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CNN Saturday Morning News

Special Coverage: Quake Tsunami Disaster; Scope of Disaster is Massive; Explosion, Leak Reported From Damaged Nuclear Power Plant; Significant Aftershocks Continue to Hit Damaged Cities; Managing Search and Rescue Efforts on Large Scale

Aired March 12, 2011 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: More than 24 hours after the worst earthquake in Japan's history, the scope of the disaster is massive and heartbreaking. The one-two punch of the tremors and the tsunami has left a landscape full of collapsed buildings and submerged towns. The death toll is climbing. The rescue efforts are frustratingly slow.

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And this morning, there's a dangerous new threat -- an explosion and leak from one of Japan's damaged nuclear power plants. The world is watching, waiting and ready to help.

KAYE: From CNN Center in Atlanta, it's March 12. I'm Randi Kaye.

STEVENS: And I'm Andrew Stevens in Hong Kong. We'd like to welcome viewers in the United States and around the world to our coverage of the disaster in Japan.

KAYE: Japan right now is struggling with this disaster of unimaginable proportions. There have been dozens of aftershocks after the 8.9 earthquake and massive tsunami on Japan's northeastern coast. At least 900 people are dead; at least 700 more missing.

An undetermined number are injured. Rescue efforts are going on but are difficult because of the aftershocks - more than 180 since yesterday. Highways in the northeast are damaged and utility services - water, electricity - are out.

The devastation, unbelievable. A tsunami more than 23 feet high washed over the Japanese coastline, traveling six miles inland. This is the largest quake in recorded history to hit Japan, and the seventh-largest worldwide since record-keeping first began.

CNN has its correspondents in Japan and more headed there. We're going to take you live to Sendai, a city of about 1 million 180 miles from the quake's center.

STEVENS: First though, Randi, we're watching a critical and dangerous situation going on right now with two nuclear energy plants damaged by the quake. An explosion occurred earlier today at one of the two plants in Fukushima Prefecture. A small amount of radioactive cesium escaped into the air. Japan's nuclear agency says there's a strong possibility the leaked material indicates the melting of a fuel rod at the plant.

Now, a six-mile radius exclusion zone has been set up. Japan's nuclear agency says the cooling system for three of the four reactors at another plant in Fukushima have failed.

Now, a scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington says fixing the problems is a race against time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT ALVAREZ, INSTITUTE FOR POLICY STUDIES (via telephone): This is a situation that has the potential for a - a nuclear catastrophe. And it's - it's basically a race against time because what has happened is that plant operators have not been able to cool down the core of - I understand of at least two reactors, which contain enormous amounts of radioactivity, because of failed backup diesel generators, were - were probably damaged by the tsunami or the earthquake.

So there is a major effort under way to fly in via military helicopters and other power sources, batteries to keep the electricity going to allow water to circulate, to remove the tremendous amount of heat that has built up in the reactor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: Now, CNN's Stan Grant has been talking with Japan's nuclear agency. He joins us live now from Tokyo.

And - and Stan, what is the status now with that situation in Fukushima?

STAN GRANT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Andrew, it's an unprecedented situation in this that we're talking about. We're really getting into uncharted territory here. We know the government has just declared this a nuclear state of emergency. That happened yesterday.

But look at the chronology of this, and you've already (INAUDIBLE) some of it. We had the - that massive quake yesterday, then the reactors shutting down, as they normally do in a situation like that. But then that power failure exacerbated the problem in trying to cool the reactor, and that has continued to heat. That's why we saw this steam being let off earlier, and the nuclear officials here saying that some radioactive material was released with that steam.

Then (INAUDIBLE) exclusion zone set up. First it was (INAUDIBLE) just about a mile, then it was stretched out to 10 kilometers. You were saying there about - about six miles. That's now being doubled. We're talking about 12 miles now, 20 kilometers.

And this has continued to grow, Andrew, throughout the day. As you say there, this nuclear, radioactive material has also been detected in the area. Some indication that there may be some melting down of a fuel rod inside there. And then the explosion. Now, the explosion happened a few hours ago. Four people were injured in that. We're still waiting to hear exactly what the extent of those injuries would be. And since then, we've seen this exclusion zone pushed out to 12 miles, about 20 kilometers.

