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China: Wedding Feast Carries On as Heavy Rain Floods Venue in Shaanxi

This unforgettable scene was captured in Weinan, Shaanxi Province, on May 18, 2026. It looks like a party on a river, but it’s actually an outdoor wedding feast. A sudden heavy downpour flooded the square with dozens of centimeters of water. Relatives and friends sit around dozens of round tables, watching the ceremony and waiting for the meal. Thankfully, the organizers set up cozy canopies and fences, keeping guests dry. Rain can’t stop love and blessings—everyone shows up in the storm to celebrate the newlyweds.

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New Zealand: Landslide Hits Mount Maunganui 3

Six people, including two teenagers, are missing after a major landslide struck a local campground in Mount Maunganui on Thursday, January 22. Police are also seeking information on three others as search and rescue operations continue in a dangerous environment, with authorities describing the incident as a national tragedy and the community rallying to support affected families.

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Philippines: Typhoon Kalmaegi Triggers Severe Flooding, Displacing Thousands 2

Severe flooding has submerged towns and displaced hundreds of thousands as Typhoon Kalmaegi battered the central Philippines. Rivers overflowed in Cebu and nearby islands, forcing residents onto rooftops while cars and containers were swept through the streets. Local officials said some evacuation centers were inundated, and many survivors of a recent earthquake had to be evacuated again. More than 380,000 people fled their homes across the Visayas, southern Luzon, and northern Mindanao. Kalmaegi, locally named Tino, made landfall late Monday, November 3 with winds of up to 130 kph before moving toward the South China Sea on Tuesday, November 4.

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China: Tourists and Locals Rescue Yaks from Mud Pit in Qinghai

In Qinghai, China, tourists and locals joined forces with an excavator operator to rescue four yaks stuck in deep mud on September 30, 2025. After spotting the trapped animals, the tourists alerted a herdsman and enlisted help from a nearby construction site. Working for nearly an hour, they freed all four yaks safely. The herdsman said the rescue prevented losses of over RMB 40,000.

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US: North Dakota Sees Powerful Winds Amid Tornado-Producing Storm

Severe weather swept across the upper Midwest on Friday, June 20, bringing powerful winds and leaving at least 3 dead in North Dakota as a tornado ripped through the area.

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China: Typhoon Wutip Darkens Hainan Skies Ahead of Landfall in Hainan

This is the terrifying moment a massive wall of dark clouds engulfed the skies over Hainan as Typhoon Wutip approached southern China. On June 11, 2025, in Hainan, China, video captured thick, menacing clouds rolling in ahead of Typhoon Wutip's landfall. The sky turned eerily dark as the season’s first typhoon neared, creating a heavy, ominous atmosphere. The storm made landfall around 11 p.m. on June 13 along the coast of Dongfang, a city in Hainan, with winds reaching up to 30 meters per second and a central pressure of 980 hPa. Heavy rain swept through southern parts of the island, with some areas experiencing torrential downpours and localized extreme rainfall. According to China National Radio, by June 15, Typhoon Wutip had weakened into a tropical depression after moving inland into Jiangxi Province, and continued to lose strength. The video ends with the storm clouds blanketing the landscape as residents brace for the typhoon’s impact.

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Japan: Heavy Snowfall Hits Sea Of Japan Coast 4

Heavy snowfall has battered a wide area of Japan, especially the Hokuriku region along the Sea of Japan coast. This video shows blizzard conditions in the city Otaru, Hokkaido.

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US: EF-1 Tornado Touches Down In Athens, AL, Leaving Devastating Damage

The National Weather Service in Huntsville has confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down in downtown Athens, Alabama, on Saturday night, December 28.

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Philippines: Typhoon Yinxing Makes Landfall In Cagayan, Damaging Infrastructure 3

Typhoon Yinxing, known as Marce in the Philippines, made landfall near Santa Ana, Cagayan, on Thursday afternoon, November 7, forcing more than 21,000 people to evacuate and damaging two domestic airports and homes. Telecommunications and power supplies have remained down due to damaged cables and power lines, severely affecting residents in the affected areas.

