two hundred people have reportedly been washed away with several others are missing in japan's a sendai city where tokyo has been all but shut down as well with fires in injuries widely reported there as well millions are without electricity we know that the tsunami warning has extended to the number of pacific southwest asian and latin american nations including japan and russia as we were saying indonesia new zealand and chile back in japan are these international airport that's also been closed as a result of the government has issued a state of emergency at one of its nuclear plants all through schooling system failure so there are no reports though of a radiation leak twenty powerful aftershocks have been reported since the first quake which was the strongest ever recorded in japan since records began in vietnam. hundreds and it's also is thought to be to six the biggest ever well earthquake has now also been felt in hawaii measuring sample point five on the scale with the tsunami raised expected to hit that shore within just a few hours time. for more on the effects it's having in the

northeastern up parts of japan of the epicenter around one hundred thirty kilometers off the coast sendai city that's a coastal region devastated by the tsunami that followed the quake ok now we've managed to get our correspondent back on this plane you tell us though there's a warning of the put the whole of the pacific is on a tsunami watch what is the information we're getting from russia in the region. one hundred to tsunami alarm system was activated in the stock of the region that includes the greil islands were waves of up to three meters have already been registered at least visually and all those specialists are saying no damage has been done to any facilities or buildings and no victims reported there is a chance that bigger waves could hit the real islands throughout the day so very much a tsunami alert in effect there and like you said in the higher pacific region but so far russian president dmitri reiterated has said that russia is ready to do whatever it can to help to plan to get through this massive earthquake of course the biggest ever in their history. the commission of. it

sendai city is the largest city in that area. you know, the significant amount of people that live there, obviously it's a decent size city. and the hardest hit is obviously where the tsunami is happening, northern coast. this is the extent of what we can give you at this point. >> i understand details are scarce here and obviously officials in japan are asking people in coastal areas to evacuate, to get to higher ground. do you get a sense people are heeding those warnings? is there a movement in the country now, folks trying to get out of harm's way with tsunamis likely in all of this? >> reporter: absolutely. the one thing we can say about japan, the japanese people are very used to earthquakes. as you can imagine. any time we get any tremors out here, they are very well prepared. tsunami -- this is the largest quake i've seen in the time i have lived here, but, you know, they are definitely listening to the warnings. a lot of people are evacuating to higher ground. >> akiko, we appreciate it. the very latest from the abc bure

the helicopter flew from north to south along the pacific coast, covering the region from sendai city, miyagi prefecture to iwaki city, fukushima prefecture. it shows a wall of water uprooting trees before engulfing houses and paddy fields and swallowing up huge quantities of sand. the footage also shows footage fleeing to the roof of a nursing home as the waves tapped the second floor of the building. a large number of people are reported dead or missing in the ward. in waters off natori city, miyagi a phenomenon called an andula bore was seen. in which a series of tsunami waves were high near the shore and flooded in. tohoku university professor fumihiko imamura says more than 20 andula bores and the extensive damage may have been caused by them. schools in the quake hit area have become a temporary home for thousands of evacuees. many students have returned but not for classes.

they are actually leaving sendai city. they are heading south towards tokyo. others are trying to get ahold of maxxam the -- magnesium iodine tablets. there's still a lot of fear and nervousness every time the ground trembles, there are aftershocks, there are tsunami warnings. this is very much a nation trying to come to terms with the colossal loss of the last few days. but the main headlines this hour on "bbc world news." japan is appealing for international help as technicians struggled to cool -- to " overheating in the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. they warned a meltdown as possible. work is being hampered by aftershocks and fears of a second tsunami. the desperate efforts to control the situation of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant have raised a serious question about a major radiation leak and the risks to anyone nearby. we have david shukman on the dangers. >> and near the nuclear power station today, as seen most people would dread. a test for radioactive contamination. the key question is whether the risks are escalating the power station took

almost over but it isn't sendai one of the city's worst affected by the tsunami either thank you very much for that report and we'll be talking to you later. as germany's authorities trying to deal with the danger of a meltdown at the fukushima nuclear plant international nuclear experts say hopeful the situation is stabilizing russia's atomic agency also says however there's not yet enough information to be full it certain about the reaction safety meanwhile emergency services are on high alert in russia's far east a region close to northern japan. is in the area. michel's insofar you say that radiation levels remain normal in russia spore is ever since then you can have whole plant in fukushima was hit by an explosion they've been wanted to levels closely we can even check the radiation levels for ourselves this is the so-called geiger counter this is used in professional say cynical water trays by the emergences ministry and also by other specialized services it measures radiation levels around and it is showing is jumping between two and three micros where our these is way less th

