Emergency workers at Japan's quake-crippled Fukushima nuclear plant today stepped up efforts to cool overheating reactors and restore power. The authorities also sought the US military's help in tackling the extremely tough situation and to avert a widespread disaster. The critical work at the plant was stalled yesterday after smoke rose from 2nd and third reactors, sparking fears of fresh radiation leaks from the area. The area was rocked by the March 11 quake of magnitude 9 and devastating tsunami that left nearly 22,000 people dead or unaccounted for in Japan's northeast. Officials said, firefighters and the Self-Defense Forces personnel were also ready to restart their mission to spray tonnes of coolant water onto spent nuclear fuel pools at the Number-3 and Number-4 reactors. Prime Minister Naoto Kan had yesterday said that slow but steady progress is being made in tackling the brewing crisis at the quake-hit power plant. Meanwhile, more than three and half lakh people are still living in evacuation centres in northern and eastern Japan, many of them short of food and water.