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CNN Saturday Morning News

Special Coverage: Quake Tsunami Disaster; Evacuations Continue in Area Near Damaged Nuclear Plants; Rescue and Aid Operations Sending Help to Survivors; Landslides Become Newest Threat With At Least 13 People Buried Alive; Sea Water Being Used to Cool Reactors; The View From Inside a Natural Disaster

Aired March 12, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, hello. I'm John Vause from CNN International.

You're watching CNN's breaking coverage of that powerful earthquake to strike Japan in its recorded history, and also its catastrophic aftermath.

WHITFIELD: Roughly 36 hours now after that devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the biggest concern, the fallout from an explosion at a nuclear power plant.

More than 83,000 people live within six miles of it and another plant as well, and they're all being evacuated. And authorities say everyone will get iodine tablets, which keep the body from taking in too much radiation.

The plant is just north of where Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami hit. There have been more than 200 aftershocks since then. The numbers are astounding, more than 900 dead and a report of 9,500 more missing in one city alone, that's nearly half the population.

The United States, meantime, is one of about 50 nations offering help. The U.S. military is sending ships and helicopters, loaded with the humanitarian aid. Search and rescue teams are also on the way -- John.

VAUSE: Thanks, Fred.

Dramatic video keeps coming into CNN, so much damage and so much misery. This is one of the most horrifying we've seen, the unstoppable tide of mud racing across farmlands. These aerial pictures are from Japanese broadcasting corporation, NHK. You can see what the monster wave did to this one area alone.

An iReporters, Harrison Payton, sent us these pictures he took during Friday's earthquake. It was so strong, he says, he could barely stay on his feet.

Now, this story stopped a CNN team in its tracks. An enormous landslide in Japan buried 13 people alive.

CNN's Kyung Lah tells us what she found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the roads are completely blocked so, Anjali, one of the things that we've been looking for are the stories along the way as we try to make it up to the area that is hardest hit, that area hit by the tsunami, and we found one.

This is a city called Sirakawa and in this city there is a neighborhood where you can see some of the houses, it really does look like a small little community. You can see the three houses right here. What you can't see behind the three houses are eight houses.

Those eight houses, more than 24 hours ago, 25 hours ago when that earthquake struck, were completely buried by heavy land. There was a huge landslide, according to the people who live here. Earth came sliding down and now 25 hours later take a look over my right shoulder as we zoom in on what you're looking right there, heavy machinery digging.

There are 13 people buried alive. There are children among the missing. The hope is from these rescuers is that they may be in their houses, maybe trapped in a void, but as you can see there, that mud and dirt is heavy. It is wet. This is a massive challenge, and 25 hours later, the people in this community say they haven't found a single person.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Crews are hoping that by using sea water to flood a reactor at that quake damaged nuclear plant in Fukushima that its temperature will drop. Let's get the latest now from CNN's Stan Grant in Tokyo -- Stan.

STAN GRANT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, this has been an ongoing emergency, here, ever since the quake hit. It took out the power to the nuclear reactors, and that's when we saw the problems in trying to cool those reactors, they've been overheating ever since. And the last few hours, the last few hours will be afternoon here, that emergency became all the more critical. There was a loud explosion at one of them, sending smoke into the air.

There was initial concern about the reactor itself. Well, since then we've learned from nuclear safety agency, here, that it wasn't the reactor where the explosion occurred, but a wall outside of that and they say there were no harmful materials sent into the atmosphere. I fact, they say that the radiation has been dropping throughout the afternoon.

There is a 20-kilometer exclusion zone in place now, thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes. We understand iodine is also being handed out. That's to guard against anyone who comes in contact with radiation. We've also heard about three people who have, according to Japanese media, have in fact, come into contact with radiation. But the prime minister has also been speaking, and in is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAOTO KAN, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (via translator): Had also evacuated 20 kilometers away from the first nuclear reactor and would like to give careful attention so not one citizen is affected by the radiation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRANT: Now, he's saying that not one person has been affected by radiation, but as I say, Japanese media now reporting three workers at the plant have indeed come in contact with radiation. And the effort is ongoing, as you pointed out, to try to get more water into that reactor and try to cool it -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so, Stan, one more time on the evacuation, the perimeter of the distance that people are being asked to vacate. At first it was roughly three miles, now it's about 12 miles. What more do we know about in a perimeter of that evacuation order?

