I am on orders to PCS to Yokosuka on July and would like to know what's going on there right now. I was really excited when i got the job....now i'm not so sure. I will be moving my husband and 3 SMALL children and really concerned about the area. 

For families that are currently there - why haven't you left yet? Am I just being paranoid? How's the tap water over in Yokosuka? Any news on the stop movement?

CNN just dropped the updates of Japan and can't seem to find any GOOD news.

Everything is safe in Yokosuka. The radiation levels have gone down from initial "highs" (they were never high enough to be worried about in the first place). And the water is being tested by the city and the base --and has been deemed safe.

The only way things will get "bad" here is if the plants start to melt down --but I think they have the cooling under somewhat of control so it won't get to that point.

This is one site that will give you news that is not sensationalized like the news in the States (they update a couple times a day): http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

Unfortunately with the stop movement order we don't know when things will be back to normal on base. But since you're PCSing in July I think you'll have your answer way before then. Wait until April hits, I think we'll all have new information then --at the very latest, the middle of the month.

Also, you may want to "friend" CFAY on Facebook if you have one. That way you'll be in touch with the radiation/water updates, and when the all clear is given, etc. It's one of our main sources of Military news here in Yokosuka.

edelique, you may NOT be PCSing in July depending on how the situation here develops.

http://www.npc.navy.mil/AboutUs/NPC...cation.htm

http://www.npc.navy.mil/NR/rdonlyre...V11109.txt

As for those of us here... I think we are all trying to maintain as normal as possible lives while waiting to see what happens.

I wouldn't follow mainstream news from the U.S. A lot of it is fear mongering. Life goes on as normal here in Yokosuka. The aftershocks have stopped and tap water is safe to drink in this area. The water is always tested here on base, so you can rest assure that it's safe. The radiation levels are still well w/in the normal limits in Yokosuka. Many rolling blackouts have been canceled, although many stores / restaurants keep their lights off or dimmed to conserve electricity. I personally never lost electricity in my home (not even once since the first big quake). Some trains have stopped running during certain hours, but for the most part, most of them are running. I also noticed that most places turned off their escalators to conserve electricity. The stores seemed to be stocked again (especially the commissary!). In fact, I think because of the current supply and demand on base, the commissary has marked a lot of their products down because so many people left! I don't notice any long lines for gas (on or off base) anymore. People are out and about enjoying the warm weather we're having. Cherry blossoms will be in full bloom by next week. It's really not as bad as it seems.

Now, the Fukushima Plant is still a little bit of the unknown. Right now, they are doing their best to stabilize the reactors. Today, they found high levels of radiation in the seawater, but say that it poses no immediate risk to human health "because fishing would not be conducted in the evacuation-designated area within 20 kilometers of the plant and radiation-emitting substances would be 'significantly diluted' by the time they are consumed by marine species and then by people." Still, I think I'll stay away from the sushi bars for awhile just to play it safe.

I never left because I thought it would be more of a headache to get out of the country than to stay. I believed our government would get us all out of here if there was in fact a real threat. I love it here in Japan, and didn't want to leave unless I had to. This is one of my favorite times of the year, and I just didn't want to miss out on it if there's no reason to.

I don't expect there to be any problems by the time you come in July. It just all depends on when they get this nuclear reactor thing under control. It could take many weeks or many months to get it stabilized.....nobody really knows for sure. Let's just hope it's sooner than later.

I to am in the same boat as edelique and very anxious about whats happening. i just want to say that i really do appreciate everyone on japan bases for all your input. keep safe everyone.:-)

The situation at the Fukushima Daiichi reactors is not stable will not likely be for weeks, if not months. The immediately surrounding area is in a bad way but in Tokyo things are much as described by Yoko-girl above. People, while keeping a nervous eye on developments to the north, get on with their lives and things are pretty much normal.

A former navy nuclear engineer whose analysis I have following commented yesterday: "Things are starting to get very complicated but the impact will likely be concentrated locally and in an area smaller than what resulted from Chernobyl."

His view seems to be that it is too late to be able to hope for a good outcome but the effect of whatever happens on Tokyo and to the south on the bases will be negligible.

march 31, NRC Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko testified that people out of nuclear plant beyond 20miles are safe
http://www.nrc.gov/

problem around tokyo is electricity etc especially in Summer ...

Thanks for all the replies. How far is the Fukushima plant from Yokosuka?

We're less than two hundred miles away.