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07 Feb 2012 01:35

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U.S.: Earthquake drills: Millions remember New Madrid by hiding under desks

  • 2.2 million people in eight states to participate in a “ShakeOut” source
  • » Get ready Tuesday morning: In honor of Missouri’s earthquake awareness month and timed in honor of the New Madrid Earthquake, millions will take part in a giant earthquake drill that starts at 10:15 CST. Will you take part? You never know when another earthquake might hit.
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jan 2012 15:22

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World: Large quake near Indonesia; tsunami warnings in effect

  • 7.3 magnitude earthquake hits off coast of Indonesia source
  • » A tsunami warning is in effect: The earthquake struck shortly after midnight local time, some 262 miles off the coast of Banda Aceh, Sumatra. There are, so far, no reports of casualties or damages, but Indonesian officials have confirmed the tsunami alert. The caution is entirely sensible; it was in late 2004 that a large earthquake triggered a catastrophic tsunami which struck Indonesia, killing nearly a quarter-million people.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Nov 2011 11:13

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World: The world’s youngest island: Born kinda like a wittle baby!

  • More island for your buck: Due to recent underwater volcano activity, another Canary Island has been added to the chain. Islanders are already trying to think up names for the new piece of land, built from magma that spewed over 65 feet high. On Saturday, the area was hit by a 4.3-magnitude earthquake, which is when the underwater volcano started erupting. What would you name the new island? Does it have to be a bird? Tweety Island would be too obvious, right? source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Aug 2011 15:56

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U.S.: Unlikely dual earthquakes strike Colorado, Virginia

  • west A 5.3 quake struck the state of Colorado late Monday, the southern part of the state hit by the rumbling. This is unusual, as Colorado generally doesn’t see high levels of seismic activity.
  • east Today, a 5.9 earthquake struck in Virginia, and sent shock-waves through the northeast — clear to New England, New York, and DC. The USGS says they can’t trace this quake to a specific fault. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Jun 2011 13:29

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World: Fukushima: Worse than was initially reported?

  • Is Fukushima worse than we think? That’s what this story from Al Jazeera suggests. One example they offer up: When seawater gets poured on the still-hot reactors, it produces radioactive steam that’s blown everywhere — even as far as the west coast of the U.S. One former nuclear industry executive, Arnold Gundersen, even put it as such: “Fukushima is the biggest industrial catastrophe in the history of mankind.” Is he right? Worth a read. (Photo via Flickr user Jun Teramoto) source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 May 2011 14:41

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World: Despite massive damage, Fukushima timetable stays the same

  • 9 months maximum needed to get Fukushima under control source
  • » That number isn’t changing: While they’ve discovered more damage than they originally anticipated — such as damage to fuel reactors — and are still dealing with meltdowns. Despite these discouraging discoveries, officials are sticking to this timetable, saying that the reactors are continuing to cool despite the more extensive damage. “The point [Japanese Prime Minister Naoto] Kan is making is that the reactor cores are being cooled down despite the apparent meltdown,” said Goshi Hosono, the prime minister’s special adviser on the issue.
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Apr 2011 14:54

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World: Japan’s victims not seeing direct results from donations

  • $1 billion the total donations for Japan’s earthquake relief to the Red Cross
  • none the amount of those donations that have gone directly to victims  source
  • » Yukiyo Edano says speed it up: Edano, the Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary, explained that the standard procedure is for independent panels throughout the prefectures to decide how to handle the money; basically, distribution at the local level. This can slow the whole process when these communities are in such disarray, though, which is why Edano believes the central government should set up an independent committee. The Red Cross, it bears mentioning, has sent over 200 crisis relief teams into stricken areas. And it must be said in the strongest possible terms that we don’t mean to discourage people who either have, or want to donate to Japan’s relief efforts. Rather, we think it’s worth understanding the functional realities that can hamstring those efforts. But the donations are nonetheless noble, vital, and necessary; none of this changes that.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

03 Apr 2011 14:27

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World: Unintended consequences, priorities complicate Japan crisis

  • action Lacking the ability to pump water through the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant as they usually would, workers were hosing in as much seawater as they could to try to cool the unstable fuel rods.
  • outcome This consequently left the plant covered in contaminated salt water, and has made it extremely difficult for those in the plant to work near the reactors, thus impeding the crisis control effort. source
  • »And don’t forget about Japan’s other problems: Prime Minister Naoto Kan was pretty unpopular prior to the earthquake and tsunami that decimated the country, and his abilities at crisis management haven’t escaped public criticism. Reuters reports that many Japanese are unhappy with the Prime Minister’s focus on the nuclear crisis, feeling that not enough attention is being paid to other pressing humanitarian tolls caused by the earthquake; the number of dead or missing currently sits at 28,000 people, though obviously that estimate is changing all the time. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Apr 2011 15:26

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World: Earthquake in Greece sends tremors across the region

  • greece The earthquake in Crete today is much more severe than usual, but Greece is a seismic hot-bed; they have thousands of small quakes per year.
  • turkey Reports from Anatolia, a Turkish news outlet, indicate that the earthquake was felt all the way to the Turkish resort towns of Bodrom, Mamaris and Fethiye.
  • egyptThe earthquake also caused shakes all the way to Cairo, as its been reported that some buildings within the Egyptian capitol were rattled by tremors. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Mar 2011 13:33

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World: Scuba-capable Japanese man saves wife, mother

  • problem Hideaki Akaiwa was at work when the dual threats of earthquake and tsunami rocked Japan. He went home to find his neighborhood was under ten feet of water, his wife and mother nowhere to be found.
  • solution Akaiwa strapped on scuba gear and swam some 200 yards through debris (his estimate) to his house, where he found his wife. He found his mother that way, too, in the 2nd floor of another home. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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