GRANT: Yes, Fredricka, it's been interesting to watch that throughout the day. You know, the government has been trying to maintain calm, trying to avoid anybody panicking. But at the same time doesn't want to expose anybody to unnecessary risk.

In the early stages there was thought to be very low level risk. And initially the perimeter was around about a mile or so. That has grown throughout the day as this crisis has continued.

And there was an admission that, yes, some radioactive material had seeped into the atmosphere, it wasn't enough to cause damage, but then they widened that perimeter again, the exclusion zone went out to about six miles, 10 kilometers. Then it was doubled after that explosion to 20 kilometers, about 12 or 13 miles.

So really as you watch that exclusion zone expand, you've really been able to track this challenge, this crisis and listening to some analysts who'd been interviewed on CNN throughout the day, they're saying that what we're looking at here, really, is a race against time.

What they need to avoid are those reactors heating even further and the possibility of any more widespread meltdown, of course, and then more radiation spreading into the atmosphere. So, that race against time continues -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Stan Grant, thanks so much for that update -- John.

VAUSE: Fred, listen, eight hours after the tsunami hit Japan, the waves slammed into Hawaii. They reached six feet high on the island of Maui on the big island of Hawaii, the water rushed at least 100 feet inland, sweeping a house into a bay. With damages in the millions of dollars, the state's governor has issued a disaster proclamation.

The tsunami raced across the Pacific as fast as a jetliner, hitting the U.S. West Coast a few hours after it slammed into Hawaii. In California, Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in four counties. In Crescent City, waves topped eight feet. The surge covered beaches, ports and harbor. In northern California, one man was killed when he was swept out to sea while taking pictures of the tsunami's arrival.

WHITFIELD: As images of Japan's devastation fill television screens across the world, one group that is watching very closely, Japanese- Americans.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports from the heart of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the heart of Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles, diners at Mitsuru Grill sat speechless as they watched images from the quake zone unfold before their eyes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My God. Dear God.

GUTIERREZ: Down the street at Kato Retirement Home, Nancy, Naomi and Fujii also watched in disbelief.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a tsunami. This is the most serious part. I have never seen anything like this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is tsunami.

GUTIERREZ: The women told me as disturbing as these images are, they can't look away.

NAOMI TAKARA, LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: I have never seen anything like this. It looks like science fiction, really.

GUTIERREZ (on camera): What are you feeling as you're watching this?

NANCY NIIJIMA, LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: Everything in the world is going to finish.

GUTIERREZ: You feel like it's the end of the world.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The end of the world.

NIIJIMA: All the earth, yes, is going to finish, all the world.

GUTIERREZ: In all of your life, did you ever believe that you would see such a thing?

TAKARA: Never. Never. I could see it in the movies, but not in reality. This is unreal. It's hard to take. GUTIERREZ (voice-over): In a nearby office in Little Tokyo, Shelley Kwan searched on line for a friend who was working as a teacher in Sendai, near the epicenter. She found him on Facebook.

(on camera): So then you log on to Facebook, and what did you see? What's the first thing you saw?

SHELLEY KWAN, FRIEND OF QUAKE SURVIVOR: The post about, Wow, the ground actually opened up in my school.

GUTIERREZ: This is a message to everyone, is that -- to all of his friends.

KWAN: He says, "I'm OK, everyone. We're setting up a shelter for the people whose homes have fallen."

He has another one that says, "Madness, people crying, and aftershock after aftershock. The school's a physical mess."

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Shelley says her friend's posts stop when his batteries ran low, but she can sleep knowing he survived.

