5.6 Magnitude Earthquake in Oklahoma

When do you hear of an earthquake striking Oklahoma? Not very often, the last earthquake to stike that part of the US was back in 1952. 
A rare 5.6 earthquake, considered to be the strongest in this area shooked Oklahoma residents late Saturday reportedly causing damage but no injuries. After initially putting the magnitude of the temblor at 5.2, the US Geological Survey revised the strength of the seismic event, the second of the day, saying it had reached magnitude 5.6. The first 4.7-magnitude jolt was reported north of the town of Prague early Saturday. The epicentre of the later tremor, which occurred at 10:53 PM was located just 6km east of the town of Sparks at a depth of 5km. The Lincoln County Emergency Management agency was reporting significant damage, but its extent was not immediately clear. Portions of federal highway 62 buckled and the chimney on a two-story house collapsed near the town of Prague. Other buildings were also damaged. "It was a pretty ornery little earthquake." The Oklahoman newspaper said the quake was felt as far away as north Texas. No injuries were reported to emergency management officials, but a lot of people were scared.

http://newsfeedresearcher.com/data/articles_n46/oklahoma-quake-earthquake.html

Damage Reported in One of Two Earthquakes in China

At least 50 homes in China were destroyed by a moderate earthquake that struck the northwestern part of the country early Tuesday. The US Geological Survey says a 5.4 magnitude quake struck Xinjiang province between the border areas of Yining and Gongliu counties, at a depth of 27 kilometers. The quake was initially measured at 6.0 magnitude. Emergency crews have been dispatched to the area to assess the damage. So far, there are no reports of casualties. A separate earthquake measuring 5.5 magnitude struck Tuesday morning in China's southwestern Sichuan region. In 2008, a 7.9 magintude killed 90,000 people in in Sichuan area.
This in interesting due to the fact the only homes were destoyed and no lives were. When you look at this and compare it to the 2008 earthquake, this is a small comparison. Yes, the magnitude was higher in the 2008 incident but why were there no deaths in yesterdays earthquake? Was it because the were warned ahead of time? Was it because they had better infasrtucture? Did the people in the 2008 die from the earthquake itself or was it the time after the earthquake? Or was it just simply that the quake magitude was the main factor?  What are your reasons?

http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/11/01/damage-reported-in-one-of-two-earthquakes-in-china/

Thailand flooding continues...

In this image, vegetation is displayed in red, and flooded areas are black and dark blue. Brighter blue shows sediment-laden water, and gray areas are houses, buildings and roads. The image covers an area of 35.2 by 66.3 miles (56.7 by 106.9 kilometers) and is located at 14.5 degrees north latitude, 100.5 degrees east longitude.


Tens of thousands of Bangkok residents are fleeing the city after the worst flooding Thailand has seen in half a century reached the capital. The city’s governor ordered residents of two swamped northern districts to evacuate for safer city shelters, and waist-high water turned Bangkok’s roads into rivers and washed over homes and businesses. Some lucky city residents escaped on military trucks and buses, while others had to make do on paddle boats, plastic tubs, inner tubes and rubber rafts. Several men, the AP reports, “floated down a flooded road in a makeshift boat made of empty oil barrels tied to a rectangular plank.”
Since the flooding began in July, it has claimed the lives of 373 people and racked up billions of dollars in damage. Flood water has engulfed a third of the country inched closer to downtown areas and foreign governments urged their citizens to avoid unessential travel to the threatened city.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/thailand-flooding-continues-bangkok-resident-brace-for-worsening-conditions/2011/10/26/gIQAO4plMM_story.html

Powerful South Pacific Earthquake Generates Small Tsunami

A powerful earthquake struck off the Kermadec Islands in the South Pacific Ocean on early Saturday morning, generating a small tsunami but causing no damage. The 7.4-magnitude earthquake was centered about 105 miles east of Raoul Island, which is part of the Kermadec Islands. It struck about 20.4 miles deep, making it a shallow earthquake.As a result of the powerful earthquake, the New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management issued a tsunami advisory, warning people in coastal areas to stay away from beaches. The advisory, which also prompted New Zealand to activate its National Crisis Management Center, was later canceled after experts determined there was no threat to New Zealand. Saturday’s earthquake was the fifth most powerful earthquake so far this year.

http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/earth-science/geology/powerful-south-pacific-earthquake-generates-small-tsunami/42711.html

Storms Kill 55 in Mexico and Central America

The death toll in Mexico and Central America climbed to 55 Saturday as torrential rain storms continued, causing deadly mudslides and massive flooding. More than 250,000 people were affected across the region -- 62,700 in Mexico, 118,704 in Guatemala, about 60,000 in El Salvador, 7,862 in Honduras and 4,463 in Nicaragua. Authorities worked against the clock to evacuate thousands of people from the most vulnerable regions ahead of the rain which had been forecast for the upcoming days. The continuing presence of a storm system over southern Mexico "is expected to produce locally heavy rains over the Yucatan peninsula, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Cuba, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands during the next couple of days."

