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Few nations actually have the expertise and means needed to assist Japan in solving the problems created by the Fukushima incident. The United States is one of those few. We are actively offering our expertise and support already to Japan, wherever it is needed. The situation is still relatively poorly defined, and a solution to the crisis requires a precise definition of the conditions that must be handled. Until that's clear, there's little that can be done, for fear of complicating the final result. Naturally, the earthquake and tsunami have also created additional problems in dealing with Fukushima. Logistics, contamination, access, and other factors complicate the situation.
Much of the effort in clarifiying the problem and finding solutions is not going on in the public sphere. Much is not being discussed in the media, because it's very technical in nature and difficult to explain in lay terms. The current plan to seal portions of the site with resin is one of the immediate responses that is being considered. Right now, a big problem is in removing and storing contaminated water in the plant, while still pumping water into the reactors to keep them cool. All of this has to occur while experts are still trying to figure out exactly what the true extent of the damage is.
The complexity of all this is overwhelming. Naturally, those of us on the outside of the situation want it solved immediately. That, unfortunately, is impossible. The scale of the problem and of the actual facilities is too large, and a real solution depends on many factors, some of which are still unknown.
It's entirely possible to make the situation worse by applying fixes that are not based on complete knowledge. As people not in the industry, we often think of what seem like solutions that are not even possible, then wonder why our solutions aren't applied. That's common in all sorts of major industrial disasters. We don't understand the scale, the scope, or even the technology, so we think that simple, common-sense solutions will work. They will not.
There is no quick fix. There is no magic bullet that will stop this. Any solution will require complex engineering, lots of equipment and materials, and lots of people. It will take months, not days.
This disaster has the focus of experts from around the world. Don't make the mistake of thinking that, because you don't know the details, that every nation with the capability of assisting is not assisting. They are. You just can't see them working on solutions, and their work is not simple enough to be quickly explained in the popular media.
Patience is tough. But there's no alternative. This will take a long time to fix.
Nuclear power generation is not safe, has never been safe, and cannot be made to be safe. Despite that, these plants and others were built. Now, they're screwed up. It should have been predicted and avoided, but it was not. So, there's this awful situation to be solved. It will not be solved quickly, but lots of people are working around the clock to figure out what to do. When they know, it'll be done.
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