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Second Explosion at Nuclear Plant in Japan; Japanese Survivors Gathering at Shelters; American Survives Japan Quake
Aired March 14, 2011 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux.
It's Monday, March 14th; midnight, Tuesday, in Japan. I want to get you up to speed on the aftermath of the earthquake and the tsunami that rocked Japan.
The official death toll is more than 1,800, but thousands more are missing. And that number will go up as those searching reach more hard-hit areas.
In the middle of the destruction, we are hearing amazing stories of survival. One man, pulled from the rubble, explains what kept him going.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I thought I was dying when I was pushed in the water. For my folks, for my family, I decided to make every effort is to survive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: But grim news from an area on Japan's east coast. Crews have found about 2,000 bodies in Miyagi region. That is according to Kyodo News agency. Now, if confirmed, this would be the largest discovery of bodies from the earthquake and tsunami.
Well, people in Japan also dealing with fears of a nuclear disaster. A second explosion shook a damaged nuclear power plant today. A Japanese cabinet secretary says 11 people were hurt, but no massive radiation leakage was detected. Still, many people are worried.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I don't understand the concern of it all, but I'm scared because I can see the radiation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Tests found low levels of radioactive contamination on 17 crew members from a U.S. Navy helicopter. They had returned to the USS Ronald Reagan from disaster relief missions in Japan. Well, the Navy says tests did not detect any contamination after they washed with soap and water. The problems at Japan's nuclear plants will mean rolling blackouts affecting as many as 45 million people. Electricity is going to be turned off from three to six hours in some areas. The blackouts will not include downtown Tokyo. The rolling outages will last until April 8th.
Survivors are also coping with food and water shortages. Many are waiting in long lines outside the grocery stores. One young mother, she expressed some relief after finding infant formula.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I was really worried that my baby would get dehydrated. I'm relieved that, finally, I could buy formula. I will prepare it right away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, we just heard from President Obama, live, just moments ago, promising U.S. help for the people of Japan.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've said directly to the prime minister of Japan, Prime Minister Kan, that the United States will continue to offer any assistance we can as Japan recovers from multiple disasters, and we will stand with the people of Japan in the difficult days ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: More now on that second explosion at one of Japan's crippled nuclear plants. Japanese officials say the blast did not damage the reactor, but they are scrambling to prevent a total meltdown.
Our CNN's Stan Grant, he is tracking developments for us, and he's joining us live from Tokyo.
Stan, tell us, what does this mean about this second explosion?
STAN GRANT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The second explosion in the number three reactor, Suzanne, isn't exactly the same sort of explosion that took place in the first reactor just the other day.
What happened here is as they release steam from the reactor to relieve some of the pressure, the water particles disintegrate and they disperse into hydrogen and oxygen. And, of course, that's a combustible mix. So, it was a hydrogen explosion that affected the outer wall of the building, blasting a hole in that outer wall of the building, and also some of the roof.
At the same time, it injured 11 people and then knocked out the coolant in this number two reactor. So now we have three separate reactors, all battling these cooling problems. They have been flooding them with seawater to try to bring it under control, but even that, then, was disrupted when human error meant that the fuel pump stopped working, there was not enough fuel in it, and the water stopped pumping.
They fixed that. The water was in there. But now the officials are saying that they cannot rule out the possibility of a possible meltdown in the number two reactor.
Three reactors now suffering problems. They're all stricken, and they can't rule out a meltdown in all three of them. That's the situation they are facing right now.
MALVEAUX: Stan, that are sounds rather alarming. What does that mean in terms of radiation levels around the plant? Can you help us understand that?
GRANT: Yes. This is critical.
Whenever you release some of the pent-up steam, you also release some radiation. Now, they've been measuring that in recent days, and they say that those levels have actually fallen back and they are not at a level that is going to cause harm to people.
