HTH -- Haiti Earthquake

March 21, 2011. Power restored to three reactors in Japan, workers temporarily evacuated after smoke release

SOURCE: Altegrity Risk International

Officials restored electricity to three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant damaged by fires, explosions, and radiation leaks after the March 11th 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami, reports indicated on March 21st. While power was restored, cooling systems did not immediately resume operations. The International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) said the situation remained "very serious;" some workers were temporarily evacuated on March 21st after smoke was seen rising from reactor No 3. Officials said the smoke appeared to come from a pool where spent fuel rods were kept, although radiation levels did not appear to rise significantly. The official death toll from the disaster rose to 8,450 with nearly 13,000 people still missing. Bad weather on March 21st hampered rescue and recovery efforts. About 350,000 people remained in evacuation centers in northern and eastern Japan, while some 900,000 households were without water.

Government officials, meanwhile, ordered a halt to some food shipments from the four prefectures around the Fukushima power plant (Fukushima Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, and Fukushima) as concerns of radioactive poisoning rose. Villagers living near the plant were told not to drink tap water. On March 19th and 20th officials found that spinach and milk produced near the plant had levels of radioactive iodine higher than the legal limits. The World Health Organization (WHO) said it had found no evidence that contaminated food reached other countries, although China, Taiwan, and South Korea announced plans to tighten checks on Japanese imports.