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Philippines: Typhoon Yinxing Makes Landfall In Cagayan, Damaging Infrastructure 2

Typhoon Yinxing, known as Marce in the Philippines, made landfall near Santa Ana, Cagayan, on Thursday afternoon, November 7, forcing more than 21,000 people to evacuate and damaging two domestic airports and homes. Telecommunications and power supplies have remained down due to damaged cables and power lines, severely affecting residents in the affected areas.

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Thailand: Overflowing Of Ping River Causes Flooding In Chiang Mai Amid Rainy Season 3

Water levels in the Ping River rose, causing severe flooding across Chiang Mai on September 25 and affecting infrastructure. Small vehicles were stranded on flooded roads, and local shops and stalls were forced to close.

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US: Beryl Causes Widespread Power Outages And Flooding, Leaves Multiple Dead In Texas 4

Beryl has weakened into a tropical storm after making landfall as a category 1 hurricane near Matagorda in Texas, on Monday, July 8, shortly before 4 a.m. local time. The hurricane caused power outages and life-threatening flooding and left multiple dead in Houston and the surrounding areas.

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Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai

A colorful paper lantern float from Aomori Prefecture's Nebuta summer festival is paraded through a street during the Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on June 9, 2024. The event features parades involving six northeastern Japan prefectures, with the aim of revitalizing the region following the 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster.

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US: Days-Long Winter Storm Dumps Heavy Snow On Sierra Nevada, Closing Roads, Schools

A days-long winter storm dumped heavy snow on the Sierra Nevada, closing major highways, ski resorts, and schools in parts of California. More than 10 feet of snow and hurricane-force wind gusts of 170 mph-plus were reported.

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US: Strong Winter Storm Brings Blizzard Conditions To Sierra Nevada

A strong winter storm hit the Sierra Nevada on Friday, March 1, bringing heavy snow and high winds. Blizzard Warnings were issued for the Sierra, including Lake Tahoe and eastern Nevada. The Sierra Avalanche Center warned that the danger of avalanches was high. Yosemite National Park and many ski resorts in the region announced they were closing at least for the day.

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(Chengdu Universiade) Xinhua Headlines: From Beijing to Shenzhen to Chengdu, Universiade shows a changing China

(230805) -- CHENGDU, Aug. 5, 2023 (Xinhua) -- This file photo taken on Aug. 12, 2011 shows the opening ceremony of the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Li Ga)

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6,500 athletes from 113 countries, regions to participate in Chengdu Universiade

STORY: 6,500 athletes from 113 countries, regions to participate in Chengdu Universiade DATELINE: July 28, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:46 LOCATION: CHENGDU, China CATEGORY: SPORTS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the press conference and the athletes STORYLINE: 6,500 athletes from 113 countries and regions will take part in the 31st FISU World University Games in Chengdu, including 3,512 male athletes and 2,988 female athletes, said an official with the Chengdu Universiade Executive Committee at a press conference on Friday. The sporting event will be held in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province between July 28 and August 8. A total of 18 sports will be featured during the 12-day tournament. The Chengdu Universiade will be the third Summer Universiade held in the Chinese mainland, following the Beijing Universiade in 2001 and the Shenzhen Universiade in 2011. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Chengdu, China. (XHTV)

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(FOCUS)JAPAN-FUKUSHIMA-NUCLEAR-CONTAMINATED WASTEWATER

(230313) -- FUKUSHIMA, March 13, 2023 (Xinhua) -- This photo taken on March 6, 2023 shows abandoned houses in Futabacho, Futabagun of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. Struck by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan's northeast on March 11, 2011, the power plant suffered core meltdowns, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Twelve years after the 2011 accident traumatized Fukushima's fishing industry, local fishermen are still struggling for recovery. As Japan pushes ahead with dumping tons of contaminated nuclear wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean in spring or summer, local residents, especially those in the fishing industry, believe their livelihoods would again be devastated. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

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(FOCUS)JAPAN-FUKUSHIMA-NUCLEAR-CONTAMINATED WASTEWATER

(230313) -- FUKUSHIMA, March 13, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Toshimitsu Konno, head of Fukushima prefecture's Soma Futaba Fisheries Cooperative Association, gives an interview in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 8, 2023. Struck by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan's northeast on March 11, 2011, the power plant suffered core meltdowns, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Twelve years after the 2011 accident traumatized Fukushima's fishing industry, local fishermen are still struggling for recovery. As Japan pushes ahead with dumping tons of contaminated nuclear wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean in spring or summer, local residents, especially those in the fishing industry, believe their livelihoods would again be devastated. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