By Saturday, civil protection authorities had evacuated over 17,700 people in the five countries worst hit by the ongoing torrential rains caused last week by Hurricane Jova, Hurricane Irwin, Tropical Depression 12-E and two other independent storm systems.

Guatemala's death toll rose to 23, after one reported missing was found dead, and the country's National Coordinating Agency for Disaster Reduction raised the number of affected people to as many as 118,704 from Friday's 55,000. The death toll in El Salvador rose by one to a total of seven, while the number in the neighboring Honduras rose to 10 as the continuous rains caused flooding in over 50 percent of southern Honduras. In Nicaragua, the death toll remained unchanged at eight, while in Mexico, the reported death toll was 10, up from eight previously. According to weather forecasts, southern Mexico and Central America are facing situations similar to Hurricanes Stan and Mitch, as months-long torrential rains from an intense 2011 hurricane season have left soils saturated with water and extremely vulnerable to landslides.

 

 

http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/10/16/2724s662956.htm

100 crocodiles escape during deadly floods

Around 100 crocodiles have escaped from a farm in central Thailand, sparking new fears as the country struggles to overcome crippling floods that have left more than 250 people dead. The crocodiles escaped when Crocodile Farm Uthai Thani was inundated with floodwater over the weekend. Thailand's Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department is now seeking to calm fears, saying most of the escaped crocodiles were young and less than 1m long. "The crocodiles are not fierce like those living in the wild. On the contrary, they are rather scared of people." Still, the department was recruiting specialist crocodile hunters to help catch the reptile escapees.
Government officials in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam say more than 500 people have died across the three countries during the heavy monsoon rains over the past two weeks. More than 250 of the deaths were recorded in Thailand, while more than 200 - including 83 children - have died in Cambodia. Huge efforts are now underway to stop the waters from reaching low-lying Bangkok, home to 12 million people, with prevention measures including sandbags along the Chao Phraya river. A large amount of runoff water is expected to reach the city in the next few days, while high tides will make it harder for the floods to flow out to sea.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15255038

volcano on Alaska’s remote Aleutians

Lava has reached the edge of a crater in a volcano in Alaska's remote Aleutian Islands, indicating the mountain could explode and send up an ash cloud that could threaten aircraft. The Alaska Volcano Observatory says satellite images show lava at the edge of the crater rim of 5,675-foot Cleveland Mountain on uninhabited on Chuginadak Island, about 940 miles southwest of Anchorage. Volcano monitors say if the dome continues to grow, it could overflow the rim and increase the possibility of an explosion. The observatory says an eruption could send up an ash cloud 20,000 feet or more. The nearest village, Nikolski, is on another island about 50 miles east and has 18 permanent residents. The village was not considered in harm’s way in previous eruptions of the volcano.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/observatory-spots-lava-at-edge-of-summit-crater-of-volcano-on-alaskas-remote-aleutians/2011/10/07/gIQAGme6TL_story.html

Lab 4: Philippine typhoon death toll reaches 82

UPDATE

Last week I blogged on the Typhoon Nesat where the death toll was at 35. A week later and the death toll has risen up to 82. Already in a chaos, another typhoon (Nalgae) has been the blame for an increased death toll. Meteorologists said Nesat and Nalgae were the most powerful storms this year to hit the Philippines. Nesat triggered dramatic storm surges in the capital Manila, while its massive rain band caused flooding across Luzon's agricultural plains that forced people on to their roofs.Water as high as 3.6m swamped dozens of towns across Luzon's fertile rice growing central region, stranding residents on their roofs or the upper floors of their homes for a week before they started subsiding.The damage bill for infrastructure and agriculture has reached $A230 million, the office says.
Looking from the complexity paradigm approach, there has to be a long-term solution to reduce death tolls and infrastructure costs and not just for the short term. The philipines, on average get about 20 typhoons a year. With that said, maybe its time for them to upgrade infrastructures. In the report, the damage bill for infrastructure and agriculture has only reached $230 million. If i knew there were atleast 20 tornados dont you think I would want a basement, atleast. I know that economy plays a part in what people can and can't do, but I hope that the Philippine government will find a long term solution to typhoon disasters.

