Earthquake aid workers from USA, other countries arrive in Japan

Aid workers from various countries are arriving in Japan, including people from the United States, Germany, Sweden, Taiwan and Australia, USA TODAY's Elizabeth Weise reported from Japan on Sunday, two days after a magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami tore through the country.

The tension of the situation apparently was too much for two of those workers, Weise reported.

News of the possible threats to Japan's nuclear reactors "spooked" two aid workers from Sweden, said Mike Ball of Iowa, who added that he helped them return to the gate at Narita International Airport to fly home.

"It just spooked them; they were nearly in tears," Ball said Sunday night at the airport.

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from the United States Agency for International Development arrived Sunday in Misawa, Japan, from Fairfax County, Va., and from Los Angeles County, said Gina Jackson of USAID's press office.

The teams include 144 people, 12 dogs trained to find survivors and more than 85 tons of equipment, she said.

"They will begin their search for survivors at first light on March 14," Jackson said in an e-mail to USA TODAY.