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Japan's Escalating Nuclear Crisis; No-Fly Zone Over Libya?
Aired March 17, 2011 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up this hour, we're going to be hearing and seeing from President Obama. He's going to be speaking at the White House in the Rose Garden right around 3:30 Eastern time. Of course, we will bring that to you live.
And in Japan today here, the focus really is on this number three reactor. That is where we saw the video, you see it here, of these helicopters dropping water, seawater, in this attempt to cool it off and prevent a possible meltdown.
Tokyo Electric, or TEPCO, is in this desperate rush to build a power line so the Fukushima Daiichi plant can power up its cooling systems once again.
Later on in this newscast, I will be speaking with a man, an American man who was inside one of the facilities, actually in a building next to one of those reactors working when the quake hit last Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cracks were opening up on the ground. And I looked over at the buildings around me and glass was breaking, lights, sirens, people screaming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Can you imagine? He's a software engineer. He was there for a couple weeks, was working on the power plant's computers. He has not spoken to CNN yet. But he will on this program.
We will also check in with our team in Tokyo where shrinking supplies of food and gases are a growing concern.
A lot of ground to cover here. But, right off the bat, I want to show you something. We have just gotten it. It was this video here from a feed in Japan. Look at this with me. This is the best look yet at this stricken nuclear power plant south of Fukushima. This was obviously -- it's an aerial shot from perhaps some sort of helicopter, we're told by a team from TEPCO. That's Tokyo Power and Electric Company. And again they're the ones who run this particular plant. They're the ones with workers in there right now risking their own lives to try to bring the crisis to an end.
We will have a closer look at that in just a moment here and the steps they're taking right now. Sit tight for that. But, first, we're sensing some confusion out there as to possible dangers on our own West Coast, talk of radioactive clouds drifting all the way across the Pacific and potential health risks as well.
So we need to clear that up and we will right here right now.
Chad Myers, tell me, what is the situation here? Is there a danger or not?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No.
BALDWIN: No?
MYERS: No, there's not.
BALDWIN: Simple as that?
MYERS: There's a map out there that's been used in a number of media sources that will show a plume that left Japan on Saturday arriving in California tomorrow. The only issue is there was not a plume. And so people are getting scared because they're not reading the text.
If you read the text of the article, rather than just look at the picture, you would understand that this was a test, a scientific test to make sure that the plume modeling would work and if something would have happened on Saturday, where it would have been. Well, it didn't happen. There was not a plume and there still isn't a real big plume at all. There's low-level radiation, don't get me wrong, but it's not in the atmosphere and it's not floating around the Pacific and it's not coming to California.
That's not saying it can't. But -- and if there's a meltdown, certainly there will be a plume. But right now there isn't one. So we just kind of ran our model for the next five days. Say, OK, what if a plume would happen literally right now?
Well, it would of California. It come down along the backside of and then probably up around the Aleutian Islands and really this arrow right there, that's Russia. It could even hit Russia, make a little of a loop and then go into Australia or go into Alaska right through there.
But it's not happening. There is not this plume. And so when you see this image on the Internet and if it doesn't come with the text, do not be an alarmed. The text says this was just a test, what would happen if this happened on Saturday. People are freaking out. Stop freaking out. It's OK.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Well, we're actually going to go live to San Francisco because the EPA, better be safe than sorry, they are setting up a lot of these radiation monitors. So we will check in at one of those places, just to be overly cautious here, overly cautious, on the West Coast. (CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Chad Myers, my thanks to you.
And now I want to take you straight to Japan. And I want you to keep two things in mind here, first the spiking radiation levels at that stricken power plant. We have been talking about that now for days. We're still talking about that.
Also, number two, a focus on reactor number three. They are desperately trying to douse that thing with water. You can see the picture right there. Also -- and this could be crucial here -- they are trying to reestablish power to the plant's cooling system. Remember, it failed as a result of the tsunami.
Here on that is CNN's Stan Grant.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Throughout the night efforts have been under way to establish an external source of power, officials saying they're trying to link up generators to kick-start the cooling system. That would go a long way to slowing down the heating of these reactors.
They're a long way from there, though. Most of yesterday was spent dropping water from the sky and also off the back of trucks, about 70 tons of water in all. Officials say they're not quite sure just how successful that has been, but they did see steam coming from the reactors as the waters went in.
There's also a corresponding rise in the level of radiation. Police had to abandon an attempt to try to get close to the power station because the levels were potentially dangerously high.