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(FOCUS)JAPAN-FUKUSHIMA-NUCLEAR-CONTAMINATED WASTEWATER

(230313) -- FUKUSHIMA, March 13, 2023 (Xinhua) -- This photo taken on March 8, 2023 shows freshly caught fish at a fish market in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Struck by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan's northeast on March 11, 2011, the power plant suffered core meltdowns, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Twelve years after the 2011 accident traumatized Fukushima's fishing industry, local fishermen are still struggling for recovery. As Japan pushes ahead with dumping tons of contaminated nuclear wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean in spring or summer, local residents, especially those in the fishing industry, believe their livelihoods would again be devastated. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

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(FOCUS)JAPAN-FUKUSHIMA-NUCLEAR-CONTAMINATED WASTEWATER

(230313) -- FUKUSHIMA, March 13, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Fishing boats are pictured approaching the shore in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 8, 2023. Struck by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan's northeast on March 11, 2011, the power plant suffered core meltdowns, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Twelve years after the 2011 accident traumatized Fukushima's fishing industry, local fishermen are still struggling for recovery. As Japan pushes ahead with dumping tons of contaminated nuclear wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean in spring or summer, local residents, especially those in the fishing industry, believe their livelihoods would again be devastated. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

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(FOCUS)JAPAN-FUKUSHIMA-NUCLEAR-CONTAMINATED WASTEWATER

(230313) -- FUKUSHIMA, March 13, 2023 (Xinhua) -- This photo taken on March 8, 2023 shows a fish market in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Struck by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan's northeast on March 11, 2011, the power plant suffered core meltdowns, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Twelve years after the 2011 accident traumatized Fukushima's fishing industry, local fishermen are still struggling for recovery. As Japan pushes ahead with dumping tons of contaminated nuclear wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean in spring or summer, local residents, especially those in the fishing industry, believe their livelihoods would again be devastated. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

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(FOCUS)JAPAN-FUKUSHIMA-NUCLEAR-CONTAMINATED WASTEWATER

(230313) -- FUKUSHIMA, March 13, 2023 (Xinhua) -- This photo taken on March 8, 2023 shows a fish market in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Struck by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan's northeast on March 11, 2011, the power plant suffered core meltdowns, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Twelve years after the 2011 accident traumatized Fukushima's fishing industry, local fishermen are still struggling for recovery. As Japan pushes ahead with dumping tons of contaminated nuclear wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean in spring or summer, local residents, especially those in the fishing industry, believe their livelihoods would again be devastated. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

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(FOCUS)JAPAN-FUKUSHIMA-NUCLEAR-CONTAMINATED WASTEWATER

(230313) -- FUKUSHIMA, March 13, 2023 (Xinhua) -- This photo taken on March 6, 2023 shows the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Futabacho, Futabagun of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Struck by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan's northeast on March 11, 2011, the power plant suffered core meltdowns, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Twelve years after the 2011 accident traumatized Fukushima's fishing industry, local fishermen are still struggling for recovery. As Japan pushes ahead with dumping tons of contaminated nuclear wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean in spring or summer, local residents, especially those in the fishing industry, believe their livelihoods would again be devastated. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

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(FOCUS)JAPAN-FUKUSHIMA-NUCLEAR-CONTAMINATED WASTEWATER

(230313) -- FUKUSHIMA, March 13, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Fishermen wait for fishing boats on a bank in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 8, 2023. Struck by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan's northeast on March 11, 2011, the power plant suffered core meltdowns, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Twelve years after the 2011 accident traumatized Fukushima's fishing industry, local fishermen are still struggling for recovery. As Japan pushes ahead with dumping tons of contaminated nuclear wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean in spring or summer, local residents, especially those in the fishing industry, believe their livelihoods would again be devastated. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

