Over the last several days, the American people have been both heartbroken and deeply concerned about the developments in Japan.
We’ve seen an earthquake and tsunami render unimaginable -- an unimaginable toll of death and destruction on one of our closest friends and allies in the world. And we’ve seen this powerful natural disaster cause even more catastrophe through its impact on nuclear reactors that bring peaceful energy to the people of Japan.
First, we are bringing all available resources to bear to closely monitor the situation, and to protect American citizens who may be in harm’s way. Even as Japanese responders continue to do heroic work, we know that the damage to the nuclear reactors in Fukushima Daiichi plant poses a substantial risk to people who are nearby. That is why, we have called for an evacuation of American citizens who are within 50 miles of the plant. This decision was based upon a careful scientific evaluation and the guidelines that we would use to keep our citizens safe here in the United States, or anywhere in the world.
Beyond this 50-mile radius, the risks do not currently call for an evacuation. But we do have a responsibility to take prudent and precautionary measures to educate those Americans who may be endangered by exposure to radiation if the situation deteriorates. That’s why the President authorized the voluntary departures of family members and dependents of U.S. officials working in northeastern Japan.
All U.S. citizens in Japan should continue to carefully monitor the situation and follow the guidance of the U.S. and Japanese governments. And those who are seeking assistance should contact our embassy and consulates, which continue to be open and operational.
Here at a home, the government is doing a number of things as well: The US Government will be studying every aspect of the Japanese disaster and the Japanese government's response, with the goal of learning as much as possible from that review.
As the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has said as well as other nuclear and public health experts, we do not expect to see radiation at harmful levels reaching the U.S. from damaged Japanese nuclear power plants. You just aren't going to have any radiological material that, by the time it traveled those large distances, could present any risk to the American public.
Accordingly, public health experts and the CDC do not recommend that people in the United States take precautionary measures in response to the nuclear power plant explosions in Japan beyond staying informed. And going forward, we will continue to keep the American people fully updated.
As part of the federal government's continuing effort to make our activities and science transparent and available to the public, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will continue to keep all RadNet data available in the current online database. RadNet is an existing nationwide radiation monitoring system that continuously monitors the nation's air and regularly monitors drinking water, milk and precipitation for environmental radiation. In addition, EPA is working with its federal partners to deploy additional monitoring capabilities to parts of the western U.S. and U.S. territories.
The FDA, USPS and CBP are of course closely monitoring the situation in Japan and all are working with other U.S agencies and or the Japanese government to continue to ensure that imported food, mail and airplanes remains safe.
And finally, given the range of potential manmade and natural disasters we can see here in America, the United States Government has in place preparedness and response plans that provide the flexibility and agility we need to respond aggressively and effectively to any hazard, including nuclear accidents. FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security thoroughly and regularly exercise these plans with their federal, state and local partners, and will be working to apply the lessons learned from the current situation in Japan to their planning efforts.
