japan caused by friday's massive earthquake and tsunami. here's the latest. japan has now upgraded the quake to a magnitude 9. more than 1400 people are confirmed dead, with fears the toll could surge past 10,000. authorities say there is a risk of another nuclear reactor explosion, but u.s. officials say there is no radiation threat to the west coast. dent all along the we have correspondents all along the earthquake zone tonight and we begin with ben tracey in tokyo. >> reporter: the port town of minamisanriku on the northeastern coast is nearly wiped out and in the area near there authorities now fear 10,000 people may be dead. when the ominous black sea attacked this island nation friday, it left behind a massive trail of destruction that is getting worse by the hour. an oil refinery in the quake zone is simply being left to burn down. there is nobody to fight the fire. entire towns are flattened, others still smoldering. most roads in coastal areas now useless. nothing, not cars, not boats, is where it should be. >> this woman at one of dozens of makeshift shelters said "my home is gone completely and it is dangerous to go back there." yet people are being saved. these three pulled from a car. they had been stuck for more than 20 hours. this 60-year-old man was found clinging to what was left of his roof. he had been floating nine miles out to sea for two days. some barely cheated death. this man jumped in a cab, telling the driver to outrun the oncoming tsunami. >> he wanted to stop at stop signs and i kept yelling "go, you don't have to stop, don't rrrry, go, go, go." >> all along the coast conditions in cities and towns are becoming dire. 1.4 million households are without water. 2 million without power. food and gasoline are running out. the prime minister is now calling this japan's biggest crisis since world war ii, but he is still optimistic, saying "i'm very confident that the japanese people will come together and overcome this difficulty." it will take sacrifice. the government is now rationing electricity. rolling blackouts begin tomorrow, including in tokyo. also here in tokyo today, the stock market is expected to reopen for the first time since the quake hit. now once it does, it is widely expected to plummet. and that will be a blow to an economy here in japan that was fragile even before this disaster. russ. >> mitchell: ben tracy in tokyo. thank you. >> of great concern tonight japan's quake damaged nuclear plants. officials say there have been partial meltdowns at two crippled reactors. problems were reported at two more facilities. celia hatton in fukushima has the latest. >> fukushima's nuclear complex came to grips with a grim reality today. officials admitted seven damaged reactors are teetering on the edge of a possible meltdown. the complex is broken into two sections. dai-ini with four faulty reactors and dai-ichi with three damaged reactors out of six. the outer casing of dai-ichi's first reactor exploded saturday, but it's now dai-ichi's third reactor that poses the biggest danger. but officials say a problem at any of the reactors could set off a disastrous chain of events. >> there is still a possibility of explosion, says cabinet secretary yukio edano. while the picture painted is frightening, for many on the ground this blunt talk is a welcome break from the often conflicting information put out by agencies since the quake hit. they also seem to have no clear idea of how many people have been affected by the radiation, while reassuring people the radiation is not life threatening. >> "we were frightened, but the radiation turned out to be nothing to worry about," says this father visiting an evacuation center. others are more nervous. while the nuclear disaster dominates headlines, they'll do anything to get away. three days have passed since the nuclear plant was first damaged in the quake. its decline has led to growing anxiety, culminating in a three- hour wait to leave the area. while nearly 200,000 people have been evacuated from the area, some are staying put for now. celia hatton, fukushima, japan. >> mitchell: one big worry for officials: water levels have dropped so much inside two of the reactors as that parts of the uranium filled fuel rods are exposed. in the worst-case scenario that could contribute to a meltdown. but what exactly does that mean? even two days after they shut down, fukushima's reactors are still generating heat. >> from the nuclear fuel rods. it's much like if you have an electric stove and immediately turn it off-- if you put your hand on the stove you will not be very happy. uranium pellets are inside the long fuel rods. if the reactor is not cooled properly, the tubes can fall apart, with the radioactive material falling to the bottom. >> it's like a car accident. it can be a fender-bender all the way up to a major collision. so when you talk about fuel melting, you can have just a few pellets melt or you can have a large number of pellets to melt. >> mitchell: the key issue is whether the reactors are being adequately cooled with water. if not, melting could begin. >> when the fuel melts, it will flow like wax into the bottom of the reactor vessel head. and if there is water there, it will solidify and freeze. end of story. >> mitchell: fears of a radiological release are legitimate, but kadak says no one should imagine a mushroom cloud. >> we're just hypothesizing. the releases will occur when the plant decides to open the reactor containment to relieve the pressure. >> mitchell: experts say the situation at fukushima is similar to what happened at the three mile island nuclear plant in pennsylvania in 1979. >> there was a considerable melting of the core, but essentially all of the material was contained in the concrete containment. namely, very little of it was released. >> mitchell: unlike volcano dust, which can be carried long distances by winds, the nuclear regulatory commission says the west coast of the u.s. is not in danger. >> even if there were a significant release, it would be dispersed probably before it came to the united states. but at the present time, it seems unlikely that there will be a major radioactive release. >> mitchell: former n.r.c. chairman klein says, as long as the reactor core is covered and cooling, fukushima is less threatening to the public every day that goes by. in the streets of northern japan, there