One month after a devastating earthquake and tsunami battered the northeast coast of Japan, more than 60 percent of voters polled say Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s handling of the resulting nuclear crisis has been inadequate.

A statement released by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said the tsunami was nearly 50 feet high at its Fukushima Daiichi power plant, swamping the reactor buildings as well as the turbine housings. Power has only recently been restored, and engineers are using emergency gear to cool the reactors.

The task of getting rid of 60,000 metric tons of contaminated water is now a primary concern. Basements in the turbine buildings are flooded, and water is nearly over the top of trenches surrounding the structures. Plans call for transferring the water to condensers. Once that is accomplished, work can begin on the main cooling systems.

Damage estimates from the multiple disasters have risen to $295 billion. More than 27,000 people are dead or missing.