A lot of focus also on reactor number four, which contains a pool, and in that pool are these water and spent fuel rods. Now, United States officials have expressed concern that that water may be evaporating, exposing those rods and potentially sending more dangerous radioactive material into the atmosphere.
Japanese officials though disagree with that. They say there is water there. They are just not quite sure how much. And there is some good news to report, the Nuclear Safety Agency saying that reactors one, five, and six are relatively stable, still a long way from bringing this crisis though to an end, and all the while, concern rises about the potentially dangerous levels of radiation.
Stan Grant, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Stan Grant, my thanks to you.
And dangerously high radiation levels, we're going to talk about that in just a moment here. But here to help me out, Dr. Gary Was. He's a professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Was, good to have you on.
GARY WAS, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: Good to be here, Brooke.
BALDWIN: I want to first talk about some video that we have just turned around that we got in from Japan. And you can see. Take a look with me. Here are the aerial pictures. This is just over the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
And you can see, these are the best pictures we have gotten of some of the destruction to several of these buildings. When you look at this, Dr. Was, did you ever in a million years think you would be seeing this at a nuclear power plant?
WAS: Yes, this is -- this qualifies as a very extreme situation at this plant, absolutely, no question.
There are -- there's damage in clearly two of the containments, number one and three, from hydrogen explosions, and four from what might be a blast due to hydrogen from the spent fuel storage pool. And it's clearly visible from the outside.
BALDWIN: Given those pictures, I want to play a piece of sound. It's something that struck several of us on our team. It's something we haven't really heard before, hasn't really been widely reported. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREGORY JACZKO, CHAIRMAN, U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY AGENCY: We have indications at the site of radiation levels would be levels that would be lethal within a fairly short period of time. So they're very significant --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very significant. OK. And that's different from kind of what we have been hearing before. Is that correct?
JACZKO: Again, I would say it's certainly a more recent development that we have seen these very, very high readings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So we heard Chairman Jaczko say the word lethal. And as we say the word lethal, it has very serious, heavy meaning as we talk about the rising radiation levels. Why are these levels rising around several of these reactors? Why is that happening?
WAS: So in each of these reactors the focus is on two components; one is the reactor vessel itself and the fuel in that reactor, and now more recently on the spent fuel and these spent fuel pools.
The spent fuel is stored very close to the reactor out of convenience and also safety to keep it in the same containment. But it also is covered with water to protect from radiation leakage. If that water is to evaporate to a significant extent, that could account for very high increases in radiation locally.
BALDWIN: I want to talk and you're alluding to I think is the spent fuel rods, and that's a huge, huge serious problem. And we're going to talk about that next hour at reactor number four.
But I want to focus here, as much of the focus today is on reactor number three, and I want to throw a word out here. We're all learning as we go. I know you know this word, the word MOX, which is a acronym for mixed oxide fuel, inside reactor number three. And from what I understand, that is plutonium, potentially, Dr. Was, potentially more dangerous than uranium. Is that right?
WAS: Yes. MOX is a mixed oxide. It's a uranium/plutonium/oxide mixture. The --
BALDWIN: Is that not normal?
WAS: It's a different type of fuel. Actually, we -- in light water reactors, you use either pure uranium dioxide or some can use mixed oxide fuels as well. They're both very effective fuels.
It is different. And I believe that's correct that in reactor three is where the MOX is being used.
BALDWIN: So what happens as we talk about plutonium? What could happen? What is worst-case scenario potentially here at reactor number three?
WAS: Yes. So the main objective is to contain the fuel in the reactor vessel and then in the containment after that. If that's contained, there's no more danger than regular uranium dioxide.
BALDWIN: Containing meaning the steel casing or the water?
(CROSSTALK)
WAS: Keep it contained within the pressure vessel itself. It's a very thick steel vessel. And then there's a concrete containment around that. If it stays within that --
BALDWIN: Then we're OK.
WAS: -- risks are very, very low. That's right. Only if that -- only if the fuel gets out of those two containments into the environment is where it produces the greatest risk to the public.
BALDWIN: A lot of the risk which you alluded to, and we will talk about next hour, I can't wait to talk to you about this, about reactor number four and the issues over the spent fuel rods and the fact that we're hearing maybe from Chair Jaczko that there could be little if no water. And that's a huge, huge problem.
Real quickly, before I let you go, show me what you brought.
WAS: Oh. So what I brought you is a --
BALDWIN: Guys, get a close-up of this.
