(CNN) -- The earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan on March 11 last year took an estimated 19,000 lives, caused the evacuation of about 300,000 people, and set off the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. The meltdowns of the Fukushima Daiichi reactors ended Japan's plans to produce half of its electricity through nuclear energy. Flotsam from 2011 Japan tsunami reaches Alaska All of Japan's remaining reactors are offline, and experts believe that strong anti-nuclear feelings will keep them from restarting for some time. Beyond Japan's shores, the crisis has pushed Germany, Italy and Switzerland to end their commitment to nuclear power. Fukushima has given U.S. nuclear regulators four important lessons given a tendency to downplay the far-reaching consequences of disasters and outdated ways of preparing for them.
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Daniel Aldrich: The Fukushima meltdowns reveal flaws in nuclear disaster planning
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Huge evacuations caused gridlock, he says, and first responders left for their families
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Aldrich: a 10-mile evacuation radius is a "fantasy"; at least a 50-mile radius is needed
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Aldrich: Half of America lives within 50 miles of a plant; we can't dismiss the risks
Third, @placeholder has underscored the ways in which formal evacuation plans are "fantasy documents."