Canary Island evacuating after earthquake sparks fears of volcanic eruption

According to the article "Experts have recorded 150 tremors on El Hierro, the smallest of the Canary Islands, since yesterday - raising fears of an imminent eruption."  The last volcanic eruption in the Canary Islands took place on the island of La Palma in 1971.  Home to 10,000 people on 108 square miles of land, 53 people were ordered out of their homes over fears of landslides and the army has been called in to prepare for a possible evacuation.  More than 8,000 tremors have been registered on El Hierro since July 19 but yesterday an earthquake of 3.8 on the Richter scale was felt all over the island. The 3.8 earthquake probably sparked the community to evacuate, thats for sure. With more that 8,000 tremors within 2 months their vulnerability to earthquake-volcano eruption is higher than most places around the world. They do live on a volcano. I guess thats what you pay for if you want to live on an island, the chance of an eruption.

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2042873/Earthquake-swarm-Canary-Island-El-Hierro-sparks-fears-volcanic-eruption.html#ixzz1Zqtrw0JQ

Typhoon Nesat in Philippines rises to 35

One interesting comment I read was "Mr Ramos said many of the missing were fishermen who set sail ahead of the storm despite warnings to remain on land", I find this interesting because they already knew that a storm was approaching but still left. They were told to remain on land but still headed out. They knew that the risks of getting hit with a typhoon is high, but still insisted of going. Is life really worth a fish? They were asking to die I think. So far, "We have recorded 35 deaths, and rescuers are using rubber boats and canoes to help those in areas still flooded," Mr Ramos said. This does not even include any fishermen still missing, so most likely the death toll will increase over the next few days.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/typhoon-death-toll-in-philippines-rises-to-35-likely-to-climb-further/story-e6frf7jx-1226151473489

Bodies found in Sikkim earthquake

 Sikkim authorites have so far confirmed 58 deaths. Authorities also fear that at least 40 workers at a power plant in North Sikkim might have perished within minutes as well. It also reported that a dozen others are missing and feared trapped in the same hydel project site. Other reports confirmed that the earthquake was measured at 6.8 in Richter scale. With bad weather after the earthquake, search and rescue efforts arent looking promising. Without quick search and rescue efforts, the death toll can tally up quickly. Along with bad weather, Sikkim consists of mountainous terrains so likely it will take days before tunnels are re-excavated and the bodies pulled out. How long will it take before search and rescue can do their jobs?

http://www.hindustantimes.com/2-quake-hit-villages-yet-to-be-reached-rebuilding-on/Article1-750162.aspx

Deadly typhoon leaves Japan

A typhoon made its way out of Japan on Thursday after creating landslides and floods that left at least 16 people dead or missing. Most were swept away by over flooded rivers with rains in the southern and central regions. One person died in a landslide in the northern area while two people were swept away in Sendai in the northeast. The typhoon has weakened to a tropical storm and has moved out from the region. The storm dumped 17 inches of water to some areas creating landslides and floods.  The typhoon left 200,000 people without electricity and left train goers stranded.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44620578/ns/weather/

300,000 homeless in Pakistan flooding

 

I found this to be sad.

 

More than 300,000 Pakistanians are homeless due to Tuesday's Monsoon that hit south Pakistan. This along with the 800,000 homeless from the 2010 floods make up more than 1 million homless families. Not only are they homeless, most are in need of some sort of food assistance as well. The death toll of Tuesdays monsoon has reached 226 people.Not only this, the weather is predicted to continue until tomorrow.

This sounds sad right?

Well in 2010, floods killed about 2,000 people and made 11 million homeless in one of Pakistan's worst natural disasters. 1/5 of Pakistan is still submerged in water and damages exceed 10 billion dollars. Now this is sad i find. The government is slow to react but the good news is the military took charge of rescue and relief efforts.

Wildfire in Texas keeps on rolling

More than 20 million gallons of water and 5 million retardant has been droped over Summit County to stop the wildfire that has destroyed more than 33,000-acre. helicopters have been in the air for more tha14,577 hours and making more than 40,000 drops over the area. With this much water being dumped, officials say that they have contained about 30 percent of the fire. According to the report, the western flank of the fire is still a threat, where 5,000 residents have been evacuated. More than 785 homes have been destroyed. Also, according to the report, fires have burned in 199 of 254 counties in Texas. That makes up more 78% of all counties in Texas. The good news is firefighters have been able to save more than 29,000 homes.

http://summitcountyvoice.com/2011/09/08/bastrop-fire-in-texas-now-30-percent-contained/