thanks for tunin in. caption colorado comments@captioncolorado.com good morning. disaster in japan. another explosion overnight rocks a crippled nuclear power plant as concerns grow over a possible meltdown. along the shattered coastline a thousand bodies are found as the death toll soars. japan's prime minister calling this their worst crisis since world war ii. millions face the day with no power, no water, no food. we have more on the survivors and the humanitarian effort "early" this monday morning, march 14, 2011.

thanks for joining us on this monday morning. you can see, these are some of the images which have been coming in and frankly they speak for themselves. unimaginable. >> the devastation we saw friday morning and now in the days after this disaster in japan we continue to get more images, more video of exactly the impact that this is having on this nation and the people. damage estimates in the tens of billions of dollars, but you can't put a dollar figure on the loss of life and death toll estimates continue to increase hour by hour. >> they do. you know how well prepared japan was. the sheer magnitude of this catastrophe is staggering. the numbers barely begin to tell the story but they give you a good idea where we stand. the official death toll is 2,800. one chief police estimates more than 10,000 people died in his

province alone, more than 1,000 bodies have been found along the coast. all three reactors at fukushima have lost their cooling capacity. a second hydrogen explosion at the plant could be heard for 25 miles. u.s. navy ships in the area moved further away after detecting radiation from the plant. nearly 2 million households are without electricity in japan where it is freezing. 1.4 million homes without water, food is scarce and gasoline rationed nationwide. the growing nuclear threat is receiving so much attention at this hour. that is where we begin in fukushima. >> reporter: some part of fukushima didn't suffer much visible earthquake damage, but the people in this town are dealing with an entirely different threat, 20 miles outside of the nuclear evacuation zone. inside that zone, a second

explosion at the damaged daiichi nuclear complex in three days left radioactive smoke pouring into the sky. this time 11 workers were injured in a planned attempt to release steam from the third reactor. the outer casing burst into pieces though its core is said to be intact. today's blast could be felt 25 miles away and triggered an alert from anyone in the zone to stay indoors. radiation levels at the dee eachy complex were too high on saturday, but authorities say they have fallen within legal limits. in koriyama, a long line of people are leaving. >> i'm giving six months treatment so not good for me to be around radiation.

>> reporter: it might be a good time to leave the area. japan's authorities say a third explosion is likely, another one of the daiichi cooling systems failed leaving workers no choice but to release more radiation laced steam. the aircraft carrier "ronald reagan" was a hundred miles offshore when it moved through radiation. the crew was exposed to a month's worth of radiation in one hour. in miyagi prefecture thousands of people were found. koriyama and others in the region are beginning to empty out. cbs news news, fukushima, japan. >> we want to turn it over to chris. >> erica, thank you.

joining us is cham dallas. you have been in contact with the japanese and u.s. government throughout this process. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> let's show the people at home an animation of a nuclear reactor. how this should work. >> here is your reactor right here. these are the fuel rods, radioactive fuel rods, uranium that generate neutrons that heat up water. the water comes to the turbine, turns into steam, electricity goes out to the public. now, here is the key. the control rods they dropped into the reactor that shut it off at the very beginning of the reaction. >> that is exactly what happened with the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. let's talk about fukushima. we are hearing of multiple

explosions and possible radiation exposure. what is the situation there now? >> let's talk about what went right. they dropped the control rods and shut the reaction off. they did that in 11 nuclear reactors. they shut it off and it is still very hot though. there is a lot of heat. remember, the heat is what generates the electricity. that is where the problem comes in. the -- you have to keep water around this reactor all the time. in the stove, you turn it off, the heat takes a while to cool down. it takes a nuclear reactor days to cool down. if you don't keep water generating around that it won't stay safe. >> we are talking about partial meltdowns because of the heat around the rod. they have brought in sea water, a last ditch effort, to try to cool these rods down, correct? >> correct. that was a last-ditch effort for them. once the reactor is shut down, the problem is there is no electricity.

you had to keep water generating. the backup systems failed and they started to melt, probably from the top. not a total meltdown like chernobyl. that was a total meltdown. almost certainly what happened here was a partial meltdown from the top where like a candle, a candle burns from the top and stops. we are hoping that is what happened here. as far as continued explosions, these were not radiation explosions, right, let's make that clear? >> right. there are two of them. they were gas explosions. when they threw the saltwater in it was a hail mary pass, they built up hydrogen and it detonated and blew the tops off. >> let's talk about radiation exposure. the "uss ronald reagan" they detected exposure. they moved their people farther away. how about the people in close proximity to the reactor. >> there are disconnects.

we are told by the japanese government the radiation levels are very low, detectable, but low around the reactor. we have reports of people with radiation sickness. that is a disconnect. usually it takes a few days. we have an aircraft carrier veering off. i believe the aircraft carrier knows what they are doing, a nuclear powered aircraft carrier, but we are not getting facts straight. that is common, after three-mile island, after chernobyl. lots of crazy stories in the first few days. it keeps it excites. >> professor, stay with us. we are going to talk with you later in the broadcast. >> we want to bring in dr. jennifer ashton for closer look at radiation exposure. we heard conflicting reports of what we are seeing. we are being told low levels of radiation. what are the factors that go into whether or not you may

develop something from radiation? >> when you talk about radiation exposure, we deal with it every day in the hospital on a different level, of course. you are talking about three key factors, the time you are exposed, the distance from the source and whether there is shielding. that could be anything from being inside a building, lead apron or protective clothing. >> who is the most at risk for some sort of radiation exposure? >> two big groups of population. one is the cleanup workers. the people working at these facilities, they are taking extra precaution. they are limiting their time to the highest radiation sources and, of course, they are wearing protective clothing. those people are at greatest risk. the general japanese population. children up to the age of 18 tend to be most at risk because they have the most actively dividing cells in their body.

anyone with a certain radius could be at risk, not just short term but long term. >> they could be at risk for thyroid cancer. we have been hearing about potassium iodide tablets. is that a prevention? >> yes. anyone exposed should take potassium iodide so their thyroid gland uses that rather than the radioactive iodine that can be liberating in the radiation accidents. you want to protect the thyroid gland and actively dividing tissue in a gastrointestinal tract. blood cancers like leukemias

might not be detected for decades. >> the earth and tsunami just about wiped out smaller cities along the north coast. it heavily damaged sendai where more than 1 million people live. cbs news correspondent bill whitaker has the very latest. >> reporter: you see them everywhere in sendai, people moving through the landscape as though they can't believe their eyes. men who used to work on these streets now a washed up graveyard for cars. you saw the tsunami do this? i never expected the tsunami in here because we are so far from the ocean. this was a convenience store. look at this. this is the high water mark of the tsunami, some eight feet up and we are more than a mile in from the ocean. the tsunami pushed inland for miles laying waste to everything in its path. the devastation is so widespread