>> yes, in sendai city, the buildings are fine. there are some that are damaged. there are still buildings that are okay to work in. >> you have had details of the water supply. is it still working? >> i am not sure about that for the people affected. >> how about the number of people directly affected by the earthquake and the tsunami? do we know that? >> the japanese red cross is not collecting the numbers on the crowd. this has more than 80 million people, there would be as many people getting affected. >> how difficult is organizations were going to be? >> well, this is one of the largest disasters. this situation is very much unpredictable. so far, we have mobilized more than 16 medical mobile seems and more than 450 medical personnel. they are going towards the north. although it is difficult to get the contact with them, i am sure the people on the ground are doing the assessment and starting to do the mobile clinic. >> where are people being sheltered? >> normally, when disasters happen, people get sheltered in the public schools or gymnastics stadium or t

though that will be little comfort to this battered and traumatized city. sendai is a shell-shocked city that's hardly functioning. although rescue and relief efforts are being stepped up, the challenges they face here are enormous. back to you. >> the united states is just one of the countries responding to the japanese disaster with various forms of aid ranging from food to technical help. the question is in a time of huge deficits here at home, can we afford to help. nbc bay area political analyst larry gerston weighed in on the issue on "today in the bay" this morning. he said even though japan is an affluent country, the united states simply cannot afford not to help. >> japan is a critical ally. a critical ally next door in asia is north korea, is china and these are countries we've had our difficulty with. >> japan has stepped in to help with the united states on several issues. plus he says it's just the right thing to do. >>> still more amateur video is emerging from japan tonight showing the tsunami that swept away entire cities. this is video shot in mi

the coastal city of sendai is closest to the epicenter. our cbs news correspondent bill whitaker is there. >> hello, bob. i'm in the offices of tbc television here in sendai city, one of the few places in the city to have power. this television station is now running off generator power. it took us 15 hours to get here from tokyo. this is a ride that usually takes about four to five hours. but most of the roads coming in to sendai have either been damaged or closed down by authorities. this is one of the hardest hit cities in all of the japan. tonight, outside, the night air is filled with the wail of sirens, of fire engines racing down to a massive fire by the port. a fire so big that it's turned the whole eastern sky into a bright orange red. when we got here earlier this afternoon, we saw people running to high ground. they had just had another aftershock and another warning of another tsunami. people here are very frightened and very skittish. and they have good reason to be. not only did they endure one of the worst earthquakes ever r

miyagi was a tsunami pounded sendai city washing inland ten kilometers. police say 200 to 300 tiods have been found. in other parts of miyagi prefecture, 62 people have been confirmed ad rescue and identification s bng slowed because much of the area is under water. a fire has engulfed much of the bay area. thfi dasr management agency says the flames may have been sparked after oil leaked in nghring fukushima a uni. prefecture, 91 people have been confirmed dead and more than 480 are missing. tna hhe than 7.3 meters hit a port in the prefecture. wide stretches of the coastline iwata prefecture, at least 191 people have been confirmed dead. more than 200 others are reported missing following a tsunami. in tokyo and neighboring prefectures, 29 people have died, some after being hit by falling deis thumr o people dead across japan has reached 573. about 730 others are missing. the total number ofeand missing is expected to rise to more than 1,300. >>> the massive earthquake has also damaged two nuclear power an i fukushima prefecture. air has been released f

relief centers where i spent the wit and the night is that there's no formation in set in sendai the whole city with the way it's suffering is its infrastructure there's no electricity no power. no water and very little food jim it was very cold last night inside here is eighteen floors and basically every single floor space is covered with lost last time it was covered with people bedding down for the night lying on sheets of cardboard about me two and a half long. given blanket's of the damage across countries the whole towns have been completely wiped out and the number of. actually keeps keeps rising eight hundred people alone. died in this prefecture where i am the worst hit me and he prefecture another eight hundred elsewhere in the country but there are three back could rise to ten thousand because in a pretty picture alone this one. has ten thousand residents still unaccounted for out in the sea this floating debris. may be ships that are sifting through very meticulously because they. could still find some survivors a sixty year old man was actually found in the last few hours flown se

