no running water, and very little food. the disaster in japan is threefold. humanitarian and economic, but also nuclear. after several explosions at a nuclear reactor increased the threat of meltdown. we ll get the latest from the earthquake zone at the top of the show. plus, the nuclear crisis. can meltdown be avoided? what meltdown fears in japan mean for nuclear energy here in america. and later, the relief effort, overwhelming in a country that hasn t seen this level of hardship since world war ii. we begin with alex thompson of britain s channel 4. he joins us from sendai, japan. alex, tell us what you ve seen over there. it s quite dramatic. reporter: i ve covered disasters around the world and wars for 22 years. i ve never seen anything quite on the scale of this. let me give you just one example of a town that we went to. you walk in, you can t drive, but you walk in to a place which has been completely pulverized. you might see one or two buildings which are made o