it is hard to show on camera. take a look around here. this is one block in one neighborhood. this architect designed his house, the tsunami destroyed it. >> i don't have money. all of it is broken. >> reporter: thousands of homeless now line up for space in city run shelters like this one at the school. four floors of classrooms now home to displaced families. this woman is happy to be here. she is happy to be alive. the water rose to chest level in her house. this person scans the name of residents for her missing friend. she has been to four other shelters. >> i went to the house and there is no house. >> reporter: there is no house. the house is gone? >> gone. >> reporter: she can't find her

friend's name here either. bill whitaker, cbs news, sendai, japan. >> now here is erica. >> joining us on the phone is a philadelphia native a schoolteacher in japan. greg, thanks for being with us. how are you at this hour and how is everything around you? >> i'm fine. i'm here in my apartment with my girlfriend and several of my friends and, you know, things in the city center are improving as of right now. you know, obviously, the outlying areas is a different story. power is slowly coming back on, people are getting water and internet service back, cell phone reception is improving. so the situation in the city, i'd say, is getting better, but, you know, that is not where the real problems are. >> one can only imagine.

i read an account someone said when it comes to sendai, the city center everything looks okay, but inside is where you find the real mess. do you feel that is what it is like for a lot of people at this hour? >> you know, i would say people are holding up. i don't think the full extent of it has sunk in yet. right now everyone is still kind of in crisis mode, still running on adrenaline, still trying to, you know, get information on people, make sure that people have been displaced have enough food and water and what not. so i think the larger implications haven't begun to set in. >> right. you have people staying with you. you have food and water. those are immediate needs. is everyone getting the assistance they need in sendai in terms of essentials in. >> it is hard to say because it is a very big city

geographically. i haven't seen all of it. today i went out for a bike ride to look for another friend of ours who also was fine and we saw outside a supermarket trucks pulling up and, you know, fresh produce being unloaded, bags of rice, bags of potatoes, vegetables. and, you know, people were buying it. so there is food coming into the city. i don't know that everybody has the food they need. we're just trying to take care of our area. but as i said, the overall situation is improving so hopefully in the next few days food will become less of a concern. >> and hopefully you'll continue to get good news when it comes to folks you are looking for. appreciate your time this morning. thank you. >> thank you. >> and for a lot of people in addition to their immediate needs that is what is going on today, trying to find people. >> the days after, always the

toughest. it was bad on friday but now with so many people, so many questions left. let's get

thanks so much. that is your latest weather. still ahead this morning on "the early show" much more on the disaster in japan. the latest on the search for survivors. >> we'll be right back. you are watching "the early show" on cbs.

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,, [ female announcer ] add your flavor... welcome back to "the early show" here on cbs. as we continue to follow this disaster in japan. today the focus, of course, on

search and rescue. first responders, firefighters, urban search and rescue teams from all over the world, professionals trained in dealing with disasters descending upon japan to try and help any way they can. >> 69 governments have actually sent in help, according to the u.n., to do everything they can. we're going to take a closer look at those efforts this morning. the humanitarian effort, and the effort, as kris said, for search and rescue, to bring in the hope that is so desperately needed right now. >> continue to look at these pictures from the disaster there. you just cannot -- you can't say enough about what the people there are dealing with at this hour. just very difficult to watch. and we're going to continue to talk about this when we come back here on "the early show." c. joy... pleasure. one square inch of extra smooth, rich chocolate. hershey's bliss.

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they can. >> and we're going to speak with the international red cross just ahead to see not onl bus loads of students are heading to sacra and good morning, it's 7:25. time for your headlines. i'm frank mallicoat. busloads of students all headed to sacramento right now from evergreen valley college and other schools from the bay area from california. they are going to rally at the state capital hoping to get lawmakers to support governor brown's plan to ask voters to extend some temporary taxes. $14,000 worth of overcharges for clipper card users last month. "the examiner" reports about 150 clipper customers were billed on average $98 too much. they are all reimbursed now. it was apparently a computer problem that caused that overcharging. and disappointment for the st. mary's basketball team. despite a 24-8 record, the gaels were left out of the ncaa tournament. that starts this week here on cbs 5. this is the first time

since 1991 that no team from the bay area was picked for the big dance. the gaels and the cal bears are going to the national invitational tournament, the little dance. traffic and weather coming right up. stay with us. ,, try our new, fresh salmon at sizzler.

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bridge toll plaza where chp is clearing an accident just after the toll lanes. you can see traffic backed up at least to the maze. of course lots of rain on the roads. foggy conditions continue on the golden gate bridge southbound seeing delays both directions of 92 also busy along the san mateo bridge. and if you are working your way through the south bay, we are seeing busy conditions along 280 northbound through san jose. that's a look at the morning drive. let's check the forecast with julie. >> scattered showers the story this morning. likely lingering through the day at least the first half of the day. take a look at hi-def doppler. you can see those showers again scattered in nature, very light, spreading all the way from the city up the i-80 corridor this morning. and we should see them start to taper off by late morning, but can't rule out a stray shower throughout the day. today likely the driest day of the week. we have seen another round of rain moving through the first half of tuesday in the north bay and spreading south, scattered showers wednesday and thursday and a soaker friday. ,,,,,,,,

welcome back to "the early show." you're watching video there of the tsunami as it was happening. you saw that wall of black water. just some of the video and pictures that have come in over the past three days as we look at the aftermath of the earthquake, and the tsunami in japan. we're going to have the very latest for you on rescue efforts in japan this morning. also, important information about how you can help the victims there making sure, too, that your donations go where they're needed, and that they don't fall into the hands, unfortunately, of scam artists which inevitably pop up after a disaster. >> people always take advantage of a dire situation. first, let's get to jeff glor at

the news desk for a look at some of the other headlines for us this morning. jeff, good morning. >> chris, good morning to you. good morning, everyone. in japan more trouble this morning at the fukushima nuclear power plant. there was a hydrogen explosion at a second reactor, which injured 11 people. it's reported that the uranium fuel rods in the affected reactor are totally exposed now. there was a similar explosion saturday into another reactor and a third reactor lost its cooling capability this morning threatening another blast. the stock market in tokyo has dropped sharply. the nikkei index fell more than 6% in today's trading. most analysts expect the slump will carry over to american markets when wall street opens today. in libya this morning, reports that pro- town of where were strong and which gadhafi has been trying to win back.