most notably near the city of sendai. >> okay. and sendai, we know, faces the pacific. finitely one of the larger cities in japan. so, what do you think we can be expecting to see in comparison to that indonesian tsunami? >> well, the indonesian tsunami was epic. the one that we're seeing in japan is nowhere near as big. but due to the coastal population along japan, it is going to have just devastating impact, as we have seen from many of the videos that are coming out now. >> and let me ask you this, too. we know that there are tsunami watches and warnings in other parts of the world. countries like russia, mexico, chile, peru, also in the state of hawaii. what are the likelihood that they will feel the ramifications of all of this? >> warnings have been issued for hawaii. and right about now, midway island is experiencing the tsunami coming through there, according to our information. it will be another few hours before it gets to the hawaiian islands. but they have been on alert. and they are evacuating coastal areas. but as you know, in the hawaiian islands, most of

certainly indicate that if it did travel that far that there was not open measurable radiation in sendai city itself i think that there's a very conflicting reports coming out on the one hand you have the japanese government claiming that there was some melting of the fuel in the number three reactor at fukushima number one site and then you say you also have reports that they are they were in error when they said that that any of the fuel had melted i don't there's two possibilities obviously one is that dire information is being withheld in an effort to make the situation seem better than it is and also to avoid panic but the other perhaps more likely scenario is that the government is not quite certain of the state of affairs in the reactors and so you're finding conflicting reports coming out from different spokespeople but either either scenario certainly suggests the situation is far from under control. and also just on shoulder to shoulder with tokyo during the crisis a plane carrying russian rescue workers is heading to japan with another due to take off from the country's far east on

city was as touched by the devastation as much as dallas, texas. why? well, that's because sendaias are sister cities. steve hartman has more. >> reporter: we came here to dallas about as far from japan as you can get to meet the berrys who are about as asian as apple pie and do a story about this typical texas family and its very atypical attachment to one japanese community. 50-year-old mark berry says when he saw that tsunami hit the town of sendai, it was like watching it roll through his own backyard. >> i see that wave coming through just tearing those houses down, that hurts me almost as if i was there. >> reporter: mark got to know the people of sendai because the two towns are international friendship cities. dallas kids go there on exchanges, sendai kids come here. mark is chairman of the committee and has made nine trips to sendai. >> pretty much sure this is all gone. >> reporter: he has toured the local shrines and visited local high schools. >> gone? >> gone. >> reporter: in the last week, he's been trying to track down friends in sendai with mixed results. for examp

smoke, hangs over sendai the city closest to the epicenter. a coastal community where people are now trying to escape the power of the sea. darkness has now fallen in sendai and for a second night running millions are without power. it is pitch black. have a look at this door the we're a few minutes away from the coast, and the water mark shows you how high the flood was. and look at this, the force of the tsunami almost took this front door off its hinges. inside a shattered family home. on the walls, smiling family photos and a calendar. it was a day japan will never, ever forget. >> we have angus walker on the phone now from sendai, angus, the sun has been up a couple of hours. what have you seen this morning? >> reporter: although the center of sendai is largely unaffected, structurally, there are massive cues for food, supermarkets. most petrol stations, gas stations are closed. there are lines of cars waiting at stations that are still selling fuel. everyone in this region of japan is affected even if they managed to escape the damage. wh

one hundred people have acoustically been washed away with several others missing in japan sendai city takings been all but shut down with five injuries widely reported millions are without electricity international airport is also closed or twenty powerful aftershocks have been recorded since the first quake which was the strongest ever recorded in japan and the thick biggest ever an earthquake has now been felt in a whole line measuring it's all points guy tsunami waves expected within a few hours. well for more on the effects it sat having in the pacific region including russia's far east let's talk to our correspondent and he said now any so what's the latest information that we're guessing from russia's the hollin region. most nami i'll arm sounded in softening region which includes of course the real islands which are very vulnerable in terms of these tsunamis hitting russia's shores already three waves high have hit the poor line is reaching up to three meters high although there's been no damn is no facilities our buildings affected no victims reported authorities are taking th

