Saturday, March 19, 2011

Fallout from Japan's earthquake continues to plague the country.

News from Japan about the victims of the earthquake and tsunami is being overshadowed by the potenential nuclear disaster that comes from four nuclear reactors damaged from the wave of water.

Power from backup generators at the Fukoshima reactors was cut off when the tsunami flooded equipment and rendered them useless.

Over the last week the reactor cores heated up and explosions from built- up hydrogen gas damaged the containment buildings, releasing dangerous levels of radiation to the surrounding areas.

Attempts to cool the reactors with sea water sprayed from fire hoses has done little to stop the nuclear material from melting down.

Finally on Saturday an electric cable connecting power from several kilometers away was connected to the power grid for the plants, giving the plant workers hope for restarting the pumps.

The damage to the reactors is still not completely known, and time is still of the essence in keeping radiation from spreading further into the country.

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