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JAPAN-TOKYO-PROTEST-NUCLEAR-CONTAMINATED WASTEWATER

(230312) -- TOKYO, March 12, 2023 (Xinhua) -- A sign that reads "do not dump contaminated wastewater into the sea" is pictured during a protest near the headquarters of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) in Tokyo, Japan, March 11, 2023. Saturday marks the 12th year after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit northeast Japan, which is also known in the country as the Great East Japan Earthquake. On March 11, 2011, an ensuing tsunami also led to core meltdowns at the Fukushima power plant operated by TEPCO, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident. The Japanese government said in January that starting in this spring or summer, over 1 million tons of radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant will be released into the Pacific. In front of the TEPCO headquarters in Tokyo, a large number of people gathered early Saturday to express their strong opposition to the discharge plan by holding various banners and signs, or handing out leaflets. TO GO WITH "Feature: 12 years after Fukushima quake, Ja

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Tokyo Gov. Masuzoe discusses 2020 Olympics in interview

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe speaks about the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in an interview with Kyodo News in his office on Jan. 8, 2015. Masuzoe said certain Paralympic events may be held in the northeastern Japan region of Tohoku devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.

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Visitors to huge belt conveyor get sunflower seeds

RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan - A tourist association in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, offers bottles of sunflower seeds, as shown in this file photo taken on Nov. 11, 2014, to participants in a tour of a huge belt conveyor seen as a symbol of reconstruction work from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Association officials hope visitors will remember the city when sunflowers bloom in early summer.

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Urban Animal Album

OSAKA, Japan - An Okinawa Rail, a critically endangered, flightless bird found only in northern Okinawa, is suspended inside its cage to maintain upright posture, a measure to help in its rehabilitation after its spinal cord was damaged, at a facility run by a nonprofit group protecting wild animals in Uruma, Okinawa Prefecture, on Sept. 27, 2013. The bird, believed to have been hit by a car and found immobile on a road in the summer of 2011, has since been recovering and now undergoes walking training at the facility.

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Council to support 2011 disaster-hit region via Olympics

TOKYO, Japan - A liaison council, set up to support the reconstruction of areas damaged by the disaster of March 2011 through the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, holds its first meeting in Tokyo on July 29, 2014.

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Asakusa samba dancing team performs in Iwaki festival

IWAKI, Japan - Members of a samba dancing team from Tokyo's Asakusa district perform at a summer festival in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 26, 2014, to encourage local people affected by the March 11, 2011, disaster.

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'Manga' to teach danger of asbestos in quakes

KOBE, Japan - A young man and woman hold copies of a "manga" explanatory book created by Kobe University and Kyoto Seika University to teach the risks of being exposed to asbestos in the event of an earthquake at Kobe University in Kobe, western Japan, on March 26, 2014. Students from the universities have contributed to producing the book by interviewing people affected by the March 2011 earthquake in Ishinomaki and the town of Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture in the summer of 2013.

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Cat given as gift by Russian leader Putin

AKITA, Japan - Akita Gov. Norihisa Satake strokes a Siberian cat given as a gift by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the prefectural office building in Akita on Feb. 5, 2013. The cat was sent in return for an Akita dog given by the prefecture in the summer of 2012 to express appreciation for Russia's support in the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. (Pool photo)

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Cat given as gift by Russian leader Putin

AKITA, Japan - Akita Gov. Norihisa Satake holds a Siberian cat given as a gift by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the prefectural office building in Akita on Feb. 5, 2013. The cat was sent in return for an Akita dog given by the prefecture in the summer of 2012 to express appreciation for Russia's support in the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. (Pool photo)

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1st Fukushima beach opens since nuclear disaster

IWAKI, Japan - Three local women working as tour guides, including Yukiei Hakozaki (L), enter the water at Nakoso beach in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 16, 2012, marking the start of the swimming season on the Marine Day public holiday. The beach opened the same day as the prefecture's only functioning beach for the summer, with all other beaches to remain closed following the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011.

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1st Fukushima beach opens since nuclear disaster

IWAKI, Japan - Three local women working as tour guides enter the water at Nakoso beach in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 16, 2012, marking the start of the swimming season on the Marine Day public holiday. The beach opened the same day as the prefecture's only functioning beach for the summer, with all other beaches to remain closed following the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011.

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Disaster-hit dogs trained to become therapy dogs

SOMA, Japan - Toru Oki (R), a blues singer who represents the International Therapy Dog Association, holds the leash of a dog in training who was taken into care after the March 2011 disaster, in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, on May 27, 2012. The Tokyo-based association plans to open a center in the Japanese capital in summer 2012 aimed at turning dogs without owners after the disaster into therapy dogs, officials of the group said.