japan two hundred people have reportedly been washed away with several others missing in japan sendai city will take here has been all but shuts down about two hundred fifty miles from where the wave struck by injuries widely reported by millions of without electricity and the nice international airport is also closed a ship with one hundred passengers on board has been washed away by the tsunami is whereabouts are unknown or twenty powerful aftershocks have been recorded since the first quake which was the strongest ever recorded in japan and the sixth biggest ever by the earthquake has now been felt in hawaii measuring four point five on the richter scale with the nominee raising expected within a few hours. or for more on the effect it's having in the wider pacific region including russia's far east has talked to our correspondent and he said now we any so what's the latest information that we're getting from russia's cycle in region those state of emergency has been declared in the cycling region that includes the very vulnerable real islands where the stores have already been struck b

sendai is a city just over 1 million people.f northeast japan. it's fair to say as if that city has been leveled in a war. >>> as we mentioned, danger from japan's nuclear reactors is among the most frightening fears facing the earthquake survivors. >> evacuees from fukushima are crowding shelters to be tested for radiation. and crew members from "the uss ronald reagan" had to be scrubbed down after flying through a low-radiation plume. dr. richard besser tells the japanese government, though, is responding appropriately. >> i'm reassured. they're doing exactly what we'd be doing in this country. they have a child who's been evacuated from the area. they want to evacuate everyone who is potentially at risk. and they want to detect them. they're using a radiation detector, to see if he's been ex at the same time, the worker's protected. he has gear on, in case there's any exposure. >> dr. besser says children and pregnant women are at the greatest risk. immediately scrubbing down with soap and water can actually remove 90% of the

it struck off the coast near the city of sendai in the late afternoon. tsunami alerts were declared in several countries. alan little reports. >> how suddenly it strikes. mortal danger descends almost in the blink of an eye and without warning. it is terrifying. in an instant, there is chaos. then from the vastness of seat there is a threat more menacing still -- a wall of water more than 20 feet high advances across the ocean at speeds of up to 500 miles an hour, the speed of a jet aircraft. japan's tsunami defenses are among the best in the world, about but the tsunami is immovable, unstoppable, overwhelming everything in its destructive progress. 30 it redusse a house to matchwood in seconds. a car disappears into the deluge with its rear windscreen wiper still on. the quake struck at 2:46 local time in the middle of a normal working day. imagine being in this office in sendai when this happened. nor -- for a moment they freeze, immobilized by panic. then, a frantic scramble for shelter. and the quake goes on and own and own. for hundreds of miles aro

our bill whitaker is driving today from tokyo to the hard-hit city of sendai. the 230-mile trip usually takes four or five hours but not this time, with destruction at every turn. >> reporter: with an international effort under way to rescue survivors from the rubble of this devastating earthquake, the japanese government is facing a massive problem-- how to get to the survivors. entire towns and villages have been swept away. in the tsunami zone there is no electricity, no telephone service. at least one million people are without water. the transportation ministry said most highways from tokyo to the quake zone are closed. many roads are cracked or split or clogged with cars from the estimated 300,000 people trying to evacuate the tsunami zone. that makes delivering aid to the hundreds of thousands trapped in temporary shelters nearly impossible and with cell phone service spotty, the situation in many areas remains a mystery. at the epicenter in sendai, the tsunami washed out the airport where planes on the tarmac are mired in mud. rescue worker workers are

we'll also talk to a reporter who managed to get very close to the city of sendai, which is the largestter in northwest japan. we'll hear what he has to say, what he is seeing on the road as he gets closer what is a truly horrific situation as you can see from these pictures that have been beamed out across the world. much more coverage coming up. as you see from these pictures. plain rode away on lion's mane. where plain met fruits with strangely names. such wonderful things they did contain. a shot of life to a hungry vein. the captive beast who broke the chain. and there upon that fruited plain is where plain became what plain became so much more than more than plain. plain will never be the same. for adults, stelara® helps control moderate or severe plaque psoriasis with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. in a medical study, 7 out of 10 stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin at 12 weeks. and 6 out of 10 patients had their plaque psoriasis rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. so

