on the broadcast tonight, the desperate measures under way to get the nuclear crisis in japan under control. and president obama tells americans there's no threat from radiation coming across the pacific. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television a special good evening to our viewers joining us in the west. while the japanese deal with a staggering humanitarian crisis, they are now engaging in a last-resort effort to stop perhaps multiple meltdowns at nuclear reactors.

and today president obama had to reassure the american public especially those along the west coast, that these fears of some sort of radioactive cloud coming across the pacific just aren't true. here now the latest on the disaster in japan. desperate measures now under way to lessen the nuclear disaster. while tonight japanese officials are saying they have rare good news of some levels stabilizing, late today we got the first look at the reactors close up. this new video of a helicopter fly-over showing the destruction. then there are the numbers. just under 5700 dead, just under 10,000 missing and over three-quarters of a million people surviving without electricity in near freezing cold. thousands of people, including americans, continue to flee japan. we want to get the very it latest now and begin our reporting with nbc's robert

bazell in tokyo. bob, good evening. >> reporter: brian, the international atomic energy commission is now reporting engineers have laid a power cable to the site. that's very encouraging news in this metropolis of 30 million that's been downwind from the reactor. but the situation remains frightening. dramatic pictures on japanese television showed military helicopters dropping water on one of the damaged reactors. the water often missing its mark. the company that owns the plant said the drastic move which exposed the pilots to radiation was necessary, because unused fuel rods like these usually stored under deep water were at least partially exposed, vastly increasing the chance of a catastrophic release of radiation. >> these spent fuel rods had as much or more dangerous material in them than the fuel in the reactors. >> police began the water spraying operation in the evening but could not reach the building. >> reporter: in the next move, the company pumped water from military fire trucks, usually

used to combat airplane fires, to shoot water from a safe distance. the entire operation is a race to get water into the severely damaged reactors before the fuel explodes. so far the radiation levels have been high enough to only be a serious threat to the workers at the site. still, the japanese government has ordered people living within 12 miles of the site to evacuate. those within 18 miles to stay indoors. the u.s. government says its residents within 50 miles should leave. >> we think it's a prudent measure to follow the evacuation based on how we would handle a situation like that in the united states. >> reporter: there are six reactors at the site. in unit 1 an explosion destroyed part of an outer building. in unit 2 there may have been an explosion rupturing the containment facility and possibly letting radioactive fuel escape. unit 3 was the target of today's water drops. it too had an explosion of the outer building and it also has exposed fuel rods. unit 4 was shut down for maintenance when the earthquake struck, but it became the subject of a controversy when

the head of the u.s. nuclear regulatory commission said its stored fuel rods were totally exposed. units 5 and 6, which are also out of service, may also have problems with their used fuel rods. experts say unit 3 is especially dangerous, because it has recycled fuel that contains plutonium, an even greater health threat than the uranium in the other reactors. the electrical power will first be used to pump water into unit number 2. but water spraying has to continue at that very dangerous number 3 reactor, so this is far from over. brian. >> all right, bob bazell in tokyo to start us off. bob, thanks. as we said, the situation for people in northern japan remains dire. those fears of radiation are taking a huge toll on a lot of the survivors of the earthquake and then the tsunami, who are already trying to hang on for daily life until help arrives. in the meantime, a lot of people are becoming increasingly unsure about whether they believe what the government is telling them

about what's happening. we want to go now to the city of akita where our own ann curry is tonight. ann, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, brian. that's right, some japanese are now openly saying they doubt their government is telling them the truth about the nuclear risks. from the very young to the old and frail, just about everyone here has been touched by this crisis. and government reassurances, especially about the risks of radiation, are wearing thin. [ speaking foreign language ] to say that it was safe to stay here, were they joking, asked this man? confusion, anger and distrust are spreading. people here are increasingly concerned about their most vulnerable. many elderly have crowded overextended shelters, unable to travel any further from the danger zone. many with pets have hunkered down in special evacuation centers.

crowds flocked aboard buses out of sendai, a city especially hard hit by the quake and tsunami, now low on water, food and gasoline. across the country, people are riveted by the latest news, but increasingly skeptical about what they're hearing. i'm really doubting my government's judgment, says this man. and there's growing anger. in tokyo hundreds marched in anti-nuclear protests, blaming their prime minister for the radiation leaking from the fukushima plant. passport centers around japan are full. train stations mobbed. at the airport u.s. embassy staffers have set up a help desk for americans that want to leave. american jason ray and his family have had enough. >> the u.s. government just said that you've got to stay at least 50 miles away. if that were to expand even more and we waited, we would risk not being able to get out of the country, so we're out of here. >> reporter: meanwhile the work of search and rescue teams goes on, amid bitter cold and snow,

but time is running out. >> there's always a small percent of hope all the time. >> reporter: they found only the dead today. katia and his wife holding out hope for a lost sister-in-law, getting a first look at the destroyed neighborhood, too much for him to bear. there is nothing, there is nothing, he cries. nothing but sorrow and growing distrust. the first u.s. chartered flight out of japan carrying americans has left with 100 on board. another flight is expected tomorrow. also, there is this news. the u.s. state department is saying that there is a large pocket of americans above sendai and it sent en route now 14 buses to pick up to 600 americans. these are civilians. now these buses will have to make the trip back down from