gadhafi met with ambassadors from india, russia and china yesterday. he's trying to get their countries to invest in libya's oil industry. and secretary of state hillary clinton arrived this morning in paris to meet with representatives of libya's anti-gadhafi opposition. clinton will also speak with european officials about libya, including a rebel's call for a no-fly zone. now back over to chris. >> all right, jeff, thank you. aid is pouring in now from all over the world, including american help for search and rescue teams. cbs' lucy craft is in tokyo with more on those rescue efforts for us this morning. lucy, good morning. >> good morning. you know, close to half a million victims of friday's tsunami and quake are in shelters right now. but there are many more people who have yet to be rescued. rescue missions now are converging on the disaster site, northeastern japan. so far, teams from 13 countries have joined one of the most complex and enormous relief efforts in memory. the u.s. nuclear power aircraft carrier "ronald reagan" arrived

off the coast. it's the first time japan and the u.s. have joined forces in such a large-scale rescue on japanese soil. with japan's energy crunch growing increasingly dire, russia has sent troops and promised extra shipments of liquefied natural gas. new zealand, the uk, and china were also among the first to dispatch doctors, search and rescue teams, and other aid to japan's stricken northeast region. >> we do know that the longer time goes on, the less likely it is we'll find survivors, so the object is to get there as soon as you possibly can. >> reporter: a man was rescued after two days at sea, clinging to a piece of his roof. three others were saved after being trapped in a car for 20 hours. about 10,000 victims have been rescued, but tens of thousands more are still awaiting help. japan's self-defense forces have doubled their troop deployments to a record 100,000. they are overwhelmed by the vast

area of damage and the danger of trying to access areas rendered doubly unstable by the quakes and tsunamis. with survivors hanging on for a third day, and frigid weather closing in, the task before rescuers seems all the more daunting. you know, the disaster raged across a very wide swath of japan. the entire northeastern japanese coast is affected. and it will be a long time before they're able to find all of the victims and survivors, if

coming up next, what do japan's victims need most at this moment? >> we're going to check in with the red cross. the organization is on the ground in japan. we'll also tell you if you are looking to help how you can make sure your donation is going directly to those that need it, not to a scam artist. this is "the early show" on cbs. [ female announcer ] imagine the possibilities with stelara®.

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welcome back to "the early show." the pictures and the numbers are just staggering. as we look at the toll that this devastation is taking on the people of japan, joining us now with a closer look is francis marcus who is with the international federation of the red cross. he joins us from tokyo. sir, give us an idea what are the most immediate needs, what are your priorities at this hour? >> well, at the moment, the search and rescue operations are still going on in a very intensive phase. so that is obviously a priority at the moment. beyond that, also, over the next few days, we're going to see the major priorities are drinking water, food, sanitation, blankets, things like that. and that -- these are really the main issues at the moment. >> you mention the search and rescue operation. is this still search and rescue and, if so, how long do you anticipate it will stay that way before becoming a recovery?

>> well, it's at the moment i would characterize as search and rescue and relief running concurrently. because, obviously we have now more than 400,000 people in evacuation centers who need relief supplies, and they also need medical care. so that is a key focus of the japanese red cross providing medical teams which also have trained psycho social nurses on each team. and i mean, it's still very early days of this huge disaster and obviously, in the longer-term we will have to look towards recovery. but now we don't even have a clear idea of how many people have lost their lives, and how many people will end up missing in total. >> the scope is just phenomenal. the pictures are absolutely devastating. and yet we've been hearing over and over again how

well-prepared, perhaps more well-prepared than any other nation, japan was to deal with something of this magnitude. knowing that, and then knowing the situation as you see it on the ground, give us an idea of sort of, i hate to say how this ranks, but how this compares to other disasters that you've been a part of. >> well, our president, who is actually the president of the japanese red cross, is to go out in the worst affected areas, and he says it is quite simply the worst that he's ever seen. reminding him of the scenes which were seen in the kind of flattened, bombed cities of japan like osaka after the second world war. so that gives you an idea of the impact of this disaster. >> again that was francis markus of the international red cross joining us. here with us now is cbs news business and economics correspondent rebecca jarvis.

you're here to help us, so many people, which is wonderful in the wake of the disaster, really want to reach out and help. but sadly there are plenty of people out there who are preying on that goodwill and we see this after every disaster. >> it is despicable. thousands upon thousands of scam artists come out of the woodwork in the face of human tragedy. in katrina alone there were 4,000 scams. right now, the fbi has actually found one such scam related to the japan relief effort. from the british red cross, it is not the british red cross, but it is an e-mail that's going around purportedly from them, and it's a scam. >> so what are some of the warning signs that this may not be legit? >> well, you need to look and make sure that you're actually dealing with the organization you think you're dealing with. some of these scam artists will disguise themselves. they'll actually use real, legit names, like we see with this e-mail making the rounds. make sure you're not responding to these e-mails. go directly to the websites for these companies. the ones that you know, the nonprofits that you trust, that you've dealt with in the past. >> so go to the website.

walk us through. what are some of the other dos and don'ts as we're looking to help? >> make sure there are no spelling errors when you enter those web addresses. because one of the things that these companies, these scammers will do, is they'll use a similar name with a couple of spelling errors in it in the web address. don't respond to e-mail links. go directly to the websites themselves. don't go to a misdirected website. so if you're on a website that you think is legit and all of a sudden you're taken to a new website, don't donate to that new website. >> so if you click to donate and a new window pops up and it looks different. >> don't do it. exactly. don't give out your personal info. and also don't give via cash. because cash is not the way of doing this. you want to give via your credit card information and that type of thing. >> some of the dos, some of the ways you can make sure your money is going somewhere. you have those important tips for us, as well. >> there are a couple of websites that will help you vet whether you're dealing with a legit charity. the better business bureau has a wonderful website bbb.org/charity.

charitynavigator.org and guidestar.org are a handful of theme. >> what about ceos, for something like a trustee lets you know for charities? >> there are. but you want to be careful about trusting a seal. these impostors are using everything at their disposal to look real. >> if they're going to fake a company they're going to fake a seal. >> exactly. >> it's also important to make sure there's a presence on the ground. how do you know your money is really going where you think it's going? >> the best thing to do is to ask a charity for its tax form 990. that's going to tell you where the money is being allocated. and that will legitimize for you exactly where your funds are going. >> and also if you hear 100% of your donation is going to something, sadly, that's impossible. >> it's properly not correct, erica. because there's so much overhead in these organizations, just to pay for funds, and to get -- to do fund-raising it costs these companies money and that's where some of your money ends up going to. >> even a credit card transaction which you give

online, they have to pay for that. >> they do. >> all right. great tips, though, as always. for more on those for if you couldn't get them written down in time, don't worry. there's plenty of information on how you can help the quake and tsunami victims in japan on our website and you can logon there at earlyshow.cbsnews.com. stay with us. we'll be right back with more. you're watching "the earon cbs. . you are a little biscuit. i'm carol. uh, we should skedaddle 'cause it's girls' night. so...okay. oh, wow. you got a skinny-dipping scene after the duel, right? well, i -- shh, shh, shh. show. don't tell. [ male announcer ] your favorite movies right when you want them. just a little -- okay. oh, wow. [ male announcer ] watch unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly through your game console or other devices, all for only 8 bucks a month from netflix. [ carol ] this could turn me into a history buff. whoa! [ female announcer ] bath tissue leaving lots of pieces behind? try charmin ultra strong. with a diamondweave texture that's soft and more durable, no wonder it holds up better.