At the same time, they've imposed this 12-or-13-mile evacuation area, a no-go area. Two hundred thousand people have been moved from their homes. About 160 people have come into contact with radiation to various degrees, and they are being treated.
You also mentioned off the top there the USS Ronald Reagan, that carrier group about 100 kilometers, 60 miles northwest of the plant. They also came in contact with radiation. A number of crew members there affected. Again, though, at low levels, and they had to change their course.
So, you hear words like "contamination," you hear words like "radiation," you hear words like "meltdown," and while the government is stressing that they believe all the safety procedures will hold, it won't escalate into a greater problem, and the levels are low, it does create uncertainty -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And Stan, real quick question here. You're in the area. You've talked to folks there. Do they believe what government officials are telling them, that things are going to be OK here, or do they believe that perhaps they're not telling the full story, trying to save face?
GRANT: People are aware that the government is keeping the information flowing. They're aware that you need to set up these precautions. The people who have been moved from their homes have seen that the government is taking a safety first approach.
If you listen to what the government is saying, they are saying that they are preparing or anticipating the worst situation. They are preparing for that contingency, but they're planning for the best outcome. And that outcome is that the containment facilities, the various layers of containment within the reactor hold, and even if there is a disintegration of the fuel rod, even if the core of the reactor starts to melt down, that that is contained within the building. That's what the people are hoping, and they're the assurances they're getting from the government -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: OK. We certainly hope that that's what pans out there.
Stan Grant.
Thank you very much, Stan.
Well, obviously, this is your chance to "Talk Back" about the disaster in Japan, its possible impact on the nuclear industry here in the United States.
Our Carol Costello, she's here.
Good to see you again, Carol, with the "Talk Back" question.
You know, I mean, you can't help it. You see what happened in Japan, you think, could this happen here in this country?
COSTELLO: That's right. It's only natural, Suzanne.
Images of what happened after Chernobyl, after Three Mile Island, they are vivid again because of what's happening in Japan. Let's face it, when you hear possible nuclear meltdown, mass evacuations, and iodine tablets, it scares you.
Maybe it's because we have 104 nuclear plants in this country, 23 of them designed just like the damaged plants in Japan. And you can't help but ask, could it happen here?
Democratic Congressman Edward Markey is asking that very question. He's calling for a moratorium on new nuclear reactors in seismically- active areas in light of the events in Japan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. EDWARD MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: We just have to call a time out and examine whether or not those safety features which are going to be necessary in the future are built into new nuclear power plants in our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But Republican Senator Mitch McConnell disagrees. He says we shouldn't make domestic policy decisions right after a major environmental disaster like the Obama administration's restrictions on drilling after the BP oil still. With gas nearing $4 a gallon, Republicans are still needling the president on that one.
Before we get too political, "Talk Back." Should the United States hold off on new construction of nuclear plants?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. And I will read some of your comments later in the hour.
MALVEAUX: There are going to be a ton. I mean, a lot of people are going to weigh in on this. Everybody has --
COSTELLO: Especially people living around them.
(CROSSTALK)
MALVEAUX: And they say, you know, could that happen here? They want to know.
COSTELLO: They do. So we'll be interested to hear what people have to say -- Facebook.com/CarolCNN.
MALVEAUX: You want to make sure they go to the right place.
COSTELLO: Thanks, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thanks, Carol.
Here's what's ahead "On the Rundown."
Thousands who lost their homes in the tsunami, living on gymnasium floors. We're going to have a live report.
We're also going to hear from an American woman whose husband was working in Japan at a nuclear power plant when the tsunami hit.
And also, Japan's stock index falls. How it affects U.S. investors.
Plus, how exposure to even small amounts of radiation can affect people.
And amazing stories of survival as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Someone shouts, "There is still another person!" They ask self-defense force troops to help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH FEINERMAN, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR: Surviving is a good way to describe it. There's still no water, and so we all still have to queue at city hall if want some of the big jugs. But food is vaguely available. There is no more instant food, but, actually, there was a grocery store that had chicken and fish and stuff this morning, and so that was really exciting.
