First came the earthquake, then the tsunami. Now Japan faces a nuclear power-plant crisis.
A new crisis is troubling Japan. Millions of Japanese were already struggling with the effects of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the country on Friday, March 11. Now problems at a nuclear power plant are adding more worries.
Japan’s nuclear power plants make energy that lights homes and streets and runs factories. The power is created inside reactors. Reactors are like giant pots of hot boiling water that create steam to run a turbine. In turn, that creates power.
Fuel inside the reactors also produces radiation. That is a kind of energy. Low levels of radiation are safe. For example, X-ray machines use radiation. However, too much radiation can be very dangerous to people’s health.
When the earthquake hit, it damaged cooling systems in the reactors inside the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan. That damage made it harder to keep the reactors at the right temperature. Soon after, explosions and fires broke out in the plant. The explosion meant that dangerous levels of radiation could begin to enter the environment.
Emergency workers have been working at the plant since Friday, trying to keep the reactors at the right temperature. If the temperature gets too high, even more radiation could escape. That could be very dangerous for many people.
On Wednesday, workers had to leave the plant because radiation levels rose. But they returned on Wednesday night after the radiation returned to a safer level.
Meanwhile, the people in the earthquake-stricken area in northeastern Japan are having a difficult time. There is little food and clean water, though help is coming in. Outside temperatures have dipped, and snow has fallen in many areas. Police say more than 450,000 people are in temporary shelters. Many are sleeping on the floor in school gymnasiums.
With all of these problems, the nation faces the enormous task of cleaning up and rebuilding. Japan’s emperor spoke to the people of his country on Wednesday. “It is important that each of us shares the difficult days that lie ahead,” said Emperor Akihito, who rarely makes public speeches. “I pray that we will all take care of each other and overcome this tragedy.”
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