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Commemorating war dead on Iwoto Island

TOKYO, Japan - Participants of a ceremony including kin of Japanese soldiers who perished in the World War II battle on Iwoto Island offer flowers to commemorate them on the island on Jan. 25, 2012. The annual ceremony by the Tokyo metropolitan government is usually held in spring or summer but the fiscal 2011 ceremony was postponed due to a water shortage on the Pacific island, about 1,200 kilometers south of central Tokyo, and the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. (Pool photo)

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Nadeshiko stamps

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows special stamps commemorating the women's national soccer team ''Nadeshiko Japan'' winning the Women's World Cup in the summer of 2011 in Germany. Japan Post Holdings Co. said on Dec. 19, 2011, it will sell the 10 sticker-type stamps to come with six special postcards, each featuring pictures of the soccer players during the tournament. They will be sold for 3,980 yen, including shipping.

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Honda's Fit EV

LOS ANGELES, United States - Photo taken Nov. 16, 2011, shows Honda Motor Co.'s new electric vehicle, Fit EV, unveiled by the company at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The five-seater vehicle, which has a driving range of 123 miles on a single charge with lithium-ion battery, will be launched next summer in the United States for lease at $399 per month.

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Brazil overpowers Rio slum

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Photo shows a major slum in the Rocinha area of Rio de Janeiro before dawn on Nov. 13, 2011. Authorities took control of the slum ruled by drug gangs to increase security before the city hosts the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

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Brazil overpowers Rio slum

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Brazilian police officers aboard a vehicle are on standby for a raid of a major slum in the Rocinha area of Rio de Janeiro before dawn on Nov. 13, 2011. Through the operation authorities took control of the slum ruled by drug gangs to increase security before the city hosts the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

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Brazil overpowers Rio slum

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Brazilian police officers examine the belongings of a resident in a major slum in the Rocinha area of Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 13, 2011. Authorities took control of the slum ruled by drug gangs to increase security before the city hosts the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

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Cattle return from highlands to prepare for winter

CHARMEY, Switzerland - A herd of cattle that grazed in the highlands during the summer are seen descending to prepare for winter in Charmey, western Switzerland, on Sept. 24, 2011. It is traditional autumn event in the area.

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Sheep return from highlands to prepare for winter

CHARMEY, Switzerland - A boy and girl watch a flock of sheep descend from the highlands to prepare for winter in Charmey, western Switzerland, on Sept. 24, 2011. The return of livestock from summer grazing in the highlands is a traditional event in the area.

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Japan to extend additional grant aid to Pakistan

NEW YORK, United States - Japan's Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba (L) and his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar shake hands in New York on Sept. 20, 2011. Gemba conveyed a decision to extend additional emergency grant aid of $10 million to Pakistan in the wake of the disastrous floods this summer, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.

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U.S. aid shipment arrives in flood-hit N. Korea

PYONGYANG, North Korea - A U.S. humanitarian aid shipment arrives at Pyongyang airport on the evening of Sept. 3, 2011, to help recovery following major flooding in North Korea in the summer. The cargo plane that landed at the airport contained $900,000 worth of medical supplies, soap, blankets, cooking kits and other items, according to the U.S.-based aid group Samaritan's Purse.

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Holidaymakers returning from abroad peak at Narita

NARITA, Japan - An arrival lobby is crowded at Narita airport east of Tokyo on Aug. 21, 2011, as travelers returned from holidays abroad. The number of summer holidaymakers returning from abroad peaked that day at the airport.

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Holidaymakers returning from abroad peak at Narita

NARITA, Japan - Travelers arrive at Narita airport east of Tokyo on Aug. 21, 2011, returning from holidays abroad. The number of summer holidaymakers returning from abroad was set to peak that day at the airport.

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Lanterns lined up in disaster-hit Fukushima

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - The letter ''kizuna'' (bond) is formed by illuminated lanterns along the Abukuma River against the backdrop of fireworks during the annual lantern floating event in Fukushima on Aug. 17, 2011. Usually people release lanterns into the river at the summer event but the practice was withheld this year over fears of radiation contamination of the river in the wake of the nuclear plant accident.