Evacuation Zone Expanded to 20 km; ~78,000 More Ordered to Flee

Following the Unit 1 explosion, the Japanese government expanded the mandatory evacuation zone from 10 km to 20 km, ordering an additional ~78,000 residents to evacuate—bringing the total to approximately 150,000 people. Residents within 20–30 km were instructed to shelter in place. Evacuation by car created massive traffic jams on highways leading away from the coast. Hospitals struggled to evacuate critical patients; at Futaba Hospital, 21 patients died during or shortly after evacuation.