It came as a shock to everyone as a 9.0 earthquake cracked through Japan, but what made it a big devastation were the disasters that followed. As if coming out of the movie of 2012, a giant tsunami of 13 feet swept through Northeastern Japan claiming around 18,000 lives.

To make matters worse, the tsunami triggered Fukushima I Nuclear Power plant to have a partial core meltdown; explosions erupted near all four reactors, multiple fires broke out in one of the reactors and their back-up system had failed.

Vegetables, water, milk and other food products are now contaminated with radiation and are deemed unsafe to eat due to the radioactivity leak. Tokyo, which accounts for 40% of Japan’s economy, can barely meet the peak of demand with perhaps enough electricity to supply 75% of demand.  So with Japan’s economy hitting rock bottom, the big question is: how does this effect U.S.?

According to CNN.com, Brian Levitt, an economist at Oppenheimer Funds, said that the worst Japan will do to the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) is reduce it by a .5%.

 “Exports account for only 10% of U.S. GDP,” Levitt said. “5% is to Japan.”

When concerning imports, or receiving supplies from foreign countries, Japan is among the main import partners of the United States, along with China, the European Union (EU), Canada and Mexico. However, according to CNN, Japan only accounts for 6% of U.S. imports, most being automobiles and parts.

 For American Airlines, it reports a “modest” revenue decline; the net effect of $250 million to $400 million. Companies like Delta Airlines Inc. have had to slash seating capacity to Japan as much as 20% through May. And according to David Wessel, a reporter of Wall Street Journal, Southwest Airlines has already raised the fares six times in the past 90 days.

Companies like Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Dell, Apple, Motorola, and RIM face potential shortages of silicon wafers as well as a rise in price.  A Silicon wafer is a computer chip used for making devices like the memory chip for PCs, cell phones and other electronics. Automobile companies also face potential shortages when concerning auto parts. Expect the price of seafood to rise, as the imports of seafood from Japan, especially near Fukushima, have been halted. However, economists are optimistic that the United State’s economy will grow.