WAS: This is a zirconium, zircaloy-2 fuel cladding tube. This is probably very similar to what's being used in these reactors. This is used for boiling water reactors. And you can see the rough dimensions of the tubes.
BALDWIN: It's tiny.
WAS: This is the zircaloy we're talking about.
BALDWIN: My first thought was, it's tiny. As we talk about these fuel rods with massive consequences, that's how big it is.
WAS: Well, it's small in diameter, but these are 12 feet long.
BALDWIN: But very, very long. Sure.
WAS: And there are thousands of them per reactor.
BALDWIN: Thousands. OK?
Gary Was, next hour, we will talk reactor number four.
WAS: Look forward to it.
BALDWIN: See you then. And we will see you then as well.
Meantime, though, we have heard from the country's top nuclear advisers today. They have had the president's ear throughout the unfolding crisis in Japan. Now President Obama is ready to speak to the nation this hour. It will happen in a matter of minutes here. We will bring that to you live.
Also, the United Nations Security Council is poised to vote in a matter of hours on a no-fly zone over Libya. We have crews there. We're going to all wait for that decision. We're going to take you live to our Nic Robertson in the capital city of Tripoli. Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Right now, we want to take a closer look as to what's happening right now with regard to Libya's civil war.
Intense diplomacy is under way at the United Nations today. Western allies, they're scrambling to pass a measure today authorizing military action against Libya, and also here, we have been told that a U.N. Security Council vote on a no-fly zone resolution and potential other steps here against Libya is set for tonight, 6:00 p.m. Eastern.
Meantime, Libyan state television is reporting an all-out assault on the rebel capital of Benghazi, that that could be imminent, could happen very soon. Also new now, moments ago at a televised address, over the phone, Moammar Gadhafi told Libyan rebels that his armed forces were coming to their capital of Benghazi tonight and would not show them any mercy on fighters who resisted him.
Let's get right to CNN's Nic Robertson in Tripoli.
And, Nic, Gadhafi just gave this address over the phone here obviously strongly criticizing, essentially warning the people of Benghazi. Did you hear this at all? What was the tone?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: His tone was very forceful. This is quintessential psychological pressure. He isn't even -- his troops aren't even at the gates of Benghazi yet. They haven't even finished their fight that they're struggling with in the previous town 100 miles away, Ajdabiya.
The government probably will win that fight ultimately. But this is psychological pressure. He wants the people in Benghazi essentially to run away. That's not what he's saying. What he's saying to the rebels is, put your weapons down and we will give you amnesty. But if you don't put them down, then we will go house to house, room to room. If we find a weapon, you're our enemy. And that will be --
BALDWIN: I hate it when that happens. Nic Robertson, we lost you.
Hopefully we will be able to get Nic back up pretty shortly here, but major, major developments there in Libya as clearly Gadhafi's forces are ready to do battle and get into the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. I would love to hear, though, what the opposition forces have to say to that. We will get Nic back up for you.
Meantime, back to Japan and the nuclear reactor situation. It is dire as we just went over part of it here, no doubt about that. But so is the plight of the people around that danger zone. They still need food, they need water and medical supplies.
Coming up next, Masi Oka, you know him. You recognize him from shows like "Heroes," "Hawaii Five-0." And he happens to have a prominent role within the Red Cross as his home country struggles to get back on its feet. We will talk about that and perhaps has plans to return home. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Want to just quickly show you a live picture there from the Rose Garden at the White House. Remember, we should be hearing and seeing the president speak in just about 10 minutes from now. We understand the topic, of course, is Japan. I know recently he went into the Japanese Embassy along Massachusetts Avenue just within the hour or so.
And he says he just wants to communicate how heartbroken the American people are over what's happened overseas. So we will take the president live in 10 minutes from now.
But I want to talk to someone who is from Japan. And his face, his name are synonymous are the word heroes. So it's not that surprising that actor Masi Oka is urging the international community to help out relief efforts in his native Japan. Oka, who currently plays the quirky coroner on CBS' remake of "Hawaii Five-O," says he's coming to terms with the devastation after last week's earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
The former star of the TV show "Heroes" is heartbroken by the images of destruction he has seen. And he's not just an actor. He is also a celebrity cabinet member of the American Red Cross. He's urging the public to dig deep in this time of need.
Masi Oka joins me live from L.A.
Masi, thank you so much for coming on.