And now so can Yasu Kon, who's from the hard-hit area in northern Japan. He just learned his mother is alive, and so is his sister, who's still trapped at her workplace in Sendai.

(on camera): How do you feel now?

YASU KON, BROTHER OF QUAKE SURVIVOR: I'm just fine, happy, kind of, you know --

GUTIERREZ: You feel relieved, I imagine.

KON: Yes. Yes. I'm relieved.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): But it's bittersweet because he says so many others have lost so much.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And find out how you can help quake victims in Japan. Visit our "Impact your World" page and that's at CNN.com/impact.

VAUSE: You know, Fred, Stan talked about the fears at that nuclear power plant. There was an explosion there, there's a great deal of concern what will happen at that nuclear power plant. Next, we'll talk to a nuclear physicist who will break down all of those concerns for us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: That nuclear plant explosion in Japan has emergency crews racing against the clock. They are trying to cool down the reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The blast injured four workers, crumbled concrete walls, and is heightening fears of a nuclear meltdown. Joining me right now is Edwin Lyman of the Nuclear Control Institute.

What are your greatest concerns about this explosion that took place earlier today and that this container wall may have been part of that explosion?

EDWIN LYMAN, NUCLEAR CONTROL INSTITUTE: Well, the concern is clearly if the event continues to escalate, if the authorities are unable to restore cooling of the core to prevent any further damage to the fuel, then the danger is that this could proceed to a full-scale core melt, which would then eat through the bottom of the steel vessel that's holding what's left of the fuel and potentially lead to a large-scale radiological release that would affect potentially tens of thousands of people.

WHITFIELD: So, is it encouraging to you, do you put much stock into the fact they're using the sea water to kind of flood this area where this explosion has taken place and that might help cool it down? Do you buy that?

LYMAN: Actually, I don't. I think this is a measure of desperation, and that's what concerns me. I don't know of any emergency operating plan anywhere that calls for the emergency injection of sea water, so I really think it's a desperate measure.

WHITFIELD: So what would be the more effective route in your view, especially given the circumstances?

LYMAN: Well, there may not be one. You know, I don't fault them for making an attempt, but unfortunately we're not getting enough information to know where the problems are, but it is clear that they've been unable to inject enough cooling water into the reactor to prevent damage to the fuel. It may be the only option they have at this point. But certainly...

WHITFIELD: And what does this tell you -- sorry to interrupt you, but what does this tell you they are widening the evacuation area, 12 miles. Does that say anything to you about the perhaps futile effort to try to contain the fumes that may have escaped from this building, that the use of this sea water, might it be their last ditch effort, and as a precaution they're asking a greater volume of people in which to evacuate?

LYMAN: Well, I think all the signs are consistent with the fact that there has been fuel damage and there's still great concern that there will be more potentially much larger release of radioactivity. So I think it's completely appropriate to expand the zone. They probably should have had a larger one to begin with.

WHITFIELD: And what does it tell you that people are being asked to simply cover their mouths as they do try to evacuate? How effective is that?

LYMAN: That -- it's not very effective. There are certain isotopes that you certainly don't want to breathe in, they're much more hazardous if you inhale them than if you don't, but simply covering your mouth is probably not providing enough filtration to screen those out effectively.

WHITFIELD: You have other concerns beyond this particular reactor, you have concerns about this experimental type of fuel that contains plutonium that is being housed at this same facility.

LYMAN: Yes. One of the reactors that suffered a cooling problem is the No. 3 reactor, and in September of last year a number of fuel assemblies containing plutonium were loaded into that reactor.

This is a type of fuel called MOX. And I have grave concerns about the use of plutonium fuel in light water reactors, because it increases the probability of certain accidents. And if there is one, it could increase the consequences because injecting plutonium and certain other isotopes that are generated would increase the radioactive burden to people who are exposed.

So I think that's a dangerous practice and should be a sign for Japan to stop using MOX.

