A powerful poem, Donuel.

NPR and CNN this evening was finally trying to puzzle out the threat of the spent fuel pools (which for some reason they're referring to as "ponds"); it's gradually sinking in that if they catch fire, after a loose of coolant, radioactive isotopes will be billowing up in a cloud of smoke and steam. There is no containment structure around or over the spent fuel pool, other than the sheet metal walls of the reactor building, which for Units 1 and 3 were blown away.

There is also discussion of dropping water or sand onto the reactors by helicopter, which might be helpful in the situation of units 1 & 3 were the reactor primary containment is exposed. I'm not sure what would be accomplished if there was still a roof on the reactor building.

Charley Noble