Also, the defense establishment here putting on helicopters to go in and try to airlift some of the more elderly people from that area away.

Now, the government has been saying throughout the day that the risks from this radioactivity are small. But as you've been hearing from various analysts, as this goes on, it does become a race against time. And the real fear here is that after this explosion, which has blown the roof off one of the reactors - if it continues to overheat, if we continue to see this melting down of - of the fuel rods, will we see more of this radioactivity escaping, and is that going to increase the risk?

And that's the territory we're really into right now - Andrew.

STEVENS: As you say, Stan, time critical.

How difficult is it going to be for those people to - to - to deal with this situation?

GRANT: Well, so far, you're looking at 24 hours and they still haven't been able to put a cap on this. And as each hour goes by - and I've been watching this throughout the day here - as each hour goes by, Andrew, it seems that more information comes out that the risks seems to increase. We've seen this exclusion zone expanded; we've seen the explosion; we've seen the admission that nuclear, radioactive material has been released into the atmosphere.

So all of those things add up to the fact that they are not, at the moment, being able to get a handle on this. And remember, this is a highly nuclearized country that relies on these reactors for about a third of its total liquid output. So the stakes are very high indeed, Andrew.

STEVENS: OK, Stan. Thank you very much for that update. Stan Grant joining us there live from Tokyo in what is rapidly becoming a critical situation near the epicenter of that quake - Randi.

KAYE: Andrew, CNN's Paula Hancocks is in Sendai, one of the country's most-damaged cities.

Paula, what are you seeing right now?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Randi, just a little earlier on, we went down to the port area, which was fairly badly damaged. Now, buildings were still standing, and that's significant. But there were many cars and also trucks that had been brought back to about half a mile to three-quarters of a mile inland from the port itself. Some had been smashed into pieces; some were resting on top of each other in a twisted mangle of steel. Others were wrapped around electricity pylons. There were even trucks that had smashed into buildings.

So certainly, there was a fair bit of destruction down at the port.

Now, we couldn't stay down there too long because just within an hour there were three more tsunami warnings - warnings of - of these tidal waves coming in. And that is to be expected, one would imagine, because there are so many aftershocks after that huge 8.9-magnitude earthquake.

The aftershocks are pretty significant in themselves. So there is a worry that there could be smaller tsunamis and waves coming in.

Now, you did see a lot of people moving out of the area when those warnings came in. They were taken extremely seriously, as you can imagine - Randi.

KAYE: And in terms of rescue efforts, are you seeing those coordinated y the government or individuals or - or what is the latest on that?

HANCOCKS: As we understand it, we're seeing that the - the government is coordinating a - a huge amount. We've seen a - a lot of helicopters in the air just in the port area of Sendai today. We've actually saw a U.S. Chinook. We saw the - the Tokyo - the Japanese military search and rescue, we saw. And smaller helicopters, which could well have been aid agencies, but it's hard to tell.

So certainly there was a lot of activity in the air. We did see some - some military trucks as well taking what seemed to be aid to different areas.

And also, what we did see just further off the - the port area was a - a huge, thick plume of black smoke. It appears, according to local residents, that there is some kind of petrochemical installation that's on fire or some kind of factory. And certainly that was giving off a lot of black, putrid smoke. And that didn't seem to be under control in the slightest by the time that we left after the third tsunami warning - Randi.

KAYE: Our thanks to Paula Hancocks in Sendai for us. Thank you, Paula.

Much of the sound and the fury of this quake is evident in the surveillance video and the CNN iReports flooding in here to us.

Take a look at these.

And this video amazing to see. This is a tsunami that washed across part of northeastern Japan, near Sendai. The wave washing across homes and buildings, carrying debris far inland. Incredible video, evidence of the power behind these waves.

More video of that tsunami washing over another city in the northeastern part of Japan. It's hard to pull away from this; hard to imagine anyone being able to survive such a force of nature. So was there one moment or one thing that triggered the earthquake and the ensuing tsunami? Reynolds Wolf standing by with the science behind it - Reynolds.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right.

Coming up, we're going to take a look and show you, step by step, exactly how these - these horrible situations occur and what might be ahead for the island nation of Japan in the days, weeks and possibly years to come.

