what is really the health hazard in Japan now?

from BBC this morning - About 850,000 households in the north are still without electricity in near-freezing weather, Tohuku Electric Power Co has said, and the government says at least 1.5 million households lack running water. Heavy snow is also affecting parts of the north-east and hampering rescue efforts.

850000 households without electric, the other 40,000 or so households without houses in snow and near freezing weather Add in the 1.5 million without water, lack of food, lack of warm clothing etc in the northern areas - this is a present catastrophe, no speculation needed.

each household has probably 2 - 2.5 persons on average - this is a lot of people, at least 3.5 milion, who are at risk NOW.

the human catastrophe of the quake and tsunami is real and now - the radiation, while terrifying as to the area it might impact and the time it will remain in the ground, water etc should there be such a catastrophe, is not now, not sure and, for the people NOW at risk, it might never even matter, since they will probably die before it ever happens if they dont get help NOW.

a couple of other ways to donate -

http://www.mybanktra...tsunami-relief/

I just got a email notice from Amex who has set up a page too-

https://www212.ameri...000d0faad94RCRD

and for the mobile pohne crowd -

http://blogs.forbes....-quake-victims/

curent radiation readings -

http://www.mext.go.j...303727_05_1.pdf

from bbc again - 1512: Professor Gerry Thomas, the director of the Chernobyl tissue bank from Imperial College London, says too much emphasis is being put on the nuclear issue. "I think we're getting an accurate picture as far as the radiological alarm is concerned. What concerns me most is that we're actually focusing on the wrong disaster. The real disaster is the tsunami and the number of people who've lost their lives that way. We're focusing on a disaster that isn't a disaster."

even more tasteless than the EU tax-man energy minister:

1637: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that the most important policy priority for Japan now was to restore economic growth as quickly as possible, reports Reuters.