significantly police are reporting that hundreds of sought ne in the founders drowned in the city of sendai capital ships region the same areas a massive explosion at a crude chemical plant and the entire pacific region is now on alert for the eight point nine magnitude quake off japan's eastern coast on leash the massive ten meter high waves which reached miles inland causing huge damage it's triggered major fires will take your has been all but shut down millions are without power a phenomenal boarding house that is huge across the pacific including russia south america the u.s. and indonesia ways that already hit parts of hawaii but there's not any major danger that. which one has declared a nuclear power emergency after the cooling system failed either plants out of the machine last following the earthquake in the northeast we're now joined by an expert on chemicals. that was the top up about well threat very many parts of being with us here on auntie's and how serious is the danger at this time. the problem is they're actually very serious because we're talking could be possible destru

police say more than 300 people have died, most of them in sendai, the city worsted. 500 people are missing. japan's prime minister has declared a nuclear emergency after the cooling system at a nuclear plant failed to people have been ordered to evacuate the area. but authorities in a radiation has been released. a tsunami warnings remain in effect for most of the pacific coastline of or to california. we begin with the latest from japan. >> even as further earthquakes shake japan, the initial cleanup has begun. the sheer size of the catastrophe poses equally enormous challenges. rubble has to be removed and fires need to be brought under control. this is the oil refinery that will likely continue to burn for days. rebuilding infrastructure will be a top priority. transportation has collapsed in cities hit by the earthquake. some subway lines in tokyo are reportedly up and running again. but millions of commuters remained stranded. >> i was on the train, so it was very strong and quite scary. >> those who cannot make it home spend the night in emergency shelters, like here in me augie -- i

to be many many more for example police say hundreds of bodies have been found drowned in the city of sendai the capital of the worst hit region the eight point nine magnitude quake off the eastern coast unleashed ten metre high waves which reached miles inland causing huge damage aftershocks are continuing tonight in japan tokyo was brought to its. still paralyzing the capital's transit system meanwhile tsunami warnings have been lifted for some densely populated asia pacific countries like indonesia and taiwan they no longer appear to be at risk. just after the quake hit we had a chance to speak to an eyewitness who was in the capital tokyo. i was working at home and suddenly fell flat shocks i didn't know what to do sit at home all leave it there and i saw a message on the screen of my t.v. exhibit in twenty six and there would be an answer wait a gentile and left it was she had read i felt like i was an issue while attract it's in with everything around me krrish this thing was happening all day. all russia's far east has been braced for any tsunamis with people going to higher ground bu

all the time with police recruiting there are hundreds of bodies have been found drowned in the city of sendai the capital of the worst hit region a passenger train is also missing meanwhile tsunami warnings have been lifted for some densely populated asia pacific countries like indonesia and taiwan big work previously fault because of the earthquake and tsunami it has gone through russia's could all islands there were hawaii but without any major impacts. we managed to speak to two witnesses all of the devastating earthquake here in tokyo when it hits . he said i don't your. continued quite a long time at all you know you have laid about the lack of a man however. so i do know what it took to your going to be in south africa to sell out and four hundred a kilometer away from tokyo it's not on. and we're still not clear how much damage and. we've heard that there was an anomaly because the cost was on around evolutionally it is announced forty seven already killed as though he expects a number. increase of them usually expected now as stops. people living side effects but it continues in a cou

in the coastal city of sendai, a city of a million people about the size of detroit, we saw nearly 3,000aiting for a grocery store to open for the first time in days. there are shortages of food and lines for gasoline stretch half a mile. add to this what you might call nuclear refugees. thousands are in shelters because their homes are too close to the fukushima reactors. tomonori kato came in to be checked for radiation. he was clean, but his home is half a mile from the nuclear plant. he's lived there 50 years. he told us he expects he'll never return. the nuclear refugees were loaded on buses and hurried away, carrying almost nothing. not only are their homes in danger of being irradiated, but every possession they own. yoshihiko igarashi's house is three miles from the plant. his daughter was born there. she turned 20 last week in the shelter. like everyone, they've laid out a few square feet on the floor with no idea how long they'll be here. 1,600 people are in this shelter alone. it's just 20 miles from where the reactor fires are burning. if you believe u.s. experts, that's much