More - more straight ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRENT KOOI, CNN IREPORTER: We have earthquake right now. And this is actually moving. Can you see the cracks (ph) moving?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back.

Our meteorologist Reynolds Wolf has our Earth science lesson. I'm looking forward to that.

Now, how that earthquake off the coast of Japan spawned a tsunami felt halfway across the world is really incredible.

WOLF: It is - it is remarkable.

KAYE: And you know how it all happened.

WOLF: Yes. And - and basically, the reason why we had the earthquake is because, you know, we have in the Pacific, we have what we refer to as the "Ring of Fire."

In fact, if you look at - at this big shot that we have of the - well, most of the Pacific Ocean, the Pacific Ocean happens to be the largest single geographical feature on the globe. The biggest one. And right around it, the periphery, you have all kinds of plates. Any time those plates move or rub up against each other, you have earthquakes.

Sometimes it's a subduction zone; other times, you have a - a striking area. Regardless, any time you have any sort of disruption on the ocean floor, it creates a disturbance at the surface.

Now, this, for example, is where we have a subduction zone. You have the split; you have a little bit of an earthquake. And then, of course, you have disruption in the water.

What happens, the water, with that displacement, creates a disturbance. The disturbance begins to fan out. And in the beginning, it - it - it's actually barely imperceptible for vessels at sea. In fact, any boat may just barely feel it. But the wave itself is going to move very rapidly - at the speed of a jumbo jet, some 500, perhaps even 600 mph. And when it comes onshore, it is truly a destructive force.

Now, the thing is, it's not going to be a - a huge, towering rogue wave that could be hundreds of feet tall. It's not like something you'd - you'd surf. It's an entirely different beast.

It's basically just a force that will just push and pummel basically anything in its way.

We've got some video that we've shown from all over parts of Japan; people have been sending it in to us. It is just mind-numbing to watch this come on shore and just the destructive force. And we can go to any of that video. It - it is just something to really behold, and I'll just talk along with the video that we have.

The reason why we had it yesterday, the reason why we've been seeing it strike the - the coast of Japan - Japan is a - a relatively small nation. It's just a little bit smaller than the - the state of California here in the United States. You had, of course, the 8.9 earthquake; the worst devastation in terms of the tsunami was close to the - the northern coast of Japan.

But then everything began to fan out. If you take a look at this map - and this map is just remarkable. Where you have the purples and the reds, that indicates areas where you had the most intense wave action from the tsunami. But you'll notice, everything blasts outward, almost like a cannon, if you will.

And just think, if you had a - a shotgun, and you had a - maybe you were firing a - a shotgun blast with a lot of those small pellets, the majority of them will move in a trajectory like so. But then, right along the periphery, a bit to the north or perhaps a little more to the south, you'll still have some effects, like on the west coast of California, but it won't be nearly as great.

But even then, with something this size, this big affecting much of the Pacific and disrupting that flow, you're going to see all kinds of action along the West Coast, which we - which we saw yesterday from places like Crescent City, where we had some waves that topped - I believe the - the - the surges were around 8 feet or so. Other places, any ways, say, from 3 to 6 feet up and down much of the West Coast.

But, of course, closer to the source, you had the heaviest wave action, the worst-case tsunamis. And of course, we had some damage in - in Hawaii as well.

Randi, that is a quick snapshot of what we've had. A little bit of an explainer of what happens with these tsunami. More explanations coming up, and, of course, more incredible video.

KAYE: All right. Thank you, Reynolds.

And we'll toss it over to Andrew now. STEVENS: OK, Randi.

It's close to 30 hours since the earthquake and the tsunami hit Japan. That's how long some survivors have been lying injured and dehydrated, praying to be rescued. We'll break down the details about the massive search-and-rescue mission going on right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEVENS: To Japan suffering through what may be the worst natural disaster in a long and storied history. Experts say the quake, which was preceded by smaller rumblings, is the fifth-most- powerful on record.

But despite the incredible force, rescue crews today are finding many buildings still standing, and that's not by accident. It's by design.

Here's CNN's chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, in Kobe, Japan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Would you even know what to do if you found yourself in the middle of that? What we're experiencing here is a 6.9-magnitude earthquake.

What (INAUDIBLE) to do is go into the corner of a room -- structures are the most sound -- stay away from glass as much as possible. Also, cover your hands, cover your face. Get underneath the table if you have to. Just something to protect yourself.