And first I just want to ask about your own family who is still in Japan. Is everyone OK, everyone safe?
MASI OKA, ACTOR: Fortunately, I was very fortunate to get in contact with them. I was up until 5:00 a.m. A couple of them were actually stuck in subway systems in the dark as well. So it was quite frightening.
But Tokyo has an amazing anti-earthquake shock-absorption technology. So I got away very lucky to get in contact with my friends and families.
BALDWIN: Masi, I had heard that you had plans prior to this earthquake and tsunami, plans to go home. Are you still planning on heading home to Japan or are you staying put on the West Coast?
OKA: I originally did have plans to go to Japan for business. But I was going to change it to a more charity function. But after a couple assessments and talking to a lot people, I found that it was more effective for me to be in Los Angeles spreading the word, raising funds and to help the Japanese from the American side and hopefully the Hollywood side.
I'm trying to actually organize a telethon. I have put in some calls to some of the people I know in town. I have got a couple support from the A-listers and I'm trying to make that happen. So hopefully we could be successful on that end.
BALDWIN: Can I just put you on the spot and ask who -- which of these A-listers who are so concerned what's happening in Japan? Because there have been a lot of -- and I have gotten tweets from people saying why hasn't anyone organized any kind of grand-scale telethon? Who are you talking to and what do you have in mind?
OKA: Well, it's something in the vein hopefully for Hope for Haiti. It's still in the planning phases. I have put in some calls. I don't want to announce anything right now because it's still in the planning phases. So hopefully soon, we can get something going soon --
OKA: -- making it a reality.
BALDWIN: Got it. Well, when you have that going, maybe you would be good enough to come back on.
But let me ask you, as we have you in a double box, so we're seeing pictures of the devastation in Japan, in different parts of the northern part of the country that were really perhaps hit the hardest, and I know have you friends from Japan.
I mean, what is it like just for you looking at images of your home country and seeing and hearing about the thousands of deaths, the even more thousands of missing? What's that like for you?
OKA: It's just -- words are hard to describe.
You know, Mother Nature's ailing, and we see what happened. People lost their lives instantly in the tsunami. And I hear stories from friends and friends' family members who are actually stuck in that secluded zone, and they're spending five hours to get water, some of them, no power. They have no means of transportation out. You know, they're running out of food.
We're very fortunate that organizations like the Red Cross, you know, donated $10 million initially. And they have like 20 million volunteers helping people out in Japan, which is amazing. But, you know, it's just devastating to see those images and to think that that's actually happening to us right now. Coming from an industry of entertainment, we are used to seeing that in movies, but it's just unbelievable to think --
BALDWIN: This is real life.
OKA: It's real life.
BALDWIN: This is real life.
OKA: And it's not just for Japanese. This is just horrible for mankind.
BALDWIN: Well, you brought up the Red Cross. How can people who are watching right this moment, Masi, how can they give? Who do they need to call?
OKA: Right now, they could text Red Cross to 90999 and also go to www.redcross.org for more information. And especially if you have any information in terms of loved ones there or you're looking for information, that's always a great place, a great central hub for disaster relief and information.
BALDWIN: And, finally, if you can just speak to the culture, the nature of pride among the Japanese. I was speaking with someone who was talking about how they all stand in line and it's self-organized and no one takes any more than they're given in terms of a phone call or food. And they're even offering our own crews what little bit of food they even have. What does that say about the country to you?
OKA: I'm very proud of the Japanese people and how everyone's holding on together and helping each other with respect and honor.
You know, this is a very difficult time, and it's very easy to panic and, you know, just lose control, but, you know, people are putting other people's needs before their own. And that's something of value that my mom always raised me with. And I'm very grateful.
And now I truly understand the meaning of that, seeing the Japanese folks work together. At the same time, we're really grateful for the 60-plus countries that's been offering help to the Japanese government.
BALDWIN: It's amazing, isn't it?
OKA: Yes. We're not the type of people who really asks for help that much, because we don't want to be a bother to others. So we're really grateful for the extension of the hand.
BALDWIN: Masi Oka, do me a favor and let us know when that telethon is going to happen. We'd love to talk about it, love to have you back on. Thank you.
OKA: Thank you very much.
BALDWIN: Now to the president. He will be addressing -- as we mentioned about five minutes from now, he will be addressing the American people, will undoubtedly have a message to the people of Japan when he speaks right there behind that podium in the Rose Garden of the White House. Gloria Borger will join me for that next.