is seemingly no end to the chaos and suffering in the wake of the earthquake. bill whitaker is in hard-hit sendai near the epicenter of the quake where it is already monday morning. bill, good morning to you. >> reporter: hello, russ. this is a cliche but here so fitting. this looks like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie, but sadly here it's all too real. sendai, the center of destruction from the earthquake and tsunami, is now the center of suffering and misery. the devastation is breathtaking, wreckage, debris, mud as far as the eye can see. the horror compounded by fires erupting everywhere. this is also the center of the nation's hope for survivors still being pulled from the muck. this woman trapped in a car for 20 hours. earlier, these preschool children and their teacher rescued from the water by soldiers, one by one. this is a nation of survivors. this may look like a lake, but it's actually a main thoroughfare through the city of sendai. people are walking and riding through here, as if lost. this man lost his wife. he is smiling because he just got word she might have ridden out the quake and the tsunami on an upper floor of the airport. he's off to find her. this man's house is half filled with muddy water, his business washed away. "it's unbelievable," he says. "i never experienced such an earthquake." few places in the world have experienced such an earthquake. first the earth here shook then was flooded, then last night, the sky was ablaze from this massive fire at the port. tens of thousands are being housed and fed in city-run shelters, but there's hardship even here. food rations are only going to children and seniors over 75, says this woman. still today, the electricity is off for more than half a million households and businesses. there are still no phones, no water. what they do have plenty of is aftershocks and fear. some of the aftershocks are major earthquakes in their own right, six and above on the richter scale. when we got here yesterday, we saw people running for higher ground. there had been an aftershock and people feared another tsunami. that's a reflex reaction here now. russ. >> mitchell: bill, we see this destruction behind you, that is incredible. i know you have been traveling for about the last 36 hours through the country. give us an idea of some of the other things you've seen. >> reporter: well, sadly, what you see here is only just, you know, we're just looking at just one portion. if we were able to turn this camera all around you would see this everywhere. people are walking through streets that are full of water. looks like, they look like lakes, but actually they are main thoroughfares going through the city. people are still walking around in a daze. they can't quite believe what they are seeing. and truly, being here, we can't believe it ourselves either. >> mitchell: bill whitaker in sendai, japan. thank you so much. and still ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news", first the rain, now the floods. swollen rivers force hundreds to higher ground. >> mitchell: americans in some 23 states, from the nation's midsection through the east coast, are under flood warnings from heavy rains and melting snow. one of the hardest-hit states is new jersey, where jay dow is standing right in the middle of it in the town of lincoln park tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, russ. where we are standing right now was dry and considered high ground just two days ago. and it will be another few days before homeowners can put away their boats and hip waders to begin a costly cleanup. river edge road in lincoln park, new jersey, is now part of the pompton river. streets, vehicles, basements and living rooms in this neighborhood are under three to five feet of water. >> the thing is being this close to the river... >> reporter: lifelong resident chris briton, who took us out for a tour on his boat, says for many residents here, rain over the last few weeks has left their lives in shambles. >> hot water heaters are done, furnaces are all off. the hardest part of it when it floods is that the water is coming up, you just don't know where it's going to stop the next time. >> reporter: about 2,000 homes have already been evacuated in new jersey. over the last 30 days, much of the eastern seaboard, from massachusetts to mississippi, has seen anywhere from six to ten inches of rain. >> looks like for the next week to ten days we are going to get a break from the heavy rainfall systems and that will give these rivers a chance to drop back below the flood stage level, so some good news. >> reporter: it certainly will be in lincoln park, where these days residents are stranded in homes that seem more like houseboats. or found new ways to commute. >> we would like to live here. if it continues to like this, who knows. >> reporter: homeowners say they are troubled by the severity and the frequency of the flooding. and many families don't know how many more times they can continue starting from scratch, throwing away everything year after year. >> it's a little rough, every year. people can't do it. you just can't afford to do it. >> reporter: homeowners say part of the reason they can't afford it is because flood insurance is expensive to carry and does not cover everything. each flood taking a greater financial and emotional toll. russ. >> mitchell: jay dow in lincoln park, new jersey. thank you very much. just ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news", rebel retreat. pro-qaddafi forces take back more territory in libya. libya. >> mitchell: in libya, forces loyal to moammar qaddafi racked up another success against the rebels. pushing eastward along the coast, they seized the oil town of brega and headed for the last remaining rebel stronghold of benghazi. mark phillips has more. >> reporter: the anti-qaddafi rebels never had much serious military equipment, and a lot of what they did have now lies destroyed along the roadside-- evidence of a retreat that threatens to become a rout. the government advance has now moved past ras lanuf on to brega, the road towards benghazi seemed lightly defended as well. there is nothing the rebels with their light weapons can do to stop the qaddafi advance. the arab league has called for a no-fly zone, but for those anti- qaddafi forces it may already be too late. >> i expect