The earthquake and tsunami that wrecked Japan just one week ago have left a mark so visible on Japan that it feels as though the pair of natural disasters happened just five minutes ago.
The country is in a state of shock as some towns have been ravaged while others have been completely wiped out.
Rescue teams are still scouring the country to find survivors. As of Friday morning, there are still 10,259 people confirmed to be missing. In addition, a total of 6,406 people have been announced as killed by the earthquake and tsunami.
To make matters worse, the Japanese are also fending off a potential nuclear meltdown. With numerous problems occurring at their nuclear power plants, radiation levels in the country are much higher than they should ever be.
President Barack Obama of the United States spoke on the matter on Thursday.
Obama said that what is happening to Japan and the Japanese people is heartbreaking.
He also said that he is going to work as hard as he can to help the Japanese recover and regroup.
Obama then assured many worried Americans that the radiation levels are not going to affect the United States. Scientifically speaking, it simply will not be an issue for Americans.
Obama said, “Whether it’s the West Coast, Hawaii, Alaska, or US territories in the Pacific, we do not expect harmful levels of radiation. That’s the judgment of our Nuclear Regulatory Commission and many other experts.”
Obama also verified that the United States has sent over troops and rescue teams to help with the recovery effort. In addition, Obama said, “To date, we have flown hundreds of missions to support the recovery efforts and distributed thousands of pounds of food and water.”
Obama said that the United States is not going to leave the side of Japan in their urgent time of need. He told the Japanese, “Please know that America will stand by one of its greatest allies during this time of need. Because of the strength and wisdom of its peoples, we know that Japan will recover and indeed will emerge stronger than ever.”
As the death count keeps rising and the threat of a nuclear meltdown continues to be ever too real, the Japanese people can be assured that in addition to the hard work of their government, they also have the United States and other members of the United Nations looking out for them.
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