Meltdown!: The Nuclear Disaster in Japan and Our Energy Future

Japan. March 11, 2011. 2:46 P.M. The biggest earthquake in Japan's history--and one of the world's five most powerful since 1900--devastated the Tohoku region, 320 kilometers (200 miles) northeast of Tokyo. It triggered a huge tsunami that left crippling damage in its wake. More than 13,000 people drowned, and thousands of buildings and homes were reduced to rubble. As people assessed the damage, they made the most frightening discovery of all: the Fukushima #1 nuclear power plant was seriously damaged and three of its six reactors were heading for meltdowns. Workers tried desperately--but unsuccessfully--to save them. Explosions and fires released radioactivity into the air. Within days the Japanese government declared a 20-kilometer (12-mile) evacuation zone.