You had to wait an hour for it, but you can get it. It was like, awesome, real food that's not peanuts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Four days after the devastating earthquake and tsunami, getting the basics like food, water, shelter, all those things remain a challenge for survivors. Schools and hospitals have been turned into emergency shelters in Sendai. That's the city nearest the epicenter of the earthquake.
And CNN's Kyung Lah, she joins us live from one of those shelters.
Kyung, it's just amazing reporting that you've done over the last couple of days since all of this unfolded. You are now at one of those emergency shelters.
What is it like for people who are there?
KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's just after midnight, Suzanne, and you can see how dark it is behind me. What they've turned out all the lights. Everyone is trying to go to bed at the same time.
They are all sleeping on the floors of these classrooms. These are concrete classrooms. It's a very large elementary school. And people -- you may not even know the person sleeping right next to you, but they are sleeping right next to you.
And these are all people who are victims of the tsunami, whether it be that their homes have been completely destroyed, whether they've lost family members, or their house was destroyed in the earthquake. I mean, they are all part of the shared experience.
So what they are trying to do is come together, try to share food, share rations, and try to share information. There are message boards up all over the school, people trying to make sure that they know if you're alive, how to get connected with your family. And this is just one evacuation center, Suzanne. They are all over this city, and they're all up along the northern coast. So, the human toll of this, the humanitarian disaster here, is going to be immense.
MALVEAUX: And Kyung, is it difficult for people to find each other? I know you said -- you talked about that there's a message board. How are people actually trying to communicate and find those who were in the shelters or lost their loved ones or those who have escaped and survived but they just don't know where they are?
LAH: It's extraordinarily difficult. I mean, we, as news reporters, have found it almost impossible to find any place where we can find a cell signal. Even satellite phones here aren't working very well.
And what people are doing, if they haven't checked in at all the evacuation centers, then they check through them all again. We've actually heard from the Red Cross here that some people are going to places where they fear the bodies are collecting just to see if their loved one is there. So what they are doing is going door to door to these evacuation centers, trying to get information. Trying to get that information is proving to be very difficult.
MALVEAUX: Kyung Lah, thank you so much. Excellent reporting.
We certainly hope that people can find who they are looking for and obviously move on with their lives. It is going to take a very long time to actually do that.
Kyung Lah, thank you once again.
Well, an American working at a Japanese nuclear power plant when the tsunami hit barely got out with his life. His wife, Janie Eudy, she joins me by phone from her home in Alexandria, Louisiana.
And Janie was here with us on Friday, and she told us about just what was happening. She managed to get in touch with him.
And Janie, you've been brave, but you were also shaken as well. And I want our viewers to hear some of the exchange that we had on Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANIE EUDY, HUSBAND WORKS AT JAPANESE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT: The lights and all the glass started falling, and that's where he got -- his feet and his arms and stuff were cut, because it was falling down on the employees, it was falling everywhere.
The cranes were rocking and shifting. The crane operators couldn't get control of everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Janie, can you hear me?
EUDY: Yes.
MALVEAUX: Can you give us a sense of -- have you reached your husband? The last time we spoke, he was trapped in a van. He had not been attended to. Have his injuries been attended to? Where is he now? What have you heard?
EUDY: What I'm thinking and what I've been told, he should be in the air as we speak, headed towards the states. Thank God.
I believe everybody that was in his group, all the workers, should be on their way home no later than Wednesday. That's what I was told by a GE representative.
They just got everybody accounted for. They are OK, is what I was told. And they are bringing them back home. I don't know when I will be seeing him or where he's coming to. I'll find that out when -- just I know he's on his way home now.
MALVEAUX: We are so happy to hear that, that he's on his way home.
How did he make it that far? How did they actually find him?