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all you expect from the number-one recommended detergent by dermatologists. all free clear is free of dyes and perfumes. and has powerful stainlifters to help get your whole wash clean. it's all good. we've seen some extraordinary pictures from the disaster zone in northeast japan. want to show you some satellite images that we have here taken before and after the tsunami showing several cities and towns that were just decimated. ishinomaki with a population of about 175,000. natori, two of the cities heavily affected by this. and we've heard about sendai. >> right. and you can see. you can see on the split screen

the before and the after. basically that image split in two. these are coming to us courtesy of "the new york times" which has this great photo gallery that has so many people talking. it has been forwarded and sent on twitter throughout the weeke weekend. because looking at this comparison it's just impossible to imagine that what you see on the left-hand side of your screen could essentially be reduced to what is on the right, which is in many cases, mud. >> you talk with some people and you hear the stories of these idyllic little seaside communities that, with the sheer force of the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami, how everything in its path just obliterated like that. devastating pictures. we'll be right back. this is the "early" show here on cbs. o the doers. those of us who know grass doesn't turn green just because the calendar says to. and that a big difference can grow from a small budget. for those of us with grass on our sneakers... dirt on our jeans... and a lawn that's as healthy as our savings... the days are about to get a whole lot greener. ♪

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ere are fears of a it is 7:55. time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm elizabeth wenger. there are fears of a third explosion at a nuclear plant in japan following friday's earthquake and tsunami. officials say fuel rods in one reactor were fully exposed after a cooling system stopped working. sea water is now being pumped in. a hydrogen explosion occurred earlier today at another reactor at the same plant. today crews will be out in santa cruz harbor evaluating the tsunami damage there. 18 boats sank, another 100 were damaged. today crews will use sonar to locate sunken vessels and assess the risk of pollution. governor brown will step up efforts this week to get republican support for his budget plan. he has been negotiating with five republican senators. but so far, they have not

voiced support publicly. brown wants a five-year extension of sales tax increase, personal income and vehicle fees. traffic and weather coming right up. stay with us. ,, ,,

good morning. marin county southbound 101 at ygnacio boulevard a broken-down

vehicle blocking the on-ramp. slow and go. southbound delays working your way towards the golden gate bridge. once you hit the golden gate bridge, unfortunately, we lost has shot but we are seeing limited visibility -- we lost that shot but we are seeing limited visibility due to fog in the area. bay bridge busy, as well. slow and go on the eastshore freeway commute. backed up to the maze and seeing some delays off the 24, as well. give yourself some extra time. more on this wet morning commute, here's julie. >> well, we are looking at some scattered showers areawide. rain basically spotty and light. one cell passing through martinez, pleasant hill and concord. we'll see the pattern through the morning. this afternoon things dry out with the risk of some lingering isolated showers throughout the day today. seven-day forecast though today will likely be the driest of the week. we are warming up to 70 in the warmest spots. showers through the rest of the week.

♪ welcome back to "the early show." i'm chris wragge along with erica hill. as we continue to monitor the situation in japan. the prime minister there calling this the nation's worst crisis since world war ii. the death toll continues to rise. right now, over 150 aftershocks after this 8.9. it had been unofficially upgraded to a 9.0 earthquake this past weekend. you see from the tsunami that followed shortly thereafter the mass devastation and casualties in japan right now. >> it's just awful. we want to get you the very latest on the situation there on the ground. we can tell you in one province alone police estimate more than 10,000 people have been killed. again that's just one province. 1,000 bodies have been found in

that area, washed ashore after the tsunami. another explosion, meantime, hit a crippled nuclear power plant in fukushima, and that is raising the fear of a meltdown. food, meantime, is running out for millions who already have no power, and no running water. cbs news correspondent harry smith is in minami-sanriku which is one of the hardest hit by the quake and tsunami. harry, good evening. >> i tell you what, erica. this is just a devastating scene behind me. all the way for two miles down the road below is nothing but devastation. minamisanriku is a town of about 17,000 people and the very big headline from here is, 10,000 to 11,000 are either missing or unaccounted for. they have no idea where these people are. now, until friday afternoon, this town was a beautiful place. a beautiful seaside resort, and fishing village. and when the tsunami came in at an enormous height, at an enormous rate of speed, it

literally destroyed everything in its path. and as we say, as it entered the town, it kept going and going all the way two miles up the valley behind me. now, we spent a good part of the afternoon out here today looking around, looking at the devastation, and i have to tell you, erica, i've seen a lot of stuff, i've been a lot of places, this didn't look like any natural disaster i'd ever seen before. it looked more like war. it looked more like this place had been bombed. >> quite a description, considering the places you have been, what you've seen, harry. as you describe that scene, is there any hope at this point that survivors will be found? >> yeah, there is quite a rescue presence here. the armed forces are here. we saw on actually quite a number of rescue crews going through the rubble. unfortunately, their job here in this town is body recovery. they're not expecting to find anyone here alive. >> harry smith in minamisanriku

this morning, or this evening there i should say. harry, thanks. >> you bet. and you hear so much about how this looks like a bad hollywood movie. it seems every disaster it gets worse. this, by far, really just takes that. >> tough to put it into words. it really is. let's get a little bit more. let's go back to sendai japan and talk to michael kloran who joins us via skype right now. he's an american teacher who's been blogging and writing on the situation in japan. good evening, how are you? >> good morning. i'm doing all right. thank you. >> describe what it's like where you are right now. can you put it into words what you're seeing? >> yeah, the area that i'm in right now, i'm very fortunate to be in a pocket of the city that is very safe. and we have electricity. we don't have running water yet. earlier today, though, i did go down to an area near the airport, which was completely destroyed, and it is very hard to put it into words.

it looks like everything was just completely decimated when a -- like a bomb went off. there are pieces of buildings everywhere. and just completely shattered. >> let's go back to when the quake struck on friday. where were you, and describe, you know, what you were feeling at that time. what happened? >> well, i actually live in fukushima, so i was down there. i live in a town about 40 kilometers away from where these nuclear reactors are having the trouble. and i was in my apartment, and it is kind of a newer building so they're fairly flexible. and so when the quake actually started, the walls started moving back and forth, things started moving off the walls, and then it was just, i don't want to say a regular earthquake, but it was like medium strength. and then it instantly ramped up where the whole house kind of jerked to the side. and then it just didn't stop. usually these things go for a few seconds and then they let up. and this just kept going on and on and on for several minutes. >> now you said you live near fukushima right there near the nuclear reactors.

