Japanese engineers and U.S. nuclear experts are desperately trying to avoid a nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant.

International teams are trying to stabilize and cool down the crippled reactor to prevent a meltdown.

An American military truck assisted Japanese fire trucks in spraying water into the crippled unit. Even with the continued efforts, the Japanese government raised the crisis rating from a Level 4 to a Level 5 on a seven-level international scale, which puts it at the same level as the 1979 Three Mile Island accident.

The international nuclear event scale defines a Level 4 incident as having local consequences while a Level 5 is more widespread.

Meanwhile, one week after the earthquake and tsunami that struck the island nation leaving almost 7,000 dead and more than 10,000 still unaccounted for, many people are still struggling to find food and water. Also, frigid temperatures are adding to their misery.

A relief team from the Christian Broadcasting Network's Operation Blessing International, a charity aid organization based in Virginia Beach, Va., is near the epicenter of the quake. David Darg, OBI director of disaster relief and special projects, reported the aid group is working overtime to meet the needs of tsunami victims.

Click here to watch Darg's report on the progress of the charity aid organization's relief efforts. 

"Operation Blessing has brought bags and bags of rice," Darg said. "They're extremely happy. There telling us this is the first rice they've got. They've been without it. And it's a blessing. And we're privileged to be serving this town in the hour of their greatest need."

Hundreds of thousands of people are still homeless and analysts agree it will take Japan a long time to recover from the two deadly natural disasters.