Of course, all of this is just a simulation. And that's what you need to do as an individual.

But given that so many people live in urban centers across the world, how do you recover and rebuild after something like that?

It's exactly the question they were asking themselves in Kobe, Japan, in 1995, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake just like that one, 20 seconds in length. Two hundred thousand buildings gone, 5,000 lives lost and a lot of work to do to try and rebuild this place.

Well, Kobe did it in less than 10 years. And now, they serve as a model for the rest of the world.

A lot of lessons have been learned. For example, don't put all your disaster resources in one particular area. Also, try and engage the survivors of an earthquake as much as possible in the rebuilding process.

And finally, hospitals -- they have to be able to stay open and functioning, even after an earthquake.

Of course, there are the buildings. The awful images like this one - remember, 200,000 went down. This was one of them. Well, take a look at what it looks like now.

This is the same building rebuilt just quickly after the earthquake. What do they do specifically? They use materials here to try and isolate this building from the ground and the shaking that accompanies an earthquake.

They also used metal plates to allow the building to move as well as materials that sort of allow this building to sway if the ground is shaking.

It is by no means perfect. And if you ask Kobe officials, they'll say about 80 percent of the city is now rebuilt.

There are some problems still -- narrow thoroughfares like this will be tough to navigate in an earthquake, and these buildings could come down into the streets, making rescues that much more difficult.

But the balance, it's always there, trying to maintain what Japan has been for hundreds of years in the middle of all this reconstruction.

I can tell you it is human nature to sort of wait for a disaster to occur before planning to do anything about it. We've seen that over and over again.

And that's part of the lesions learned here in Kobe: Try and prepare ahead of time so that you can mitigate some of the effects of these natural disasters and other health problems.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Sanjay Gupta there from Kobe.

You're watching CNN's special coverage of the disaster in Japan.

We'll be back after this short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEVENS: It's now nearly 30 hours since the catastrophic earthquake off the coast of northern Japan. Now, much of the emergency efforts is turning to search and rescue.

The ferocity of the quake seemingly spared no one near its epicenter.

This is a scene from an elementary school in the region. Children and teachers spelled out "SOS" so rescuers would know they were inside the building awaiting rescue.

And this is Sendai, which is the closest city to the epicenter. It's a city of about a million people. Now, one resident describes the horror as "unimaginable." And here, one stranded resident waves a makeshift flag, pleading for help. Japan's army, meanwhile, has mobilized a flotilla of watercraft to reach people isolate by the waters left after the tsunami. Smaller boats like canoes and rowboats are being used to navigate tight urban areas that are now underwater.

KAYE: The devastation of the quake and tsunami are jaw-dropping in their scale, and so is the international effort to help the millions of people affected.

Joining us on the phone is Patrick Fuller of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. And he's joining us from Tokyo.

Mr. Fuller, can you tell us what is happening right? What is going on in terms of the rescue efforts being made?

PATRICK FULLER, IRC, ASIA PACIFIC (via telephone): Well, basically, the army and emergency services are leading the - the process. They got helicopters out there and they're trying to pluck people off - off rooftops, because you have to bear in mind that this is a 600-kilometer stretch of coastline, and a lot of small communities, maybe 500, 600, 700 people are simply stranded.

There's a lot of water still on the ground. You can't get into these areas by road, because all the roads and bridges are washed out. So you can only really reach them by boat and by air. And it's a huge area; it's going to take weeks to cover.

KAYE: So many people missing. In your experience, what are the odds that - that anyone could have survived this if they haven't been found already?

FULLER: It's hard to say. I mean, based on my experience in the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, it takes weeks before you get a full picture of, really, you know, what has happened. And unfortunately, the missing do turn into the dead.

But I think the focus should really be on the survivors of this disaster. There's a lot of people out there who are still stranded, who need help, who need to be rescued, need to be get - got to evacuation centers. They need medical assistance and that what - that's what the Red Cross is doing.

KAYE: We've also been hearing that there - there is a shortage, certainly, of - of food and water. One - one supermarket open; one drugstore open. Gasoline shortage.

Does the Red Cross help at all with - with efforts to help supply that?