the sense of the city of sendai with the worst is feared the hundreds perhaps thousands of people if we should figure currently stands at ninety five but is rising and the threat from the monster waves all around the pacific ocean with strong aftershocks still being felt alerts have been brought in place as far away as a foreigner as well as all the way to alaska of course we will bring you more on this as we get it here at r.t. . well as we've been saying countries across the pacific area including russia south america the u.s. and indonesia through bracing themselves for possible tsunami waves hawaii has already been hit by six foot waves although they're not which to be serious yet before more we can now talk to one of us correspondents gallonage if you can guarantee what's the extent of the danger for the united states. well people have been evacuated from coastal areas in u.s. islands of hawaii you know to a higher ground the earthquake in japan triggered tsunami alerts all across the pacific as you mentioned fears are there's a tsunami could reach the coast of california but of

we're on our way to the city of sendai. we've been traveling 36 hours. we've been diverted through three cities. japan's internal transportation system, normally a model of efficien efficiency, has been crippled by this earthquake. we've come across a mountain range in the middle of the island. we're coming toward the city of sendai. it's tough. there are cars driving around with loud speakers. telling people to evacuate here because there are still fears of another possible tsunami. when you look at the damage here, you can understand why they're so nervous. it's just incredible, the scope of the devastation. these cars strewn like toys. everything was destroyed. by this massive wave of water. authorities have completely blocked off that port area. they say it's simply two danger use for anyone to be there at night. christiane? >> she talks about another possible tsunami. the government has said in the next three days, there could also possibly be another earthquake of a 7.0 magnitude. that is worrying all the people around the power plants. david muir h

working to prevent multiple disaster scenarios at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant the city of sendai a city that was wiped off the map as a result of friday's nine point zero earthquake and tsunami in new york times is reporting that there have been setbacks today in trying to cool the reactors and the situation is to use the times as phrase vereen toward catastrophe the international nuclear radiological event scale that measures the severity of nuclear incidents all over the world situation japan is worse than what happened at three mile island back in ninety's in seventy nine scale goes from one to seven one being a minor incident so i would be insurable that a situation in japan is a six so far all six reactors at the plant are in danger of meltdown reactors one two and three have experienced hydrogen explosions meanwhile cool. pools filled with nuclear waste that sit on top of reactors four five and six are all running dangerously low on water at risk of igniting that where you act in ways to spew into the atmosphere pretty much like the ultimate dirty bomb and in just the last

hundreds of bodies were found in sendai city, the epicenter of the earthquake.mateur video shows people clinging to chairs and book shelves swaying side to side. a number of strong aftershocks were found in tokyo more than 200 miles away. >> reporter: there is a risk of mud slides and collapsing buildings. >> reporter: tokyo is in a state of gridlock. >> train lines are stopped. stores are closed. commuters and people downtown are trapped there for the night. >> reporter: tsunami warnings were issued in dozens of countries including the entire u.s. west coast and hawaii where tsunami waves some as high as 6 feet came in throughout the morning. so far no significant damage is reported. >> it is not going to be a major damaging event but there is going to be scattered damage all over the place. >> reporter: president obama called the disaster heartbreaking. >> this morning i spoke with the prime minister on behalf of the american people conveying our condolences and offered our japanese friends whatever assistance is needed. >> reporter: he said the federal emerge

we visited one of the hardest-hit areas, the city of sendai. just two days ago, this was a thriving port. take a look at sendai's shoreline before the quake. and today, a wasteland. the air is thick with this acrid smoke that's coming from that refinery over there that's still burning. this tsunami took everything out in its path, from cars, which are now strewn like toys, to traffic lights. for many, the devastation was almost too much to bear. "words fail me, because there is nothing here," this woman says. "everything is gone." we've been just approached by a rescue worker who asked to be very careful when shooting this devastation here behind me. he said there are still a lot of dead bodies in those cars. and while there's a need to recover the dead, the rush is on to reach the living. countless people are stranded or homeless, sleeping in makeshift shelters. even for those who have not lost their homes, there are growing concerns over a shortage of water, food and power. gas lines stretch ten city blocks. "my family and friends are all gat