WHITFIELD: Edwin Lyman, thanks so much. We'll talk with you within the next hour to talk about what's next as it pertains to the emergency response for that nuclear reactor. Thanks so much.

Also, in a moment, images from inside Japans' biggest ever earthquake by the people who actually lived through it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: And welcome back to our continuing coverage here of the earthquake in Japan.

It's now coming up to 36 hours since that tremor and that tsunami which followed that has devastated so much of the northern part of the country. They've had a full day now of rescue and recovery and they are now starting to assess just how devastating this earthquake really was.

WHITFIELD: And devastating -- the devastation unfolded just within minutes as a result of that massive quake. So nothing tells the story of this massive earthquake and the tsunami better than of course the videos of people who were actually going through all of this. And it taking place in the middle of the day, around 2:46 p.m., Tokyo Time.

Josh Levs is with us with an interactive look at some of the most powerful images and what people were doing when all of this took place.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, never before in history have we had a situation like this where now you can actually see so incredibly many individual experiences from inside a natural disaster.

And that's because of the technological revolution that's going on in Japan where nearly 80 percent of the population has internet access, so many people have phone cameras -- they picked them up and shot videos.

Let me show you this interactive map, here. It's great. It's from ESRI.com. Everywhere you see a big circle, by the way, is a big earthquake that's happened since then, so it's just a reminder of the aftershocks.

But over here, everywhere that you see a YouTube, these are some examples of places where you can click on a region, and then click on a YouTube video that's been posted from there. I pulled up some of the YouTube videos we think you should take a look at. Let's start with this one right here.

This super market is in Koto Ward (ph), Tokyo, and this is video is one of the most popular that are on YouTube, and you can just feel it as you're watching it and feel what it must have been like to be inside, going up there in Tokyo that powerful quake.

Next one now, at a residence. Take a look at this next one.

This is at a home, the residential area in Alba Ward (ph) and Sendai. And again, it's just an example of the kind of thing that we're getting.

Now, they're not all coming into YouTube. Some of these videos are coming to us via iReport, right here at CNN. Let's go to this next video which is an iReport that we received. Take a look here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is still going. Oh, my God, the building's going to fall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: All right, and that's just a taste of what we've been getting here inside CNN and our iReport.

Let me show you something, right here, YouTube has actually created a special section all about this. They have something called Citizen Tube. And right now Citizen Tube has cal culled together hundreds and hundreds of videos of people who were inside the earthquake who wanted to share their video, share their stories.

I, as always, I show you a bunch of links while I'm on the air, so I've posted everything for you. And you can see my links there on Facebook and Twitter @JoshLevsCNN.

Lots and lots of videos there, go ahead and share your images. I'll let you know that the people who took the ones we show you are safe. We've been able to determined that. But we're certainly looking to see more and more of those stories.

And Fred and John, I'll tell you, in the coming days we'll learn more and more about what it was like to be on the inside from people who took those videos and those photos, we'll have them right here. VAUSE: And one other thing about all these images that we're getting, as you mentioned, Josh, this is the first time a tsunami, an earthquake like this has been so well documented by professional images, scientists say they'll be discovering -- they'll be researching these images for months and maybe even years to come to work out the full impact of tsunamis and how better to prepare for them. So there is some good to come from all this.

WHITFIELD: Hopefully try to learn from this, just as Japan learned from that 1995 earthquake. It was huge, 6,000 people died at that time and so much was done to reinforce the buildings and even step up emergency response.

So we will be finding out in the coming days what was learned, if any of those lessons are being applied in this case and what happens after that. All right, so the images, clearly, very strong coming out of Japan. Very powerful images.

VAUSE: Yes, homes and cars swept away like toys on the tsunami as it rolled in. We'll check with Reynolds Wolf for a look at how tsunamis are formed and just why they are so powerful.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Tsunamis are among the most devastating natural forces on earth. But how exactly do they form?

VAUSE: Yes, and why are they so powerful? Let's check in meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri, not Reynolds Wolf, he's my old colleague here, from CNN International.