any fear as to what's been going on there with the potential release of radiation? are you concerned at all? >> very concerned, yes. we came up here to sendai immediately after the earthquake, because we have some family up here. and i've been talking to some of the people back there in fukushima, and there's mixed messages going on. some people are there and they can't get out. with the highway shut down and the trains shut down, they know they might have to evacuate very soon. but they've got no way to do it like maybe they could bicycle out or something or hopefully there will be enough, maybe government transports available. so there's a lot of confusion as to what actually is going on with the leakage coming out, and if people are going to need to evacuate, and if so, how they're actually going to be able to do that. >> let me ask you, did that concern you? because the government there seems to say, okay, it's a problem. it's not that big a problem. but then you hear reports that the united states is moving the

"uss ronald reagan" which is already 100 miles offshore even further away because they've gotten some contamination detection out there. >> hmm. i actually hadn't heard that yet. the news i've gotten is, like i said, is a little bit sketchy. so from what i'm hearing from the japanese side, it's not that bad. but i'd rather hedge my bets and go with the worst case scenario and have it turn out to be better than that. right now, i just find it very, very scary that several of these reactors are all having problems, and that the leakage is going out. on the news what i've seen here is that people in my town, in fukushima, are being tested for radiation poisoning. and on the video that i saw, it was only about a block or two away from where my apartment is. so that really concerns me. >> well, what will you do now? will you stay there in sendai with your girlfriend's parents in that area? i mean, i'm assuming this means you're not going back to your apartment any time soon. >> right. right. we might actually have to go back sometime tomorrow, but we're looking at relocating to

tokyo sometime soon. so, our concern right now is just to kind of make a run, get in there, get anything that we need, and then get out again because we don't want to get stuck there. we have a -- >> do you think it's safe, though, to even go back even for a quick moment, with what you're hearing? >> to be honest, no, i really don't. it's a very precarious situation because that's the only place where we live, where our clothes are. we don't have any running water up here. so there is kind of a need for us to get back there and get our things, and then keep moving south, trying to get out of there. so, we're hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. if need be. >> all right. michael, thanks for checking in with us. stay safe out there. we'll continue to kind of check in on you to see how things are going. thanks for taking the time. okay? >> thank you so much. all the best. >> okay. be careful out there. michael kloran. in sendai, japan right now. like he said his apartment is right there near the fukushima nuclear reactor. tough situation.

to think about going back there at this point. probably not the best idea. >> no, it is rough. we are following a number of other headlines for you this morning. jeff glor is standing by at the news desk with a look at those for us. >> good morning, everyone. and forces, moammar gadhafi have reportedly retaken the key oil port of brega in libya this morning. libyan jets this morning also launched air strikes in the rebel held town of it ajdibiya. rebels in brega were one of the strongest groups opposed to gadhafi. gadhafi did meet with diplomats yesterday from india, russia and china. he wants investment from their countries in libya's oil industry. libya tops the agenda today for secretary of state hillary clinton who arrived in paris this morning. she'll meet with representatives of the anti-gadhafi rebels and with european officials who favor establishing a no fly zone in libya. tomorrow she flies into cairo to meet with leaders of egypt's transitional government. comments about the suspect in the wikileaks case cost state department spokesman t.j. crowley his job.

crowley resigned yesterday. he caused a stir by describing the treatment of army private bradley manning as, quote, ridiculous and stupid. manning is being held in solitary confinement. a shooting rampage in virginia has left two sheriff's deputies dead, and two more wounded. those officers were responding to a robbery in vansant yesterday when they were gunned down. one of the deputies is in serious condition. the other has life-threatening injuries. >> it's been a very horrific thing that has happened here. today, and it's going to be a long time to heal and get over it. >> the robbery suspect was killed in a shoot-out with police. officials in new york say a police officer died after a suspect pushed him over a railing. officer alain schaberger fell nine feet, landed on his head, and broke his neck. he was trying to arrest george villanueva who police say was threatening his girlfriend. he has now been charged with murder. five people were killed by a collision on an interstate in baton rouge, louisiana.

a car crossed the median last night hitting an oncoming car head-on. all five people in the car that were hit were killed. investigators will be looking at footage from a camera inside a tour bus that crashed this weekend killing 14 people in new york. it was heading back to new york city from a casino trip when it slid off the road and hit a pole. investigators will also speak to the bus driver, who says he was clipped by a tractor trailer. but some surviving passengers say he swerved for no reason. four workers have been decontaminated and released from the hospital after a chemical plant explosion in massachusetts. that blast last night shook nearby homes, sparked a fire, and damaged two buildings in middleton about 20 miles north of boston. >> flooding will remain a concern in parts of the northeast for several more days. the high water in new jersey is receding following days of torrential rain last week. but it may be days before those forced to evacuate are able to return home. and apple is fielding a new round of complaints about time

trouble with its iphone. some iphone users overslept on sunday morning because the phones apparently failed to automatically spring forward for daylight savings time. it is daylight saving time, i should say. it is 11 minutes past the hour right now.

>> this weather report sponsored by starbucks, you and starbucks, it's bigger than coffee. >> thanks so much. that's your latest weather. now here's erica. >> mary, thanks. just ahead, if the disaster in japan happened in the u.s., would this country be ready? we'll look at the chances of it happening, and the risks of doing nothing. this is the "early" show on cbs.

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♪ more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. we're lowering the cost of flexing our green thumbs. this mulch is just $4.97. friday's massive earthquake was really just the latest of many big quakes we've seen during the past year or so. christchurch, new zealand, had a terrific one last month that killed 166 people. there was an 8.8 magnitude quake in chile last year. all of them happened alone the so-called ring of fire, which does also pass along the u.s. west coast. so what are the chances that an earthquake of this magnitude could hit the u.s.? and if it does happen, would be as damaging? is this country prepared. here to help us answer those questions is seismologist james gaherty from lamont research center at columbia university. we show that ring of fire and hear it talked about a lot. 90% of the world's earthquakes

happen there. japan, chile, new zealand. is the u.s. west coast next? >> we can't say that it's next, but it's certainly, it's part of the same system that the ring of fire is really just a chain of very large faults that are associated with the pacific plate interacting with the plates around it. and when it pushes beneath it or when it slides along it it tends to build up friction and produces these types of earthquakes. it also produces volcanoes. that's kind of what gives us this notion of a ring of fire. >> okay, i know that it's -- we know you can't exactly predict an earthquake at this point but if you were looking at the u.s. west coast is there a particular area which seems more vulnerable? >> so the pacific northwest, what we call the cascadia subduction zone has the same kind of characteristics as the fault beneath japan has. we're worried about a large subduction zone similar to japan. >> a lot of people think west coast, california. >> california has significant

risk, san andreas fault. a fault more like in new zealand. the character of the fault changes, the kinds of events we expect to have in those faults are slightly different. california, we're not going to get a big tsunami producing event. pacific northwest we might. >> we could? when you look at the possibil y possibilities of what could happen. we have heard over and over again that japan is incredibly prepared for these events and the toll could have been far worst, even though it is terrible this morning. how prepared is the united states? >> we are, i think we're not at the same level of preparation as japan. it's just not as a national problem it's not something that's on the radar as much as it is in japan. we do have very good observing systems in place with the u.s. geological survey, the national level network and in certain regions, in california and the pacific northwest we're really building up our capabilities to both observe the kinds of events that are happening, so we can learn more from them, and also start to link them together into the winds of, say, early warning systems that we've seen that japan has implemented. so they're really starting to be