devastated by the tsunami was the port city of sendai, the closest city to the epicenter. floodwaters consumed the city's airports. and with runways underwater, people sought refuge on the roof of the terminal. the state of emergency at two of the country's nuclear reactors. a china syndrome meltdown and radiation leaks are feared. thousands within a six-mile radius were evacuated. and cooling agents were rushed in, part of a desperate effort to avoid the worst. >> the clock is ticking. every minute that passes, we come closer to the time when there could be a secondary earthquake, when a weakened pipe finally gives way, ruptured, and all that cooling water bleeds on to the floor. the clock is ticking. it means we have to get those backup generators on, on site, working, as soon as possible. >> reporter: american ryan mcdonald shot this video. >> oh, my god. that is the biggest earthquake. >> reporter: he was just 65 miles south of sendai. >> i turned around. i saw the houses behind my apartments were shaking violently. my apartment was just in shambles. actually started f

but south of the city sendai. that's the closest major city to the epicenter of friday's quake. >> the satellite image shows the explosion at the plant's unit two. that blast was immediately regarded as much more serious than the previous blasts that took place at units one and three. there was also a brief fire this morning inside unit four. >> although that was extinguished quickly, it also led to a release of radioactive materials into the air. that release resulted in an elevated level of radiation in and around that plant. all but 50 of the 800 workers at the plant have been removed. >> everybody talking about the radiation. >>> and slightly higher radiation levels have been detected in tokyo today. but officials there are saying there's no immediate risk to public health. >> but does it pose a threat here in the u.s.? here with that story is martha raddatz. >> reporter: we wanted to know, what is the worst-case scenario in japan? >> the reactor cores in several reactors get so hot, they fuse into a molten mas

. >> so in the air over sendai, a city of a million, something ominous. life in this place is still out of kilter. the cues might be orderly but they stretch for a few hundred meters, shops still open and selling food. sendai's emergency coordinators struggling to cope with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. the biggest problem petrol. we don't even have enough for our rescue teams or to deliver food to the shops. so the last thing this place now needs is another disaster. the consequences could be unthinkable. >> let's get some reaction to the latest developments at fukushima power plant. we can speak to james brown, an australian who lives in japan with his wife. he actually lives in the town of fukushima 80 kilometers northwest of the stricken plant. james, just give us your reactions to these latest developments. >> um, well, it is pretty tough and concerning sort of situation as you can imagine. you don't know whether to sit and stay and ride it out or take the bolt immediately. >> now you're 80 kilometers northwest of this plant. you're wel

japan, from sendai, cnn's anna coren, she has been covering the devastation from the epicenter, sendai city. i am pleased to have her on this broadcast this evening. thank you. >> rose: you're very welcome, charlie. >> rose: tell me what we should know about the situation on the ground? >> well, we've been a little north of sendai in the last couple days and that's where we've seen mass devastation on an enormous scale house after house, street after street has been wiped out. and the power of the tsunami is just incomprehensible until you actually stand there, charlie, and witness it. this wave, this ten-meter wave that hit the coast just roared through this area and took everything in its path so it's just a... it's a scene of mass devastation. people who managed to get out in time, they've been returning to their homes in the last couple of days to see what remains going through these buildings, what's left of these buildings to see if they can get any belongings. they've come out with bags of clothing and bedding but, you know, that is about it. i must just be so heart breaking for thes

it was centered around the city of sendai which is in the northeastern area of japan north of the island there. it happened off the water. it's a major, major city over a million people live there. big agriculture. the country is paralyzed. up to 60 people have died. but those numbers, if you saw this big wave of water engulf that city, it's incredible video. let's go to lawrence karnow. we are going to have some issues of our own here in the bay area around 8 a.m. >> yeah. we are all awaiting now a tsunami warning that's been issued along much of the west coast really all the way up into washington down to point conception. we are looking at wave heights of 2 feet. i know that doesn't sound like a lot, folks, but we are not talking your typical wave. this is where the water is going to rise, remember, it is shooting across the pacific right now at about 600 miles an hour so there is a ton of energy as the waves come on shore. the arrival time in hawaii about 5:07. they are expecting larger waves there. at crescent scene, 7:23 this morning, golden gate at about 8:08. as we wake up around