FULLER: The Red Cross is supporting the government in running the evacuation centers. There are thousands of evacuation centers that have popped up in - in school buildings and public halls.

But I think one of the issues is, really, access to Sendai and - and some of the areas further now. We're talking about three prefectures that have been badly affected, about 2 to 3 million people - Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima. So it's going to take awhile for things to return to normality, for supplies to actually reach these areas, because the main highway up there has been pretty much closed by the authorities. And it's only open to the emergency services.

But I think that will - that will change.

KAYE: So compounding this, really, is - is not just that - that there was an earthquake, but on top of that, then you had the tsunami, which makes it even more difficult with all that water.

FULLER: Absolutely.

Well, the tsunami has caused the most damage. I mean, in some of these towns, yes, there's been damage to buildings, but certainly the major damage along the coastline has been caused by the tsunami, which swept in at least 10 kilometers in - in many areas, and took everything in its path.

KAYE: All right. Patrick Fuller, we appreciate you joining us and appreciate, certainly, your efforts with the Red Cross.

Thank you.

To find out you how you can make a difference and help the relief efforts, visit our website, CNN.com/impactyourworld. There you will find links to organizations and charities that are helping in Japan, and you can certainly help as well.

Now, here's a look at this hour's top stories.

In Libya, our crews are telling us that the momentum appears to be turning against the rebels, but passions still high. This is a rally against Moammar Gadhafi and praising France for recognizing the opposition movement as Libya's true government.

But elsewhere, a different reality reigns. Government troops have used their superior firepower to recapture rebel strongholds.

In Yemen, weeks of protests have again erupted into violence. Witnesses say government troops opened fire on an anti-government protest in the capital. A medic tells CNN that dozens of people are injured. CNN cannot confirm these claims with the government.

Now, to sports. NFL owners have locked out the players after talks broke down between the two sides Friday. That's according to ESPN.com. The disagreement is over how to divide some $9 billion in annual income. Shortly after the players union decertified, a group of players filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league.

Doctors treating Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords describe her condition as - quote - "quite remarkable and better than we expected." They say she is walking and speaking in complete sentences. A representative for Giffords says she plans to attend the space shuttle launch next month in Florida. Her husband, Mark Kelly, is the mission commander - Andrew. STEVENS: Now, snapshots of complete devastation across parts of Japan - none more so than in Sendai, a city of a million people - the biggest city near the quake's epicenter. Now, just days ago, it was a thriving agricultural and fishing community.

We'll show you what's going on now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEVENS: We want to welcome our worldwide audience back to our special coverage the disaster in Japan. I'm Andrew Stevens.

KAYE: I'm Randi Kaye. Thanks for joining us.

Japan, right now, is struggling with this disaster of unimaginable proportions. There have been dozens of aftershocks after the 8.9 quake and massive tsunami in Japan's northeastern coast, at least 900 are dead, 700 more still missing. An undetermined number are injured.

Rescue efforts are going on but are difficult because of the aftershocks, more than 180 of them since yesterday. Highways in the northeast are damaged. Utility services, like water and electricity, are all out. The devastation is really unbelievable. A tsunami more than 20 feet high washed over Japanese coastline, traveling six miles inland. This is the largest quake in recorded history to hit Japan, and the seventh largest worldwide since recordkeeping began.

Today, a dangerous situation with two nuclear power plants Fukushima Prefecture. An explosion occurred at one of the plants, collapsing the roof of a reactor there. A small amount of radioactive material did escaped into the air. A 12-mile radius exclusion zone has been established. Japan's nuclear agency says the cooling system for three of the four reactors at another plant in Fukushima has failed.

STEVENS: One of the hardest hit places is near Sendai in Japan. It's where CNN's international correspondent Anna Coren has just arrived. It's so close to the epicenter, it really is at the heart of this disaster. It is a city of 1 million people.

Anna, you just got there. Tell us what you are seeing. It's what, 8:30 in the evening now?

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Andrew. We literally just arrived. Coming into Sendai it certainly was a little eerie. There were a long convoy of cars on the side of the road, kilometers and kilometers backed up, hoping to get fuel. Of course, there is no electricity in certain parts of the city, the majority of it actually, in fact. No water. So, there's a lot of the city, 1 million, as you say, that is going to spend the night without power and water. I dare say it will be the case for some time.