EUDY: After the newscast, we got -- the representatives got back with me after that. And we kept -- I kept telling them where they were at the last conversation I got with him.
They moved on their own to the little town of Awaki (ph). They got there. They thought they were going to get shelter and hotels, and found out there wasn't anything there.
One of the reps got everybody together so they wouldn't get separated, is how they did it. And they followed the coastal wave all the way down to Tokyo.
What I understand, it was a treacherous ride, and a rocky mountainous ride there. And the roads were, they said, back to back with long lines. It was -- but they made it. Thank God they made it Tokyo.
Once they got there, he was telling me the ground never quit shaking. The tremors were continuous. And when he talked to me, he said when the big one had come, and from thereafter, he said it sounded to him like the earth was moaning from the sounds here.
MALVEAUX: And Janie, real quickly, if you can, what is the first thing you are going to do? What are you going to say to your husband when you see him, when he arrives?
EUDY: I just want to give him a big, tight hug. I want to just get him in my arms and let him know that I love him. And I just can't wait to see him.
With the not knowing, it's been so scary. And one of the -- he was on the phone yesterday, when I got to talk to him, and one of the guys around him hollered through the line -- he said, "My wife sends a 'thank you.' She's been following the news, and she knows where we were at and we were OK."
So I want to thank you all of you for what you have done, for the other family members. And CNN has worked so hard to put the word out so the other family members could follow and know what was going on.
MALVEAUX: Well, Janie, we really appreciate you talking to us on Friday, obviously reaching out to your husband, reaching out to us. We are so pleased that Joe is OK, that he's on his way.
Please -- we will get back in touch with you when you see Joe so we can talk to both of you. This has really been a remarkable journey for both of you, and we appreciate your time.
EUDY: Thank you so much for all your help.
MALVEAUX: My pleasure.
Well, to some people's surprise, Japan's financial markets were open today. We're going to check how they did and how U.S. investors are reacting to this disaster.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: We want to go to CNNMoney.com's lead story. The Bank of Japan, now pumping $180 billion into the banks. This, obviously, to bolster the economy after the quake crisis. That is the top story there.
Also taking a look at the markets. The Dow Jones, down significantly here, more than 106 points or so.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
MALVEAUX: Want to go to Japan's northeast coast. That is where we are following radiation that has leaked from a nuclear plant.
Our Rob Marciano, he's been tracking the wind patterns.
And Rob, explain to us, how does this impact the flow of the radiation, the spread of this radiation? And how dangerous is this?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, first of all, this is not a fallout or a release of Chernobyl proportions. They cool their rods differently than they did -- than did Chernobyl. So that's good.
And the other thing that's good is that everything, for the most part, flows from west to east. Japan is pretty much at the same latitude of the continental U.S., and you can see the general flow here is certainly from west to east, and that's where the jet stream is.
So, where would it take it? It would certainly take it from Japan, the northeast coast of Japan, over into the Pacific Ocean.
And the particles unlikely -- are small enough to be carried up into the jet stream and then moved all the way to the U.S. So, as far as what we think is going to happen with this, or what the experts are telling us, I should say, is that this shouldn't have an effect of worldwide proportions, one, because they cooled the reactor differently than did Chernobyl. And two, we have got the entire Pacific Ocean before it would get into this region.
Here's surface winds right now showing basically a westerly or northerly wind. And that's all good news as far as the fallout is concerned. The weather there is a different story.
MALVEAUX: Rob, do we have any sense of whether or not is hampering some of the rescue efforts that we've seen in Japan?
MARCIANO: It's been pretty chilly. They're still in their winter.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MALVEAUX: All right. Tough way to go. Thank you, Rob. We appreciate it.
MARCIANO: You bet.
MALVEAUX: Well, Japan is handing out pills to fight radiation exposure. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains how they work and when they don't.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here's what's ahead "On the Rundown."
