Japan: More than 400,000 people have entered evacuation facilities after quake & tsunami tragedy by NHK World / Kyodo News 11:57pm 13th Mar, 2011   March 14, 2011    Over 10,000 deaths feared in Miyagi prefecture alone, nuclear crisis continues. (Kyodo News)    The death toll from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern and eastern Japan will likely surpass 10,000 in Miyagi Prefecture, the police chief said as Japan grapples with widespread damage and a crisis at one of two affected nuclear plants. The number of people who have died or remained unaccounted for now exceeds 20,000.    Japanese authorities scrambled to avert a nuclear disaster, injecting seawater into overheating reactors and inside a nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.    Some 80,000 people joined more than 450,000 other evacuees from quake- and tsunami-affected regions by moving out of a 20-kilometer radius from the plant after its reactors partially melted.    The magnitude of the biggest recorded quake was revised upward the same day from 8.8 to 9.0, making it one of the largest in history, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, adding that aftershocks are likely.    "This is the toughest crisis in Japan"s 65 years of postwar history," Prime Minister Naoto Kan told an evening press conference on Sunday, adding, however, "I"m convinced that we can overcome the crisis."    "We have no choice but to deal with the situation on the premise that it (the death toll) will undoubtedly be numbered in the tens of thousands," Naoto Takeuchi, head of the Miyagi prefectural police, said.    At the Fukushima nuclear plant, the radiation levels exceeded legal limits. Electric power shortages across the country could last until the end of April.    *For regular daily news updates on the quake from Japan visit Kyodo News. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/japan_quake/    Mar 13, 2011    More than 400,000 evacuees in northeastern Japan are taking shelter at schools and other public institutions.    NHK has learned that over 400,000 people were taking refuge at around 1,850 evacuation centers as of Sunday. But officials in devastated areas are unable to confirm the true number of evacuees. They are facing extreme cold at night as the heating systems are short of fuel.    The Japanese government estimates that more than 46,000 homes and buildings were damaged by the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan on Friday.    The National Police Agency says the quake also caused damage to roads and bridges in at least 600 locations. The quake also caused landslides at 66 locations in 7 prefectures.    March 11, 2011    Massive quake hits northeastern Japan    A massive earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on Friday. Authorities are warning Pacific coastal areas to be on the alert for possible tsunami of up to 10 meters high.    Japan"s Meteorological Agency says the quake is the most powerful one to hit the country since record-keeping began in the late 19th century.    The quake struck at 2:46 PM local time, off the Pacific coast of Miyagi Prefecture. Strong tremors were felt hundreds of kilometers away, including in Tokyo.    Several magtitude-7-class aftershocks continued off the Pacific coast.    The Meteorological Agency has issued major tsunami warnings to broad areas, from Hokkaido in the north, to Tokushima in the west. The agency says these areas could see water levels surge by more than 10 meters.    According to electric power companies, 4.4 million households in northeastern Japan are without power. Nearly 4-million more households are also under a blackout in the Tokyo Metropolitan area.    The Meteorological Agency is warning of more possible tsunami and aftershocks. It says people in areas where major tsunami warnings are in effect should evacuate to safer ground.    * Visit NHK, the Japanese national broadcaster for ongoing news coverage of the unfolding situation. Visit the related web page
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