As you can see, it's quite light where I am. There are pockets where there is electricity. People are obviously having problems as far as accommodations go tonight. We are having problems in trying to find places to stay. It's a matter of sort of bunking down and hoping for the best. It is very cold here, too, Andrew, I must note. It is coming into spring, but very cold.

The search and rescue teams have shut up for the night. They have been on the job all day. My colleague, Paula Hancocks, she was down there a little earlier this afternoon before the sun went down. She said it's a scene of devastation. I also spoke to a local reporter who spent a bit of time down there. He says it's just house after house that's been destroyed.

Andrew, you have seen the pictures and know what the situation is.

STEVENS: We have seen the pictures, Anna. And we keep seeing the chilling pictures of the strength and force of that tsunami. You were driving along that northern coastal area, I guess. I mean, during the daylight could you see very clearly the damage on the road you are on, caused by the tsunami, or even caused by the quake?

COREN: No, Andrew. We flew into the west coast and drove across the country to the east coast. We have not witnessed any of the devastation. We are just getting those reports, like I said, from my colleague, Paula Hancocks, who has been here a number of hours. And also from this local reporter who said he is hoping to get further up north. He says that is where a lot of the devastation is. Fires are burning up in those areas.

People who were up there, they are cut off. The only way to access these areas is by helicopter. That is the only way. Roads impassable and it is one of those situations, Andrew, that is going to be a waiting game. People are waiting to be rescued. People are waiting to get supplies, so a couple of days ahead are going to be extremely tough, Andrew.

STEVENS: Absolutely. It could go longer than that. We heard from the International Red Cross saying it could be weeks before we know the full picture. Anna Coren, there, joining us live from Sendai, in northern Japan, which has been see a the very heart of the disaster in Japan.

Anna, thank you.

KAYE: Joining us now on the phone from Vienna is Mark Hibbs. He's a senior associate in Carnegies' Nuclear Policy Program based in Berlin.

We wanted to ask you about what's happening there with the nuclear plant situation. Because we got word just a short time ago about a couple of explosions, some injured, and also a possible leak of this cesium.

Can you tell us what cesium is and how concerned people should be about this?

MARK HIBBS, SENIOR ASSOCIATE, CARNEGIE NUCLEAR POLICY PROGRAM: Well, cesium is sort of a byproduct of the combustion of the nuclear fuel in the reactor core. If cesium is being emitted from the building, it's a very bad sign, indeed. We have to recall the situation back at Chernobyl in 1986 when the Soviet Union was denying there was an accident at the reactor station. After four days, monitors in Europe were picking up an entire forest of nuclides that were being emitted from the Chernobyl station. They included three big candidates for a serious core melt accident, cesium, strontium and iodine. All of these nuclides were showing up, scattered around. That's the sign that we really have got to the point where we are melting down.

KAYE: You know, what, Mark. I'm so sorry to interpret you. We'll get back to you as soon as can, but we want to take our viewers now to the Japanese prime minister, who is speaking.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED, IN PROGRESS)

NAOTO KAN, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN (through translator): --the earthquake and the ensuing tsunami, and the aftershocks which continue. Getting word already today about 900 dead, 700 missing, countless injured.

Chief cabinet secretary. (AUDIO GAP)

We have also evacuated 20 kilometers away from the first nuclear reactor. I would like to give careful attention so not one citizen is affected by the radiation. We expect the citizens to pay careful attention to what the media is saying as well as understand the facts, instead of following media hype.

We extend the appreciation to all the worlds that have been supporting us through all the forces throughout the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, that have come to aid.

We would first like to focus on saving lives; and secondly, the comfort of the evacuees. Many resources that will be needed throughout this evacuation process, and the safety, and rescue efforts.

I would like for the parliament to cooperate in helping and joining efforts and have all the citizens cooperate in overcoming this crisis. We look forward to a brighter future in Japan in overcoming this crisis together. We would like cooperation from every citizen. We would like to give our best efforts as well from the government and we certainly hope the citizens would do the same, this is from the prime minister.