Also, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amazingly lucky. Words can't describe how lucky I am to have made it out of there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Where is there? There is this place, the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan. That's right. The guy you just heard from was actually at the plant in a building next to one of the reactors when the earthquake hit on Friday. And he is going to join me live to talk about what in the world that was like coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Just gotten some information here. This is tape up from not too long ago. The U.S. House of Representatives has just voted to pass the bill to defund national public radio, NPR. The final tally was 228 yeas, 192 nays. So the U.S. House officially has spoken.
Not too far away from Capitol Hill, I want to show you some live pictures of the White House. We're waiting here. Any minute now the president will be speaking in the Rose Garden. We're told this was announced just today that he will be making some sort of brief comment and specifically about Japan.
We don't know yet if he will offer up a little time on the back end to take questions from some of those White House corps reporters.
But you know our Dan Lothian is there. He is standing by for me, as is Gloria Borger standing by as well.
And, Dan, let's just first set the scene here. I mean, we have just found out today that the president would be speaking. What do you know about what he may say? And also talk about what he's just done this afternoon with regard to the Japanese Embassy.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
And that's the hint perhaps as to what the president will say when he made that visit, unexpected, a stop at the Japanese Embassy to sign the book of condolence there. And then, afterwards, the president talked about how he agrees for the tragedy of what has happened in Japan that the United States is standing by the Japanese people, offering all the assistance that he -- that they can, and also giving reassurances, knowing that he believes that the Japanese people will be able to recover from this tragedy.
So we can expect some of those same themes when the president comes out here, expected to make remarks for about ten minutes or so. Not expected to take questions but as you know, there are a lot of questions about the U.S. involvement, the assistance that the U.S. is providing. Japan.
We heard from one expert earlier today that some 11 technical experts are on the ground in Tokyo. They are crunching all the information that they can to assess the situation there on the ground. But what's challenging about that situation is that they're not right there around those nuclear facilities. So they're relying on information from Japanese officials with the agency there to assess to make their assessment. And there have been a lot of questions about the transparency of the information that is being offered up.
So those are some of the challenges facing the U.S. as they continue to offer assistance to Japan, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Dan, stand by for me. Gloria, I want to go to you. I know you have sources at the White House. What do you expect? What are you hearing the president might say?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I'm hearing what Dan is hearing. I think the president's going to make a statement on Japan. He's not planning to take any questions I was told, but, you know, very often people like Dan and his colleagues will shout out a question or two, perhaps, about I would think what's going on at the United Nations with the questions about what the Security Council is going to do on a no-fly zone. I do think though that there's been some interesting differences between American assessment about what's going on in those nuclear reactors versus the Japanese official assessment about what's going on in those nuclear reactors, particularly as it pertains to those fuel rods and whether they're covered or uncovered, right?
And I think that that created quite a stir yesterday both in this country and over there, and I wouldn't be surprised if somebody tries to ask the president a question about whose information is it that we need to consider accurate.
BALDWIN: I want to talk more about that because a lot of people have said the game has changed a little bit with regard to the U.S. and Japan.
But guys, let me sneak a quick break in. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Back live to Washington. We have the one-minute warning here before we see the president. Quickly back to Gloria Borger. Gloria, we mentioned the game has changed here now. Even though Japan is a good friend of ours, the U.S. -- there he is. The president is a little early for us today. Gloria is standing by, Dan Lothian is standing by. Here we go. Let's listen.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good afternoon, everyone. Over the last several days, the American people have been both heartbroken and deeply concerned about the developments in Japan. We've seen an earthquake and tsunami render unimaginable -- an unimaginable toll of death and destruction on one of our closest friends and allies in the world.
And we've seen this powerful natural disaster cause even more catastrophe through its impact on nuclear reactors that bring peaceful energy to the people of Japan. Today I wanted to update the American people on what we know about the situation in Japan, what we're doing to support American citizens and the safety of our own nuclear energy, and how we are helping the Japanese people contain the damage, recover and rebuild.
First, we are bringing all available resources to bear to closely monitor the situation and to protect American citizens who may be in harm's way. Even as Japanese responders continue to do heroic work, we know that the damage to the nuclear reactors in Fukushima Daiichi plant poses a substantial risk to people who are nearby.
That is why yesterday, we called for an evacuation of American citizens who are within 50 miles of the plant. This decision was based upon a careful scientific evaluation and the guidelines that we will use to keep our citizens safe here in the United States or anywhere in the world.