built here now. >> that's one aspect of it. but another really important thing, building codes. we heard a lot about the buildings in the quake which incredibly didn't suffer much damage. based on this 8.9 magnitude. are the building codes in the u.s. up to those same standards? >> so i think to say in general in the u.s., being up to those standards, no. we can't really say that. like i say, it's not really a national-level problem. there are, i think, los angeles and san francisco have done very well aware of their earthquake hazard and they have been building buildings that are designed to be resistant to the types of events there. seattle and portland, it's really the geologic evidence for these large quakes in the pacific northwest has really only come about in the last -- we've really only started to understand it in the last 25 or 30 years and so they're sort of trying to catch up now. >> i imagine this would take a lot of time. obviously a lot of money, to catch up. but given what just happened on friday, do you think there will be more emphasis to do that? will it spur some of that development? >> perhaps. i mean, certainly to a degree, i think like a lot of things, we

respond to the most recent events. and so, right now, is an opportunity to really think about what kinds of systems we need to put in place. the longer-term issue is really how we continually maintain the investments to maintain those systems and continue to operate them over the long period of time. it could be another 100 years before these kinds of events really do strike us. we just to be prepared for them. >> that's the hardest part. we don't know when and it seems in some ways like a small portion of the country. obviously has an impact. >> that's right. the impact is so devastating that the economic impact would obviously be felt, you know, around the world. >> a wake-up call for so many. thanks for being with us, james gaherty from columbia university. we'll be right back. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. ♪ [ male announcer ] every day thousands of people are switching from tylenol to advil. take action. take advil. save on advil with our special coupon

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when we come back dr. jen ashton is here to talk about what some of the people who have

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thousand students are expected to rally in the stat it's 8:25. time for news headlines. i'm frank mallicoat. up to 10,000 students all expected to rally in the state capital today. protesting cuts to education, hundreds of protestors gathered at san jose's evergreen valley college this morning before jumping on the buses heading to sacramento. students will urge republicans to support tax extension and governor brown's budgeted plan. santa cruz harbor is closed until next weekend because of damage to the boats in the harbor. crews will use sonar to locate the sunken boats. pg&e agreed to cover the cost into the investigation into the deadly pipeline

explosion in san bruno. they have filed papers with public utilities commission indicating it would reimburse those that were out expenses. traffic and weather coming right up. stay with us. ,, ,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. traffic sluggish out of half moon bay this morning. chp just clearing an accident eastbound 92 near a winery. slow and go both directions westbound delays towards 35.

northbound 880 busy. we have an accident fruitvale clearing it out of lanes but you can see 880 just jammed through oakland. stays slow into the maze. once you get to the bay bridge toll plaza, traffic is very slow. sluggish off the eastshore freeway. metering lights are off. backed up into the maze. julie has the forecast. >> scattered showers showers this morning. they will linger a bit longer. you can see this band of showers stretching all the way from san francisco north to the i-80 corridor to sacramento. scattered showers the story as we take a look at oakland, alameda and much of the east bay. again, just misty damp drizzly. that's the story throughout the first part of the day. we'll see some breaks in the clouds in the second half of the day although we can't rule out lingering showers. they will likely continue throughout the first half of the day and then showers back in the forecast. your tuesday morning commute wet, wet wednesday through the weekend. ,,,,,,,,

welcome back to "the early show," as we show you these images and this video over and over again, each time you see it, it just stops you in your tracks, as you look at the aftermath of the earthquake and the tsunami in japan. we continue our coverage of the disaster this morning. just ahead, throughout the

morning we've been talking about the threat of a nuclear meltdown there, that after another explosion was heard overnight at the fukushima plant. we need to remember that some of the nuclear plants in this country are actually located in areas which could be vulnerable to earthquakes and other disasters. we're going to take a look at those communities, take a look at the nuclear plants in the u.s., and see just how prepared the u.s. is to deal with such a devastating event. and frankly how safe those are. >> also, plenty to get to this morning. we also want to hear from marysol who has a final check of the weather for us. >> good morning yo

thanks so much, that's your latest weather. now over to erica. >> mary, thanks. there are 104 nuclear power reactors in the united states. and plans are under way to build at least 20 more. now the disaster in japan is raising some serious safety

concerns and questions for some of those facilities. cbs news correspondent john blackstone is in california with more on this angle. john, good morning. >> good morning, erica. here alone the central california coast the region is thick with earthquake faults and right here is one of california's two nuclear power plants. a lot of people in this part of california are now asking, now wondering, looking at what's happening in japan and the nuclear plants there and wondering, what if. the diablo canyon nuclear plant is located right on the pacific coast, null verable not only to earthquakes but also to a tsunami. california's other nuclear plant another san diego is similarly built on the ocean's edge in earthquake country. its owner insists there's no reason to worry. >> the science says that we could see about five miles from the plant an earthquake, perhaps equal to a magmy tud 6.5, 6.6. so we designed the plant to

exceed the maximum threat. it's designed to withstand a 7.0. >> reporter: but the images of destruction from japan suggest our best science may fall short when it comes to predicting the destrungtive power of nature. and experts say japan's earthquake readiness has always been more rigorous. >> nobody's ever prepared for this kind of earthquake. but, compared to japan, probably we're not nearly as prepared as japan. >> reporter: in california, an annual drill called the great shake-up simulates a major quake. but what happened friday in japan gives a sobering new look at what a major earthquake really looks like. in japan, the ground shook for 2 1/2 minutes. the earthquakes that hit san francisco in 1989 lasted just 15 seconds. bridges and highways collapsed, whole neighborhoods were destroyed. >> 1989 was 70 miles south of the bay area proper. and we think our next big earthquake will occur right in the middle the urban center. >> reporter: the collapse of

part of the san francisco oakland-bay bridge in '89 made it a symbol of the state's vulnerable infrastructure. construction of the replacement bridge won't be complete for another two years. but the new bridge includes innovations designed to let it bend and swing and rock in a major earthquake. that readiness, though, comes at a cost. more than $6 billion. now this nuclear power plant has been operating since 1985 and the utility that runs it insists it's earthquake safe. but less than three years ago, another fault was discovered just offshore here, and studies are still under way to learn what kind of risk that presents. erica? >> we'll be watching that. john blackstone with us this morning. john, thanks. back with us again is nuclear energy expert cham dallas. good to have you back with us. >> thank you. >> you're coming to us from the university of georgia. as we just heard from john, these two nuclear reactors in california, which are on the san andreas fault, a lot of people focus on that. but the east coast isn't immune to any sort of natural disaster.