The U.S. has more than 100 nuclear power plants. We're going to talk to an expert about emergency plans in case a large earthquake were to strike here.
Plus, how much radiation have some of the folks living near the Japanese plants been exposed to? Our Elizabeth Cohen, she's going to put that into perspective.
And three, elderly survivors found trapped in a car 20 hours after the tsunami hit.
And, how you can help the victims of Japan's worst disaster in 50 years.
Well, a second explosion at one of Japan's nuclear power plants is adding to the concerns about possible radiation exposure. Officials say that the explosion didn't damage the reactor or cause any significant release of radiation. But Japan has been handing out iodine tablets to minimize exposure.
Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports from Japan on how the pills work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the big concerns is that the thyroid gland in particular can take up this radioactive iodine. This is sort of a simple yet important concept that if you give a stable iodine, in this case, potassium iodine, you're sort of flooding the thyroid gland with the stable component. And even if there is an exposure to this radioactive element, it doesn't get taken up by the thyroid because the thyroid's all full of normal stable iodine. That's sort of the theory here.
It seems to work pretty well. It's just simple iodine tablets, potassium iodine tablets. Now that's not going to work after someone has already been exposed. That's not necessarily going to protect people against other effects of radiation poisoning and that's not obviously protect them against some the acute effects, the nausea, the vomiting, the skin changes, the effects on the bone marrow.
But again, this something that seems to be pretty effective against one of the most disastrous potential complications due to radiation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now the damage to Japan's nuclear plants naturally brings to mind other disasters involving nuclear facilities. For instance the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. It is considered the worst nuclear accident in history. Large amounts of radiation were released into the environment.
In this country, the accident at Three-Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania involves a partial meltdown. Now that happened back in 1976. Joining us to help put the situation in Japan into context is Nils Diaz. He is managing director of the ND2 group, it's an expert and policy adviser group on nuclear power development. He's also a former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Mr. Diaz, thank you for joining us here. First of all, just explain to us, how does this compare to what we've seen in the past? A Chernobyl or a Three-Mile Island. Put this into context.
NILS DIAZ, FORMER NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN: Well, I believe it is a smaller accident, it's slowly evolving in many ways. That is very good. In no way this can be compared to Chernobyl. There's no resemblance in the reactor. Chernobyl was a (INAUDIBLE) reactor, essentially a coal reactor that burned.
The accident in three-mile island is a little more comparable, but evolved much more rapidly. It was due -- both of them -- Three-Mile Island and Chernobyl due to human errors and equipment failures, while the accidents in Japan are actually due to massive damage from a tsunami that followed that earthquake.
And in the sense, I believe that this is a contained accident. And I believe they are successfully and slowly progressing on containing the accident on the way it should be contained, the way that the reactors were designed.
MALVEAUX: So what about if you -- on the scale of one to seven, I understand that's used here in terms of radiation exposure and how dangerous this is to folks around it.
How would you rate it?
DIAZ: Well, I still rate it low. I mean, it's obviously there is some radiation --
MALVEAUX: What number would you put it?
DIAZ: If seven is the maximum, I mean, this is the -- you're using the IAEA scale, I'd probably a two or a three. Yes. That's probably where it should be at the moment and it probably will decrease.
I do expect that the prevailing winds that have been discussed will be taking in the radiation away from Japan. These are small amounts of radiations. We are not really talking about huge amounts, but it still is a concern. Something we need to deal with, something we need to take care of.
MALVEAUX: Mr. Diaz, I know there other analysts who put it somewhere around four or five. You put it relatively low at two. Can you explain why?
DIAZ: Well, I guess it's just I have been dealing with this all of my life and the reason is I don't see significant concentrations of (INAUDIBLE) of iodine. I know, there is some radio activity always in this team (ph) from nitrogen and some from (INAUDIBLE), which are two very mild isotopes -- the existing natures. And the other ones are in small concentrations that have been coming out. So there a small amount of particulate bur it's not a significant radioactive release, certainly not a large release.
