Japan Trying to Contain Reactor with Water Drops

A steady stream of Japanese military helicopters dumped water onto the dangerous Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant’s damaged reactors Thursday, as the U.S. authorized the first evacuations of Americans out of the country.

It wasn’t initially clear whether or not the water drops succeeded in cooling down the reactors, the first line of defense in preventing a full-scale nuclear meltdown. Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the facility, said radiation levels had remained the same since the operations were completed, Kyodo News reported.

Three twin-rotor CH-47 Chinooks from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces were used in the operation, working to drop seawater on the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors.

The U.S. decision to evacuate citizens from Japan shows a tougher stand on the deepening nuclear crisis. The State Department warned U.S. citizens to defer all non-essential travel to any part of the country as unpredictable weather and wind conditions risked spreading radioactive contamination, The Associated Press reported.

The travel warning extends to U.S. citizens already in the country and urges them to consider leaving. The authorized departure offers voluntary evacuation to family members and dependents of U.S. personnel in Tokyo, Yokohama and Nagoya and affects some 600 people.

Senior State Department official Patrick Kennedy said chartered planes will be brought in to help private American citizens wishing to leave. People face less risk in southern Japan, but changing weather and wind conditions could raise radiation levels elsewhere in the coming days, he said.