Pedram, tell us a little bit more about the science of the tsunamis.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGIST: Yes, you know, tsunamis are a fascinating subject to speak of. And you think about the word tsunami, it's a Japanese term and you know, we've discussed this all morning, the word tsu, it means the word port and nami is wave. So, the port waves that they get across this part of the world and the tsunamis they've seen.

And you take a look, aftershocks, certainly nearly some 200 of them now are beginning to accumulating over that region as of just the last 36 hours with the 8.9 being there just a few kilometers offshore.

See this line here? That's the Pacific Plate. It moves underneath Japan at a rate of about 90 or so millimeters every single year, that's about four inches, say about the same rate your fingernails grow, and that begins to scoot its way underneath Japan, here over the past say few years and the energy begins to develop.

Now, you look as far as how the energy strengthens and begins to ramp up, again, there is the Pacific Plate beginning to ride underneath Japan, as this happens, the pressure builds up, build up, you get that four inches per year and eventually, finally it let's off and as that happens, you get that burst of energy, we call these rupture fault line out there, the thrust fault line, the energy begins to emanate outwards, you get these large waves that develop initially, and then become very small waves as they hit the open oceans going say 800 kilometers per hour, that's about 500 miles per hour, the speed of a jet airliner.

So, if you're on a boat, you really don't feel much, but once the energy gets toward the shore, it develops that run-up and basically runs up the beach, so all that energy at speeds of 500 miles per hour, has to go somewhere.

The energy begins to shift up the coastal regions, the energy transfers into the waves get larger and larger and larger. Then have you 30-foot waves slamming against the coastal regions and that's what the concern is in that part of the world, again. And these waves begin working their way inland, of course they cause substantial damage.

And the topography across parts of Japan is very fascinating, as well, because you go in from just 10 miles inland from the coast of Sendai and you're talking about sea level to almost 5,000 feet and about 1,500 meters high.

So, a lot of those coastal regions certainly getting inundated with the water in the past couple of days and this is the pattern they've dealt with. The folks in Japan, they have done everything they can to prepare for such events.

Again, they're not a stranger to this with getting some 1,500 quakes per year, on average, guys. So it's something that they have prepared for, but you can see what Mother Nature certainly can do with very little notice there in Japan.

VAUSE: Is there a readout yet on how much energy released in 2004? They said it was the equivalent of 23,000 Hiroshima-like atomic bombs. Have we got to that point, yet?

JAVAHERI: No, I don't think we have, but the soil structure, the loose sandy soil along the coastal regions, we saw it in Christchurch, just a few weeks ago. That loose soil structure allows a lot more energy to be felt at the surface and we know Sendai, on the coast there, certainly has a lot of loose sediments. That is why a lot of folks are feeling more shaking than perhaps they typically wood.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, JAPAN EARTHQUAKE: And all of these areas you mentioned, you know, in Christchurch as well as here, all part of that ring of fire. We'll talk more about that a little bit later as well.

So of course iReporters have been busy at work, not because they wanted to, but at this point they feel it is a necessary evil. They've had a front row seat of all that has unfolded in Japan.

They've been fantastic, sending in pictures and stories. We'll have a lot more of that just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VAUSE: More than 200 aftershocks have jolted Japan since Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami. Several were around a nuclear plant where there was an explosion earlier. More than 83,000 people live within six miles of it. They're all being evacuated, and authorities say everyone will get iodine tablets, which keeps the body from taking in too much radiation.

WHITFIELD: So in other areas, it's a frantic search for survivors, entire towns have been obliterated, more than 3,000 people have been pulled from the rubble, and at least 900 others are dead. And more than 9500 are said to be missing in one city alone, extraordinary numbers.

So an international relief effort is under way. The U.S. military is sending ships and planes loaded with equipment and humanitarian aid, and various search and rescue teams are also beginning to mobilize.

VAUSE: Engineers are working to contain emergencies at two nuclear plants hit by the quake. More evacuations have been ordered for thousands of people who live nearby. Stan Grant is in Tokyo with that story.