MALVEAUX: OK. And is there any danger that any of this release, this radiation, could travel whether the weather could actually be downwind to folks in the United States, Hawaii, Guam, even reach the west coast at some point?
DIAZ: Well, it certainly could travel a significant distance. But, the more it travels, the more it disburses. The less of a risk it becomes because we started with a small radioactive release, must have been what we call control, meaning they are actually releasing it when they want to, not when the plant wants to do it. They're actually controlling when it happens.
MALVEAUX: OK. Mr. Diaz, we're going to talk to you later in the show, as well. We're going to talk about more details involving the accident in Japan, as well as what we're re seeing here in the United States.
DIAZ: Sure.
MALVEAUX: I appreciate your time and stick with us.
Picking up the pieces after what is being called the biggest tragedy for Japan since World War II. Our "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" is covering all of the angles of this disaster. That's 9:00 Eastern.
And in the aftermath of the killer earthquake and tsunami, a look at how the country will cope in the days and weeks ahead. Anderson Cooper live in the quake zone with the latest tonight at 10:00 Eastern.
Japan's disaster obviously overshadowing the violence that is happening in Libya still. But we want to keep you informed because as Gaddafi's forces take back more territory from those rebels, we're going to have a live report from the war zone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Checking other top stories. Investigators are focusing on the driver and the bus company in this weekend's deadly crash in New York. At least 15 people died after the driver lost control of a tour bus overturned early Saturday. Passengers were coming back from a casino and records show that the company Worldwide Travel has been cited five times for driver fatigue and involved in two other crashes in the last two years.
Well, a state of emergency in Oklahoma where wildfires have burned thousands of acres and destroyed at least 40 homes. Emergency management officials say it could have been much, much worse. Most of the fires are now contained.
To Libya now, Moammar Gadhafi's forces have been regaining towns from the opposition. A significant offensive is reportedly happening today. Senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi.
Ben, what do we know? How -- what are you hearing from the opposition?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, it appears that they've managed to stop at least temporarily, the advance by the Libyan government forces at the town of Brega, where there's that very large and important oil refinery and natural gas processing plant. This after the Libyan forces were able to take the town of Ras Lanuf and move many miles up the road in the direction of Benghazi.
What we've seen today when we tried to go to the front is that the opposition forces seem to finally beginning to get a little more organized in terms of building up defenses, in terms of unfortunately keeping the media away from the frontlines.
They now say they're worried that the reports and video coming out of the media from the frontlines is provided useful intelligence for Libyan forces. So, just to repeat, it appears that the Libyan advance has been stopped at least temporarily in Brega. That town itself seems to be the scene of intense fighting and it's not clear who actually controls it at this point -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Ben, is it fair to say in Libya right now that the rebel forces, the opposition forces are losing ground? That they are losing this battle against Gadhafi and the official government there?
WEDEMAN: Certainly when you consider that they're incredibly out- gunned by the government forces. And the government forces have gained territory not only in the east, but also in the west. In Zawiyah, it appears that they're now in control of that town. They continued to besiege Misrata, also in the west.
So they're making progress and we hear time and time again from the anti-Gadhafi fighters that they desperately need some sort of no-fly zone. They're increasingly angry, Suzanne, because they say they revolted against the dictator, they're calling for democracy and freedom and the free countries of the west seems to be ignoring their plight -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Ben Wedemen, thank you very much.
The no-fly zone a very controversial proposal in the United States and around the world. And, as Ben Wedeman reports, rebels on the ground, they are very frustrated.
Well, we are seeing fears of radiation exposure in Japan. People who were living around the nuclear power plants are rushing now to get tested. Elizabeth Cohen is going to look at the dangers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: A lot of questions today about how much radiation folks around those crippled nuclear power plants have been exposed to. Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to explain more of that. And, first of all, do we know how much radiation or even the kind of radiation that some of the Japanese have been exposed to so far?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know what? We don't know exactly. And that's one of the many things we don't know.