if there were any of these natural disasters, could we see a failure like what we've seen in japan? and can we deal with it? >> well, in the american nuclear power industry, we have a pretty strong culture of emergency preparedness. they drill all the time, you know, as i said earlier, i worked in chernobyl in eastern europe. they don't have a culture, and that's why they had such a bad disaster there years ago. now i have to say, the japanese experience has surprised me some. i thought they were better prepared than they -- as it turns out, than they were. >> where does it surprise you? where do you think things felt short? >> well, that they couldn't keep the emergency backup systems going. >> okay. to keep water cooling the reactors. that one surprised me a little bit. >> there has been a threat from the nuclear regulatory committee here in the u.s., that these nuclear reactors can deal with any sort of natural disaster. do you believe that? >> i would agree with that. i'm fairly familiar with the

nuclear power industry here, and you know, we have a lot of checks and balances here. a lot of people in the nuclear power industry will tell you that they're overregulated. but when it comes to safety, that's a good thing. >> so then what makes them better prepared than say, what we saw in japan where you mentioned you were surprised that the backups didn't work? how do we know ours won't fail? >> we have a lot of exercises here. they exercise these crews all the time and we have a culture of preparedness here. the people >> it's the best description i can have. it's their background, the way they think, the way they operate. and they drill all the time >> because there's been some concern in the past that a lot of times, the reaction is more reactionary, not necessarily preparedness. but you would dispute that. >> i would say there is some reaction there. we haven't had a new nuclear reactor here in the united states in a long time. because of three mile island. >> right. >> there was a reaction to that. but, however, that kind of reaction also makes us prepare more. >> you mentioned that we haven't had a new one. how much of a factor is age? that the existing plants here

are 30, 40 years old? >> well, it is an interesting fact that the reactors that were older, the japanese have been bringing on new reactors all the time. new reactors, middle age and older ones. it just so happens it looks like the older ones are the ones where the problems are. since their older reactors are the average age of our reactors that is something to think about. i think one result will be that there will be a review here in the united states. i think one result of all this. >> well, it seems we're already seeing people call for that. lawmakers calling for that. nor lieberman one of the ones who said look, we don't have to necessarily stop everything but we have to put the brakes on. you mention what happened after three mile island. what do you see happening in the immediate future here in the u.s. when it comes to nuclear power? >> well, there was a recent surge of activity and interest in more nuclear power reactors in this country. we have an energy problem. >> the president pushed for it in the state of the union address, bringing it up there, as well. >> that's right. and appropriately. because we just -- oil's not going to last forever. we're putting coal and putting gas into the atmosphere.

we've got to have some way to generate electric and nuclear power looked like it was going to make a comeback. now, there will probably be some checks on that. >> just real quickly and simply for us. for anybody at home looking at this, would you tell them that nuclear power is safe? >> in the united states, i would say that it is safe. we've learned a lot from the past. there's a lot of regulatory activity, appropriate regulatory activity, and the nuclear power industry has responded well here in the united states. >> cham dallas, thanks for your time this morning. chris, over to you. >> erica, thank you. japan's hospitals are facing enormous challenges in the wake of friday's quake. there's little food or medicine especially in the hardest-hit areas and the health risk for survivors is only going to get worse. medical correspondent dr. jennifer ashton is here to tell us about everything going on there. >> good morning, chris. >> first talk about the radiation exposure to some of the people there near the nuclear reactor. if people are exposed what measures can they take now? >> chris, first of all right now

it seems there are more questions than answers. but in general the principles that govern radiation safety, if you will, really are three-fold. the time in which you're exposed to the source of the radiation, less being much better than longer-term, or prolonged exposure. the distance you are from the source of radiation, and obviously you want to get as far away as possible after the chernobyl accident, there were radiation health effects for people as far away as 100 kilometers. that's over 50 miles. and then, any shielding that you have. so shielding could be being indoors. shielding could be protective clothing, or shielding in the case of what we do in a hospital, could be a lead apron. all of those things, very, very important when you're talking about radiation exposure. then, you want to go in to in terms of medical effects, short-term effects, chris, and long-term effects. and short-term effects, we worry about cells in the body that are active dividing. very, very active cells. bone marrow cells. cells that line our gi tract. you can see nausea, vomiting,

diary yeah. then we worry about the thyroid. susceptible to i-131 or the radioactive iodine that can be liberated in this kind of accident. potassium iodide tablets can be protective. you watch for thyroid cancer showing up anywhere from two to four years after this event to things like leukemia, some health effects might not be seen for 10 or 20 years. >> they've evacuated hundreds of thousands of people. the "uss ronald reagan" has been moved furtherer offshore. when is it potentially safe to go back into that area? we talked to a young man on skype a little while ago whose apartment is in the close area there. he he's thinking about going back tomorrow briefly to run in and grab things. >> correct. i don't think anyone knows the answer to that. for the cleanup workers or rescue workers, people who need to be in close proximity, they want to minimize that time. when you talk about long-term you want to minimize the exposure to eating things or ingesting things that could contain radioactive material. so, milk. you want to avoid in long-term.

>> which was one of the things, i guess, problems in chernobyl. >> exactly. >> let's talk about some of the top health concerns for people there now overall with all that's happened in japan. >> we've learned from our experience with other natural disasters, other big earthquakes, haiti we saw this very, very clearly, there are always miracles. there are always outlieers, people can be pulled alive from rebel days, sometimes weeks after. in general the top medical concerns are things like crush injuries both from the earthquake, as well as the tsunami. and you can see big organ damage, limb damage from that, kidney failure. just as a result of crush injuries. dehydration is a big factor. a lot of these people have no access to food and water. hypothermia is a factor there, chris. it's very, very cold at night. below freezing. people are cold, they're wet, they don't have adequate shelter and hypothermia is a factor. and then, of course, radiation, as we discussed. >> there's such a shortage of food, water, electricity out there right now. how much longer do the people have before this becomes a really life-threatening issue for the survivors there? >> people can do without food in

general much, much longer than we can do without water. really water you're talking about a couple of days only. and it's important to remember, when we hear specifics like 1.4 million households without water, that could be four times as many individuals without water. when you hear almost 2 million households without electricity, again that could be three, four or five times as many people without adequate warmth. so again, shelter is a big problem. >> as far as the medical infrastructure there, i guess no one's really prepared to take on a disaster of this magnitude. but how, i guess -- >> their medical infrastructure is stressed, if not paralyzed. we have to remember the day-to-day medical emergencies are still going on. people are still having heart attacks. they're still having babies. and the resources there are compromised. this is a big catastrophe. >> dr. jennifer ashton, thank you. >> we want to go back to the earthquake zone, check in with bill whitaker who is in the hard-hit city of sendai, japan. bill give us an idea, what's the latest at this hour?