And, Stan, we know Japan has a very good record at dealing with earthquakes, but when it comes to dealing with these kind of nuclear emergencies, it's not so good. Less than transparent in the past.

STAN GRANT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and you know, these are heavily nuclearized country, too, John. I think about a third of the country's energy and electricity comes from nuclear power. And we've really seen this emergency become even more critical in the later stages of this afternoon here in Japan. There was a loud explosion at one of them, and that sent plumes of smoke into the air. Initial concerns surrounded the reactor. Of course, the reactor has been overheating since the quake, and they've been unable to cool that down.

The officials have now said it was not in fact the reactor. That was the good news. They say it was an outer wall, and the roof of the building, that's where the explosion actually took place. They said that no harmful substances were released into the atmosphere.

In fact, they say radiation has been slowly coming down throughout the day. But, of course, as you say, they have increased this exclusion zone. That's been interesting too, John. You can almost track this crisis through the exclusion zone itself. Initially it was about a mile, mile and a half, then it was extended to six miles. Now it's up to 12, 13 miles, 20 kilometers. So that really goes to show as time has gone on, the concern has risen.

While the government has been at pains to say that no one at this stage is being threatened by radiation, increasing that exclusion zone does say how vigilant they are and how concerned they are. And, of course, they're still unable to cool that reactor down, John.

VAUSE: And at the moment, we understand the government's plan B in all of this is to flood the reactor with sea water and boric acid. We had an expert on a short time ago who said hey, look, this is a sign of absolute desperation. That there are no good alternatives here in dealing with this nuclear crisis.

GRANT: Yeah, John, a lot of people have been talking about this as a race against time. That every hour that ticks by this becomes all the more critical. A lot of people talking about worst case scenarios, of course for the government here this already is in fact worse than they ever would have expected, or ever would have hoped for, or planned on. And as you say, now resorting to using sea water to try to flood that reactor.

Basically what happens here, just to explain it, is that these reactors generate a lot of heat, and it is that steam that comes off that which is then processed into electricity. What happens is that if the water gets too low, the reactor is exposed and then that heat really intensifies. And that can then create a meltdown in the reactor itself. That's the real concern here, getting the water up to a level where you can cool that reactor down.

And thus far, we're now 30 hours now since the quake and since the initial crisis there began, and they're still working to achieve that, John.

VAUSE: Yeah. Japan really facing three disasters right now. Stan Grant, live for us in Tokyo. Thank you, Stan.

Well, none of us will ever forget the first pictures of this disaster, walls of water, surging across the landscape. In Tokyo, one iReporter found himself caught in the quake and then witnessed the tragedy.

WHITFIELD: That's right. We are going to turn to our Reynolds Wolf now who joins us with more on this life and death story.

VAUSE: Reynolds.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, this is one of the contributions we've got for you, from iReporters from around the world. What's so interesting, we've been showing you a variety of graphics but really the best way to tell the story is it with the contributions that you, our viewers, have been bringing in. Let's go to this video. Compelling stuff.

This is actually from Tokyo. To be more precise, this was actually from Kudinshita (ph) Tokyo. This was actually brought in by iReporter Aaron Lace, who was attending a college graduation inside this theater. And when the quake hit, tiles from the ceiling began to fall. He grabbed his best friend, ran outside, then ventured back after one of the aftershocks. And this is what he found. People injured everywhere. One there in the main foyer, then he came out into the theater itself.

What's interesting about this, guys, is that the emcee of this event was actually telling people to stay in their seat and remain calm. And, of course, you had the ceiling collapse. And with that there were several people trapped. Again, things were kind of sketchy in terms of possible fatalities, but there is certainly that probability. This is something we could see play out again and again. Not just in Tokyo but in many other parts.

