Forbes are now reporting a 'report' of a meltdown a the reactor...This is not going well....
http://blogs.forbes.com/christopherhelman/2011/03/12/reports-claim-meltdown-at-japanese-reactor/
Bernard - Very glad to hear you escaped unscathed and hope you and your family are ok.
Latest from the BBC World Service:
"The authorities said the reactor itself was intact inside its steel container."
Also:
"It appears that the reactor was shut down well before any melting occurred, which should reduce considerably the risk of radioactive materials entering the environment.
However, the detection of caesium isotopes outside the power station buildings could imply that the core has been exposed to the air.
Although Japan has a long and largely successful nuclear power programme, officials have been less than honest about some incidents in the past, meaning that official reassurances are unlikely to convince everyone this time round."
NPPs usually have multiple containment structures designed to prevent large-scale radiation leakage outside the reactor container even in the event of a meltdown, but none of this is 100% certain to work in all circumstances, so for us who know little of the facts first hand, we can only wait and see what actually happens and hope for the best.