So we don't know the dosage which is really important when you're trying to figure out the aftereffects. And we don't know exactly what they were exposed to. I think people think of radiation as sort of one thing and it can be lots different things, lots of different of radioactive agents in a plume. So at this point we don't know that.
MALVEAUX: If there people who are exposed to radiation, what should they do?
COHEN: Well, one of the things that they're trying to do now, which is really, really smart is you want to get people out and away from that area as quickly as possible.
In Chernobyl, you saw many, many cases of cancer years later, partially because the Russians at that time didn't want to tell anyone. So nobody moved for three weeks. And so what they're doing now, trying to get people away is so crucial because it's dosage, dosage, dosage. That's what's most important . And you're going to get a much lower dosage of this radiation the further away you go.
MALVEAUX: What are the long-term concerns?
COHEN: The long-term concerns are cancer like we saw in Chernobyl. But, I will say we've been speaking with experts at Georgia Tech, at Columbia, and they really think of this as much more along the lines of a Three-Mile Island than Chernobyl, and maybe not even as big as Three-Mile Island which many people consider not that big at all.
And I think that people -- you know, we need to sort of keep that in mind here. Those are sort of the two precedents for exposures like this and that this is not a Chernobyl-sized exposure. It doesn't mean people aren't in danger, but it is not of that magnitude from what experts tell me.
MALVEAUX: All right. Elizabeth, thank you. COHEN: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: Appreciate it.
About 50 countries around the world offered aid now to Japan and there are ways that you can help as well, the victims of this tragedy.
Our Stephanie Elam, she is here with what you can do.
So, Stephanie, this is the time, you know, when we all are paying attention and we asked ourselves, what, you know, is there anything, anything that we can do to help the folks over there?
What do you have? STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's true, Suzanne. You look at all the pictures we're seeing, you see the devastation. It's too early to know the full impact of the earthquake. But, as you hear the heartbreaking stories that are coming from survivors, it's spurring many of us to give.
And both the American Institute of Philanthropy and Charity Navigator say wait and see. Take a pause here. Because if you give it time to see how the situation develops, you'll probably get a clearer picture of what actually would be helped out by your money. Also, while you may be inclined to give food and supplies, both organizations say give money before anything else. Even if packages could get to the impacted regions, there's chances that no one's actually set up to receive these goods or will be able to even organize and distribute them to the victims, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: So usually when there's a crisis like this, they are newly formed groups, these charities that spring up.
Should you give to those charities?
ELAM: You know, some of them are probably doing some really great work. But the truth is, the best thing to do, Charity Navigator says it, is look for an organization with a proven track record of helping out during these kinds of massive crisis.
Many established organizations like the Red Cross, they already have a presence there in the area so their response will likely be faster than any new organization that comes along. It may not even be in the region yet. You can also find a list of reputable organizations on CNN's Impact Your World page. You can go to CNN.com/impactyourworld to find out information or check out CharityNavigator.org.
Of course you can give to charities right now from your mobile home by texting Red Cross to 90999 and make a $10 donation to the American Red Cross. Same goes for World Vision. Text For Japan to 20222 to donate $10 and it'll show up on your next cell phone bill.
Also, many organizations, they have twitter pages, they have Facebook pages now. They're set up so you can follow them, you can get updates on what their effort are and how you can help out, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Cool. And, Stephanie, I know it's a bummer, it's sad when it happens, but there are always those charity scams that pop up as people try to help in the time of need.
ELAM: Always.
MALVEAUX: I know you're going to have more of that after the break about how you should look out for the possible scams that people might be running by.
Thanks, Steph.
ELAM: Definitely.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: So if you decide to donate to the victims in Japan, how do you make sure, right, that your donation actually is going to make it there?
