Nightly News   |  April 11, 2011

Aftershock in Japan unnerves traumatized nation

One month to the day after the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan, another strong aftershock killed at least two people. NBC's John Yang reports.

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This content comes from Closed Captioning that was broadcast along with this program.

>> we turn back overseas for a moment. it's now been one month to the day since that 9.0 earthquake, the devastating tsunami hit northern japan, and that, of course, triggered a nuclear emergency still far from over. today, another strong aftershock that killed at looets two people. the official death toll now stands at more than 13,000 even though many are still missing and so many places now exist where life will not be the same. john yang has our report tonight from tokyo.

>> reporter: at 2:46 p.m ., sirens marked the moment one month later. from evicuation centers to the prime minister to the search for the missing, japan paused. 3:30 later, another aftershock. 6.6, unnerving an already traumatized nation.

>> my stress is at its limits, said this woman. earlier, the man who operated the plant made his first visit since the disaster. i am truly sorry, he said. local officials refused to meet with him. at the plant, mow questions about what to do with an estimated 14 million gallons of highly radioactive water. with no end to the crisis in sight, they expanded the evacuation zone around the plant to include five more communities. nearly 150,000 people are still without homes living in these evacuations centers. many have no idea where they'll go next. this man and his wife fled the evacuation zone, but their daughter, a nurse, and their sornl, a telecommunications worker, stayed.

>> they're worried about radiation, he said, but they're also worried about losing their jobs.

>> this man and his grandson lived outside of the expanded evacuation zone but still fear the radiation. if we don't find a new place, he said, there's no choice but to go back. adilemma thousands of others may face soon.