"Reporting from Sendai and Tokyo, Japan Japanese authorities embarked on desperate new measures to avert full-scale meltdowns at a quake-battered nuclear plant Thursday, dispatching helicopters to drop tons of water on the reactors and readying water cannons to cool a spent-fuel pool that an American official said was responsible for "very significant radiation levels."

"At the same time, public anger mounted over the government's lagging efforts to provide relief for the survivors of last week's earthquake and tsunami.

"U.S. and Japanese officials appeared to disagree on the magnitude of the nuclear crisis, as the White House recommended Wednesday that American citizens remain at least 50 miles away from the stricken plant, much farther than the 12-mile evacuation radius given by the Japanese government."

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