(END LIVE FEED)

KAYE: All right as you just heard there, that is the Japanese prime minister who is speaking. Certainly speaking to address the nuclear fears. He didn't speak very long, but he did say one very important thing. He wanted to point out that not one citizen has been affected by any radiation. He also reminded us that there has been an evacuation. Citizens are evacuated 20 kilometers away from that first nuclear reactor, in the Fukushima Prefecture. Warning citizens to pay close attention, asking parliament to join the efforts, and certainly leaving us with a message that he looks forward to a brighter future in Japan.

We'll leave it there and take a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Joining us now on the phone from Vienna is Mark Hibbs; he's a senior associate in Carnegie's Nuclear Policy Program based in Berlin.

We were speaking with you, Mark, just a moment ago, then we wanted to listen to what the prime minister there in Japan had to say about these nuclear concerns, which is what we were talking about.

He says not one citizen affected by radiation. But you and I were speaking, briefly, there, about this cesium leak. And you were addressing your concerns about that. Listening to what the prime minister say, that nobody has been affected by this and that people have been evacuated from the area, should that be any peace of mind?

HIBBS: Well, the Japanese government has to do what it must to calm the Japanese people and inhibit any adverse panic reaction on the part of the public, particularly in the area of the plant. They have been evacuating people, they have extended the scope of the evacuation, as they should.

To get back to the issue at hand, the cesium and perhaps other nuclides which may be escaping the plant would be leaving the plant in a steam, or heated air, which would probably create a plume of some sort.

KAYE: That's actually what we are looking at, because there were a couple of explosions being reported this morning. We were just looking at pictures of this white smoke coming that was coming from one of these plants. That does concern you?

HIBBS: Right, well, the plume would propel the nuclides high into the atmosphere. And as I said, as at Chernobyl, we would have a situation where the nuclides are transported at great distances. That would mean that we couldn't really predict health effects in the area of the nuclear plant unless we knew the exact situation on the ground and the meteorological situation there.

The nuclides are the same. We don't know anything about the intensity of this, or the volume. In Chernobyl we had a very large amount of core damage and explosion in the reactor, which propelled a huge amount of the radioactive inventory in the core outside of the reactor. In this particular case, in Japan, we have very little hard information coming from the plant itself. We don't know the extent of fuel damage that we encountered there.

KAYE: Right. We will continue to watch it. I'm sure you will as well. We certainly appreciate your insight. Mark Hibbs, for us today. Thank you.

Andrew.

STEVENS: Riveting, compelling, frightening images pouring in from Japan.

KAYE: This captured the disaster as it unfolded. We'll show you many of the eyewitness accounts.

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KAYE: Welcome back. Let's go to the moment the 8.9 magnitude earthquake slammed Japan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is the biggest earthquake to date. It is still going. Oh my god, the building is going to fall!

KAYE: This is video from iReporter Ryan McDonal, shot from his home in Fukushima, about 145 miles north of Tokyo. Now, McDonal says that after the quake, there were aftershocks almost every 30 minutes. The last we heard, McDonal was heading for an evacuation center.

So, Reynolds, every 30 minutes, when do you actually know if or when it's safe to go back inside your home? These people are really scared.

WOLF: I don't think it would be safe. The reason why is after the initial quake, the building would be in a relatively weakened state. With every additional aftershock, it weakens it a little bit further. Again, I would stay outside until it gets-things really, really steady up.

What is interesting about Mr. McDonal is he is an English teacher. He has been living in Japan for about nine years. He has experience with these kinds of quakes.

KAYE: Right.

WOLF: So, he definitely knows what he's talking about, when he says, "There's a difference". He was pretty accurate about that.

KAYE: They are amazing to watch. A lot of people have sent us some. That is why we want to share more of them with you. Take a look at this one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CRASHING SOUNDS, BUILDINGS SHAKING)

KAYE: Now what's interesting about this iReport and video is you can really hear the noise there. It ramps up. iReporter Harrison Tatelin (ph) in Yabuki-machi says he was asleep in his house when he felt the ground shaking.

Reynolds, he said he didn't know what to do, so he stood in his driveway. Do you go outside, do you stay inside? Was that a smart thing to do? WOLF: I would stay outside. I can tell you just from experience speaking with some of the crews who were actually in Haiti, when we had the huge earthquake in Port-au-Prince. We had a lot of CNN crews actually staying outside on the streets, for the exact same reason. They were they were afraid that some of the buildings would be weakens considerably by the initial quake, but also the subsequent tremors that follow. So, yes, outside is really your best place to be. Not a bad decision at all to stay in the street.

