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“Just what does happen once folks cannot get close enough to cool down the core?”

It sits in the container designed to contain it. Which, presumably, is exactly what’s happening. At least, there’s no evidence to suggest it isn’t. And absent that, I have to seriously question what it is we’re panicking about.

There’re always “What if?” scenarios. But I’d say the worst possible what if (earthquake, tsunami) has already happened, and not everything went according to plan, but the important part did.

It sits in the container designed to contain it. Which, presumably, is exactly what’s happening. At least, there’s no evidence to suggest it isn’t. And absent that, I have to seriously question what it is we’re panicking about.

Sorry but its sits inside the container (which was buld to contain it as long as you have an EFFECTIVE water cooling).
Nobody ever said that the “container” can still contain it without that.
The only thing the container does now is buying you some time to get the cooling back.
If you fail it will melt. This is a fact.
Guess why the are so desperate to cool it?
Do you think they do this just for fun?

So you're thinking the containment vessel in which the fuel rods sit will maintain it's integrity?

I dunno. How hot do these fuel rods become once the coolant has been boiled away?

800C, 500C, any idea?

Hypothetically, if temperatures rise above 800C / 1470-ish degrees F, wouldn't a metal containment vessel begin to melt?

If this happens, wouldn't isotopes be released into the atmosphere? I mean with steam and smoke.

Are these not in particulate form, some of which may be nano and or mirco particles?

I dunno, just thinkin if these particles are flyin around through the air and some poor fella just happens to breath in this particle of radioactive isotope, would it not lay in the lung and emit elevated doses of gamma, beta and or alpha rays?

So if this particulate floats throughout an area, a populated area for instance...oh let's say anywhere. How bout Tokyo?

Wouldn't this particulate expose hundreds, maybe thousands, perhaps millions of people to dangerous levels of radioactive material?

Let's say it finally settles to the earth. Folks walking around would shuffle along potentially stirring these tiny nano / micro particles up yet again.

What if these particles landed in a body of water? Just pretend the body of water were to be a source of drinking water for the city of whatever?

Drinking radioactive isotope particles would expose the bowels to elevated doses of radioactive gamma, beta and or alpha rays?

I dunno, just makes sense to me that this has the potential to become catastrophic just working it through my simple mind.

It’s always possible that the containment vessels have been damaged by the quake. But that is unlikely.