Japan's Cascading Crises

The latest news from the country reeling from a humanitarian, economic, and nuclear disaster.

The Japanese government has sent 100,000 troops to areas devastated by Friday’s earthquake and tsunami to begin relief efforts, digging out bodies from the rubble using chainsaws and pickaxes. Officials in Miyagi prefecture said at least 1,000 bodies had washed up on the region’s coastline and more than 10,000 people were believed to have died in the one province alone, likely pushing the nationwide death toll to well over the 10,000 currently estimated. The demand for body bags and coffins is so high the government has requested assistance from foreign funeral homes. Thousands of people remain missing, and millions of survivors are without electricity or running water.

A second explosion hit the Fukushima nuclear power plant Monday but officials said the reactor had not been damaged. Eleven workers were injured in the blast, which occurred in the No. 3 reactor. An explosion hit the No. 1 reactor Saturday, and the cooling system in the No. 2 reactor has failed, leading to fears of a third explosion. Elevated levels of radiation had been detected in the area but officials said a large-scale radiation leak was unlikely. Experts say the release of radioactive steam from the plant could continue for months as the plant’s operators have little choice but to continue attempting to cool the reactors with injections of sea water, necessitating the periodic venting of steam.

The estimated cost of the damage caused by the earthquake is believed to be at least CDN$170 billion, dealing a huge blow to Japan’s economy, which was the third largest in the world before the disaster and was on the road to recovery after the 2008 economic crisis. The country’s stock exchange plunged Monday with a huge selloff of stock worth CDN$287 billion.

In a rare piece of good news from the country, a 60-year-old man was rescued after he was found floating on the roof of his house 16 km out to sea. He had returned to his home to retrieve something when the tsunami hit and washed him out into the ocean. His wife remains missing.

A seven-member contingent of the Canadian Medical Assistance Teams left from B.C. Sunday, headed to Japan with tonnes of medical supplies, water purification systems, and trauma kits. The volunteer organization will be on the first wave of international aid workers arriving in the northern part of the country, and intends to work near the hard-hit city of Sendai.

So far 69 countries have offered Japan humanitarian assistance, and 11 countries have sent Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams, including the U.S., U.K., and Mexico. Japan’s own USAR team was in New Zealand aiding in relief efforts in earthquake-struck Christchurch when the disaster hit.

And finally, the New York Times has posted an incredible interactive map of satellite photos showing the extent of the damage caused by the twin disaster.