We're back with Stephanie Elam, and Steph, you know, unfortunately this is one of those unfortunate situations, where people, they pour out their hearts, they open their wallets, their pocketbooks, and then folks want to take advantage of them. You've got these scam artists.
ELAM: Yes. You know, Suzanne, I couldn't hear you for the last second there, but I know what you were talking about because we were talking about it before.
When you look at stuff like this, it's just so sad but true to see. The Center Of Philanthropy at Indiana University says it's usually guaranteed that fraudulent web sites will pop up in the first 24 hours after a disaster. Charity Navigator says the FBI found over 4,000 bogus sites were set up after Hurricane Katrina, just that quickly.
So, definitely. You want to take your time here, you want to do your homework before you give. Be wary of e-mail solicitations from people claiming to be victims looking for money. And also be careful of opening up e-mails with attachments that say they're from the disaster in Japan.
Charity Navigator says you should also hang up if you get any calls from telemarketing companies asking for help. Instead, give directly to the charity.
But, before you donate to any charity, verify that they're actually legit but going directly to the charity's web site as oppose to following a link from another site.
And also, we talked about texting your donations in. But be aware of phony text offers. Same goes for Facebook, same thing with Twitter. All of these options.
After all, the goal here is to help out the people of Japan who so desperately need it, Suzanne, and not really just some scam artist out there who's trying to get over on such a sad situation. Anyway, I can hear you now.
MALVEAUX: Sure. OK, well thanks, Steph. Great advice. Obviously people are going to be paying very close attention to that because you don't want to fall into that trap. You just want to help the folks who are out there.
ELAM: No, not at all.
MALVEAUX: Thanks, Steph. Appreciate it.
ELAM: Yes. Sure.
MALVEAUX: Well, damaged nuclear power plants in Japan. A focal point of concern worldwide. And you've been telling us what you think about it. Our Carol Costello is here with some of your responses on Talk Back.
Carol, what are folks saying?
COSTELLO: People are pretty passionate about this. I think we got 100 comments in about five minutes.
MALVEAUX: You're kidding.
COSTELLO: People are thinking about this issue, Suzanne.
Congressman Edward Markey is calling for a moratorium on new nuclear plants in light of what's happening in Japan. So Talk Back. Should the United States hold off on new construction of nuclear plants?
This from Michael. "I live just 10 miles from a nuclear plant. I don't normally think about it. But this makes you take pause and wonder. Do we not have any other alternatives other than something as hazardous as nuclear energy?"
This from Travis. "The U.S. should continue to press forward to develop nuclear plants. With stringent government regulation, new technology and thorough inspections, nuclear technology is a safe energy source."
This from Luke. "Yes, not because of the potential nuclear meltdowns, but because it will encourage the use of solar energy and other sources of renewable energy."
And this from Patricia. "This tragedy should raise red flags as to the realities of the dangers associated with nuclear power. Mother nature has a way of taking back the power we mistakenly think we wield over our futures."
Please continue to be part of the conversation at facebook.com/carolCNN.
MALVEAUX: Carol, a lot of folks. Thanks. Appreciate it.
COSTELLO: Sure.
MALVEAUX: We're going to have more of Talk Back. But amazing stories, also, of survival that are pouring out of Japan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Someone shouts, there is still another person. They ask self-defense force troops to help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Trapped in a car for 20 hours. We're going to see how this one played out on Japanese television.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Rescue stories are reminding people that holding out hope for loved ones in Japan not to give up. Like this one, elderly people trapped in a car for 20 hours until they were spotted from above.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Suddenly there was activity on the road. Someone shouts, there is still another person. They ask self-defense force troops to help.
There were survivors in the car.
An elderly person had been stuck in this car.
The person was rescued safely 10 minutes later.
It turned out there were three elderly people.
The car had been covered in mud and debris and they could not get out and for 20 hours they were trapped in the car.
This woman says that she was washed away by the waves and that she was afraid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