Beyond this 50-mile radius, the risks do not currently call for an evacuation. But we do have a responsibility to take prudent and precautionary measures to educate those Americans who may be endangered by exposure to radiation if the situation deteriorates. That's why last night I authorized the voluntary departures of family members and dependents of U.S. officials working in northeastern Japan.
All U.S. citizens in Japan should continue to carefully monitor the situation. And follow the guidance of the U.S. and Japanese governments. And those who are seeking assistance should contact our embassy and consulates which continue to be open and operational.
Second, I know that many Americans are also worried about the potential risks to the United States. So I want to be very clear -- we do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the United States whether it's the west coast, Hawaii, Alaska, or U.S. territories in the Pacific. Let me repeat that. We do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the west coast, Hawaii, Alaska, or U.S. territories in the Pacific. That is the judgment of our nuclear regulatory commission and many other experts.
Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and prevention and public health experts do not recommend that people in the United States take precautionary measures beyond staying informed. And going forward, we will continue to keep the American people fully updated, because I believe that you must know what I know as president.
Here at home, nuclear power is also an important part of our own energy future. Along with renewable sources like wind, solar, natural gas, and clean coal. Our nuclear power plants have undergone exhaustive study and have been declared safe for any number of extreme contingencies.
But when we see a crisis like the one in Japan, we have a responsibility to learn from this event and to draw from those lessons to ensure it the safety and security of our people. That's why I've asked the nuclear regulatory commission to do a comprehensive review of the safety of our domestic nuclear plants in light of the natural disaster that unfolded in Japan.
Finally, we are working aggressively to support our Japanese ally at this time of extraordinary challenge. Search and rescue teams are on the grounds in Japan to help the recovery effort. A disaster assistance and response team is working to confront the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami.
The U.S. military, which has helped to ensure the security of Japan for decades, is working around the clock. To date we've flown hundreds of missions to support the recovery efforts and distributed thousands of pounds of food and water to the Japanese people. We've also deployed some of our leading experts to help contain the damage at Japan's nuclear reactors. We're sharing with them expertise, equipment and technology so that the courageous responders on the scene have the benefit of American teamwork and support.
And the American people have also opened up their hearts. Many have given generously to support the ongoing relief efforts. The Red Cross is providing assistance to help meet the immediate needs of those have been displaced. And I would encourage anybody who wants to lend a hand to go to USAID.gov to learn more. That's USAID.gov to find out how you can be helpful.
As I told Prime Minister Kan last night and reaffirmed at the Japanese embassy today, the Japanese people are not alone in this time of great trial and sorrow. Across the Pacific they will find a hand of the United States extended as they get back on their feet. We have an alliance forged more than a half century ago and strengthened by shared interests and democratic values. Our people share ties of family, ties of culture, and ties of commerce. Our troops have served to protect Japan's shores and our citizens have found opportunity and friendship in Japan's cities and towns.
Above all, I am confident that Japan will cover and rebuild because of the strength and spirit of the Japanese people. Over the last few days they've open up their homes to one another, shared scarce resources of food and water. They've organized shelters, provided free medical care, and looked out for their most vulnerable citizens.
One man put it simply. It's a Japanese thing -- when hard times hit, we have to help each other.
In these hard times, there remains nevertheless hope for the future. In one small town that had been flattened by the tsunami, emergency workers rescued a four-month-old baby hob had been swept out of her parents' arms and stranded for days among the debris.
No one can say for certain just how she survived the water and the wreckage around her. There is a mystery in the course of human events. But in the midst of economic recovery and global upheaval, disasters like this remind us of the common humanity that we share. We see it in the responders who are risking their lives at Fukushima. We show it through the help that has poured into Japan from 70 countries. And we hear it in the cries of a child miraculously pulled from the rubble.
In the coming days, we will continue to do everything we can to ensure the safety of American citizens and the security of our sources of energy. And we will stand with the people of Japan as they contain this crisis, recover from this hardship, and rebuild their great nation. Thanks very much.
QUESTION: Mr. President, can consensus be found on Libya, sir?
BALDWIN: Some people trying to get some questions in. You just heard about Libya. But the president is walking away. He was very clear, speaking specifically about Japan. He ran down a number of issues beginning with what's happening at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, saying -- reminding everyone that he did make the advisory that any Americans living within a 50-mile radius of that plant are urged to evacuate. It's very different from what the Japanese authorities have said, a 12 mile radius for evacuations and 18 mile for any kind of shelter in place, and a number of other items he ticked off. I want to go to Dan Lothian who was sitting right there and listening to the president. Dan, one of the issues that jumped out to me, and I know you were asking Chairman Jaczko about this earlier at the White House daily briefing, the issue on a lot of Americans' minds, are we safe here in the United States.