he will kill people today. he will kill a lot of people. we don't have heavy weapons. >> reporter: this is the furthest point of advance of the anti-qaddafi rebels. the town of ajdabiyah. the only evidence they were here is a shot-up police station they had presumably occupied. the town itself is completely empty. the only sign of this conflict are some celebrating pro qaddafi soldiers. these are trophy towns the regime is now showing off. dusty places full of flattened buildings where the rebel positions once were. a libyan army spokesman today said benghazi is next, but that a major assault won't be needed. >> these are very limited people and will not require a full military scale operation. >> reporter: but that's just what the people of benghazi fear. >> when qaddafi comes here, no libyan will be left. all of them will be dead. >> reporter: mark phillips, cbs news, tripoli. >> mitchell: secretary of state hillary clinton plans to meet with libyan rebel leaders on a trip that will take her to paris tonight, then on to egypt and tunisia. wyatt andrews is traveling with secretary clinton. >> reporter: for secretary clinton, it's a trip to the great unknown. she will meet the libyan opposition this week, although what the u.s. might offer and which rebel leaders she should see has the state department working overtime. >> because we know that there are some with whom we want to be allied and others with whom we would not. >> reporter: the secretary starts her week in paris, facing international pressure for a libyan no-fly zone. clinton has been skeptical, saying even with international backing, it's the u.s. that takes all the risks. >> it's easy for people to say "do this, do that," and then they turn and say "okay, u.s., go do it, you take the consequences if something bad happened." >> reporter: but the other great unknown for clinton will be her trip to cairo as the first secretary of state in 30 years to visit an egypt not ruled by hosni mubarak. she will meet the military council that's in charge for now, and meet a group of young revolutionaries, but again, who exactly. >> who do you bring in to sit down across the table? >> reporter: what she means is that very few of the protest leaders from tahrir square have emerged as political leaders. >> it is a mishmash of different groups, and they'll need to coalesce into something coherent if they're going to lead the transition to democracy. >> mitchell: as she heads to egypt, clinton hopes the u.s. will be well-received. >> they're looking to us, and i think that is a good thing. and we need to be there to help them. >> mitchell: but a good reception in cairo will not be automatic. even those egyptians that see america's support as crucial right now will also remember that america helped fund mubarak and his repressions for almost 30 years. wyatt andrews, cbs news, washington. >> mitchell: and just ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news", a top state department official loses his job in a wikileaks plot. plot. >> mitchell: before leaving for europe and the middle east, secretary of state clinton today accepted the resignation of her chief spokesman. he was forced out over comments about the man accused of leaking top secret documents to wikileaks. witt johnson has more. >> reporter: state department spokesman p.j. crowley's decision to step down came just three days after calling the treatment of the suspected wikileaks leaker ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid. private bradley manning is being held in solitary confinement at a marine corps brig in virginia. each night he is stripped naked, then wears a suicide-proof smock to bed. the 23-year-old military analyst faces a slew of charges relating to the largest document leak in american history. crowley's remarks put him in direct confrontation with the pentagon. that prompted a response from president obama at a friday press conference. >> with respect to private manning, you know, i have actually asked the pentagon whether or not the procedures that have been taken in terms of his confinement are appropriate and are meeting our basic standards. they assured me that they are. >> reporter: crowley wrote in his resignation letter, "my recent comments were intended to highlight the broader, even strategic impact of discreet actions undertaken by national security agencies every day. given the impact of my remarks for which i take full responsibility, i have submitted my resignation." crowley also raised eyebrows with reports of this tweet comparing the devastation in japan to the unrest in the middle east. secretary of state hillary clinton said this about crowley's departure. "it is with regret that i have accepted the resignation of philip j. crowley. p.j. has served our nation with distinction for more than three decades. i wish him the very best." crowley rarely traveled with secretary clinton, and sources say they weren't close. crowley's interim replacement michael hammer, former national security spokesman, is considered the top contender for the position. >> mitchell: witt johnson in washington. thank you. and we'll be back. >> mitchell: and finally this evening, satellite images out today taken over japan before and after friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami reveal the scope of the damage. this is the before and after view of the now heavily damaged fukushima nuclear plant. other images like these show how a landscape of homes and green fields has simply been wiped out. the same is true in sendai where the once brightly covered roofs of homes have been replaced by a sea of mud. meanwhile, in miyagai, the coastline and valley once easily definable, are now simply covered in muck and destruction. nothing remains. and that is the "cbs evening news." i'm russ mitchell in new york. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org t wgbh access.wgbh.org derails... and dozens of riders are forced to evacuate. why the morning commute could still feel the effects. new video of the destructive tsunami is released...as japan upgrades its earthquake to a nine-point-oh...and struggles to contain a nucelar crisis. and help arrives in japan from the u-s... how california search and rescue crews will aid with the recovery. cbs 5 eyewitness news is next. good evening, i'm ann help arrives in japan. how search and rescue crews are aid ,,