day. the event from 6:30 this morning till 1:30 this afternoon. now a look at what's coming up later in the bay. laura's in newsroom. >> good morning, scott. and good morning, everyone. we're monitoring the situation in japan by the minute.

with a search and recovery effort in the hardest hit areas to the situation unfolding at a number of damaged nuclear facilities. we'll hear from george kiriyama live. as he gears up to head to the devastated area in japan. having a difficult time getting there. we'll have all that in a few minutes. >> thank you, laura. let's talk to mike. mike, b.a.r.t. had some problems over the weekend. >> i'll show you the system in just a second. right now 580. i told you, this morning christina is giving you the first note. sprinkles through livermore. your commute smoothly out of the altamont pass. but this evening, eastbound 580, which is traditionally your commute direction might be affected. the off ramp closes today.

the isabel project. if you're getting off east 580 going through that same area. getting off the san mateo bridge, the configuration changed. if you are hitting the nimitz from eastbound 92, stay in the two lanes to the right. that's different than we've seen over the last few weeks. a little confusion over the weekend and on sunday as well. smooth commute for 880. i show you the b.a.r.t. system as well -- skip over that, that was my fault. no problems for the pittsburg bay point line. that's a factor this morning. there was already flooding reported from marin county. a pretty good puddles. >> looks like ut. remember the middle east? there's still all kinds of chaos there. that's driving up the cost of the crude oil. just about everything we buy gets more expensive. you have to know where to look to save. >> reporter: with flights

jammed, few are seats available and more people wanting to travel this year, the savvy vacationer has to think ahead to save. >> as soon as you know your plans, if your trip involves airfare, go ahead and book it. because there's just not a lot of wiggle room. most of the seats are going to get filled. >> reporter: if you want more savings and maybe even an open seat next to you, experts suggest flying on tuesday, wednesday or saturday. and avoiding holiday weekends. and if your vacation plans involve flying and a hotel stay, brown advises to look at the big picture and bundle. >> nine times out of ten you'll save money by booking a package deal. >> reporter: speaking of deals consider staying at an opaque hotel. >> you don't know the name of the property until the booking process is complete. >> reporter: and the savings? >> you get up to 55% off published rates. >> reporter: surveys indicate more americans want to vacation

this year than last. so fire up your computer, plan your travel strategy and stretch your vacation dollar. kirk gregory. in one state amazon.com breaking off business affiliates in illinois because of a new law ta requires amazon to collect local sales tax in illinois. amazon calls the new law unconstitutional and counterproductive. it has threatened to do the same here in california. postpartum depression can affect mothers but fathers can be at risk. a study found that 7% had depression. compared to other dads, depressed dads saidy thrp more likely to spank their choild and less likely to read books to their child. frustrated teachers may

affect a child's mental health. first graders are more likely to have behavioral issues when their classroom doesn't have as many resources or when the teachers feel disrespected or stressed. it comes from a study in maryland of 10,000 first graders. the giants play host to the brewers. san francisco continues to look good in spring training. final score 11-8. the win helped san francisco stay atop the cactus league. five somali men convicted of piracy will find their fate today. they will most likely be sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of attacking the "uss nicholas" off the coast of africa. the pirates mistook "the nicholas" for a merchantship. it was actually a warship. a bay area family learned

their daughter missing has been found safe. we'll have their story just ahead. you're looking at live pictures of san jose. we'll check in with christina and mike throughout the day.

i'm live in san jose with the family who is alive and the well in japan. coming up next. plus rescue efforts continue in japan this morning. there are new worries about trouble with another nuclear reactor after a late night explosion. good morning. i'm christie smith. looks like a weekend b.a.r.t. train derailment in the east bay won't put a snag in your monday morning commute. we'll tell you what happened coming up live. light traffic on 880. it is ay