But what is amazing about this, if we can just come back to me for a few seconds then we'll return to the video. Keep in mind when you look at the epicenter of the quake, it took place hundreds of kilometers or hundreds of miles away from where Tokyo happens to be. So we're looking at this damage, this is where you had of course your tsunami, and where you had the strongest point of the earthquake. And here you are in Tokyo and you have the video of these buildings being damaged. Let's go back to it again, if we can, and pick up where we left off. It is just utter chaos. Let's just go to it and let's listen to the contribution.

(IREPORT CONTINUES, SHOUTING, SCREAMING)

It is just mass hysteria. And what's insane about this is you have many other places around the city, places that have been damaged, and when you have another shockwave, when you have another tremor, if you will, some places that have been weakened by the initial quake can collapse and fall. It could be really anything. It could be a restaurant, it could be, say, a theater like here, it could be a private home.

The safest place to be when you happen to have something like this is really outside, away from structures, away from streetlights, away from power lines. The best place to be. But unfortunately when you're in a major metropolitan spot like Tokyo, you're not going to find too many of those opportunities.

I think a lot of people have this initial feeling that they need to stay inside and need to stay in shelter but unfortunately that is really one of the last scenarios that you should, that you should do. That's one of the last things you need to do in a situation like this. But unfortunately that's the story we're seeing there. We have more contributions coming in by the minute, by the hour. As soon as they come along we'll take a look at them and then of course we'll share them with the rest of the world. Let's send it back to you guys at the news desk.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Reynolds.

And, of course, Japan is a real magnet for entertainers around the world. A lot of folks find themselves there, on a number of publicity, you know, and gigs and all kinds of things like that. Including one American rock band right there in Tokyo. One of the musicians is going to join us after this break to tell us what's happening now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So we've been hearing some incredible stories from people who were caught in Japan's earthquake. Phil Labonte is an American rock musician. He is with the American group, All That Remains, and had just completed a gig there in Tokyo when this earthquake started rocking things.

Where are you right now? And how are you feeling? And what is happening right now?

PHIL LABONTE, LEAD SINGER, ALL THAT REMAINS: Right now I'm in my hotel room. It's about 2:45 in the morning. And I guess my biggest concern for the past 12 or so hours has been the reactor. When the initial quake hit, the first major shock hit we were actually sound checking. So we had to run out of the building and ran out into the street. And my first reaction -- I'm from the East Coast so I haven't had a lot of experience with earthquakes, but looking around and seeing people so nervous really kind of set me off.

At first I was like, oh, well Japan has a lot of earthquakes and they kind of know what to do and stuff. And I was a little bit calmer than maybe I should have been. Or I didn't realize how bad it really was. Then to see all the people in the streets as scared as they were really started to set me and the rest of the guys off.

WHITFIELD: So are you awake at the middle of the night because you're afraid to go in to sleep, because of these aftershocks, still feeling very frightening?

LABONTE: Well, we-just a couple hours ago we had an aftershock that came through, I'm not sure exactly what it was, but it set off an alarm in the hotel. So that kind of got me awake. And, you know, it's a little nerve wracking, to be honest with you, between the reactor and then -- it kind of feels like there's a little bit of a motion almost all of the time. And I guess your head starts playing with you a little bit, and you think you might feel something even if you're not really sure.

WHITFIELD: Now, in a lot of the areas, right there within Tokyo, and, of course, even outside of that in the northeastern kind of suburbs there's been a run on food and supplies, people have run out of food. How about where you are? Are you able to eat? Do you have enough sustenance? What's going on there?

LABONTE: Yeah, it is noticeable. There's a convenience store right outside of our hotel and there's a lot of shelves that are pretty bare. You know, I've been able to get enough, you know, food to eat and not really notice it, but at the same time, you walk in the convenience store and you expect to see fully stocked shelves. And you know, a lot of places it looks like they're out of water, and there's not a lot of stock on the shelves. So it's definitely something that's very noticeable.

WHITFIELD: All right. Phil Labonte, thanks so much, with the group All That Remains.

How long do you plan to stay there? What are the chances of you returning back to the East Coast of the U.S.?