LOTHIAN: That's right. That's what U.S. officials have been trying to stress all along that they believe that there's no harm that can come at this point based on the information that they have from radiation coming over the United States. You heard the president say that. They don't expect it.
So he's not saying that it won't happen. He's saying that they don't expect it because this situation, as you know, is quite fluid. It's a catastrophe that's happening there that could potentially get much worse. And so no one wants to step out to sort of predict exactly what will happen.
But right now, the president is reassuring Americans that they don't expect that radiation to cause any effects here in the United States.
But in addition to that as you pointed out, the president essentially was defending this call for evacuation, that 50-mile radius evacuation, which was contrary to what the Japanese government was ordering, and the president saying that that was based on U.S. information on how they would handle situations like that here domestically to protect Americans. And so that's why, based on information that was analyzed by U.S. officials, they decided to come up with that number.
BALDWIN: And I think also important to point out, Dan, that -- and correct me if I'm wrong -- I think it was last night that the president reached out to the Prime minister of Japan, Prime Minister Kan, to let him know that that he would be OK-ing these advisories. That radius is about four times what the Japanese are telling their own candor that particular power plant. He is at least trying to reach out to Japan.
LOTHIAN: He is. He's done that in that telephone call and also you saw as we talked about earlier the president going over to the Japanese embassy here in Washington and then essentially from this podium behind me reaching out not only to the people here in the United States but to the Japanese people as well that they can be assured that the United States will continue to support them in whatever way possible through recourses, humanitarian assistance, through expertise on the groundswell. The president is making the case that the United States will stand behind this key partner, Japan.
BALDWIN: Dan Lothian, my thanks to you. Quickly I want to go to Gloria Borger standing by in New York. Gloria, what jumped out to you from listening to that nine-minute --
BORGER: Well, what jumped out is that the president said that he wants the nuclear regulatory commission to have a comprehensive review of all of our current nuclear power plants. While he assured the American public that we are safe, he said that we have a responsibility to learn, as he put it, from what occurred in Japan.
So, it's clear that the president is saying to our people here, look, we want to make sure that we are protected against this kind of an event. I mean, don't forget, we have an energy crisis in this country. Part of our energy future could we'll be nuclear power, and it just suffered a really bad blow this given what happened in Japan.
And so I think in order to be very cautious, the president is ordering this review because he knows that there are going to be an awful lot of questions raised about any plants that may be built in this country in the future. And don't forget, we haven't built one in over three decades here.
BALDWIN: What I think that would maybe allay some of the fears of many people here in the United States. Some of those plants are near fault lines. And so many people probably happy to hear that there will be reviews of those plants.
But at the same time, Gloria, it seemed to me he was also though as there have been questions about nuclear power in general, in these nuclear power plants in the United States, he was standing behind nuclear, saying it's just as important as any other sources of power.
BORGER: Right. You know, it is -- it is very important. It is something we have not focused on in this country. But given what's going on in the Middle East, and don't forget we had the same problem after the BP spill. We had a moratorium on offshore drilling.
And so we have sort of a question now in this country, well, if we're not going to depend on Middle East oil, what are we going to do? And nuclear is just one of those options. And I think the president is clearly taking a prudent course here, saying, look, we've got to make sure. And maybe there is no way to make sure, but we'll find out.
BALDWIN: Gloria Borger, my thanks to you, and thanks to Dan Lothian. You heard some of the reporters shouting asking about Moammar Gadhafi, asking about Libya. We'll take you a little later in the show back to Libya because we know tonight at 6:00, the U.N. Security Council is expected to vote. Part of that vote would be about a no-fly zone over Libya. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Have you ever been stuck in an elevator? Japan's Kyoto news agency says it has now happened to more than 120 people just since Monday. That's when the power company started rolling blackouts to save electricity there. The city managed to avoid a blackout over night as more people and also businesses are just turning out there lights. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm in Tokyo's famous shopping area. It's a little past 6:30 p.m., but look, it's completely dark. It's not the Ginza that I used to know. All the shops are already closed. Usually around this time of the day, there are a lot of people having dinners at restaurants and people shopping, just a lot of people walking on the street usually. Today is just almost like empty. It's just totally unbelievable in Ginza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Gosh, that makes me think of Times Square, Alison Kosik. Imagine Times Square in the dark.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSNIESS CORRESPONDENT: I know.
