• The US Navy’s 7th Fleet says 17 crewmembers have been exposed to low-level radioactivity released from a stricken nuclear power plant. The crew was aboard helicopters flying in relief missions in a quake-affected area of Japan. The 17 were on 3 helicopters from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, flying in rescue operations outside Sendai City. According to the 7th Fleet, low levels of contamination were detected on the crewmembers. It says the radioactivity was easily removed from affected personnel by washing with soap and water, and no further contamination has been detected. Their helicopters were also coated with particulate radiation that had to be washed off. The Navy said the source of the airborne radioactivity was a radioactive plume released from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The maximum potential radiation dose received by any personnel was less than an average month’s worth of natural background radiation. The aircraft carrier was operating at sea about 160 kilometers northeast of the power plant. A hydrogen blast occurred at one of the power plant’s reactors on Saturday. The US Navy says the Ronald Reagan and other 7th Fleet ships have relocated.
  • Search and rescue teams from 10 countries are beginning search and rescue operations in northeastern Japan following Friday’s earthquake and tsunamis. Rescuers from South Korea, Singapore, Germany, Switzerland, China, the United States, New Zealand, Britain, Australia and Mexico had arrived in Japan by Monday morning. The US team of 150 workers arrived on Sunday afternoon at the US base in Misawa City in Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main island. They will travel south to Ofunato City in Iwate Prefecture to begin conducting rescue operations and offering medical treatment. 8 US naval ships, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, have been searching for survivors off the quake-stricken coast. US military personnel are also evacuating victims and delivering relief supplies by helicopter. A South Korean rescue team of 5 workers and 2 search dogs has begun operations in devastated areas of Miyagi Prefecture. A second team with 102 members, including fire fighters and doctors, arrived at Narita Airport on a military plane on Monday morning. A Chinese team with 15 members started its operations in Ofunato City in Iwate Prefecture. Rescue squads from Britain, and Australia will begin their activities on Monday. New Zealand also sent a rescue team on Sunday, just weeks after being hit by a major earthquake back home. The influx is expected to continue. Teams from France and Taiwan are scheduled to arrive later on Monday. The Russian government announced that it has sent 75 rescue workers with a large transport plane and helicopters. Meanwhile, foreign nations are making an effort to help Japan deal with its power shortages. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Saturday offered to increase the supply of liquefied natural gas from the Sakhalin 2 project, in which Japan is participating.
    At the request of the Japanese government, South Korea will also share some of its future imports of liquefied natural gas.
  • Nearly 450,000 people are taking shelter at over 2,500 evacuation centers in northeastern Japan after the region was struck by the earthquake and tsunami on Friday. 2,546 shelters were set up and 449,096 people evacuated in 9 affected prefectures as of 8 PM on Monday. Some shelters have yet to receive relief supplies such as water and food. Relief efforts are being hampered by a shortage of gasoline for ambulances and trucks.
  • Aftershocks continue from Friday’s massive quake in northeast Japan. The Meteorological Agency has warned that strong aftershocks could trigger more tsunami.The magnitude 9 earthquake on March 11th triggered major tsunami, mainly along the Pacific northeast coast. The agency says about 200 aftershocks measuring magnitude 5 or more have occurred. Tremors with an intensity of 4 or higher on the Japanese scale of zero to 7 reached 50 from Friday through Monday. It warns that strong aftershocks are highly likely and that a quake with an intensity of 6 could hit, possibly generating tsunami.
  • The Japanese government estimates that more than 46,000 homes and buildings were damaged by the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan on Friday. The government says about 5,700 of the structures collapsed in the quake or were washed away by the tsunami. They include 3,056 structures in Iwate Prefecture, 2,413 in Fukushima, 86 in Miyagi, 80 in Ibaraki, 38 in Yamagata, 15 in Tochigi, 14 in Chiba, 3 in Tokyo, and one each in Kanagawa and Akita. The National Police Agency says the quake also caused damage to roads and bridges in at least 600 locations. Roads were damaged at 582 locations in 11 prefectures, and bridges at 32 locations in Tokyo and 3 other prefectures. A breakwater was washed away in Miyagi Prefecture. Railroads were damaged at 7 locations in 2 prefectures. The quake also caused landslides at 66 locations in 7 prefectures.

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