sendai past the nuclear power complex, a very careful journey, to get them back to tokyo, brian. >> ann, considering tonight marks the one-week anniversary, it is still so difficult to watch. ann curry in japan for us tonight. thanks. president obama made an unannounced visit to the japanese embassy in washington this morning. he signed a condolence book there for those who perished in the earthquake and the tsunami. later he spoke from the rose garden at the white house about the situation in japan for the first time since friday and he addressed concerns here in this country about this radiation from the fukushima plant. >> i know that many americans are also worried about the potential risks to the united states. so i want to be very clear. we do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the united states, whether it's the west coast, hawaii, alaska or u.s. territories in the pacific. >> while the president is reassuring americans that the

winds can't carry radiation across the pacific, the winds in japan are another matter, and they can spread radiation around locally. we want to get an update on that tonight from meteorologist bryan norcross at the weather channel. bryan, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. yes, we are running a new model here. it's a weather channel version of a noaa dispersion model it's called. we put a plume, we estimate a plume size, we put it in the model and this is what it shows based on the current wind flow pushing this plume offshore. now, what we also notice is the plume gets very thin and fine and very dispersed as it moves off of japan. now, if we go through time in the future, this will take us through sunday. we notice that briefly the plume goes onshore, then flips back offshore as the winds once again come in that favorable direction. but indeed, the folks in northern japan need to pay close attention to this. the other situation that we

really can see here is that the intense plume doesn't go very far from japan and that's why we're not concerned for anything being transported to the u.s. in any significant kind of quantity. >> all right, bryan norcross at the weather channel, thanks as always. so, again, it's a huge local issue in japan, and facts are one thing, fears are another. and just seeing and hearing the media coverage all day, even if it's designed to calm people down, is having an effect. >> radiation from that crippled japanese nuclear power plant is heading our way and experts say -- >> i'm not the least bit worried and you shouldn't be either. >> coverage like that. let's take one more stab at this issue with our chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman. so, again, some of this is for the best intentions, the all-day cable, the news radio, it's in the course of stories that are trying to reassure us all that we hear about it all day. >> i think we put plumes of doom and then but it's okay. to put this in context, at least the president came forward

today. i think for a first time for a lot of people in the medical community we heard someone say it's all right. there are a lot of people in the scientific community that have been waiting for that. a good time to remind everyone that computer malls are just that, they are models. as you look at the possibilities, remember that the jetstream moves, particles get dissipated, and every expert i've spoken to over the last few days has said if there is any radiation fall in the ocean or before it hits the west coast, it will be so minimal, so neglible as to not pose health risks to americans. >> also part of the coverage, we see americans are getting measured for radiation when they come back to this country and then we hear there were positive indications, meaning levels higher than on an average day at some airports. >> this is why we should be reassured because cargo planes and passenger planes are checked all the time. we spoke with our affiliate in dallas-ft. worth and there was an american airlines flight that in fact did have traces of

contamination, of radiation, and guess what, it came from the cargo hold, from some medical equipment that was being shipped, so that was not much of a surprise. no passengers have been quarantined in any of the major airports, and a reminder again this evening for everyone who has stockpiled on any kind of iodide pills, there is no reason to self medicate. i really believe it's time for this nation to take a collective breath about this. >> we're trying to do our dead level best to do just that and broadcast the truth and tell folks what not to be worried about. nancy, thank you as always. another story that came out of this disaster in japan, in the united states the head of the nuclear regulatory commission today said all american nuclear reactors are built to withstand earthquakes and tsunamis. but the extreme situation in japan is raising concerns nonetheless about the aging nuke plants here in this country. our report tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: since 1957, nuclear power has been part of the u.s. energy grid.

today 104 plants operate in 31 states, most built more than 30 years ago. according to nuclear regulatory commission data analyzed by msnbc.com, the plant with the highest risk of an earthquake-causing catastrophic damage isn't in california but rather just 24 miles north of new york city. the indian point reactor, licensed in 1976, sits on a previously unknown fault line and faces a one in 10,000 chance of a catastrophic earthquake causing core damage. >> this plant in this proximity to new york city was never a good risk, but this is new information that we're going to pursue. >> reporter: nuclear plants in massachusetts, pennsylvania, tennessee, florida, virginia, south carolina, and california round out the top ten list of an earthquake causing potential core damage. >> we're going to take a good solid look at everything that comes out of japan, and if we need to make modifications to our facilities in this country, then we'll do that. >> reporter: meanwhile a watchdog group issued this report, saying a risk of

disaster is low but listed 14 close calls last year that raised the risk of damage to a reactor core. floods, equipment failures, leaking roofs, cracked walls and fires. >> if something were to happen, that would be shame on us. we have the regulations, we know what it takes to be right and we allow plants not to meet those regulations. >> reporter: but nuclear energy advocates insist american plants are inspected daily, improved, and safer than ever. >> i think simply looking at the age isn't a good indicator. a significant number of new components and replaced components that really keep those reactors in a very good solid situation. >> reporter: the hope is that they're as solid as promised. tom costello, nbc news, washington. a lot more to tell you about as "nightly news" continues tonight. when we come back, how people are feeling the japan disaster in other ways here in the u.s. this one works. ooh, the price sure doesn't. i'm tired of shopping around.