KAYE: You have to listen to this one first. Then we'll talk a little bit more about it.

Those are tsunami warning sirens in Hawaii late Thursday night. They were going off every hour, on the hour, we are told. Is there anything you can do when you hear those sirens? What should you do?

WOLF: High ground. Get to high ground as fast as you possibly can. You what is amazing about this is when you compare this, again, you have to compare it with another huge natural disaster that involved an earthquake, was Haiti. You'll look at two different countries, one being a very impoverish country. It wasn't really prepared. Then you have Japan, highly prepared in terms of technology. They were prepared. They did have a bit of a warning, you heard the tsunami warnings, but still you have possibly 1,000 dead. So despite the technology, despite the early warning, nature is still going to do what nature is going to do.

It's a terrifying thing.

KAYE: You hear those sirens go off, and we're not even there, but you know, your chest tightens. Your heart goes a flutter. You can just imagine the panic that those people must have felt and the fear in their heart.

All right. Thank you for helping us out with that.

WOLF: You bet.

KAYE: Andrew.

STEVENS: Yes, Randi, what you are saying, I can just imagine just how you would feel if you did hear that siren going off.

In the face of tragedy more people are turning to social media. After Japan's earthquake warnings went out on Twitter in an instant. Now, social media sites have been helping in rescue and relief efforts as well. We'll be taking a closer look at that topic in just a moment.

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KAYE: As soon as the deadly earthquake struck Japan, word spread fast around the world and may have helped save lives. Social media played a big role getting information out to people at an incredible rate. Josh Levs is here to show us how significant this was-Josh. JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Randi, I want you to know, and the world to know, really, that this is the kind of thing nations have been planning for and looking at for especially the last few years. They have been studying what role can social media play. We have heard that here in the United States with our own Department of Homeland Security saying if there is a natural disaster, what role can Facebook and Twitter play? And part of what you see happened here, amid this devastation in Japan. Is that word got out incredibly fast, not just in Japan, but to people in Hawaii, people in South America, in Chile, to people elsewhere in the Pacific, Canada, the Western Coast of the United States; people getting the word via social media that this was happening and that they might need to evacuate where they are.

This system, whatever it takes to get the word out as fast as possible is one of the most important ways of saving lives in the midst of a natural disaster. What we saw here was the role of social media in doing just that.

I have been looking at Japan. You have almost 100 million people who are on the Internet in Japan. This right here, if we can zoom in is, is called the Tweet-O-Meter. It looks at how many Tweets come from different countries at any given time. And this right here is Tokyo, it is looking at about 1,200 Tweets per minute, in Tokyo. You can see how that compares to everybody else. It is one sign of how people have been using social media that gets the word out as fast as possible. That applies to Facebook. It applies to YouTube and other social media that we are not as familiar with in the rest of the country. There is a Japanese one called, Mixi.

So the basic idea here, Randi, is that social media did absolutely help people get the word and protect themselves.

KAYE: That is amazing. That number on that Tweet-O-Meter.

LEVS: Yes.

KAYE: Now, apparently, Josh, people are using the social media to actually search for their loved ones.

LEVS: They are. That is interesting as well. There is a tool I can show you right here. This is something that Google set up. Google has set up its own crisis response center. One thing they put into it is the Google Person Finder. If you are looking for someone or if you have information about someone, if you are inside one of the stricken areas. Go here, put in information and boom I have just pulled up one page. You can see tens of thousands of names have been submitted. People searching for their loved ones, concerned about their loved ones.

We are hearing some good, positive stories about people who just can't use their cell phones right now, can't access traditional media, but are managing to get information on to the Google Person Finder. So their loved one are finding out that they are OK. I have linked everything for you at Facebook and Twitter. It is up at my pages, right now at JoshLevsCNN. Take a look there. Hopefully, those of you who are out there, who are looking for your loved ones in the stricken areas will find some helpful information right there, Randi.

KAYE: That is really interesting stuff. Appreciate that.

LEVS: You got it.

KAYE: Andrew.

STEVENS: Randi, Japan's worst natural disaster and the devastating images, well, they just keep coming in. We'll take you live to the epicenter after the break. Stay with us.

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