>> hello, erica. one thing about an earthquake of this magnitude, once the initial shaking stops, it's still not over. because this city has been shaking and shaking all day today, with aftershocks. some of them have been quite strong. 6 and above on the richter scale. and it's got people here shaken, as well. and who could blame them? their lives have been turned upside down like these cars behind me. if you could take this camera and do a 360, you would say that it looks like this all around here. for miles and miles and miles. now, in fact there is a large portion of the city that did survive both the earthquake and the tsunami. but a suj swatch of this city, low-lying area close to the coast was virtually wiped off the map by this tsunami and this earthquake and it will take a long, long time for this city to get back on its feet. erica? >> bill, tough to imagine even where you begin with that cleanup as we look at some of those pictures. you mention that a large area of sendai is actually intact. i read something earlier that

said from the outside it looks like it is. but inside, some of those buildings could be a different story. what's the latest on some of the infrastructure? because we know there are still millions without power, without water. >> well, you can drive through some of the main streets downtown, and it looks like a functioning city. but then you look a little closer, the lights that are on are emergency lights. run by generators. most of the city is still without water. most of the city is still without telephones. we were talking to a person today who was saying that they have no internet connections. he doesn't know what's going on. not only in the outside world, but what's going on right here in his own city. so, as i say, a large portion of the city that are still standing. but the city is not functioning. and it's going to take quite some time for them to even get that portion of the city back up and running. >> you mention the person that you spoke with who said they weren't really getting much information. they know that leading up to this disaster there were those

warning systems in place. the public address systems. are any of those still intact? is that one way officials are getting information out? >> well, there are lots and lots of sirens going off all the time around here today. there was a tsunami warning today, and there were reports on the radio, people were walking around with transus ter radios, they were hearing it on the radio. there were helicopters flying overhead. people's loudspeakers and bull horns. they're getting the word out when there's an emergency like that and many people heard that tsunami warning and they ran to get to higher ground. people are sort of skittish here. you can't blame them. but, as soon as they hear another rattle of the earth, or a warning of a possible tsunami they get scared and they run to higher ground. >> understandable. especially based on what they have been dealing with for the last few days. bill whitaker in sendai this morning. thanks. >> absolutely. >> and we will be back with much

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hundreds of miles from the epicenter of friday's earthquake there are survival stories that we are hearing that will just leave you speechless. >> joining us now from tokyo via scape is aaron lace. he escaped from a theater in tokyo after the roof collapsed during the earthquake. good evening. how are you? >> good evening. i'm all right. better than a lot of people. >> how are you and your wife doing at this morning? >> well, we're doing okay. i mean, we're obviously, like a lot of other people, getting

over and just getting over one disaster, and looking at another one in the face. so, it's kind of a stressful time, i think, for a lot of people here. and you know, obviously one that you wouldn't want to actually have to face. i mean, facing a massive natural disaster like an 8.9, 8.8 magnitude earthquake, and then, for example, we didn't experience the tsunami, but the tsunami hitting this country, and then on top of that, a potential nuclear disaster is a fate in something like out of a hollywood film. you know. it's unsettling and it doesn't seem for real. >> i'm sure much of it is still setting in there. what are your most immediate needs at this point? i mean, you apparently have power. as you mentioned, you're far south of where the tsunamis hit. but you have immediate needs. is there food? is there water?

are you getting the information you need? >> well, this is the problem with information. food and water, they are -- they are available to an extent. there are certain things, general basic necessities that seem to be lacking at stores. but, as it stands, i've got basic necessities taken care of. i've got power at the moment. however, there are going to be rolling blackouts throughout the city. it's not certain. we have an idea or a schedule for that but they haven't exactly said how it's going to work. but the information that's coming out is basically inadequate. and because of that, you know, there are a lot of people here that are really uncomfortable with the idea of a nuclear meltdown, you know, less than a couple hundred miles away. you know, a lot of people that i do know personally, and myself probably, are trying to head further south. as a precautionary tactic.

>> you paint quite a picture, aaron. thanks for spending some time with us this morning. and for giving us a better sense of how things are there in tokyo today. >> no problem. can i say one thing? i would like, if you could for your viewers, to if they do have the opportunity and the means i know that the economy everywhere is bad, but you know things like the red cross, you can do anything to help would be probably appreciated. >> a great message, aaron. and we will continue to pass that along like we have been all morning. but thank you for taking the time. take care of yourself out there, okay? >> thanks very much. i appreciate it. >> and tips on donating. we talked about this earlier in the show. but on our website at earlyshow.cbsnews.com, tips on making sure that your hard-earned money you're putting out there to help is actually going to help the disaster, not to a scammer. >> that's the things. they do need money and they're going to need our help for years to come. as we've seen all morning, it is just a disaster of a magnitude.

>> we'll have the latest on tonight's "cbs evening news" an,

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headlines... bart trains in con good morning. it is 8:55. i'm elizabeth wenger with your cbs 5 news headlines. bart trains in concord are running again after a derailment stopped service. a 10-car train headed for san francisco airport derailed as it was pulling out of a concord station yesterday. all 65 passengers on board were evacuated. there were some mine more injuries, but no one was sear you why -- there were some minor injuries but no one was seriously hurt. this week governor brown will step up efforts to get republican support for his budget plan. brown has been negotiating with five republican senators. he is proposing a five-year extension of sales tax increases and personal income an vehicle tax hikes. more than 100 clipper card users were overcharged last month because of a glitch in the system. according to "the examiner," as many as 150 people were

overbilled. the total damage, more than $14,000. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,, i love a i love my pet bald eagle brock, my bison sara, i love my pick-up with the custom constitution paint job... i celebrate jury duty... i love america so much, i'm making an all american jack combo two jumbo patties, with melting cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles, plus fries and a drink for only $4.99. i've celebrated every american tradition...except one... spring break cancun yo!!!!!!!! try the all american jack and enter to win an all-american spring break for you and 10 of your friends. [ female announcer ] there's only one you. that's why sutter health created thedoctorforyou.com, where you can find a doctor based on criteria important to you. and because it's sutter health, you can choose a doctor from some of the most respected medical groups and hospitals in northern california.

find your doctor today at thedoctorforyou.com. good morning. we're just getting word of brand-new bart delays to report at the west oakland station in

eastbound direction. major delays this is due to police activity. also bart still dealing with about 10- to 15-minute delays from a problem we had about 5:00 this morning for an equipment problem between the montgomery station and west oakland. so those other delays for 10 minutes are headed in the san francisco direction. again, major delays though heading to the east bay direction. elsewhere as you work your way bay bridge still backed up we have an accident near treasure island. slow from the maze and north 880 slow out of hesperian. that accident cleared to the side. 280 in san jose still busy. that's traffic. here is julie with your forecast. >> showers this morning tapering off into the afternoon. here's live look at hi-def doppler. we are seeing scattered light showers this morning from pacifica through san bruno tapering off today, although we can't rule out lingering showers in the afternoon. today the driest day of the week. rain tomorrow morning, off and on through the week. a good soaker on friday.