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we're back with more on the disaster in japan. along with the nuclear emergency and the humanitarian crisis, there are big economic impacts to consider, some of them already hitting home here in the u.s. nbc's john yang has our report from chicago. >> reporter: economists say the spiraling crisis threatens the u.s. economic recovery. today gm announced it's shutting a plant in louisiana because of a shortage of parts from japan. >> japan, you know, the third largest economy, huge trading relationships with the united states, it's got to have an impact here. overall, it will be negative. >> reporter: at the world's top seller of toyota's popular prius hybrid, they're worried because production has been halted until at least next week. >> it's basically the most popular car that we have, so if we can't get enough, it's a big problem for us. >> reporter: it's not just japanese brands. analysts say virtually all u.s. autos have japanese-made components. >> navigation systems, radios,

all of the electronics, so many of them come from japan. >> reporter: with prius supplies in doubt, gas-conscious buyers might turn to chevrolet's electric car, the volt. but its transmission is made in japan. >> it's hard to drive the car without the transmission. >> reporter: then there are computer chips. one-fifth of world production is japanese. these days computer chips aren't just in electronic devices like blackberries or ipads they're in household appliances like refrigerators, stoves and microwave ovens. even if plants are undamaged, analysts say disruption of the huge amounts of electricity and water chip-making requires would soon put all sorts of products in short supply and could lead retailers to do away with discounts and rebates. >> the global economy is truly interlinked in a way that we really didn't appreciate 20 or 30 years ago. >> reporter: a looming economic impact compounding an already enormous human toll.

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if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. the u.n. security council tonight approved a no-fly zone over libya, along with what it said will be all necessary measures to protect civilians there. it comes while moammar gadhafi has succeeded by force taking back a lot of the turf the rebels took from him. we want to go now to nbc's jim maceda in tripoli. jim, good evening. >> reporter: hi there, brian. well, that 10-0 vote in favor of a no-fly zone over libya will give the u.n. some muscle behind its words, even as the gadhafi regime seems determined to prove that any resolution is too late to be put into effect. forces loyal to moammar gadhafi believing they're on the verge of victory. today they surrounded ajdabiya, only 90 miles from benghazi, the rebel stronghold and ultimate prize.

this was the rebels' last line of defense and they have been no match for gadhafi's army, navy or air force, all on the ascending. >> now it is libya. but tomorrow, egypt, tunisia. >> reporter: an extraordinary comeback for the libyan dictator, who just two weeks ago looked like a spent force. tonight gadhafi warned the people of benghazi that he'd strike hard within hours. a steady counterattack that began here about 300 miles east of tripoli and pushed the rebels back, retaking key oil ports like ras lanuf and brega, gaining momentum by the day. in benghazi today, the rebel capital was empty and tense, the enemy on its doorstep, as its people fled to the border with egypt. we don't want gadhafi or anything related to him, he said. but gadhafi's regime is now convinced it's winning, no matter what the united nations

might throw at him. and now the international community has the authority to attack libyan planes and level the battlefield, at least that's the idea, but who now will create that situation and enforce the military intervention, which is, after all, what the no-fly zone is, and how long will it take. brian, there are many questions and the uncertainty has just begun. >> jim maceda in tripoli tonight. jim, thanks. the pentagon has broadened the definition of the combat injuries eligible for the awarding of the purple heart. in a move that will better reflect a lot of the injuries suffered in iraq and afghanistan, purple hearts will now be awarded for concussions served in military service. they'll now consider at least any head injury that causes loss of consciousness, dizziness, headache or nausea as a concussion. this changes the long-held view that it must be a visible injury, that you have to bleed in effect to qualify, and they're urging vets who think they might qualify to apply. another break, we're back with a look at u.s. military

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of need. nbc's ian williams is at a u.s. air base, the misawa air base in northern japan, a main hub of the relief effort, and he filed a late report for us from there tonight. >> reporter: brian, this american air base has become a key staging post now working round the clock to ferry relief supplies by helicopter to the devastated coastal regions to the south of here. hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the tsunami, and are in urgent need of blankets, food, water and basic medicine. their plight has been compounded by bitterly cold weather and snow, which has swept across this region and also made aid delivery more difficult. aid agencies worry that the threat of disaster at the crippled fukushima nuclear plant is diverting attention away from the humanitarian crisis. it's also become a factor in planning the relief operation, since it's placed many areas off limits. that said, u.s. officials say they're ready to help in any way

they can to dramatically step up their operations if requested by japan. brian. >> ian williams in northern japan as our coverage of this will continue. that's our broadcast for now on this thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com right now at 6:00, team coverage tonight, including the fears that radiation will reach the united states. >> we want to give you a live look now at one of the only three japan towns in the entire united states. two here in the bay area. tonight there's a vigilance for one of them and it's about to get started. we begin with breaking news out of richmond. it's a delicate story regarding church and foreclosure. police are