of those containment vessels is rising and there is a risk of a radiation leak a meantime the city of sendai has suffered most in this disaster with the worst of the death toll in casualties the fear that perhaps thousands of people could have perished today there's a major search and rescue operation under way involving military planes and ships we will bring you up to date on the situation in japan as it develops here in the arts international. there in. the universe and to give you the radio in the in the simone member of the bicycles and his spirit is there are. more used the engines. believe that exists in the region. also because the group in the vicinity of known differentiated so produces so much and so many changes in moving the pantsuit leukemia. my view out of the immune system. known here. i have a college degree going to have to pay for an education to understand that if you spread radioactive materials all over somebody's backyard that you've got a problem. on our hero. we hear it because our cash out spits out. god promised them this is linda long stops. will if they are still

americans have watched with horror and sadness the disaster in japan as towns like sendai were devastated. but perhaps no u.s. cityouched by the disaster as dallas. you see, dallas and sendai have become the best of friends. steve hartman now with tonight's "assignment america." >> reporter: we came here to dallas-- about as far from japan as you can get-- to meet the berries, who are about as asian as apple pie, and do a story about this typical texas family and its very atypical attachment to one japanese community. 50-year-old mark berry says when he saw that tsunami hit the town of sendai it was like watching it roll through his own backyard. >> i see that wave coming through just tearing those houses down, god, that hurts me almost as if i was there. >> reporter: mark got to know the people of sendai because the two towns are international friendship cities. dallas kids go there on exchanges, sendai kids come here. mark is chairman of the committee and has made nine trips to sendai. >> pretty much sure this is all gone. >> reporter: he has toured the local shrines and visited local high schools. >> gone. gone

scarse and ships are being washed away swept away by the raging waters several are missing pad sendai island city has a population of about a million people it's also been reported that the first wave has reached roughest reliables to the north reportedly around three meters high and there are several fires along the eastern coastline and about four million homes are without power now earlier the prime minister. ordered out emergency response teams it's possible disaster with aircraft. in the worst affected areas communication has been crippled and the international airport not without international airport has been closed the entire pacific region is on a tsunami alert. why brace to be hit within the next few hours. to other news now in libya colonel gadhafi forces retake key areas from rebels but locals market media exaggeration is still being foreign intervention nato is moving its fleet closer to libya shores and won't rule out a military action which russia refuses to support. more on those top stories in about fifteen minutes time but first sports news with tosh. thank you tassel welcome to

sendai was to the a small town. it was a 15th largest city in japan so a medium size city by japanese standards. >> woodruff: two million. >> 2 million population, when are you looking at the mid have clipses a lot of what you are seeing are a number of coastal villages, fishing port, for example, that fires are at. but sendai itself is a very modern city and a large city. >> woodruff: and highly populated. >> highly populated area. >> woodruff: chris meinig, help us understand. the earthquake hit and then there was triggered this tsunami. help us understand what happened there. >> sure. the earthquake was a very large earthquake, an 8.9 magnitude earthquake that happened about one kilomete kilometer-- happened in about one kilometer of water. the tsunami was generated from this that was felt as cross the pas civic but most definite vatinging in japan itself. and we're still seeing the effects of the tsunami right now as the coast of south america will be hit by a small tsunami waves here shortly. >> woodruff: why was there so little warning.

we want to turn to the ground zero of this disaster, the city of sendai. these are areas where people with cut off. ian williams has made his way there and has this report for us. >> reporter: it remains difficult to reach the worst-affected areas so we traveled as far north as the helicopter could take us. then a further two hour drive brought us to sendai, the closest city to the epicenter of friday's huge quake and this. the muddied and shattered remains of homes and vehicles swept away by a tsunami that here reached around 2 miles inland destroying just about everything in its path. one of the worst affected areas, this industrial land housing zone around the airport. this is the parking lot of the sendai flying school, now amid the wrecks cars sits this training aircraft dumped here by the wave swept from the hangars over the back there. soldiers and rescue workers scoured the area on the ground and in the air. the authorities say they found 300 bodies in just one area close to here. we found desperate relatives searching for missing family members. t