BALDWIN: We're talking about businesses turning off more than just their lights.
KOSIK: Oh, yes, you said it. This is not just blackouts. There are actually some companies just shutting down production all together in Japan. I'm talking about the plants closest to the hardest-hit areas. They can't operate for the obvious reason because of the safe issues.
And I'm talking about well-known household names including some American companies, like Toshiba, Sony, and semi-connector. Texas Instruments says it could be shutting down for the rest of the year at least until may. Then may be even won't get there goods out until the fall. You know Texas Instruments makes memory chips for phones, TVs, tablet, even video games. FedEx isn't even shipping to some areas in Japan, which is also hurting the flow of business as well.
And then I haven't even gotten to the automakers, Brooke. Production has been interrupted for Nissan, Honda, and Toyota, especially for Toyota. There are big concerns the Prius could be in short supply, because it's only produced in Japan.
One more, GM, is suspending production in Louisiana of all places, because it's not getting its parts from Japan. This affects the Chevy Colorado and the GMC Canyon, those trucks. You can see the ripple effect right here in the U.S. Brooke?
BALDWIN: Even Louisiana, it doesn't surprise me. It's the ripple effect. Alison Kosik, thank you so much.
And with me here, they're taken by CNN Radio's Steve Costenbaum. He just returned back home from Japan. I'm going to speak with him about his trip, and also he'll tell me about a man he met who lost everything. That's next.
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BALDWIN: Steve Kastenbaum is a correspondent for CNN Radio. He's just now back home from a couple of days in Japan. And Steve, we've heard your reports on CNN Radio, but I also know you took your camera along with you, and you were snapping photos much of the time you were there, covering the disaster for CNN.
I want you to talk me through what you saw. Soledad said it's pretty tough trying to get out of the Tokyo. What did you see at the airports?
STEVE KASTENBAUM, CNN RADIO CORRESPONDENT: We saw long, long lines snaking around the terminal at the Narita airport in Tokyo, thousands looking for ways to get out on any flight to get out of Tokyo. Most of them looking to get out were not people who live in Japan. They were not Japanese. They were from elsewhere, who wanted to get out while they could. They didn't want to be there in the worse-case scenario happened. It was proceeding in an extremely orderly fashion as well.
BALDWIN: Those are some of the pictures you took from the airport, but I also want to tau you back to a town called Ushiami.
KASTENBAUM: Many of the structures survived, but minutes later the tsunami came in. What was so interesting to me was not just the homes that were destroyed, but the debris field. It was completely random. You would see all these items that made up people's lives. You might see a children's toy or a personal item or piece of jewelry, then maybe a household item from the kitchen, then maybe a tractor that somebody used in their field.
It really was just unbelievable to see this and realize that these were people's lives that were just completely and utterly destroyed in just a matter of seconds as this massive wall of water tore through the town.
BALDWIN: It's unbelievable to see the images on television. I can't imagine seeing them in person. Did you see any sort of military presence there helping out?
KASTENBAUM: We did. In Japan, they have what they call the self-defense force. These are men and women in military uniforms, and they were going around the community of Ushiami. They had a good idea of who was missing by the time we arrived. They knew who they were looking for. They were going to the different homes, or at least where the homes once stood. They were seeing if they could find evidence of these people or their remains. It was a grim job that had to be done.
BALDWIN: I know sometimes when I go cover stories like this, it takes a moment to get home, to have it hit you that you were there, you saw the devastation. But if there's one image, Steve, that will remain with you, what is that?
KASTENBAUM: I think it will be the interaction I had with this 62-year-old man. His name was Ashiba (ph) Kiyema (ph). He did live in Ushiami. He built that house himself for himself, for his family, 30 years ago. And his blood, sweat and tears went into home. He was a small-time farmer and fisherman, and completely destroyed.
The mud came up about four feet high inside his house. And there's nothing that's recoverable. I asked him, what you do now? What can you do? And he said he can't do anything. He needs to knock down the house.
He said he might just wind up going living now the rest of his life in some sort of government housing project.
BALDWIN: Like so many stories out there right now.
Steve Kastenbaum, we hear you. It's good to see you. It's good to see your pictures as well. Steve, my thanks to you. Glad you're safe and sound.