LABONTE: Well, we are supposed to leave tomorrow around 5:00, Japan time, and today we were a little nervous to -- the airport was closed. And we were told it was going to be closed indefinitely, but this morning we found out that flights started going, so we should be able to get out fine. So that made me feel pretty good. WHITFIELD: All right. I'm sure it did. Now I see a smile on your face. Phil, thanks so much, and safe travels. I appreciate your time.

LABONTE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We'll have much more of our continuing coverage of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Let's take a quick look now at some other news.

The Arab League meeting in Cairo has just voted unanimously to back a no-fly zone over Libya. Oman's foreign minister says it should be lifted when the crisis is over.

Meanwhile forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi are pushing on with their efforts to crush the rebellion. The military has been pounding the key oil port of Ras Lanuf, once in the hands of rebel forces, and nearby areas. Earlier Libyan state media said it would cleanse the town of opposition fighters. The government has also officially says it is now back in control of the town of bin Jawad.

In Yemen weeks of protests have again erupted into violence. Witnesses say the government security forces on Saturday fired live ammunition on demonstrators outside Sanaa University in the capital. But a government source says police only used tear gas and water cannons. He says third party investigators fired at the people. A doctor says one person was killed. Demonstrators had been demanding the ouster of the president who has been in power there for 30 years.

You're looking at a devastating scene from a bus crash in the Bronx area of New York City. At least 13 people were killed when a bus overturned. The accident happened on the New England Throughway. In addition to the deaths, 32 passengers were injured. Six are in critical condition.

WHITFIELD: Japan's powerful quake was the fifth strongest ever, but hundreds of buildings remain standing. CNN's Sanjay Gupta tells us based on design why those buildings didn't crumble.

(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 they'll tell to you do is go into the corner of a room, 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 all across the world, how do you recover and rebuild after something like that? That'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, 200,000 buildings gone, 5,000 lives lost. A lot of work to do to try to 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 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. Take a look at what it is now. This is the same building, rebuilt just quickly after the earthquake. What do they do specifically? They use materials here to try to isolate this building from the ground and the shaking that accompanies an earthquake. They also use 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 80 percent of the city is rebuilt. There are some problems still. Narrow thoroughfares like this would be tough to navigate in the middle of an earthquake. And these buildings could come down into the streets making rescues 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. That's part of the lessons learned here in Kobe. Try to prepare ahead of time so you can mitigate some of the effects of these natural disasters and other health problems. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Thank you, Sanjay Gupta. CNN has been bringing you in depth coverage of the Japanese earthquake since the very beginning. In a moment we'll show you some of the most vivid moments as they unfolded.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Even for experienced reporters, covering Japan's earthquake has been a difficult and at times heartbreaking assignment. Here are some of the most vivid moments so far.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, SENDAI, JAPAN: You can see how far the mangled mess of these cars have actually been flung. You can feel the weight and the force of the water.

RYAN MCDONALD, WITNESS: The biggest problem right now we have is there's no food anywhere. This is what I had for dinner 12 hours ago. I have had nothing to eat since then. I had some orange juice. This is all I've had in 12 hours.

HANCOCKS: Earlier on Saturday, Kan took to the air to inspect the damage caused by the massive earthquake in northeast Japan.

NAOTO KAN, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (via translator): we will do our best to try to rescue all survivors and people who are isolated, especially today because every minute counts.

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There are 13 people buried alive. There are children among the missing. The hope is from these rescuers is that they may be in their houses, maybe trapped in a void. But as you can see there, that mud and dirt is heavy. It is wet. This is a massive challenge.

(MUSIC)

ROBERT ALVAREZ, INSTITUTE FOR POLICY STUDIES: This is the situation that has potential for a nuclear catastrophe. And it's basically a race against time.

KAN (via translator): We have also evacuated 20 kilometers from the first nuclear reactors. I would like to give careful attention so that not one citizen is affected by the radiation.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEOTAPE)