Tag Archive: North America

Earth Watch Report – Tuesday September 4th, 2012

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September 4, 2012

Earthquakes

RSOE EDIS

Date/Time (UTC)	Magnitude	Area	Country	State/Prov./Gov.	Location	Risk	Source	Details
04.09.2012 10:35:30	4.6	Asia	China	Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu	Hotan		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 10:25:26	2.7	Europe	Greece	Peloponnese	Stoupa		EMSC
04.09.2012 09:40:35	2.4	North America	United States	Nevada	Black Rock City		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 09:35:36	2.3	North America	United States	Alaska	Nanwalek		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 10:25:54	2.2	Asia	Turkey	Amasya	Dedekoy		EMSC
04.09.2012 09:15:27	2.4	North America	United States	Hawaii	Volcano		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 09:25:24	2.2	Asia	Turkey	Istanbul	Mimarsinan		EMSC
04.09.2012 09:25:45	5.5	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		EMSC
04.09.2012 09:20:25	5.5	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 09:26:06	5.1	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		EMSC
04.09.2012 09:10:54	5.1	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 08:55:39	2.7	North America	United States	Alaska	Chase		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 09:05:40	5.3	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 09:26:26	5.5	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		EMSC
04.09.2012 07:45:29	2.5	North America	United States	Alaska	Chickaloon		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 07:55:37	4.5	South America	Chile	Valparaíso	Los Andes		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 08:20:27	4.5	South-America	Chile	Valparaíso	Los Andes		EMSC
04.09.2012 08:20:56	2.9	Europe	Switzerland	Lucerne	Vitznau		EMSC
04.09.2012 06:55:32	2.0	North America	United States	California	Yorba Linda		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 06:40:32	2.2	North America	United States	California	Cloverdale		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 07:20:26	5.0	Indonesian Archipelago	Indonesia	Bali	Jimbaran		EMSC
04.09.2012 06:56:02	5.0	Indonesian archipelago	Indonesia	Bali	Jimbaran		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 06:25:46	2.1	North America	United States	Alaska	Nikiski		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 07:20:56	2.6	Asia	Turkey	Bursa	Yenice		EMSC
04.09.2012 06:15:19	2.8	Europe	Italy	Calabria	Salerni		EMSC
04.09.2012 06:15:54	2.4	Europe	Greece	North Aegean	Skouraiika		EMSC
04.09.2012 05:26:37	2.2	North America	United States	California	Cobb		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 06:16:22	2.8	South-America	Chile	Libertador General Bernardo O?Higgins	Santa Cruz		EMSC
04.09.2012 06:16:43	4.7	Indonesian Archipelago	Indonesia	Maluku	Amahai		EMSC
04.09.2012 05:30:35	4.7	Indonesian archipelago	Indonesia	Maluku	Amahai		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 05:14:02	2.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Talkeetna		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 05:10:35	3.1	Europe	Switzerland	Lucerne	Vitznau		EMSC
04.09.2012 05:06:15	2.8	Caribbean	Puerto Rico	Cabo Rojo	Pole Ojea		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 07:21:20	2.2	Europe	Greece	Peloponnese	Koroni		EMSC
04.09.2012 04:35:24	4.8	Pacific Ocean	Fiji	Central	Suva		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 05:11:35	4.8	Pacific Ocean – East	Tonga	Tongatapu	Vaini		EMSC
04.09.2012 05:12:21	3.4	Europe	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina	Zenica		EMSC
04.09.2012 08:50:38	2.5	North America	United States	Oregon	Pistol River		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 04:05:19	2.4	Europe	Italy	Sicily	Saponara Villafranca		EMSC
04.09.2012 03:06:32	2.2	North America	United States	California	Brawley		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 03:35:57	5.4	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Caraga	Union		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 04:05:42	5.4	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Caraga	Union		EMSC
04.09.2012 08:21:16	3.8	Europe	Russia	Krasnodarskiy	Sochi		EMSC
04.09.2012 03:05:31	2.5	Europe	Spain	Andalusia	Estacion de Cartama		EMSC
04.09.2012 02:30:30	2.4	North America	United States	California	Ridgecrest		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 02:20:30	2.0	North America	United States	California	Pearsonville		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 02:20:53	4.6	North America	United States	Alaska	Aleneva		USGS-RSOE
04.09.2012 03:05:52	4.6	North-America	United States	Alaska	Kokhanok		EMSC
04.09.2012 03:06:11	4.6	Indonesian Archipelago	Indonesia	Bali	Jimbaran		EMSC
04.09.2012 02:40:30	4.6	Indonesian archipelago	Indonesia	Bali	Jimbaran		USGS-RSOE

………………………………..

Beverly Hills earthquake upgraded to 3.3; felt across L.A.

An earthquake early Monday centered in Beverly Hills was upgraded from to 3.2 to 3.3. and was felt around Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The temblor occurred at 3:26 a.m.

According to the USGS, the epicenter was one mile from West Hollywood, two miles from Century City and eight miles from Los Angeles Civic Center.

The USGS “Do You Feel It” site said the quake was most strongly felt on the Westside but also in the South Bay, downtown L.A. area and the San Fernando Valley.

In the past 10 days, there has been one earthquake magnitude 3.0 and greater centered nearby.

Read more about California earthquakes on L.A. Now.

— Ken Schwencke

Strong quake hits off Indonesia’s Bali

Agence France-Presse

JAKARTA—A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the Indonesian resort island of Bali early on Tuesday, but there was no tsunami warning and no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The quake’s epicentre was at a shallow depth of eight kilometers (five miles), the US Geological Survey said, putting it 278 kilometers south of Denpasar, on Bali. The quake hit at 2:23 am (1823 GMT Monday).

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

6.4 Mwp – SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA

Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude	6.4 Mwp
Date-Time	3 Sep 2012 18:23:04 UTC 4 Sep 2012 02:23:04 near epicenter 3 Sep 2012 12:23:04 standard time in your timezone
Location	10.785S 113.880E
Depth	8 km
Distances	278 km (173 miles) SSW (212 degrees) of Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia 287 km (179 miles) WSW (238 degrees) of Mataram, Lombok, Indonesia 297 km (185 miles) S (177 degrees) of Jember, Java, Indonesia 939 km (584 miles) SE (124 degrees) of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia
Location Uncertainty	Horizontal: 12.5 km; Vertical 3.7 km
Parameters	Nph = 227; Dmin = 258.3 km; Rmss = 1.04 seconds; Gp = 24° M-type = Mwp; Version = A
Event ID	us c000ce33

For updates, maps, and technical information, see:
Event Page
or
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

National Earthquake Information Center
U.S. Geological Survey
http://neic.usgs.gov/

Summary

Location and Magnitude contributed by: USGS, NEIC, Golden, Colorado (and predecessors)

General

100 km

50 mi

10.785°S, 113.880°E
Depth: 8.8km (5.5mi)

Event Time

2012-09-03 18:23:04 UTC
2012-09-04 02:23:04 UTC+08:00 at epicenter
2012-09-03 13:23:04 UTC-05:00 system time

Nearby Cities

244km (152mi) S of Sidorukun, Indonesia
264km (164mi) S of Muncar, Indonesia
266km (165mi) S of Gambiran Satu, Indonesia
267km (166mi) S of Srono, Indonesia
924km (574mi) SE of Jakarta, Indonesia

ShakeMap

Contributed by USGS National Earthquake Information Center

Data Contributors

USGS National Earthquake Information Cente

LISS – Live Internet Seismic Server

GSN Stations

These data update automatically every 30 minutes. Last update: September 4, 2012 07:19:15 UTC

Seismograms may take several moments to load. Click on a plot to see larger image.

CU/ANWB, Willy Bob, Antigua and Barbuda

CU/BBGH, Gun Hill, Barbados

CU/BCIP, Isla Barro Colorado, Panama

CU/GRGR, Grenville, Grenada

CU/GTBY, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

CU/MTDJ, Mount Denham, Jamaica

CU/TGUH, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

IC/BJT, Baijiatuan, Beijing, China

IC/ENH, Enshi, China

IC/HIA, Hailar, Neimenggu Province, China

IC/LSA, Lhasa, China

IC/MDJ, Mudanjiang, China

IC/QIZ, Qiongzhong, Guangduong Province, China

IU/ADK, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA

IU/AFI, Afiamalu, Samoa

IU/ANMO, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

IU/ANTO, Ankara, Turkey

IU/BBSR, Bermuda

IU/CASY, Casey, Antarctica

IU/CCM, Cathedral Cave, Missouri, USA

IU/CHTO, Chiang Mai, Thailand

IU/COLA, College Outpost, Alaska, USA

IU/COR, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

IU/CTAO, Charters Towers, Australia

IU/DAV,Davao, Philippines

IU/DWPF,Disney Wilderness Preserve, Florida, USA

IU/FUNA,Funafuti, Tuvalu

IU/GNI, Garni, Armenia

IU/GRFO, Grafenberg, Germany

IU/GUMO, Guam, Mariana Islands

IU/HKT, Hockley, Texas, USA

IU/HNR, Honiara, Solomon Islands

IU/HRV, Adam Dziewonski Observatory (Oak Ridge), Massachusetts, USA

IU/INCN, Inchon, Republic of Korea

IU/JOHN, Johnston Island, Pacific Ocean

IU/KBS, Ny-Alesund, Spitzbergen, Norway

IU/KEV, Kevo, Finland

IU/KIEV, Kiev, Ukraine

IU/KIP, Kipapa, Hawaii, USA

IU/KMBO, Kilima Mbogo, Kenya

IU/KNTN, Kanton Island, Kiribati

IU/KONO, Kongsberg, Norway

IU/KOWA, Kowa, Mali

IU/LCO, Las Campanas Astronomical Observatory, Chile

IU/LSZ, Lusaka, Zambia

IU/LVC, Limon Verde, Chile

IU/MA2, Magadan, Russia

IU/MAJO, Matsushiro, Japan

IU/MAKZ,Makanchi, Kazakhstan

IU/MBWA, Marble Bar, Western Australia

IU/MIDW, Midway Island, Pacific Ocean, USA

IU/NWAO, Narrogin, Australia

IU/OTAV, Otavalo, Ecuador

IU/PAB, San Pablo, Spain

IU/PAYG Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands

IU/PET, Petropavlovsk, Russia

IU/PMG, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

IU/PMSA, Palmer Station, Antarctica

IU/POHA, Pohakaloa, Hawaii

IU/PTCN, Pitcairn Island, South Pacific

IU/PTGA, Pitinga, Brazil

IU/QSPA, South Pole, Antarctica

IU/RAO, Raoul, Kermadec Islands

IU/RAR, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

IU/RCBR, Riachuelo, Brazil

IU/RSSD, Black Hills, South Dakota, USA

IU/SAML, Samuel, Brazil

IU/SBA, Scott Base, Antarctica

IU/SDV, Santo Domingo, Venezuela

IU/SFJD, Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland

IU/SJG, San Juan, Puerto Rico

IU/SLBS, Sierra la Laguna Baja California Sur, Mexico

IU/SNZO, South Karori, New Zealand

IU/SSPA, Standing Stone, Pennsylvania USA

IU/TARA, Tarawa Island, Republic of Kiribati

IU/TATO, Taipei, Taiwan

IU/TEIG, Tepich, Yucatan, Mexico

IU/TIXI, Tiksi, Russia

IU/TRIS, Tristan da Cunha, Atlantic Ocean

IU/TRQA, Tornquist, Argentina

IU/TSUM, Tsumeb, Namibia

IU/TUC, Tucson, Arizona

IU/ULN, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

IU/WAKE, Wake Island, Pacific Ocean

IU/WCI, Wyandotte Cave, Indiana, USA

IU/WVT, Waverly, Tennessee, USA

IU/XMAS, Kiritimati Island, Republic of Kiribati

IU/YSS, Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, Russia

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Volcanic Activity

Residents, Tourists Warned as Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau Activity Increases

Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait, 130 kilometers west of Jakarta, was created by the same tectonic forces that led to the 1883 Krakatoa eruption that killed tens of thousands of people. (Reuters Photo)

Krakatau Mountain Awaits 5:32pm Mar 9, 2012

7 Indonesian Volcanoes on Alert: Agency 4:19pm Jan 8, 2012

Tourists Warned to Stay Clear of Anak Krakatau Volcano 12:49pm Oct 4, 2011

Anak Krakatau Eruptions Do Not Pose Risk: Experts 12:55am Nov 15, 2010

Anak Krakatau’s Latest Rumbling Growing Pains 11:48pm Nov 9, 2010

Bandarlampung. Volcanic ash from the increasingly active Anak Krakatau has reached a number of areas in Lampung, prompting officials on Monday to issue a warning for local residents and tourists.

“The ash was carried by wind from the southeast to the south, reaching Bandarlampung,” Nurhuda, who heads the observation and information section of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Lampung, said according to state news agency Antara.

Nurhuda said the ash fell over several subdistricts in Bandarlampung, about 130 kilometers away from Anak Krakatau.

“It is rather unusual for the dust to be this thick,” said Juniardi, a resident of Bandarlampung who complained that the falling dust was also hampering visibility.

Officials warned that the ask posed health hazards and asked local residents to wear masks when going outdoors or driving motorcycles.

“We also advise fishermen and tourists not to come within a radius of 3 kilometers of Anak Krakatau. The thick plumes of smoke sent off by Krakatau contain toxic material that is hazardous for your health,” said Andi Suhardi, head of the Anak Krakatau observation post in Hargo Pancuran village.

A report from the volcanology office in Bandung shows that the activities of Anak Krakatau has been on the rise over the past few days, reaching almost 90 eruptions per day.

Nurhuda said the report showed the volcano spewed red hot lava up to 300 meters above its peak. “More than 100 volcanic quakes and tremors have been recorded,” he added.

Anak Krakatau, or child or Krakatau, about 130 kilometers west of Jakarta, was created by the same tectonic forces that led to the 1883 Krakatoa eruption that killed tens of thousands of people.

Antara

04.09.2012

Volcano Eruption

Indonesia

Sunda Strait, [Anak Krakatoa Volcano]

Volcano Eruption in Indonesia on Monday, 03 September, 2012 at 18:44 (06:44 PM) UTC.

Description

A new phase of activity has started at Krakatau volcano. A large explosion occurred early today and produced an ash plume that reached 14,000 ft (4.2 km) according to Darwin VAAC who first observed it at 01:32 GMT. Ash fall has reached Lampung and over several subdistricts in Bandarlampung, at about 130 kilometers distance. Authorities have issued a warning for local residents and tourists not to approach the volcano. “It is rather unusual for the dust to be this thick,” said Juniardi, a resident of Bandarlampung who complained that the falling dust was also hampering visibility, the Jakarta Globe writes. According to the news article, the activity of Anak Krakatau has been on the rise over the past few days, reaching almost 90 eruptions per day. Nurhuda said the report showed the volcano spewed red hot lava up to 300 meters above its peak. “More than 100 volcanic quakes and tremors have been recorded,” he added.

***********************************************************************************************************

Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

03.09.2012

Extreme Weather

Malta

[Statewide]

Extreme Weather in Malta on Monday, 03 September, 2012 at 19:16 (07:16 PM) UTC.

Description

Unusually fierce storms swept through Malta on Monday, killing one man and dropping more rain on the Mediterranean island in two hours than its normal monthly average for September. The first storm triggered floods that swept away a man who had abandoned his car. Police said the man managed to make it to higher ground. Another man working in a field was fatally struck by lightning, however, as a second storm battered Malta in the afternoon. The storms caused substantial damage across the small Mediterranean archipelago, which includes the main island and sister islands of Gozo and Comino, with cars overturned, trees uprooted, houses flooded and walls collapsed. Malta’s meteorological office said 42.4 millimeters (1.67 inches) of rain fell, eclipsing the 40-millimeter average for the month of September.

03.09.2012

Forest / Wild Fire

USA

State of California, [Angeles National Forest]

Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Monday, 03 September, 2012 at 02:54 (02:54 AM) UTC.

Description

A fire in the Angeles National Forest north of Glendora has spread to 700 acres since it began about 2:15 p.m. along East Fork Road, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. The blaze was moving north toward the Sheep Mountain Wilderness Area, said John Wagner, an assistant public affairs officer with the forest service. An evacuation was underway at a mobile home park in the vicinity of the fire, Wagner said. He did not know how many residents had been evacuated. There were no reports of casualties or property damage. Wagner said seven air tankers from various agencies were battling the blaze. Fifteen engine companies from the Los Angeles County Fire Department were also fighting the fire, a spokesman said.

***********************************************************************************************************

Storms / Flooding / Tornadoes

Active tropical storm system(s)

Name of storm system	Location	Formed	Last update	Last category	Course	Wind Speed	Gust	Wave	Source	Details
Leslie (AL12)	Atlantic Ocean	30.08.2012	04.09.2012	Hurricane I	0 °	102 km/h	120 km/h	3.66 m	NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	Leslie (AL12)
Area:	Atlantic Ocean
Start up location:	N 14° 6.000, W 43° 24.000
Start up:	30th August 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	1,438.80 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source
31st Aug 2012	04:48:01	N 14° 42.000, W 46° 48.000	30	83	102	Tropical Storm	280	12	1002 MB	NOAA NHC
01st Sep 2012	05:02:48	N 17° 24.000, W 52° 48.000	33	102	120	Tropical Storm	295	19	999 MB	NOAA NHC
02nd Sep 2012	05:34:37	N 20° 12.000, W 58° 24.000	30	102	120	Tropical Storm	305	11	998 MB	NOAA NHC
02nd Sep 2012	10:50:12	N 20° 48.000, W 59° 30.000	24	111	139	Tropical Storm	310	13	994 MB	NOAA NHC
03rd Sep 2012	04:53:21	N 23° 24.000, W 61° 42.000	17	93	111	Tropical Storm	325	19	998 MB	NOAA NHC

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
04th Sep 2012	10:49:52	N 24° 42.000, W 62° 30.000	7	102	120	Hurricane I	360 °	9	994 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
05th Sep 2012	06:00:00	N 25° 54.000, W 62° 36.000	Hurricane I	102	120	NOAA NHC
05th Sep 2012	18:00:00	N 26° 24.000, W 62° 36.000	Hurricane I	102	120	NOAA NHC
06th Sep 2012	06:00:00	N 26° 42.000, W 62° 36.000	Hurricane I	111	139	NOAA NHC
07th Sep 2012	06:00:00	N 27° 36.000, W 63° 6.000	Hurricane II	130	157	NOAA NHC
08th Sep 2012	06:00:00	N 29° 6.000, W 64° 6.000	Hurricane III	148	185	NOAA NHC
09th Sep 2012	06:00:00	N 32° 0.000, W 65° 18.000	Hurricane III	167	204	NOAA NHC

John (EP10)

Pacific Ocean – East

03.09.2012

04.09.2012

Tropical Depression

310 °

56 km/h

74 km/h

5.18 m

NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	John (EP10)
Area:	Pacific Ocean – East
Start up location:	N 18° 18.000, W 109° 36.000
Start up:	03rd September 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	400.51 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source
03rd Sep 2012	04:39:35	N 18° 18.000, W 109° 36.000	28	56	74	Tropical Depression	290	12	1006 MB	NOAA NHC
03rd Sep 2012	04:52:41	N 19° 0.000, W 110° 54.000	28	56	74	Tropical Depression	300	15	1001 MB	NOAA NHC

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
04th Sep 2012	10:48:06	N 22° 30.000, W 115° 36.000	20	56	74	Tropical Depression	310 °	17	1004 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
05th Sep 2012	18:00:00	N 25° 36.000, W 119° 48.000	Tropical Depression	37	56	NOAA NHC
05th Sep 2012	06:00:00	N 24° 36.000, W 118° 30.000	Tropical Depression	46	65	NOAA NHC
06th Sep 2012	06:00:00	N 26° 30.000, W 120° 30.000	Tropical Depression	37	56	NOAA NHC
07th Sep 2012	06:00:00	N 28° 30.000, W 121° 0.000	Tropical Depression	28	37	NOAA NHC

AL13

Atlantic Ocean

04.09.2012

Tropical Depression

310 °

56 km/h

74 km/h

3.05 m

NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	AL13
Area:	Atlantic Ocean
Start up location:	N 25° 54.000, W 42° 48.000
Start up:	04th September 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	0.00 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
04th Sep 2012	10:51:48	N 26° 30.000, W 43° 18.000	9	56	74	Tropical Depression	310 °	10	1012 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
05th Sep 2012	18:00:00	N 28° 18.000, W 44° 24.000	Tropical Depression	56	74	NOAA NHC
05th Sep 2012	06:00:00	N 27° 36.000, W 44° 18.000	Tropical Depression	56	74	NOAA NHC
06th Sep 2012	06:00:00	N 28° 48.000, W 44° 0.000	Tropical Depression	56	74	NOAA NHC
07th Sep 2012	06:00:00	N 30° 0.000, W 43° 30.000	Tropical Depression	56	74	NOAA NHC
08th Sep 2012	06:00:00	N 31° 30.000, W 44° 30.000	Tropical Depression	65	83	NOAA NHC
09th Sep 2012	06:00:00	N 33° 0.000, W 44° 30.000	Tropical Depression	65	83	NOAA NHC

…………………………

Hurricane Isaac: Utilities Report Thousands Still In The Dark Across Louisiana And Mississippi

CAIN BURDEAU and KEVIN McGILL

See slide show here

NEW ORLEANS — Tens of thousands of customers remained in the dark Monday in Louisiana and Mississippi, nearly a week after Isaac inundated the Gulf Coast with a deluge that still has some low-lying areas under water.

Most of those were in Louisiana, where utilities reported more than 100,000 people without power. Thousands also were without power in Mississippi and Arkansas.

President Barack Obama visited Monday, a day ahead of the Democratic National Convention, and walked around storm damage in St. John the Baptist Parish, where subdivisions were soaked in water from Isaac.

“I know it’s a mess,” Obama said as he approached a resident in the Ridgewood neighborhood. “But we’re here to help.”

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney visited the state Friday.

In St. John the Baptist Parish, residents spent Labor Day dragging waterlogged carpet and furniture to the curb and using bleach and water to clean hopefully to prevent mold.

LaPlace resident Barbara Melton swept mud and debris from her home, which was at one point under 2 feet of water. The garbage, debris and standing water – combined with heat reaching the 90s – created a terrible stench.

“It’s hot, it stinks, but I’m trying to get all this mud and stuff out of my house,” she said.

Melton was grateful for the president’s visit.

“I think it’s awesome to have a president that cares and wants to come out and see what he can do,” Melton, 60, said.

A few houses away, Ed Powell said Isaac was enough to make him question whether to stay.

“I know Louisiana’s a gambling state, but we don’t want to gamble in this method because when you lose this way, you lose a lot.”

Powell said even if Obama comes up with a plan or solution to the flooding problem in his area, time is not on the residents’ side.

“Even if they narrow down what the problem is and begin to resolve the problem, it usually takes years. And between now and whenever, a lot of things can happen,” Powell said.

More than 2,800 people were at shelters in Louisiana, down from around 4,000. State officials were uncertain how many people would eventually need longer-term temporary housing. Kevin Davis, head of the state’s emergency office, said housing would likely include hotels at first, then rental homes as close as possible to their damaged property.

Progress was evident in many places, though lingering flooding remained a problem in low-lying areas.

Crews in the town of Lafitte intentionally breached a levee Sunday night in an effort to help flooding there subside, Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts told The Times-Picayune.

Much of Plaquemines Parish, a vulnerable finger of land that juts into the Gulf of Mexico, remained under as much as 5 feet of water, Parish President Billy Nungesser said. The Category 1 hurricane walloped the parish, and for many, the damage was worse than that from Katrina in 2005.

___

03.09.2012

Flash Flood

India

State of Marharastra, [Marharastra-wide]

Flash Flood in India on Monday, 03 September, 2012 at 18:51 (06:51 PM) UTC.

Description

Mumbai received a whopping 15 cm average rainfall in 12 hours since 8 a.m. Monday, even as one person was killed and normal life disrupted, officials said. Five people were killed in rain-related incidents in other parts of Maharashtra. Five persons were killed and another four injured when the wall of a temple crashed at Kaundinyapur village in Amravati district. The incident occurred Sunday evening and the bodies of the victims were removed from the debris early Monday. The incessant rains resulted in overflowing of Thane district’s Lake Tansa, a major source of drinking water for the 17 million people of the city, civic official said. Some parts of the city received between four to eight centimetres of rains since Monday morning, raising hopes that the water deficit would be wiped out this year. Several low-lying areas in the city and suburbs were waterlogged, slowing down vehicular movement and causing massive traffic snarls on both the national highways and other major roads. In the evening, five people were injured in a house-collapse in Chunabhatti area of central Mumbai as torrential rains continued. Water logging was reported from parts of Borivli, Kandivli, Jogeshwari, Andheri, Santacruz, Bhandup, Sion, Byculla and some areas in Dadar, Worli, Goregaon and Kurla experienced flooding.

Suburban train services were disrupted on the Western Railway, Central Railway and Harbour Line with average 20-30 minutes delays, hitting office workers and students. The evening peak hour witnessed chaos with a signal failure at Santacruz-CST on the Harbour Line route and trains virtually crawling to their destinations. People commuting from south Mumbai to their homes in the suburbs were stuck en route and reached their destinations only after long delays of one-two hours. Elsewhere in the state, most districts of the coastal Konkan, eastern districts of Vidarbha, northern parts of the state, Marathwada and western Maharasthra were lashed with heavy rains since morning, spelling cheers for the water-starved farming community. Torrential downpour in Thane’s major towns like Kalyan, Dombivli, Vasai, Virar, Palghar and Dahanu led to flooding on the roads with vehicular movements virtually crippled for hours. As a precautionary measure, some schools in the district were closed early to enable students reach their homes safely. Farmers in the parched districts of Marathwada smiled broadly as the region was lashed with rains after a gap of over three weeks and earnestly resumed their farming activities. The weather bureau has forecast similar heavy to very heavy rains over Mumbai and other parts of the state for the next two days.

………………………..

Small twister confirmed in Indy

Published on Sep 3, 2012 by wish

The National Weather Service has confirmed a small twister near 16th and White River on Saturday.

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Epidemic Hazards / Diseases

First Swine Flu Death in Ohio

Food Poisoning Bulletin

By Linda Larsen

The Ohio Department of Health announced on Friday that the country’s first known swine flu death took place in their state. A 61-year-old Madison county women was infected with the H3N2v virus and died. She had had direct contact with swine at the Ross County fair and had “multiple other underlying medical conditions” according to the statement.

There are currently 102 cases of the H3N2v virus in Ohio. The age range of patients is between 6 months and 61 years. Most of the patients had only a mild illness, and there have been few hospitalizations in this outbreak.

David Daniels, director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, said, “swine flu is not uncommon, especially when temperatures have been high, as they have been this summer.” Dr. Tony Forshey, state veterinarian at the Ohio Department of Agriculture said “there are veterinarians in the barn at every fair. Heat-stressed swine are more likely to become ill and contagious.”

This type of flu is only transmissible through contact with live pigs. You cannot get the flu through properly handled and cooked pork. This virus is different from seasonal influenza, but it is transmitted in the same way: through coughing and sneezing by people who are infected. Most of the patients this year have been children.

To protect yourself, wash your hands with soap and water, especially after you’ve been around animals at the fair. Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth. Do not drink or eat near animals, and do not bring food into the barns when you visit a fair. And limit time around animals. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems should avoid exposure to pigs and swine barns.

If you develop a flu-like illness, with symptoms including fever, tiredness, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, see your healthcare provider. And make sure to tell her that you have been in contact with swine or other people who are sick. For questions or help, call the Ohio Department of Agirculture’s Division of Animal Health at 614-728-6220.

Isaac poses health concerns

Published on Sep 3, 2012 by wish

There are currently 16 reported cases of West Nile Virus.

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Solar Activity

3MIN News Sept 3. 2012: Magnetic Storm Watch

Published on Sep 3, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers

Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]

HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]

SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos - as seen from earth]

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT - as seen from earth]

Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI - as seen from the side]

SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it... trust me]

SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]

iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]

NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/

NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php

RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]

JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/

LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can't figure out what this one is for?]

BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]

TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]

GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]

RAIN RECORDS: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx

EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…

PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…

HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]

NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/

PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]

SUNSPOT AR1564:

The next strong flare could be just around the corner. Sunspot AR1564 is growing rapidly and has developed a ‘beta-gamma’ magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class flares. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory took this picture of the active region during the early hours of Sept. 4th:

NOAA forecasters estimate a 40% chance of M-flares during the next 24 hours. Any eruptions will likely be Earth-directed as the active region is turning toward our planet.

Solar wind
speed: 422.7 km/sec
density: 15.2 protons/cm³
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 0735 UT

X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: C2 0507 UT Sep04
24-hr: C2 0507 UT Sep04
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 0700 UT

Daily Sun: 04 Sep 12

Sunspot 1564 is suddenly growing. It has a ‘beta-gamma’ magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMI

Sunspot number: 156
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 04 Sep 2012

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2012 total: 0 days (0%)
2011 total: 2 days (<1%)
2010 total: 51 days (14%)
2009 total: 260 days (71%)
Since 2004: 821 days
Typical Solar Min: 486 days
Update 04 Sep 2012

The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 142 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 04 Sep 2012

Current Auroral Oval:

Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES

Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 3 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 6 storm
explanation | more data

Interplanetary Mag. Field
B_total: 2.8 nT
B_z: 1.5 nT north
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 0737 UT

Coronal Holes: 04 Sep 12

There are no large coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun. Credit: SDO/AIA.

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Space

SUBSIDING STORM:

A geomagnetic storm that began on Sept. 3rd when a coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth’s magnetic field is fitfully subsiding. The impact at 1200 UT (5 am PDT) induced significant ground currents in the soil of northern Scandinavia and sparked bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. Ole C. Salomonsen photographed the display over Naimakka, Finland, on Sept. 4th:

“There I was standing all alone deep in the Finish forest, just in awe of this display of light above my head,” says Salomonsen. “This is just one of many images of spectacular auroras I shot on this wonderful night.”

Earth approaching objects (objects that are known in the next 30 days)

Object Name

Apporach Date

Left

AU Distance

LD Distance

Estimated Diameter*

Relative Velocity

(2012 PX)

04th September 2012

0 day(s)

0.0452

17.6

61 m – 140 m

9.94 km/s

35784 km/h

(2012 EH5)

05th September 2012

1 day(s)

0.1613

62.8

38 m – 84 m

9.75 km/s

35100 km/h

(2011 EO11)

05th September 2012

1 day(s)

0.1034

40.2

9.0 m – 20 m

8.81 km/s

31716 km/h

(2007 PS25)

06th September 2012

2 day(s)

0.0497

19.3

23 m – 52 m

8.50 km/s

30600 km/h

329520 (2002 SV)

08th September 2012

4 day(s)

0.1076

41.9

300 m – 670 m

9.17 km/s

33012 km/h

(2011 ES4)

10th September 2012

6 day(s)

0.1792

69.8

20 m – 44 m

12.96 km/s

46656 km/h

(2008 CO)

11th September 2012

7 day(s)

0.1847

71.9

74 m – 160 m

4.10 km/s

14760 km/h

(2007 PB8)

14th September 2012

10 day(s)

0.1682

65.5

150 m – 340 m

14.51 km/s

52236 km/h

226514 (2003 UX34)

14th September 2012

10 day(s)

0.1882

73.2

260 m – 590 m

25.74 km/s

92664 km/h

(1998 QC1)

14th September 2012

10 day(s)

0.1642

63.9

310 m – 700 m

17.11 km/s

61596 km/h

(2002 EM6)

15th September 2012

11 day(s)

0.1833

71.3

270 m – 590 m

18.56 km/s

66816 km/h

(2002 RP137)

16th September 2012

12 day(s)

0.1624

63.2

67 m – 150 m

7.31 km/s

26316 km/h

(2009 RX4)

16th September 2012

12 day(s)

0.1701

66.2

15 m – 35 m

8.35 km/s

30060 km/h

(2005 UC)

17th September 2012

13 day(s)

0.1992

77.5

280 m – 640 m

7.55 km/s

27180 km/h

(2012 FC71)

18th September 2012

14 day(s)

0.1074

41.8

24 m – 53 m

3.51 km/s

12636 km/h

(1998 FF14)

19th September 2012

15 day(s)

0.0928

36.1

210 m – 480 m

21.40 km/s

77040 km/h

331990 (2005 FD)

19th September 2012

15 day(s)

0.1914

74.5

320 m – 710 m

15.92 km/s

57312 km/h

(2009 SH2)

24th September 2012

20 day(s)

0.1462

56.9

28 m – 62 m

7.52 km/s

27072 km/h

333578 (2006 KM103)

25th September 2012

21 day(s)

0.0626

24.4

250 m – 560 m

8.54 km/s

30744 km/h

(2002 EZ2)

26th September 2012

22 day(s)

0.1922

74.8

270 m – 610 m

6.76 km/s

24336 km/h

(2009 SB170)

29th September 2012

25 day(s)

0.1789

69.6

200 m – 440 m

32.39 km/s

116604 km/h

(2011 OJ45)

29th September 2012

25 day(s)

0.1339

52.1

18 m – 39 m

4.24 km/s

15264 km/h

(2012 JS11)

30th September 2012

26 day(s)

0.0712

27.7

270 m – 600 m

12.60 km/s

45360 km/h

1 AU = ~150 million kilometers,1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers

Source: NASA-NEO

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Biological Hazards / Wildlife

Today

Biological Hazard

India

State of Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore [Government Polytechnic College for Women]

Biological Hazard in India on Tuesday, 04 September, 2012 at 02:59 (02:59 AM) UTC.

Description
Forty-six students of Government Polytechnic College for Women at Sidhapudur in the heart of Coimbatore city became ill on Monday following suspected food poisoning. They were admitted at two hospitals in the vicinity after they complained of severe vomiting and stomach pain. The students developed discomfort after having dinner at the college hostel cafeteria on Sunday. While 11 of them were admitted at Ramakrishna hospital on Sunday night itself, 35 students were rushed to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) at around 8 am on Monday. Seven of them are being kept in the Intensive Care unit at CMCH and Ramakrishna hospital. The doctors attending to the students said that most of them were admitted with complaints of vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain. They were put on drips and medication. P Sivaprakasam, resident medical officer of CMCH said initial examinations had revealed that the students were suffering from food poisoning. He also said that they had consumed contaminated water. “They are recovering well and will be discharged in a couple of days,” he added. A Kalpana, a third year student recovering at CMCH said that on Sunday night they were served tomato rice for dinner. For the past week the drinking water supply was not proper. Some students may have consumed contaminated water or it may have been used for cooking,” said another student on conditions of anonymity. “Just a few months ago the students had oragnised a public protest demanding good quality food. The case of food poisoning highlights the grim situation prevailing at the hostel,” she added. The doctors say that students fell ill because of consuming contaminated water. What has happened is unfortunate. We will look into the issue and ensure this does not happen again. Corrective measures will be put in place,” said B Padmini, principal of the college. There are 300 students residing at the hostel. Most hostel students are sports players, she said. “Students may have consumed pipe water instead of the boiled water made available to them. This is despite several reminders to drink only boiled water,” the principal added. Regarding the allegation of inadequate drinking water supply in the past one week, Padmini said that on certain days there was a disruption in supply.
Biohazard name:	Mass. Food Poisoning
Biohazard level:	0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:	This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:

03.09.2012

Biological Hazard

Kyrgyzstan

Chuy Oblast, [About 20 kilometers of the Kant Air Base]

Biological Hazard in Kyrgyzstan on Monday, 03 September, 2012 at 18:47 (06:47 PM) UTC.

Description
Russia’s military officials say that efforts to prevent an anthrax epidemic have been increased at a Russian air base in Kyrgyzstan because of an outbreak of anthrax nearby. Officials from Russia’s Central Military District say one of the outbreaks is within 20 kilometers of the Kant Air Base in Kyrgyzstan’s northern region of Chui. He says all military buildings on the base — including apartments for officers and their families — have been disinfected and safety checks on food supplies have been increased. The move was undertaken after Kyrgyz health officials announced last week that several cases of anthrax had been confirmed in Chui and in the southern regions of Jalal-abad and Batken.
Biohazard name:	Anthrax
Biohazard level:	0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:	This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:

04.09.2012

Biological Hazard

United Kingdom

Scotland, Saint-Andrews

Biological Hazard in United Kingdom on Sunday, 02 September, 2012 at 19:19 (07:19 PM) UTC.

Back

Updated:	Monday, 03 September, 2012 at 07:41 UTC
Description
A wildlife rescue organization says 13 whales have died following a mass stranding off the Scottish coast. British Divers and Marine Life Rescue said Sunday that the mammals were among a group of 26 pilot whales stranded at Pittenweem, in eastern Scotland. Coast guards, volunteer medics, fire crews and police are all also involved in efforts to rescue the 13 still living. But rescue coordinator Gareth Norman said that it was likely more of the whales would die. A further 24 pilot whales from the same pod are currently in shallow water three miles along the coast at Cellardyke.

Whales beach themselves in UK, US

Scientists and conservationists are once again puzzled over the behaviour of whales – with two different pods of pilot whales beaching themselves this weekend on either side of the Atlantic.

A pod of 26 pilot whales stranded themselves off the coast of Fife in Scotland.

Crowds of on-lookers gathered to watch the massive rescue and relief operation.

13 of the 26 whales did not make it.

And in a strange coincidence… another pod of whales beached themselves along the coast of south-central Florida in the U.S.

This time, 22 pilot whales stranded themselves near Fort Pierce.

Only five whales survived.

Watch Video Here

Sick alpha caused Fla. whale beaching?

VERO BEACH, Fla., Sept. 2 (UPI) — Wildlife experts suspect an ailing alpha whale caused a pod of short-fin pilot whales to beach themselves in Florida this weekend.

Seventeen of the 22 mammals died in the surf at Avalon Beach State Park in St. Lucie County and five juveniles were taken to a rescue facility at nearby Florida Atlantic University, but were not expected to survive.

Blair Mase, who specializes in the study of whale stranding for the U.S. government, told TCPalm.com the tragedy was probably linked to the pod leader.

“This species has a tight social structure,” said Mase, a regional coordinator for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. “Typically, they stay together as a group. So if one animal is sick, they all come ashore.”

Hundreds of people on the area either watched the stranding unfold. Many tried to help out by throwing wet towels on the whales to protect them from the sun, TCPalm.com said.

Mase it would not have done much good to push the whales off the sand. “If you push them into the water, they’ll just keep coming back and stranding themselves again,” she said.

Earth Watch Report – Monday September 3rd, 2012

Filed under: Asteroids, Biological Hazard, Climate Change, Diseases, Earth Watch Report, Earthquakes, Fire - Forest/ Wild Fires, Flooding, Global Disaster Watch, meteors, Solar Activity, Space, Storms, Volcanic Events — Leave a comment

September 3, 2012

Earthquakes

RSOE EDIS

Date/Time (UTC)	Magnitude	Area	Country	State/Prov./Gov.	Location	Risk	Source	Details
03.09.2012 08:30:36	2.6	North America	United States	California	Anza		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 08:15:25	3.2	Europe	Greece	Peloponnese	Vlakhokerasea		EMSC
03.09.2012 07:30:27	2.6	Middle America	Mexico	Baja California	Delta		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 07:15:20	2.4	Europe	Italy	Calabria	Salerni		EMSC
03.09.2012 06:50:36	3.4	Caribbean	British Virgin Islands		Road Town		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 06:10:22	2.0	Asia	Turkey	Hatay	Gurisik		EMSC
03.09.2012 06:10:48	5.0	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Caraga	Libas		EMSC
03.09.2012 05:30:37	4.9	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Caraga	Libas		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 08:15:54	2.2	Europe	Greece	Crete	Arvi		EMSC
03.09.2012 06:11:13	4.6	Middle-East	Iran	Hormozg?n	Minab		EMSC
03.09.2012 06:30:31	4.7	Middle East	Iran	Kerm?n	Bam		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 04:30:46	5.0	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Caraga	Libas		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 05:10:23	5.2	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Caraga	Libas		EMSC
03.09.2012 05:10:47	2.0	Europe	Greece	South Aegean	Lindos		EMSC
03.09.2012 04:45:53	3.1	Caribbean	U.S. Virgin Islands	Saint Thomas Island	Charlotte Amalie		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 03:50:28	2.9	North America	United States	California	Round Valley		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 04:10:20	4.9	South Pole	Antarctica		McMurdo Station		EMSC
03.09.2012 03:55:29	4.9	South Pole	Antarctica		McMurdo Station		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 03:10:20	2.0		Montenegro		Donji Kokoti		EMSC
03.09.2012 08:16:19	3.7	Europe	Russia	Tyva	Saryg-Sep		EMSC
03.09.2012 03:10:44	3.1	Asia	Turkey	Manisa	Golmarmara		EMSC
03.09.2012 03:11:17	2.1		Montenegro	Optina Podgorica	Podgorica		EMSC
03.09.2012 04:10:53	2.6	Asia	Turkey	Mu?la	Bodrum		EMSC
03.09.2012 02:11:29	2.1	North America	United States	California	Scotia		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 02:11:53	2.1	North America	United States	Nevada	Silver Peak		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 02:05:24	3.3	North America	United States	Nevada	Silver Peak		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 02:10:19	3.4	Asia	Taiwan	Taiwan	Daxi		EMSC
03.09.2012 02:10:41	2.7	Asia	Turkey	Antalya	Avsallar		EMSC
03.09.2012 01:55:28	4.7	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 02:11:05	4.8	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		EMSC
03.09.2012 01:10:20	2.8	Europe	Italy	Emilia-Romagna	Bagno di Romagna		EMSC
03.09.2012 00:35:30	2.2	North America	United States	California	Brawley		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 01:10:43	2.6	Asia	Turkey	Mu?la	Dalyan		EMSC
03.09.2012 00:01:31	4.8	North America	United States	Alaska	Adak		USGS-RSOE
03.09.2012 00:05:19	4.8	North-America	United States	Alaska	Adak		EMSC
02.09.2012 23:05:32	2.3	Europe	Italy	Calabria	Salerni		EMSC
02.09.2012 23:06:06	3.3	Asia	Turkey	?zmir	Seferihisar		EMSC
02.09.2012 23:06:30	2.0	Europe	Italy	Piedmont	Prazzo		EMSC
02.09.2012 21:35:45	3.0	Caribbean	Puerto Rico	Cabo Rojo	Boqueron		USGS-RSOE
02.09.2012 22:00:27	4.8	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Caraga	Union		EMSC
02.09.2012 21:46:01	4.7	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		USGS-RSOE
02.09.2012 21:00:23	2.1	Asia	Turkey	Van	Yuvacik		EMSC
02.09.2012 21:46:25	4.8	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Caraga	Union		USGS-RSOE
02.09.2012 21:01:32	4.9	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		EMSC
02.09.2012 21:01:52	2.8	Europe	Italy	Calabria	Siderno Superiore		EMSC
02.09.2012 21:02:12	4.9	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		EMSC
02.09.2012 20:20:28	4.9	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		USGS-RSOE
02.09.2012 19:35:26	3.4	Middle America	Mexico	Baja California	Alberto Oviedo Mota		USGS-RSOE
02.09.2012 19:20:45	2.1	North America	United States	California	Tres Pinos		USGS-RSOE
02.09.2012 21:02:35	2.2	Europe	Greece	North Aegean	Agios Dimitrios		EMSC

……………………………………

Japan estimates monster quake could kill 320.000

by Staff Writers
Tokyo (AFP)

Japan’s government on Wednesday unveiled a worst case disaster scenario that warned a monster earthquake in the Pacific Ocean could kill over 320,000 people, dwarfing last year’s quake-tsunami disaster.

Tokyo’s casualty toll estimate was based on a catastrophic scenario in which a powerful undersea quake of about 9.0 magnitude sparked a giant tsunami that swamps Japan’s coastline south of Tokyo

The Cabinet Office’s hypothetical disaster would see the quake strike at nighttime during the winter with strong winds helping unleash waves that reach 34-metre (110 feet), sweeping many victims away as they slept.

Many of the estimated 323,000 victims would be drowned by the tsunami, crushed under falling objects or in fires sparked by the disaster, it said.

On March 11 last year, a 9.0 magnitude quake struck seismically-active Japan in the early afternoon, triggering tsunami waves that reached 20 metres.

About 19,000 were killed or remain missing while the tsunami slammed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, sending reactors into meltdown and sparking the worst atomic crisis in a generation.

“As long as we live in Japan, we cannot deny the possibility of a huge earthquake and tsunami,” Masaharu Nakagawa, state minister for disaster management, told reporters Wednesday.

The report was designed to paint a worst-case scenario and help officials boost their disaster preparedness.

An estimate in 2003 assumed casualties of about 25,000 people, but that scenario envisioned a less powerful 8.4 magnitude quake striking a smaller area.

The deadliest quake in Japanese history struck the central Kanto region in 1923, killing at least 100,000 people.

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Volcanic Activity

Bezymianni volcano (Kamchatka): large explosive eruption- ash to 34.000 ft (10 km) altitude

BY: T

SO2 plume from Bezymianny’s eruption on 1 Sep about 4 hours later (ESA)

According to seismic data by KB GS RAS, the eruption began at 19:16 UTC on September 01, 2012. According to visual data, ash plumes rose up to 32,800 – 39,400 ft (10-12 km) a.s.l. at 19:30 UTC on September 01. According to seismic data, an explosive phase of eruption continued till 19:45 UTC on September 01, and later there was a volcanic tremor was registered about 2 hours.
There is no ash near Bezymianny volcano now, but ash plumes are extending to the east-north-east of the volcano about 550-600 km of the volcano (MTSAT at 2132 UTC on September 01).
(Source: KVERT)

All news about: Bezymianny volcano
Information about: Bezymianny volcano

02.09.2012

Volcano Eruption

Russia [Asia]

Kamchatka, [Bezymyanny volcano]

Volcano Eruption in Russia [Asia] on Sunday, 02 September, 2012 at 10:07 (10:07 AM) UTC.

Description

A larger explosive eruption occurred at Bezyianni volcano in Kamchatka yesterday evening (1 Sep) around 19h15 GMT. The explosion produced an ash cloud rising to about 10 km altitude (flight level 340) and was first detected by Tokyo VAAC who sent out an ash-cloud aviation warning (major intercontinental routes pass this area). The ash plume is rapidly drifting west and has already reached hundreds of kilometer length. As of today (2 Sep), the eruption of the volcano is gradually finishing, but ash plumes are extending more 370 mi (600 km) to the east-north-east of the volcano. Ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft. According to seismic data by KB GS RAS, the eruption began at 19:16 UTC on September 01, 2012. According to visual data, ash plumes rose up to 32,800 – 39,400 ft (10-12 km) a.s.l. at 19:30 UTC on September 01. According to seismic data, an explosive phase of eruption continued till 19:45 UTC on September 01, and later there was a volcanic tremor was registered about 2 hours. There is no ash near Bezymianny volcano now, but ash plumes are extending to the east-north-east of the volcano about 550-600 km of the volcano (MTSAT at 2132 UTC on September 01).

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

03.09.2012

Forest / Wild Fire

Spain

Andalusia, [Marbella Region]

Forest / Wild Fire in Spain on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 10:16 (10:16 AM) UTC.

Back

Updated:

Saturday, 01 September, 2012 at 02:23 UTC

Description

The fire devastating the province of Malaga in southern Spain has left one person dead and five injured while forcing 5,000 people from their homes in municipalities on the edge of the blaze, Andalusian authorities said Friday. The charred body of an elderly man was found by police in a toolshed in the Malaga municipality of Ojen, which has been evacuated and is being cleared of rubble since they have reason to believe that a second victim might be found there, the officers said. The fire department attempting to douse the flames in six Malaga municipalities is currently focusing its efforts on the Ojen area, since the flames leaped across the highway that connects that village with Marbella, one of the area’s biggest tourist attractions. The president of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Jose Antonio GriÃ±an, spoke of “suspicions” that the fire in Malaga “could have been set intentionally, and if that is confirmed, authorities will be dealing with a “criminal act.” GriÃ±Ã¡n told the press that the mountainous terrain makes it difficult to extinguish the fire, though he expressed hope that the blaze will be stabilized at some point on Friday.The fire has already consumed approximately 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of woodland and is moving through a forest that could endanger the nearby Sierra Blanca mountains. Deployed in the area are more than 300 firefighters, personnel of 34 police patrols, five backup brigades and 10 fire engines, as well as a mobile meteorology unit for the analysis and tracking of forest fires. As for air support, 31 aircraft have now been activated, of which 20 are from the regional Andalusian government and the rest belong to the Agriculture, Food and Environment Ministry. Altogether there are six freight aircraft, five large-capacity helicopters, 13 helicopters for transport and fire extinction, and three coordination and surveillance aircraft fighting the fire, plus 200 troops of the UME military emergency management unit. The fire is affecting the Malaga municipal terminals of Monda, Mijas, Marbella, Alhaurin El Grande and Ojen, as well as Coin, where the fire broke out, but up to now the exact area burned has not been determined. The village of Ojen was evacuated completely as were several nearby housing developments. The Red Cross has established campsites and shelters on lands of the Monda, Mijas and Marbella municipalities.

With regard to the injured, a 58-year-old woman and a man of about the same age have suffered burns over 60 and 65 percent of their bodies, respectively. Meanwhile a mother, 40, and her two children ages 11 and 3 also received medical attention for contusions, and were given artificial respiration due to the effects of being enveloped in smoke after seeking refuge from the flames in a cave in Ojen. So far this year, 11 people have died in Spain as a consequence of forest fires, of which all but one were in the months of July and August.

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Storms, Flooding

Active tropical storm system(s)

Name of storm system	Location	Formed	Last update	Last category	Course	Wind Speed	Gust	Wave	Source	Details
Ileana (EP09)	Pacific Ocean – East	28.08.2012	02.09.2012	Tropical Depression	265 °	46 km/h	65 km/h	4.57 m	NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	Ileana (EP09)
Area:	Pacific Ocean – East
Start up location:	N 15° 30.000, W 107° 42.000
Start up:	28th August 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	1,081.88 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source
28th Aug 2012	04:45:33	N 15° 30.000, W 107° 42.000	19	74	93	Tropical Storm	290	15	1000 MB	NOAA NHC
29th Aug 2012	04:37:35	N 17° 0.000, W 111° 6.000	17	93	111	Tropical Storm	305	11	997 MB	NOAA NHC
30th Aug 2012	05:06:37	N 19° 6.000, W 113° 6.000	15	120	148	Hurricane I.	320	17	987 MB	NOAA NHC
31st Aug 2012	04:54:30	N 21° 12.000, W 114° 12.000	9	139	167	Hurricane I.	335	10	976 MB	NOAA NHC
01st Sep 2012	05:06:50	N 22° 36.000, W 116° 42.000	13	102	120	Tropical Storm	300	17	991 MB	NOAA NHC
02nd Sep 2012	05:35:22	N 23° 6.000, W 120° 24.000	13	65	83	Tropical Storm	270	14	1004 MB	NOAA NHC

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
02nd Sep 2012	17:25:26	N 22° 36.000, W 122° 30.000	19	46	65	Tropical Depression	265 °	15	1008 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
04th Sep 2012	12:00:00	N 21° 12.000, W 129° 24.000	Tropical Depression	37	56	NOAA NHC
04th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 21° 42.000, W 127° 36.000	Tropical Depression	37	56	NOAA NHC
05th Sep 2012	12:00:00	N 19° 30.000, W 133° 0.000	Tropical Depression	37	56	NOAA NHC

Kirk (AL02)

Atlantic Ocean

29.08.2012

02.09.2012

Tropical Depression

35 °

83 km/h

102 km/h

6.71 m

NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	Kirk (AL02)
Area:	Atlantic Ocean
Start up location:	N 23° 54.000, W 45° 0.000
Start up:	29th August 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	1,609.74 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source
29th Aug 2012	04:44:17	N 23° 54.000, W 45° 0.000	19	74	93	Tropical Storm	280	15	1007 MB	NOAA NHC
30th Aug 2012	05:13:04	N 25° 54.000, W 48° 18.000	15	93	111	Tropical Storm	300	18	1002 MB	NOAA NHC
31st Aug 2012	04:48:39	N 29° 0.000, W 50° 42.000	19	157	194	Hurricane II.	335	18	980 MB	NOAA NHC
01st Sep 2012	05:01:53	N 33° 54.000, W 49° 30.000	26	130	157	Hurricane I.	15	14	988 MB	NOAA NHC
02nd Sep 2012	05:34:00	N 41° 12.000, W 41° 48.000	46	93	111	Tropical Storm	40	19	999 MB	NOAA NHC

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
02nd Sep 2012	17:29:47	N 46° 12.000, W 36° 30.000	59	83	102	Tropical Depression	35 °	22	1002 MB	NOAA NHC

Leslie (AL12)

Atlantic Ocean

30.08.2012

03.09.2012

Tropical Depression

325 °

93 km/h

111 km/h

5.79 m

NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	Leslie (AL12)
Area:	Atlantic Ocean
Start up location:	N 14° 6.000, W 43° 24.000
Start up:	30th August 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	1,354.71 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source
31st Aug 2012	04:48:01	N 14° 42.000, W 46° 48.000	30	83	102	Tropical Storm	280	12	1002 MB	NOAA NHC
01st Sep 2012	05:02:48	N 17° 24.000, W 52° 48.000	33	102	120	Tropical Storm	295	19	999 MB	NOAA NHC
02nd Sep 2012	05:34:37	N 20° 12.000, W 58° 24.000	30	102	120	Tropical Storm	305	11	998 MB	NOAA NHC

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
03rd Sep 2012	04:53:21	N 23° 24.000, W 61° 42.000	17	93	111	Tropical Depression	325 °	19	998 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
04th Sep 2012	12:00:00	N 26° 12.000, W 63° 36.000	Tropical Depression	93	111	NOAA NHC
04th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 25° 30.000, W 63° 36.000	Tropical Depression	93	111	NOAA NHC
05th Sep 2012	12:00:00	N 27° 18.000, W 63° 30.000	Tropical Depression	93	111	NOAA NHC
06th Sep 2012	12:00:00	N 28° 18.000, W 63° 30.000	Hurricane I	102	120	NOAA NHC
07th Sep 2012	12:00:00	N 29° 30.000, W 64° 0.000	Hurricane I	120	148	NOAA NHC

EP10

Pacific Ocean – East

03.09.2012

Tropical Depression

300 °

56 km/h

74 km/h

4.57 m

NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	EP10
Area:	Pacific Ocean – East
Start up location:	N 18° 18.000, W 109° 36.000
Start up:	03rd September 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	0.00 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
03rd Sep 2012	04:52:41	N 19° 0.000, W 110° 54.000	28	56	74	Tropical Depression	300 °	15	1001 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
04th Sep 2012	18:00:00	N 23° 0.000, W 117° 6.000	Tropical Depression	65	83	NOAA NHC
04th Sep 2012	06:00:00	N 21° 54.000, W 115° 18.000	Tropical Depression	74	93	NOAA NHC
05th Sep 2012	18:00:00	N 24° 36.000, W 120° 24.000	Tropical Depression	56	74	NOAA NHC
06th Sep 2012	18:00:00	N 25° 30.000, W 122° 30.000	Tropical Depression	46	65	NOAA NHC
07th Sep 2012	18:00:00	N 26° 0.000, W 124° 30.000	Tropical Depression	37	56	NOAA NHC

…………………………………..

01.09.2012

Complex Emergency

North Korea

Multiple areas, [Westher and central regions]

Complex Emergency in North Korea on Saturday, 01 September, 2012 at 11:09 (11:09 AM) UTC.

Description

Twin typhoons renewed fears of a humanitarian crisis in North Korea, where poor drainage, widespread deforestation and crumbling infrastructure can turn even a routine rainstorm into a catastrophic flood. Typhoon Bolaven struck the North on Tuesday and Wednesday, submerging houses and roads, ruining thousands of acres of crops and triggering landslides that buried train tracks – scenes that are all too familiar in this disaster-prone nation. A second major storm, Typhoon Tembin, pounded the Korean Peninsula with more rains Thursday before dissipating. The storms came with North Korea still recovering from earlier floods that killed more than 170 people and destroyed thousands of homes. That in turn followed a springtime drought that was the worst in a century in some areas. The disaster relief group AmeriCares announced late Thursday that enough emergency antibiotics and medical supplies to treat 15,000 North Koreans would be airlifted to the country as early as this week in coordination with North Korean officials. Damage to 69 hospitals and clinics suffered during the earlier floods has left 700,000 North Koreans without access to health care at a time when scores are fighting off the threat of infection while living in temporary shelters, the group said in a statement.Other foreign aid groups said they were standing by in Pyongyang, but had not received new requests for help from the North Korean government. They had little information on the extent of damage and were relying on reports from state media. The country’s wariness toward the outside world, as well as a primitive rural road system, means aid may be slow arriving, if it is allowed to come at all. “These fresh storms, coming just a few weeks after the serious flooding – they do raise concerns because we see parts of the countryside battered again that have already been left in a vulnerable state,” said Francis Markus, spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in East Asia. Tembin’s strong winds and hard rain pounded South Korea on Thursday as residents of some cities waded through streets flooded with murky, knee-deep water. The storm moved off the peninsula’s east coast overnight. The national weather agency in Seoul predicted some cities in southern North Korea could see up to 80 mm (3.15 inches) of rain, but North Korea didn’t immediately release details on rainfall, deaths or damage from the latest storm. The earlier storm, Bolaven, left 20 people dead or missing in South Korea. It killed three people and left 3,300 people homeless in North Korea, the country’s official media reported. Downpours trigger landslides that barrel down the North’s deforested mountains. For years, rural people have felled trees to grow crops and for firewood, leaving the landscape barren and heavily eroded. Rivers overflow, submerging crops, inundating roads and engulfing hamlets.

Since June, thousands have been left without clean water, electricity and access to food and other supplies. That leads to a risk of water-borne and respiratory diseases and malnutrition, aid workers say. Because the North annually struggles to produce enough food from its rocky, mountainous landscape to feed its 24 million people, a poorly timed natural disaster can easily tip the country into crisis, like the famine in the 1990s that followed a similar succession of devastating storms. A North Korean land management official acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that widespread deforestation and a lack of basic infrastructure have made the country vulnerable to the typhoons and storms that batter the peninsula each year. “It’s important for the future of our children to make our country rich and beautiful,” Ri Song Il, director of external affairs for the Ministry of Land and Environmental Protection, said in June. He said a campaign is under way to replenish forests, build highways and construct proper irrigation at the order of North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong Un. He held up a green pamphlet on land management that was the first official document Kim published after taking power from his father. But it may be too little, too late, for this year’s summer rains.

In Pyongyang, North Korea’s showcase capital of grand monuments and broad boulevards, the rains have been little more than a nuisance for residents tromping about in rubber boots and umbrellas. Outside the capital, it’s a different story. In villages without the luxury of paved roads, summer downpours have sliced through roadways and washed away bridges, all but cutting off already isolated communities from supplies, food and help. Two weeks ago, AP journalists visited a flood-ravaged mining hamlet in South Phyongan province where gushing waters from an earlier storm swallowed a whole block of homes. The trip, a mere 40-mile (60-kilometer) drive northeast of Pyongyang, required a bumpy four-hour ride along rutted, muddy roads. Along the way, workers piled stones along the roadside as a bulwark against landslides, but they were no match for the water rushing down mountainsides. Villagers crouched in makeshift lean-tos and camped on the rubble where their houses once stood. They vowed to rebuild once the roads are restored and trucks can cart in cement. But there are concerns about how vulnerable their new homes would be if they rebuild at the foot of a mountain in the county of Songchon, which means “place where many waters come together.” North Korea has no clear long-term strategy to deal with disasters or climate change, the United Nations said in a report issued in June. This year, North Korea is at a particularly dangerous juncture, said the Red Cross’ Markus. Over the last two years, he said, “we’ve been seeing a gradual deterioration in the humanitarian situation.” The Red Cross works with villagers to prepare evacuation plans and other ways to protect themselves, their homes and their farmland in the event of a disaster, he said. But severe weather remains an omnipresent threat, and poor infrastructure and massive deforestation are “a major factor in exacerbating these weather events,” he said. “There’s no doubt that the vulnerabilities in the countryside are considerable.”

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Radiation / Nuclear

Osaka City Police Forcibly Removing Citizens from Townhall Meeting on Disaster Debris Burning in Osaka City

EX-SKF

You don’t see this in any of the mainstream media.

The occasion was when the boy-wonder of Osaka City Toru Hashimoto held the one and only townhall meeting to explain things about disaster debris acceptance in Osaka City on August 30 (see my previous post).

This happened after the meeting, after the boy-wonder hastily departed, guarded by plain-clothes policemen. Many citizens remained in the hall, wanting to have the answers to their questions from the officials at the city’s bureau of environment. Instead of engaging the citizens, they started to remove them out of the hall, according to this blog who had the link to the IWJ video below.

Video streaming by Ustream

People in Osaka City are trapped in Hashimoto’s psychosis.

New (2012) Crop of #Fukushima Rice that “Passed” the Test Is On Sale in Tokyo

EX-SKF

Sure it passed. The detection limit was 25 becquerels/kg, testing done in 5 to 10 seconds at most using brand-new detectors built specifically for the task of rapidly “measuring” the radioactive cesium in rice grown in Fukushima Prefecture.

Never mind the details like that. Shoppers in Edogawa-ku, Tokyo (itself in the more contaminated section of Tokyo) are happy to snap up this year’s fresh crop.

From Nikkei Shinbun quoting Kyodo News (9/1/2012; emphasis is mine):

福島産の新米、東京で販売開始　全袋検査に合格

New crop of Fukushima rice sale started in Tokyo, all bags passed the inspection [for radioactive materials]

福島県でことし収穫された新米の販売が１日、東京都江戸川区のアンテナショップ「ふくしま市場」で始まった。同県では８月から放射性物質の全袋検査を実施しており、合格したコメの県外販売は初めて。

New crop of rice harvested in Fukushima Prefecture this year started on September 1 at “Fukushima Market”, a shop to test selling the Fukushima produce in Edogawa-ku, Tokyo. Fukushima Prefecture has started testing all bags of rice for radioactive materials since August, and this was the first sale of the rice that passed the test outside Fukushima.

店頭には、検査で検出限界値（１キロ当たり25ベクレル）を下回った本宮市産「五百川」と会津坂下町産「瑞穂黄金」の早場米２品種が並べられた。設置された試食コーナーで買い物客が味を確かめ、名産の桃などと一緒に買っていた。

Bags of rice from Motomiya City and from Aizubange-machi, both of which tested below the detection limit (25 becquerels/kg) were put on sale. Shoppers were sampling at a sampling corner of the store, and seen purchasing [the rice] together with the peaches from Fukushima.

家族４人で訪れていた江戸川区の会社員岡本孝雄さん（45）は震災前からの福島米ファン。「ことしもおいしかった。検査もしているし、何も心配せずに買いました」と話していた。

Mr. Takao Okamoto (age 45), an office worker who lives in Edogawa-ku, was visiting the shop with his family of four. He [said] he had been a fan of Fukushima rice even before the March 11, 2011 disaster. He said, “[The rice] tastes great this year, too. They test the rice, so I bought without any worries at all.”

(Poor kids.)

Arnold Gundersen with another update on the unfolding effects of the Fukushima disaster

IF YOU LOVE THIS PLANET Dr Helen Caldicott

Listen Now Download the show by right-clicking the link.

Arnie Gundersen

Gundersen

This week, Dr. Caldicott brings on nuclear engineer Arnold Gundersen to update readers on the unfolding effects of the Fukushima meltdowns and what is happening with nuclear power in other parts of the world. Longer show description to follow. As background, listen to earlier conversations with Gundersen (starting with April 1, 2011), which can be found on the Archives page.
Read the August 2012 news articles Study: Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Caused Mutant Butterflies and Grassroots Power Pushing Japan Towards Nuclear-Free Future . And visit Fairewinds.org, the website of Gundersen’s organization, for more information.

Nuclear Physicist on Fukushima: I’m most concerned about a chain reaction happening — Rain leaking in from cracks after a new quake could act as a moderator, and a nuclear reactor will start again

Title: Interview with Nils Bøhmer, Bellona.org
Source: TRU News

Friday August 10, 2012

Guest:Nils Bohmer

Topic:Radiation dangers from the Fukashima nuclear plant

www.Bellona.org

Nuclear Physicist Nils Bøhmer: Should there be a new earthquake in the region, you could have a dramatic situation once again. You could have new cracks, water entering into reactor core, you could maybe have a nuclear chain reaction starting in the fuel, which means you could have a lot of radioactivity released again

[...]

I’m most concerned that a nuclear chain reaction could start in the fuel if you have a lot of water in there because that will be very difficult to control and that will have a lot of heat there that you don’t have control over

[...]

If there is a new earthquake, there is leakages, the rain, a lot of rain, that water will get in contact with the fuel and act as a moderator and you will have a nuclear reactor starting again without any control mechanism, and that will be very, very [inaudible] [...]

So that is the main thing now, to keep the water out, to keep the cooling running, and build the buildings around the reactors [...]

Tepco releases badly photoshopped image of Fukushima Unit 4

Photo set published August 30, 2012 only on Tepco’s Japanese-language website: http://photo.tepco.co.jp/date/2012/201208-j/120830-03j.html

Direct link to photo: http://photo.tepco.co.jp/library/20120830_03/120830_28.jpg

h/t Anonymous tip

Close-up of obscured area

Japan government officially making study on kids in Fukushima

Published on Aug 31, 2012 by aristoman007

As you can see the NHK drove down the article.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120831_14.html
So you can still see it on YOuTUBE under http://youtu.be/o3GYXG9XmYQ
NHK World News —- The Japanese government plans to study the possible effects of radiation on genes of people affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident. It will begin the tests in the next fiscal year.

Environment minister Goshi Hosono revealed the plan at a meeting in Fukushima City on Thursday.

Fukushima residents have been voicing concerns over possible genetic effects of radioactive substances emitted in the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March last year.

The ministry plans to conduct blood and other tests. The ministry says it will work with the Fukushima Medical University and research institutions. The first priority will be testing children.

Hosono said after the meeting that the health of Fukushima residents needs to be monitored for more than 50 years. He said understanding radiation influences on the genetic level could help these people in the future.

The ministry plans to request funding to carry out the study in its budget for the next fiscal year.
Aug. 31, 2012 – Updated 01:45 UTC (10:45 JST)

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Epidemic Hazards / Diseases

Legionnaires’ death toll rises to 11 in Quebec, total of 169 cases

Quebec health officials are trying to contain a deadly outbreak of legionnaires’ disease.

CTVNews.ca Staff

Legionnaires’ disease has claimed another life in Quebec, bringing the total number of deaths linked to the latest outbreak of the infection-causing bacteria to 11.

Since the outbreak began in mid-July, public health officials have confirmed 169 cases of legionnaires’, four of which were detected on Sunday.

However, officials believe the outbreak is now under control.

The most recent cases are thought to have developed over the last 10 to 15 days and the symptoms are only now surfacing.

The potentially deadly legionella bacteria grow in stagnant water and are often spread through infected droplets in air conditioning systems, swimming pools and other commercial or domestic water systems.

While not everyone who breathes in the infected droplets will become sick, some who do can develop severe pneumonia.

In Quebec, health authorities have narrowed in on the cooling systems of two building towers as potential sources of contamination, but tests to confirm the source could take weeks to complete.

Meanwhile, the systems in more than 100 buildings in the city have been disinfected as a precaution.

A news released issued by Quebec’s public health department on Sunday states the agency should be able to confirm the source of the bacteria by mid-September.

Meanwhile, health authorities in Chicago confirmed this weekend that a legionnaires’ outbreak was behind three recent deaths there.

The source of the bacteria was traced to a hotel water fountain.

With files from The Canadian Press

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Climate Change

Antarctica Was Once A Tropical Zone Covered In Trees

MessageToEagle.com – Once upon a time, Antarctica was a tropical zone covered in trees.

New research finds that the frozen continent was much warmer than originally thought. Some parts of Antarctica were almost lush forest zone with rich plant life located on its coasts.

If climate change continues, palm trees and other tropical vegetation – usually found in hot climatic conditions, – could grow in the Antarctic within a few hundred years, researchers said.

Climate scientists are particularly interested in warm periods that occurred in the geological past. Knowledge of past episodes of global warmth can be used to better understand the relationship between climate change, variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide and the reaction of Earth’s biosphere.Scientists from the Goethe University and the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Frankfurt, Germany have discovered evidence of similar plants 52 million years ago growing in drill cores obtained from the seafloor near Antarctica – a region that is especially important in climate research.

The findings, published in the journal Nature highlight the contrast between modern and past climatic conditions on Antarctica and the extent of global warmth during periods of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

“If the current CO2 emissions continue unabated due to the burning of fossil fuels, CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, as they existed in the distant past, are likely to be achieved within a few hundred years,” Prof Jorg Pross, a paleoclimatologist at the Goethe University said.

An impression of a tropical Antarctica. Image Credits: Robert Nicholls/paleocreations.com

The scientists analyzed 53 and 46 million years old rock samples to reconstruct the local vegetation on Antarctica back then, and interpret the presence of tropical and subtropical rainforests covering the coastal region 52 million years ago.

The evaluations show that the winter temperatures on the Wilkes Land coast of Antarctica were warmer than 10 degrees Celsius at that time, despite three months of polar night.

Predicting rise in global temperatures in the coming decades, climate scientists believe that future climate warming will be particularly greater near the poles, suitable for this kind of vegetation.

MessageToEagle.com

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Solar Activity

2MIN News Sept 1. 2012: Mega-Filament Eruption

Published on Sep 1, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers

TODAY’S LINKS
Tropical Glaciers? Melting?: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=79084

REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]

HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]

SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos - as seen from earth]

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT - as seen from earth]

Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI - as seen from the side]

SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it... trust me]

SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]

iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]

NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/

NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php

RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]

JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/

LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can't figure out what this one is for?]

BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]

TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]

GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]

RAIN RECORDS: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx

EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…

PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…

HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]

NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/

PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]

2MIN News Sept 2. 2012: More Weather Records

Published on Sep 2, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers

TODAY’S LINKS
August Records: http://www.weather.com/news/weather-forecast/august-summer-records-20120901
Drought After Isaac: http://www.weather.com/news/miss-river-drought-shipping-20120901
Rain Records: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx
Whale Deaths: http://web.orange.co.uk/article/news/pilot_whale_pod_dies_after_florida_stran…

REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]

HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]

SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos - as seen from earth]

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT - as seen from earth]

Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI - as seen from the side]

SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it... trust me]

SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]

iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]

NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/

NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php

RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]

JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/

LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can't figure out what this one is for?]

BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]

TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]

GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]

RAIN RECORDS: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx

EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…

PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…

HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]

NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/

PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]

Solar storms can destabilize power grids at mid-latitudes

The Sun is capable of disrupting electrical systems on Earth in a variety of ways, from solar flares and coronal mass ejections to proton storms. Typically, it is only objects far above the Earth’s surface, or systems at high altitudes at polar latitudes, that are considered at risk except during the most powerful storms. Notable recent examples include solar activity during March 1989 and October 2003 (the “Halloween Storms”), which knocked out power in Quebec, Canada, and Sweden, respectively. Research by Marshall et al., however, finds that even a moderate event can have destructive effects far from the typical regions of concern.Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-solar-storms-destabilize-power-grids.html#jCp

At 1:20 UT on 6 November 2001, a high-density pocket of solar wind, 18 nanoPascals above the background pressure, sped past the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite, which was orbiting 197 Earth radii above the Earth toward the Sun. In half an hour, this high-pressure wave traveled more than a million kilometers (620,000 miles) to the Earth’s magnetopause. The high- pressure pulse induced currents both in the magnetopause and in power lines across New Zealand, causing alarms to be tripped and a transformer to fail catastrophically. Extending from 35 degrees South to 46 degrees South, New Zealand is typically considered outside the region susceptible to such solar activity. A Northern Hemisphere equivalent would be a zone extending from Maine to North Carolina. The authors find currents of up to 27.4 amperes in transformer earth lines that were supposed to be neutral. For comparison, the Halloween Storms 2 years later caused peak currents of 23.4 amperes and no serious damage, though the authors suggest that this may have been due to damage prevention measures implemented following the 2001 event.

CHANCE OF FLARES:

Sunspot AR1560 has more than quadrupled in size since August 30th, and now the fast growing active region is directly facing our planet: movie. NOAA forecasters estimate a 40% chance of M-class solar fares during the next 48 hours.

MAGNIFICENT ERUPTION:

A filament of magnetism curling around the sun’s southeastern limb erupted on August 31st, producing a coronal mass ejection (CME), a C8-class solar flare, and one of the most beautiful movies ever recorded by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory:

The explosion hurled a CME away from the sun traveling faster than 500 km/s (1.1 million mph). The cloud, shown here, is not heading directly toward Earth, but it could deliver a glancing blow to our planet’s magnetic field on or about September 3rd. This date is preliminary and may be changed in response to more data from coronagraphs on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Stay tuned.

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Space

Earth approaching objects (objects that are known in the next 30 days)

Object Name

Apporach Date

Left

AU Distance

LD Distance

Estimated Diameter*

Relative Velocity

(2012 HG31)

03rd September 2012

0 day(s)

0.0716

27.9

440 m – 990 m

10.33 km/s

37188 km/h

(2012 PX)

04th September 2012

1 day(s)

0.0452

17.6

61 m – 140 m

9.94 km/s

35784 km/h

(2012 EH5)

05th September 2012

2 day(s)

0.1613

62.8

38 m – 84 m

9.75 km/s

35100 km/h

(2011 EO11)

05th September 2012

2 day(s)

0.1034

40.2

9.0 m – 20 m

8.81 km/s

31716 km/h

(2007 PS25)

06th September 2012

3 day(s)

0.0497

19.3

23 m – 52 m

8.50 km/s

30600 km/h

329520 (2002 SV)

08th September 2012

5 day(s)

0.1076

41.9

300 m – 670 m

9.17 km/s

33012 km/h

(2011 ES4)

10th September 2012

7 day(s)

0.1792

69.8

20 m – 44 m

12.96 km/s

46656 km/h

(2008 CO)

11th September 2012

8 day(s)

0.1847

71.9

74 m – 160 m

4.10 km/s

14760 km/h

(2007 PB8)

14th September 2012

11 day(s)

0.1682

65.5

150 m – 340 m

14.51 km/s

52236 km/h

226514 (2003 UX34)

14th September 2012

11 day(s)

0.1882

73.2

260 m – 590 m

25.74 km/s

92664 km/h

(1998 QC1)

14th September 2012

11 day(s)

0.1642

63.9

310 m – 700 m

17.11 km/s

61596 km/h

(2002 EM6)

15th September 2012

12 day(s)

0.1833

71.3

270 m – 590 m

18.56 km/s

66816 km/h

(2002 RP137)

16th September 2012

13 day(s)

0.1624

63.2

67 m – 150 m

7.31 km/s

26316 km/h

(2009 RX4)

16th September 2012

13 day(s)

0.1701

66.2

15 m – 35 m

8.35 km/s

30060 km/h

(2005 UC)

17th September 2012

14 day(s)

0.1992

77.5

280 m – 640 m

7.55 km/s

27180 km/h

(2012 FC71)

18th September 2012

15 day(s)

0.1074

41.8

24 m – 53 m

3.51 km/s

12636 km/h

(1998 FF14)

19th September 2012

16 day(s)

0.0928

36.1

210 m – 480 m

21.40 km/s

77040 km/h

331990 (2005 FD)

19th September 2012

16 day(s)

0.1914

74.5

320 m – 710 m

15.92 km/s

57312 km/h

(2009 SH2)

24th September 2012

21 day(s)

0.1462

56.9

28 m – 62 m

7.52 km/s

27072 km/h

333578 (2006 KM103)

25th September 2012

22 day(s)

0.0626

24.4

250 m – 560 m

8.54 km/s

30744 km/h

(2002 EZ2)

26th September 2012

23 day(s)

0.1922

74.8

270 m – 610 m

6.76 km/s

24336 km/h

(2009 SB170)

29th September 2012

26 day(s)

0.1789

69.6

200 m – 440 m

32.39 km/s

116604 km/h

(2011 OJ45)

29th September 2012

26 day(s)

0.1339

52.1

18 m – 39 m

4.24 km/s

15264 km/h

(2012 JS11)

30th September 2012

27 day(s)

0.0712

27.7

270 m – 600 m

12.60 km/s

45360 km/h

1 AU = ~150 million kilometers,1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers

Source: NASA-NEO

Milky Way Locked In A Complex Cosmic Dance With Its Twin Galaxies -
New Rare Discovery

MessageToEagle.com – A group of astronomers made a rare and fascinating discovery, searching for groups of galaxies similar to ours in the most detailed map of the local Universe yet.

The Milky Way is a fairly typical galaxy on its own, but when paired with its close neighbours – the Magellanic Clouds – it is very rare, and could have been one of a kind, until a survey of our local Universe found another two examples just like us.

“We’ve never found another galaxy system like the Milky Way before, which is not surprising considering how hard they are to spot! It’s only recently become possible to do the type of analysis that lets us find similar groups,” says Dr Aaron Robotham, University of Western Australia who worked along with colleagues from International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and the University of St Andrews in Scotland“Everything had to come together at once: we needed telescopes good enough to detect not just galaxies but their faint companions, we needed to look at large sections of the sky, and most of all we needed to make sure no galaxies were missed in the survey”

Sophisticated simulations of how galaxies form don’t produce many examples similar to the Milky Way and its surrounds, predicting them to be quite a rare occurrence.

Astronomers haven’t been able to tell just how rare until now, with the discovery of not just one but two exact matches amongst the hundreds of thousands of galaxies surveyed.

An artist’s concept of how the Milky Way is stripping gas from the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Credit: Dallas Parr (CSIRO)

“We found about 3% of galaxies similar to the Milky Way have companion galaxies like the Magellanic Clouds, which is very rare indeed. In total we found 14 galaxy systems that are similar to ours, with two of those being an almost exact match,” says Dr Robotham.

The Milky Way is locked in a complex cosmic dance with its close companions the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, which are clearly visible in the southern hemisphere night sky. Many galaxies have smaller galaxies in orbit around them, but few have two that are as large as the Magellanic Clouds.

This image shows one of the two ‘exact matches’ to the Milky Way system found in the survey. The larger galaxy, denoted GAMA202627, which is similar to the Milky Way clearly has two large companions off to the bottom left of the image. In this image bluer colours indicate hotter, younger, stars like many of those that are found in our galaxy. Image Credit: Dr Aaron Robotham, ICRAR/St Andrews using GAMA data.

Dr Robotham’s work also found that although companions like the Magellanic Clouds are rare, when they are found they’re usually near a galaxy very like the Milky Way, meaning we’re in just the right place at the right time to have such a great view in our night sky.

The 3.9 meter Anglo-Australian Telescope is collecting optical galaxy data for the GAMA survey. Credits: Barnaby Morris

“The galaxy we live in is perfectly typical, but the nearby Magellenic Clouds are a rare, and possibly short-lived, occurrence. We should enjoy them whilst we can, they’ll only be around for a few billion more years,” adds Dr Robotham.

Dr Robotham and colleagues have been awarded further time on telescopes in New South Wales and Chile to study these Milky Way twin systems now that they’ve been found.

The Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey is an international collaboration led from ICRAR and the Australian Astronomical Observatory to map our local Universe in closer detail.

Research has been presented at the International Astronomical Union General Assembly in Beijing.

© MessageToEagle.com

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Biological Hazards / Wildlife

US experts probe beaching that killed 17 whales

Only five of the 22 pilot whales survived after beaching themselves Saturday morning at Avalon Beach State Park Enlarge US scientists are to investigate what led 22 whales to beach themselves in Florida—killing 17 of them—one of three such incidents in North America over the weekend. US scientists are to investigate what led 22 whales to beach themselves in Florida—killing 17 of them—one of three such incidents in North America over the weekend. Ads by Google Criminal Justice – Discover South University’s Strong Academic Heritage. Apply Today! – http://www.SouthUniversity.edu The dead whales will be “dispersed at different labs across Florida for necropsy,” or animal autopsies, Blair Mase, regional stranding coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told AFP on Sunday. Only five of the 22 pilot whales survived after beaching themselves Saturday morning at Avalon Beach State Park, on the east coast of Florida, despite efforts by volunteers and experts to save the group. So far, it is unclear why the whales swam ashore. Mase said experts would collect data to try to find out why the whales stranded themselves. The survivors, four juveniles and one calf, are “stable” and “swimming on their own,” Mase said. They are currently at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and will likely be transported later to SeaWorld in Orlando. However, two other groups of whales swam onto beaches in North America—one in Cape Cod on Saturday and another in Canada on Sunday—an occurrence that Mase said merited further investigation. “It’s very interesting that we’re seeing all these mass strandings occur in North America right now,” she added. Pilot whales are tightly knit and sometimes swim on to beaches as a group when one of them is ill. In those cases, Mase told local media, it does not help to push the whales back into the water, because they tend to quickly swim back to shore again.

02.09.2012

Biological Hazard

United Kingdom

Scotland, Saint-Andrews

Biological Hazard in United Kingdom on Sunday, 02 September, 2012 at 19:19 (07:19 PM) UTC.

Description
Sixteen pilot whales have died after beaching themselves on the east coast of Scotland, officials said on Sunday. Another 10 whales from the same pod also stranded themselves at Pittenweem, near St Andrews, but were refloated after being kept alive by vets from British Divers and Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) with help from the local fire and police services. Another 24 whales from the same pod were swimming in the shallows three miles along the coast, and experts were fearful that they could also be beached by the rising tide. The local coastguard was notified of the mass beaching at 07:00 am (0600 GMT) and there were soon 30 medics and 25 support crew from the emergency services on hand to try and save the six-metre (20 feet) long mammals. In the United States, 17 pilot whales died after beaching themselves Saturday morning at Avalon Beach State Park, on the east coast of Florida, despite efforts by volunteers and experts to save them. Two other groups of whales swam onto beaches in North America — one in Cape Cod on Saturday and another in Canada on Sunday. The causes of the events remained unclear.
Biohazard name:	Whales on the ground – beached whales
Biohazard level:	0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:	This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:	confirmed

02.09.2012

Biological Hazard

USA

State of California, Sacramento [Sutter Memorial Hospital]

Biological Hazard in USA on Sunday, 02 September, 2012 at 14:54 (02:54 PM) UTC.

Description
Two Sacramento families are filing legal action against Sutter Memorial Hospital after their infants tested positive for a bacteria spread by skin contact (MRSA) while in the hospital’s care. Moseley Collins, who is the attorney representing the families, alleges hospital staff failed to wash their hands while treating two children in the neonatal intensive care unit. One mother, Stacey Heard, gave birth to her son Aug. 15 at Sutter Memorial Hospital. The other mother, Lashanda Bey, gave birth to her daughter July 7. Both infants tested negative at birth when they were screened for MRSA but later tested positive, according to Collins. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is resistant to many antibiotics. According to Sutter Memorial staff, 23 babies tested positive for MRSA at the time of discharge during the last two weeks. Dr. Stephen Butler, who is the NICU medical director, said the hospital routinely screens patients when they are discharged. He said this is the first time the hospital has seen a cluster of patients that screened positive for MRSA but he doesn’t know what caused the outbreak. Butler said MRSA has not caused any serious infections in the patients that went home or that are currently in the NICU. However, one baby required a topical antibiotic for what may have been a minor infection, according to Butler. Hospital staff isolated the positive patients to decrease the chances of transferring the bacteria to other babies who have not been colonized in the NICU. Collins alleges a physician touched a door knob then handled an infant after birth. Collins said the infant’s father was videotaping the birth and caught the incident on camera. Sutter Memorial Hospital will have 90 days to respond to the claim.
Biohazard name:	MRSA
Biohazard level:	3/4 Hight
Biohazard desc.:	Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.
Symptoms:
Status:	confirmed

02.09.2012

Biological Hazard

USA

State of Illinois, [Cook and Kane Counties]

Biological Hazard in USA on Sunday, 02 September, 2012 at 09:56 (09:56 AM) UTC.

Description
Hundreds of deer in the Chicago area have been killed by a virus previously unknown in the area. Roughly 200 deer in Cook County have died. Six suspected cases have been reported in Kane County. The disease is known as EHD, or epizootic hemorrhagic disease. It’s a virus that kills deer in about a week and is spread among them by bites from flies known as midges. The disease cannot be passed to humans or pets. He suspects the mild winter and hot summer helped it spread to northern Illinois. The first case was two weeks ago.
Biohazard name:	EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease)
Biohazard level:	1/4 Low
Biohazard desc.:	Bacteria and viruses including Bacillus subtilis, canine hepatitis, Escherichia coli, varicella (chicken pox), as well as some cell cultures and non-infectious bacteria. At this level precautions against the biohazardous materials in question are minimal, most likely involving gloves and some sort of facial protection. Usually, contaminated materials are left in open (but separately indicated) waste receptacles. Decontamination procedures for this level are similar in most respects to modern precautions against everyday viruses (i.e.: washing one’s hands with anti-bacterial soap, washing all exposed surfaces of the lab with disinfectants, etc). In a lab environment, all materials used for cell and/or bacteria cultures are decontaminated via autoclave.
Symptoms:
Status:	confirmed

01.09.2012

Biological Hazard

Vietnam

Province of Quang Ngai, [Quang Ngai-wide]

Biological Hazard in Vietnam on Saturday, 01 September, 2012 at 11:11 (11:11 AM) UTC.

Description
The Quang Ngai provincial People’s Committee declared on August 31 that a bird flu epidemic has swept through 23 hamlets in 17 communes of five districts across the province. All of the nearly 80 blood samples sent from these localities tested positive for the A/H5N1 virus, prompting local authorities have culled 58,000 infected fowl. The provincto e is implementing strict measures to control the illegal slaughter and transport of poultry to prevent the disease spreading wider. The provincial Department of Animal Health has provided one million doses of vaccine to protect poultry in seven neighbouring districts and towns.
Biohazard name:	Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1)
Biohazard level:	4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:	Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Symptoms:
Status:	confirmed

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Tags: 200 deer in Cook County have died, 2MIN News Sept 1. 2012: Mega-Filament Eruption, 2MIN News Sept 2. 2012: More Weather Records, Alaska, Antarctica, Antarctica Was Once A Tropical Zone Covered In Trees, Arnold Gundersen with another update on the unfolding effects of the Fukushima disaster, Asia, beached whales, Bezymianni volcano (Kamchatka): large explosive eruption- ash to 34.000 ft (10 km) altitude, Biological Hazard in United Kingdom, Biological Hazard in USA, Biological Hazard in Vietnam, British Virgin Islands, California, Caribbean, CHANCE OF FLARES:, Complex Emergency in North Korea, Earth approaching objects, EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease), Europe, Forest / Wild Fire in Spain, Greece, Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1), Illinois, Iran, Italy, Japan, Japan estimates monster quake could kill 320.000, Japan government officially making study on kids in Fukushima, Kamchatka, Legionnaires' death toll rises to 11 in Quebec, MAGNIFICENT ERUPTION:, Mexico, Middle America, Middle East, Milky Way Locked In A Complex Cosmic Dance With Its Twin Galaxies - New Rare Discovery, Montenegro, MRSA infections, Nevada, New (2012) Crop of #Fukushima Rice that "Passed" the Test Is On Sale in Tokyo, North America, North Korea, Nuclear Physicist on Fukushima, Osaka City Police Forcibly Removing Citizens from Townhall Meeting on Disaster Debris Burning in Osaka City, Pacific Ocean, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Russia, Scotland, Solar storms can destabilize power grids at mid-latitudes, South Pole, Spain, Taiwan, Tepco releases badly photoshopped image of Fukushima Unit 4, total of 169 cases, Tropical Depression EP10, Tropical Depression Ileana (EP09), Tropical Depression Kirk (AL02), Tropical Depression Leslie (AL12), Turkey, Twin typhoons, U.S. Virgin Islands, United Kingdom, United States, US experts probe beaching that killed 17 whales, Volcano Eruption in Russia, Whales on the ground, [Bezymyanny volcano]

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Earth Watch Report – Saturday September 1st, 2012

Filed under: Asteroids, Biological Hazard, Diseases, Earth Watch Report, Fire - Forest/ Wild Fires, Flooding, Global Disaster Watch, Landslides, meteors, Solar Activity, Space, Storms, Volcanic Events — Leave a comment

September 1, 2012

Earthquakes

RSOE EDIS

Date/Time (UTC)	Magnitude	Area	Country	State/Prov./Gov.	Location	Risk	Source	Details
01.09.2012 07:45:20	2.9	Europe	Greece	West Greece	Neochorion		EMSC
01.09.2012 07:45:44	2.5	Asia	Turkey	Bal?kesir	Marmara		EMSC
01.09.2012 07:30:28	5.1	South America	Colombia	Santander	Cepita		USGS-RSOE
01.09.2012 06:20:26	2.1	North America	United States	California	Coalinga		USGS-RSOE
01.09.2012 06:45:19	2.2	Europe	Greece	East Macedonia and Thrace	Kamariotissa		EMSC
01.09.2012 06:45:47	2.0	Europe	Italy	Calabria	Salerni		EMSC
01.09.2012 06:46:11	2.8	Europe	Poland	Lower Silesian Voivodeship	Jerzmanowa		EMSC
01.09.2012 06:00:33	2.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Lake Minchumina		USGS-RSOE
01.09.2012 06:46:33	2.5	Asia	Turkey	Mu?la	Sarigerme		EMSC
01.09.2012 06:10:47	3.4	Pacific Ocean	New Zealand	Hawke’s Bay	Takapau		GEONET
01.09.2012 06:46:54	2.7	Europe	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina	Zenica		EMSC
01.09.2012 05:45:24	3.3	Europe	Greece	Peloponnese	Marathopolis		EMSC
01.09.2012 05:46:20	3.1	Asia	Turkey	Mu?la	Sarigerme		EMSC
01.09.2012 05:46:48	2.2	Asia	Turkey	Van	Toyga		EMSC
01.09.2012 05:47:15	2.1	Europe	Italy	Sicily	Panarea		EMSC
01.09.2012 05:11:16	5.5	Pacific Ocean	New Zealand		Mamaku		GEONET
01.09.2012 05:47:37	2.0	Europe	Greece	South Aegean	Olymbos		EMSC
01.09.2012 04:15:26	2.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Livengood		USGS-RSOE
01.09.2012 04:00:41	2.2	North America	United States	California	Brawley		USGS-RSOE
01.09.2012 04:25:29	4.6	Middle America	El Salvador	Usulután	Puerto El Triunfo		USGS-RSOE
01.09.2012 04:45:20	4.6	Middle-America	El Salvador	Usulután	Puerto El Triunfo		EMSC
01.09.2012 03:50:26	2.4	North America	United States	California	Brawley		USGS-RSOE
01.09.2012 03:35:51	2.4	North America	United States	California	Imperial		USGS-RSOE
01.09.2012 03:36:15	2.5	North America	United States	California	Seeley		USGS-RSOE
01.09.2012 03:40:21	5.3	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		EMSC
01.09.2012 03:43:20	5.3	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		USGS-RSOE
01.09.2012 03:40:45	2.6	Europe	Italy	Calabria	Salerni		EMSC
01.09.2012 03:41:03	5.4	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		EMSC
01.09.2012 03:43:38	5.4	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Caraga	Libas		USGS-RSOE
01.09.2012 03:41:21	2.0	Asia	Turkey	Siirt	Uzyum		EMSC
01.09.2012 03:41:39	2.0	Asia	Turkey	Siirt	Uzyum		EMSC
01.09.2012 03:42:02	2.9	Europe	Greece	Crete	Platanos		EMSC
01.09.2012 03:42:20	2.2	Asia	Turkey	Siirt	Uzyum		EMSC
01.09.2012 03:42:39	5.2	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Caraga	Libas		EMSC
01.09.2012 02:50:25	5.3	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Caraga	Libas		USGS-RSOE
01.09.2012 02:35:18	2.6	Europe	Greece	Central Greece	Kastrakion		EMSC
01.09.2012 02:25:26	3.2	North America	United States	Alaska	Beaver		USGS-RSOE
01.09.2012 02:30:28	4.9	Pacific Ocean – West	New Caledonia		Tadine		USGS-RSOE
01.09.2012 02:35:41	4.9	Pacific Ocean – West	New Caledonia		Tadine		EMSC
01.09.2012 02:35:59	2.6	Europe	Greece	Peloponnese	Meligalas		EMSC
01.09.2012 02:36:17	5.7	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Caraga	Union		EMSC
01.09.2012 02:36:35	3.1	Asia	Turkey	Kütahya	Dumlupinar		EMSC
01.09.2012 01:30:26	2.2	Europe	Poland	Silesian Voivodeship	Gorzyczki		EMSC
01.09.2012 01:30:45	3.0	Europe	Italy	Tuscany	Santa Mama		EMSC
01.09.2012 00:30:26	2.1	Europe	Italy	The Marches	Cartoceto		EMSC
01.09.2012 00:30:52	5.1	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Eastern Visayas	Sulangan		EMSC
31.08.2012 23:55:29	2.7	North America	United States	California	Arbuckle		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 23:56:15	3.5	North America	United States	California	Coalinga		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 23:45:39	2.3	North America	United States	California	Brawley		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 23:35:30	2.8	North America	United States	California	Arbuckle		USGS-RSOE

………………………………………….

7.9 Mwp – PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION

Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude	7.9 Mwp
Date-Time	31 Aug 2012 12:47:34 UTC 31 Aug 2012 20:47:34 near epicenter 31 Aug 2012 06:47:34 standard time in your timezone
Location	10.828N 126.677E
Depth	34 km
Distances	106 km (66 miles) ESE (102 degrees) of Guiuan, Samar, Philippines 175 km (109 miles) NE (48 degrees) of Surigao, Mindanao, Philippines 187 km (116 miles) ESE (104 degrees) of Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines 749 km (465 miles) SE (124 degrees) of MANILA, Philippines
Location Uncertainty	Horizontal: 13.7 km; Vertical 5.8 km
Parameters	Nph = 486; Dmin = 432.9 km; Rmss = 1.00 seconds; Gp = 13° M-type = Mwp; Version = 9
Event ID	us c000cc5m

For updates, maps, and technical information, see:
Event Page
or
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

National Earthquake Information Center
U.S. Geological Survey
http://neic.usgs.gov/

Summary

Location and Magnitude contributed by: USGS, NEIC, Golden, Colorado (and predecessors)

General

100 km

50 mi

10.839°N, 126.704°E
Depth: 34.9km (21.7mi)

Event Time

2012-08-31 12:47:34 UTC
2012-08-31 20:47:34 UTC+08:00 at epicenter
2012-08-31 07:47:34 UTC-05:00 system time

Nearby Cities

96km (60mi) E of Sulangan, Philippines
109km (68mi) ESE of Guiuan, Philippines
162km (101mi) ESE of Borongan, Philippines
176km (109mi) NE of Surigao, Philippines
747km (464mi) ESE of Manila, Philippines

Tectonic Summary

The August 31, 2012 M 7.6 earthquake off the east coast of the Philippines occurred as a result of reverse faulting within the oceanic lithosphere of the Philippines Sea plate. The preliminary location of the earthquake indicates this is an intraplate event, 50 or more kilometers to the east of the subduction zone plate boundary between the Philippine Sea and Sunda plates. At the latitude of the earthquake, the Philippine Sea plate moves west-northwest at a velocity of approximately 100 mm/yr.

While this region of the Philippines experiences moderate-to-large earthquakes fairly frequently – there have been approximately 40 events of M6 and above over the past 40 years, within 250 km of the August 31 2012 earthquake – large events outboard of the subduction zone are unusual. While several moderate-sized events have occurred in this intraplate region, most have been the result of normal faulting within the shallower oceanic lithosphere, rather than deeper reverse faulting like August 31 2012 event. The largest nearby event regardless of mechanism was the October 1975 M 7.6 earthquake, approximately 200 km to the north of the August 31 2012 event.

For information on aftershocks within the region of this earthquake, see this map.

Seismotectonics of the Philippine Sea and Vicinity

The Philippine Sea plate is bordered by the larger Pacific and Eurasia plates and the smaller Sunda plate. The Philippine Sea plate is unusual in that its borders are nearly all zones of plate convergence. The Pacific plate is subducted into the mantle, south of Japan, beneath the Izu-Bonin and Mariana island arcs, which extend more than 3,000 km along the eastern margin of the Philippine Sea plate. This subduction zone is characterized by rapid plate convergence and high-level seismicity extending to depths of over 600 km. In spite of this extensive zone of plate convergence, the plate interface has been associated with few great (M>8.0) ‘megathrust’ earthquakes. This low seismic energy release is thought to result from weak coupling along the plate interface (Scholz and Campos, 1995). These convergent plate margins are also associated with unusual zones of back-arc extension (along with resulting seismic activity) that decouple the volcanic island arcs from the remainder of the Philippine Sea Plate (Karig et al., 1978; Klaus et al., 1992).

South of the Mariana arc, the Pacific plate is subducted beneath the Yap Islands along the Yap trench. The long zone of Pacific plate subduction at the eastern margin of the Philippine Sea Plate is responsible for the generation of the deep Izu-Bonin, Mariana, and Yap trenches as well as parallel chains of islands and volcanoes, typical of circum-pacific island arcs. Similarly, the northwestern margin of the Philippine Sea plate is subducting beneath the Eurasia plate along a convergent zone, extending from southern Honshu to the northeastern coast of Taiwan, manifested by the Ryukyu Islands and the Nansei-Shoto (Ryukyu) trench. The Ryukyu Subduction Zone is associated with a similar zone of back-arc extension, the Okinawa Trough. At Taiwan, the plate boundary is characterized by a zone of arc-continent collision, whereby the northern end of the Luzon island arc is colliding with the buoyant crust of the Eurasia continental margin offshore China.

Along its western margin, the Philippine Sea plate is associated with a zone of oblique convergence with the Sunda Plate. This highly active convergent plate boundary extends along both sides the Philippine Islands, from Luzon in the north to the Celebes Islands in the south. The tectonic setting of the Philippines is unusual in several respects: it is characterized by opposite-facing subduction systems on its east and west sides; the archipelago is cut by a major transform fault, the Philippine Fault; and the arc complex itself is marked by active volcanism, faulting, and high seismic activity. Subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate occurs at the eastern margin of the archipelago along the Philippine Trench and its northern extension, the East Luzon Trough. The East Luzon Trough is thought to be an unusual example of a subduction zone in the process of formation, as the Philippine Trench system gradually extends northward (Hamburger et al., 1983). On the west side of Luzon, the Sunda Plate subducts eastward along a series of trenches, including the Manila Trench in the north, the smaller less well-developed Negros Trench in the central Philippines, and the Sulu and Cotabato trenches in the south (Cardwell et al., 1980). At its northern and southern terminations, subduction at the Manila Trench is interrupted by arc-continent collision, between the northern Philippine arc and the Eurasian continental margin at Taiwan and between the Sulu-Borneo Block and Luzon at the island of Mindoro. The Philippine fault, which extends over 1,200 km within the Philippine arc, is seismically active. The fault has been associated with major historical earthquakes, including the destructive M7.6 Luzon earthquake of 1990 (Yoshida and Abe, 1992). A number of other active intra-arc fault systems are associated with high seismic activity, including the Cotabato Fault and the Verde Passage–Sibuyan Sea Fault (Galgana et al., 2007).

Relative plate motion vectors near the Philippines (about 80 mm/yr) is oblique to the plate boundary along the two plate margins of central Luzon, where it is partitioned into orthogonal plate convergence along the trenches and nearly pure translational motion along the Philippine Fault (Barrier et al., 1991). Profiles B and C reveal evidence of opposing inclined seismic zones at intermediate depths (roughly 70-300 km) and complex tectonics at the surface along the Philippine Fault.

Several relevant tectonic elements, plate boundaries and active volcanoes, provide a context for the seismicity presented on the main map. The plate boundaries are most accurate along the axis of the trenches and more diffuse or speculative in the South China Sea and Lesser Sunda Islands. The active volcanic arcs (Siebert and Simkin, 2002) follow the Izu, Volcano, Mariana, and Ryukyu island chains and the main Philippine islands parallel to the Manila, Negros, Cotabato, and Philippine trenches.

Seismic activity along the boundaries of the Philippine Sea Plate (Allen et al., 2009) has produced 7 great (M>8.0) earthquakes and 250 large (M>7) events. Among the most destructive events were the 1923 Kanto, the 1948 Fukui and the 1995 Kobe (Japan) earthquakes (99,000, 5,100, and 6,400 casualties, respectively), the 1935 and the 1999 Chi-Chi (Taiwan) earthquakes (3,300 and 2,500 casualties, respectively), and the 1976 M7.6 Moro Gulf and 1990 M7.6 Luzon (Philippines) earthquakes (7,100 and 2,400 casualties, respectively). There have also been a number of tsunami-generating events in the region, including the Moro Gulf earthquake, whose tsunami resulted in more than 5000 deaths.

More information on regional seismicity and tectonics

Additional Data Contributors

7.6 Mww – PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION

Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude	7.6 Mww
Date-Time	31 Aug 2012 12:47:34 UTC 31 Aug 2012 20:47:34 near epicenter 31 Aug 2012 06:47:34 standard time in your timezone
Location	10.838N 126.704E
Depth	34 km
Distances	108 km (67 miles) E (101 degrees) of Guiuan, Samar, Philippines 178 km (110 miles) NE (49 degrees) of Surigao, Mindanao, Philippines 190 km (118 miles) ESE (104 degrees) of Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines 751 km (466 miles) ESE (123 degrees) of MANILA, Philippines
Location Uncertainty	Horizontal: 13.3 km; Vertical 2.8 km
Parameters	Nph = 688; Dmin = 435.1 km; Rmss = 0.98 seconds; Gp = 11° M-type = Mww; Version = A
Event ID	us c000cc5m ***This event has been revised.

For updates, maps, and technical information, see:
Event Page
or
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

National Earthquake Information Center
U.S. Geological Survey
http://neic.usgs.gov/

Summary

Location and Magnitude contributed by: USGS, NEIC, Golden, Colorado (and predecessors)

General

50 km

20 mi

10.839°N, 126.704°E
Depth: 34.9km (21.7mi)

Event Time

2012-08-31 12:47:34 UTC
2012-08-31 20:47:34 UTC+08:00 at epicenter
2012-08-31 07:47:34 UTC-05:00 system time

Nearby Cities

96km (60mi) E of Sulangan, Philippines
109km (68mi) ESE of Guiuan, Philippines
162km (101mi) ESE of Borongan, Philippines
176km (109mi) NE of Surigao, Philippines
747km (464mi) ESE of Manila, Philippines

Tectonic Summary

For information on aftershocks within the region of this earthquake, see this map.

Seismotectonics of the Philippine Sea and Vicinity

More information on regional seismicity and tectonics

Additional Data Contributors

Today

Earthquake

Philippines

Eastern Visayas, [Coastal Region]

Earthquake in Philippines on Saturday, 01 September, 2012 at 02:26 (02:26 AM) UTC.

Description

A 7.6 earthquake struck off the Philippine coast on Friday, triggering landslides that killed at least one person and a small tsunami that hit the eastern part of the archipelago, authorities said. The quake struck at a depth of 34 kilometres (21 miles) in the Pacific Ocean about 140 kilometres from the Philippines, leading to tsunami warnings across its east coast and as far away as Indonesia, Japan and Papua New Guinea. A series of small waves ranging from 16-centimetres (six-inch) to 50 centimetres hit the eastern Philippines about two hours after the quake, according to local authorities, but there were no reports of major damage. The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center shortly afterwards lifted its tsunami warnings for the Philippines and Indonesia. It had earlier cancelled similar warnings for Japan, Taiwan and several Pacific islands. The warnings led to a burst of terror for residents along the east coast of the Philippines, many of whom were without electricity because power lines had been cut during the earthquake that hit at 8:47 pm (1247 GMT). Leticia Amos, 35, a government employee, said hundreds of families on Samar island rushed to a hillside area, carrying their belongings as soon as the alert was raised.”It is very dark, there is no electricity and everyove is panicking,” she said. “Our place is on a hilly portion along the highway, and hundreds of people from low lying bayside areas rushed here.” The quake shook large areas of the east, and one person was confirmed killed when a landslide engulfed her home in Cagayan de Oro City. “There’s a 60-year-old woman who died and a five-year-old girl who was injured. There was a small landslide,” civil defence chief Benito Ramos said on DZMM radio. “The quake occurred amid strong rain, so the earth shook loose and there was a landslide.” Paula Daza, the governor of northern Samar province, one of the areas closest to where the quake struck, said there were reports of damage to infrastructure. “Some cracks appeared on concrete roads, and at the base of at least one bridge,” he said. Sol Matugas, the governor of another eastern region, Surigao del Norte, said on DZMM radio that the quake had severely shaken homes. “We were rather frightened. For the first time, we saw objects falling out of our cabinets,” he said. The USGS had initially reported the quake as having a magnitude of 7.9, but revised it to 7.6.

………………………………………..

8.1 Earthquake Philippines – Aug 31, 2012

Published on Aug 31, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers

2MIN News Aug 31: http://youtu.be/3h_YWsuDb5k

BUOYs: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/
USGS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.html
Global Quakes: http://quakes.globalincidentmap.com/

7.9 quake hits Eastern Samar

CEBU CITY (3rd Update) — A magnitude 7.9 earthquake shook some parts of the Visayas, particularly Eastern Samar,

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported in its website that the quake’s epicenter was located at 112 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

Source: http://www.usgs.gov

The quake’s origin is tectonic and it has a depth of 10 kilometers.

It was also located at 175 kilometers northeast of Surigao, 187 kilometers east southeast of Tacloban, Leyte and 749 kilometers southeast of Manila, the US Geological Survey said in its latest bulletin.

The USGS issued a tsunami warning in the Philippines, as well as in Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan and Guam.

Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum advised residents in Surigao del Norte, Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte and Bicol to be on alert for possible aftershocks.

He also advised those living in coastal villages in these areas to evacuate due to the tsunami warning.

Southern Leyte Governor Damian Mercado said in a radio interview that he told all town mayors in the province to evacuate all families living in coastal areas. Evacuation is also ongoing in Eastern Samar and Surigao.

No damage has been reported as of this posting Friday. (Sunnex)

LISS – Live Internet Seismic Server

GSN Stations

These data update automatically every 30 minutes. Last update: September 1, 2012 04:49:32 UTC

Seismograms may take several moments to load. Click on a plot to see larger image.

CU/ANWB, Willy Bob, Antigua and Barbuda

CU/BBGH, Gun Hill, Barbados

CU/BCIP, Isla Barro Colorado, Panama

CU/GRGR, Grenville, Grenada

CU/GTBY, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

CU/MTDJ, Mount Denham, Jamaica

CU/TGUH, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

IC/BJT, Baijiatuan, Beijing, China

IC/ENH, Enshi, China

IC/HIA, Hailar, Neimenggu Province, China

IC/LSA, Lhasa, China

IC/MDJ, Mudanjiang, China

IC/QIZ, Qiongzhong, Guangduong Province, China

IU/ADK, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA

IU/AFI, Afiamalu, Samoa

IU/ANMO, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

IU/ANTO, Ankara, Turkey

IU/BBSR, Bermuda

IU/CASY, Casey, Antarctica

IU/CCM, Cathedral Cave, Missouri, USA

IU/CHTO, Chiang Mai, Thailand

IU/COLA, College Outpost, Alaska, USA

IU/COR, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

IU/CTAO, Charters Towers, Australia

IU/DAV,Davao, Philippines

IU/DWPF,Disney Wilderness Preserve, Florida, USA

IU/FUNA,Funafuti, Tuvalu

IU/GNI, Garni, Armenia

IU/GRFO, Grafenberg, Germany

IU/GUMO, Guam, Mariana Islands

IU/HKT, Hockley, Texas, USA

IU/HNR, Honiara, Solomon Islands

IU/HRV, Adam Dziewonski Observatory (Oak Ridge), Massachusetts, USA

IU/INCN, Inchon, Republic of Korea

IU/JOHN, Johnston Island, Pacific Ocean

IU/KBS, Ny-Alesund, Spitzbergen, Norway

IU/KEV, Kevo, Finland

IU/KIEV, Kiev, Ukraine

IU/KIP, Kipapa, Hawaii, USA

IU/KMBO, Kilima Mbogo, Kenya

IU/KNTN, Kanton Island, Kiribati

IU/KONO, Kongsberg, Norway

IU/KOWA, Kowa, Mali

IU/LCO, Las Campanas Astronomical Observatory, Chile

IU/LSZ, Lusaka, Zambia

IU/LVC, Limon Verde, Chile

IU/MA2, Magadan, Russia

IU/MAJO, Matsushiro, Japan

IU/MAKZ,Makanchi, Kazakhstan

IU/MBWA, Marble Bar, Western Australia

IU/MIDW, Midway Island, Pacific Ocean, USA

IU/NWAO, Narrogin, Australia

IU/OTAV, Otavalo, Ecuador

IU/PAB, San Pablo, Spain

IU/PAYG Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands

IU/PET, Petropavlovsk, Russia

IU/PMG, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

IU/PMSA, Palmer Station, Antarctica

IU/POHA, Pohakaloa, Hawaii

IU/PTCN, Pitcairn Island, South Pacific

IU/PTGA, Pitinga, Brazil

IU/QSPA, South Pole, Antarctica

IU/RAO, Raoul, Kermadec Islands

IU/RAR, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

IU/RCBR, Riachuelo, Brazil

IU/RSSD, Black Hills, South Dakota, USA

IU/SAML, Samuel, Brazil

IU/SBA, Scott Base, Antarctica

IU/SDV, Santo Domingo, Venezuela

IU/SFJD, Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland

IU/SJG, San Juan, Puerto Rico

IU/SLBS, Sierra la Laguna Baja California Sur, Mexico

IU/SNZO, South Karori, New Zealand

IU/SSPA, Standing Stone, Pennsylvania USA

IU/TARA, Tarawa Island, Republic of Kiribati

IU/TEIG, Tepich, Yucatan, Mexico

IU/TIXI, Tiksi, Russia

IU/TRIS, Tristan da Cunha, Atlantic Ocean

IU/TRQA, Tornquist, Argentina

IU/TSUM, Tsumeb, Namibia

IU/TUC, Tucson, Arizona

IU/ULN, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

IU/WAKE, Wake Island, Pacific Ocean

IU/WCI, Wyandotte Cave, Indiana, USA

IU/WVT, Waverly, Tennessee, USA

IU/XMAS, Kiritimati Island, Republic of Kiribati

IU/YSS, Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, Russia

Tsunami Information

Pacific Ocean Region
Date/Time (UTC)	Message	Location	Magnitude	Depth	Status	Details
31.08.2012 14:54 PM	Fixed Regional Tsunami Warning Cancellation	Philippine Islands Region	7.6	33 km

Fixed Regional Tsunami Warning Cancellation in Philippine Islands Region, Pacific Ocean

GuID:	pacific.TSUPAC.2012.08.31.1454
Date/Time:	2012-08-31 14:54:01
Source:	PTWC
Area:	Pacific Ocean
Location:	Philippine Islands Region
Magnitude:	M 7.6
Depth:	33 km
Tsunami observed:	Yes, tsunami wave has been observed.

Fixed Regional Tsunami Warning Cancellation in Philippine Islands Region, Pacific Ocean

000
WEPA40 PHEB 311454
TSUPAC

TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 004
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 1454Z 31 AUG 2012

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC
OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...
WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

ADDITIONAL SEA LEVEL READINGS INCLUDED. WARNING IS CANCELLED.

... TSUNAMI WARNING CANCELLATION ...

THE TSUNAMI WARNING AND/OR WATCH ISSUED BY THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI
WARNING CENTER IS NOW CANCELLED FOR

 INDONESIA / PHILIPPINES / BELAU

THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.  ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

 ORIGIN TIME -  1248Z 31 AUG 2012
 COORDINATES -  10.9 NORTH  127.1 EAST
 DEPTH       -   33 KM
 LOCATION    -  PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
 MAGNITUDE   -  7.6

MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY

 GAUGE LOCATION        LAT   LON    TIME        AMPL         PER
 -------------------  ----- ------  -----  ---------------  -----
 MALAKAL KOROR PW      7.3N 134.5E  1447Z   0.01M /  0.0FT  10MIN
 DART 52404           20.9N 132.3E  1418Z   0.01M /  0.0FT  10MIN
 DAVAO PH              7.1N 125.6E  1350Z   0.03M /  0.1FT  32MIN
 DART 52405           12.9N 132.3E  1333Z   0.03M /  0.1FT  10MIN
 LEGASPI PH           13.1N 123.8E  1343Z   0.03M /  0.1FT  14MIN

 LAT  - LATITUDE (N-NORTH, S-SOUTH)
 LON  - LONGITUDE (E-EAST, W-WEST)
 TIME - TIME OF THE MEASUREMENT (Z IS UTC IS GREENWICH TIME)
 AMPL - TSUNAMI AMPLITUDE MEASURED RELATIVE TO NORMAL SEA LEVEL.
        IT IS ...NOT... CREST-TO-TROUGH WAVE HEIGHT.
        VALUES ARE GIVEN IN BOTH METERS(M) AND FEET(FT).
 PER  - PERIOD OF TIME IN MINUTES(MIN) FROM ONE WAVE TO THE NEXT.

 NOTE - DART MEASUREMENTS ARE FROM THE DEEP OCEAN AND THEY
        ARE GENERALLY MUCH SMALLER THAN WOULD BE COASTAL
         MEASUREMENTS AT SIMILAR LOCATIONS.

EVALUATION

 SEA LEVEL READINGS INDICATE A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED. IT MAY HAVE
 BEEN DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS NEAR THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. FOR
 THOSE AREAS - WHEN NO MAJOR WAVES ARE OBSERVED FOR TWO HOURS
 AFTER THE ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL OR DAMAGING WAVES HAVE NOT
 OCCURRED FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS THEN LOCAL AUTHORITIES CAN ASSUME
 THE THREAT IS PASSED. DANGER TO BOATS AND COASTAL STRUCTURES CAN
 CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS DUE TO RAPID CURRENTS. AS LOCAL
 CONDITIONS CAN CAUSE A WIDE VARIATION IN TSUNAMI WAVE ACTION THE
 ALL CLEAR DETERMINATION MUST BE MADE BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

 NO TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS FOR OTHER COASTAL AREAS IN THE PACIFIC
 ALTHOUGH SOME OTHER AREAS MAY EXPERIENCE SMALL SEA LEVEL CHANGES.
 THE TSUNAMI WARNING IS NOW CANCELLED FOR ALL AREAS COVERED BY
 THIS CENTER.

THIS WILL BE THE FINAL BULLETIN ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.

THE JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY MAY ALSO ISSUE TSUNAMI MESSAGES
FOR THIS EVENT TO COUNTRIES IN THE NORTHWEST PACIFIC AND SOUTH
CHINA SEA REGION.  IN CASE OF CONFLICTING INFORMATION... THE
MORE CONSERVATIVE INFORMATION SHOULD BE USED FOR SAFETY.

THE WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WILL ISSUE PRODUCTS
FOR ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...WASHINGTON...OREGON...CALIFORNIA.

**********************************************************************************************************

Volcanic Activity & Discoveries

Reclus volcano (Patagonia, Chile): increased number of earthquakes as sign of reawakening

Volcano Discovery

BY: T

Some unrest is going on at Reclus volcano in southern Chile, located between Aguilera and Monte Burney in Patagonia, the Eruptions Blog writes:
“Over the summer, earthquakes began to be felt in towns in the region of the volcano and a potential for new activity from the Reclus has prompted geologists to visit the volcano later this spring (southern hemisphere). Interestingly, one article mentions that an overflight of the volcano in 2008 spotted cracks on the glaciers that cover the volcano along with traces of ash. However, the direct connection between the seismicity in Patagonia and Reclus is still tenuous, so further observations of the remote volcano will need to be done.”
Reclus has had at least 4 historical eruptions around, 1908, 1879, and in 1869. Although these were small, the volcano has produced larger explosive eruptions in the past and should be closely monitored.

All news about: Reclus volcano
Information about: Reclus volcano

—
Links / Sources:

Three Rumbling Volcanoes: Little Sitkin, Reclus and Tangkubanparahu (Eruptions Blog)

Elevated Volcanic Activity and Information Releases

Friday, Aug 31, 2012 at 20:30:59 PDT.

The following U.S. volcanoes are known to be above normal background (elevated unrest or eruptions) or have shown activity that warranted an Information Release (for example, an earthquake swarm).
Times are local to the volcano and in military format.
Volcano Alert Levels & Aviation Color Codes defined at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/alertsystem.

Little Sitkin Alert Level=ADVISORY. Aviation Color Code=YELLOW. As of Aug 31, 2012, 15:35 AKDT
Anomalous seismicity that began on August 29 gradually decreases since 06:00 AKDT (14:00 UTC) August 31, 2012.
(Change to current status occurred on Aug 30, 2012 04:23 AKDT from Alert Level UNASSIGNED and Aviation Color Code UNASSIGNED )
For more information see http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/archiveupdate.php?noticeid=7691
Iliamna Alert Level=ADVISORY. Aviation Color Code=YELLOW. As of Aug 31, 2012, 15:35 AKDT
Clouds obscured satellite and webcam view of Iliamna during the past 24 hours. Seismicity remains slightly above background.
(Change to current status occurred on Mar 9, 2012 13:07 AKDT from Alert Level NORMAL and Aviation Color Code GREEN )
For more information see http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/archiveupdate.php?noticeid=7690
Cleveland Alert Level=WATCH. Aviation Color Code=ORANGE. As of Aug 31, 2012, 15:35 AKDT
Satellite imagery indicates that as of August 27, 2012, the summit crater of Cleveland is a tephra-covered funnel surrounding a central vent containing no dome.
(Change to current status occurred on Jun 19, 2012 15:06 AKDT from Alert Level ADVISORY and Aviation Color Code YELLOW )
For more information see http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/archiveupdate.php?noticeid=7689
Pagan Alert Level=ADVISORY. Aviation Color Code=YELLOW. As of Aug 31, 2012, 10:09 ChST
Low-level unrest. YELLOW/ADVISORY. Persistent steam/gas plume.
(Change to current status occurred on Oct 6, 2011 14:21 ChST from Alert Level UNASSIGNED and Aviation Color Code UNASSIGNED )
For more information see http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/archiveupdate.php?noticeid=7686
Kilauea Alert Level=WATCH. Aviation Color Code=ORANGE. As of Aug 31, 2012, 08:16 HST
DI deflation and lava lake dropping slowed; new pit craters in Pu`u `O`o Crater and barely active lava flows to the SE; no ocean entry; gas emissions elevated.
(Change to current status occurred on Mar 9, 2011 19:45 HST from Alert Level WARNING and Aviation Color Code RED )
For more information see http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/archiveupdate.php?noticeid=7688

Hong Kong Discovers 140 Million Year-Old Supervolcano

WSJ

: Reuters; People stand on large hexagonal columns of volcanic rock, southeast of Hong Kong in this handout photo released August 30, 2012.

Some 140 million years after it erupted and then toppled into the sea, an ancient supervolcano in Hong Kong is making headlines.

The government announced Thursday that it had located the supervolcano—the first discovery of its kind in southeastern China—while surveying in the area in southeastern Hong Kong. The volcano is now extinct and poses no threat to Hong Kong.

What makes the volcano super? When it last exploded 140 million years ago, it would have darkened the sky with 312 cubic miles of ash, enough to blanket all of Hong Kong, said Denise Tang of the government’s civil engineering & development department, which discovered the volcano. About 50 other such supervolcanos are known to exist around the world, she said.

The original base of Hong Kong’s supervolcano would have measured about 11 miles in diameter, and the vista of vaulting, hexagonal rock columns and small islands it left behind remain gorgeous reminders of its dramatic geologic past. They can be toured by boat, but Ms. Tang was quick to warn any would-be tourists to use caution before making any expeditions.

“Although it’s very beautiful,” she said, “there’s no facilities, no pier facilities, so we actually do not recommend people try to land on the island.”

Click here for more images.

– Te-Ping Chen. Follow her on Twitter @tepingchen

Ancient volcano discovered in Hong Kong

01.07.2012 Китай Гонконг город Азия вода река

Hong Kong. Photo: EPA

Remnants of an ancient super volcano have been discovered near Hong Kong.

According to experts, the last eruption of the volcano occurred in the Mesozoic Era at the turn of the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods about 140 million years ago.

The diameter of the gigantic crater spans 18 kilometers.

Scientists have confirmed the earlier hypothesis that the volcano settled down many years ago and assured Hong Kong residents that it won’t erupt again.

TASS

31.08.2012

Volcano Activity

USA

State of Alaska, [Little Sitkin Volcano]

Volcano Activity in USA on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 02:27 (02:27 AM) UTC.

Description

Seismologists say a cluster of earthquakes has been detected at a remote volcano in Alaska’s western Aleutian Islands. The Alaska Volcano Observatory says the quakes began Wednesday evening at Little Sitkin Volcano and are continuing as of Thursday morning. No eruption has been detected. Scientist in charge John Power says there is no direct link to the swarm of earthquakes at Little Sitkin and a cluster of quakes that shook California’s Imperial County earlier this week. Powers says Little Sitkin is located on an uninhabited island and is far from any populated areas. He says the seismic activity is unusual for Little Sitkin, whose last eruption possibly in the early 1900s is questionable. Powers says the concern about an eruption would be the possible threat posed to aircraft.

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

01.09.2012

Forest / Wild Fire

Spain

Andalusia, [Marbella Region]

Forest / Wild Fire in Spain on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 10:16 (10:16 AM) UTC.

Description

A huge wildfire is approaching the wealthy resort of Marbella on Spain’s Costa del Sol, where the authorities have evacuated thousands of people. Flames reached the Elviria area on the edge of Marbella early on Friday. About 1,000 people have been evacuated from the edge of Marbella, about 3,300 from Ojen and others from a camp site at Alpujata, Spanish media report. They include at least 300 British expats sent to evacuation centres, the UK embassy said. Marbella is famous for its up-market hotels and villas – it is a favourite haunt of wealthy foreigners. Overnight the fire spread rapidly through a 12km (eight-mile) coastal strip, not far from holiday resorts. Two people have suffered serious burns and some homes have been engulfed by the fire. The Costa del Sol is one of Spain’s most popular holiday destinations and home to a large British expatriate community. The British embassy says it is working closely with the Spanish authorities and consular staff have been deployed to assist those affected.

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Storms/ Flooding / Landslide

Active tropical storm system(s)

Name of storm system	Location	Formed	Last update	Last category	Course	Wind Speed	Gust	Wave	Source	Details
Ileana (EP09)	Pacific Ocean – East	28.08.2012	01.09.2012	Hurricane I	300 °	102 km/h	120 km/h	5.18 m	NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	Ileana (EP09)
Area:	Pacific Ocean – East
Start up location:	N 15° 30.000, W 107° 42.000
Start up:	28th August 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	764.48 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source
28th Aug 2012	04:45:33	N 15° 30.000, W 107° 42.000	19	74	93	Tropical Storm	290	15	1000 MB	NOAA NHC
29th Aug 2012	04:37:35	N 17° 0.000, W 111° 6.000	17	93	111	Tropical Storm	305	11	997 MB	NOAA NHC
30th Aug 2012	05:06:37	N 19° 6.000, W 113° 6.000	15	120	148	Hurricane I.	320	17	987 MB	NOAA NHC
31st Aug 2012	04:54:30	N 21° 12.000, W 114° 12.000	9	139	167	Hurricane I.	335	10	976 MB	NOAA NHC

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
01st Sep 2012	05:06:50	N 22° 36.000, W 116° 42.000	13	102	120	Hurricane I	300 °	17	991 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
02nd Sep 2012	12:00:00	N 23° 30.000, W 121° 24.000	Tropical Depression	56	74	NOAA NHC
02nd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 23° 18.000, W 119° 36.000	Tropical Depression	65	83	NOAA NHC
03rd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 23° 36.000, W 123° 0.000	Tropical Depression	46	65	NOAA NHC
04th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 23° 42.000, W 126° 0.000	Tropical Depression	37	56	NOAA NHC
05th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 23° 30.000, W 129° 0.000	Tropical Depression	37	56	NOAA NHC
06th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 23° 0.000, W 133° 30.000	Tropical Depression	37	56	NOAA NHC

Kirk (AL02)

Atlantic Ocean

29.08.2012

01.09.2012

Hurricane II

15 °

130 km/h

157 km/h

4.27 m

NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	Kirk (AL02)
Area:	Atlantic Ocean
Start up location:	N 23° 54.000, W 45° 0.000
Start up:	29th August 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	741.98 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source
29th Aug 2012	04:44:17	N 23° 54.000, W 45° 0.000	19	74	93	Tropical Storm	280	15	1007 MB	NOAA NHC
30th Aug 2012	05:13:04	N 25° 54.000, W 48° 18.000	15	93	111	Tropical Storm	300	18	1002 MB	NOAA NHC
31st Aug 2012	04:48:39	N 29° 0.000, W 50° 42.000	19	157	194	Hurricane II.	335	18	980 MB	NOAA NHC

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
01st Sep 2012	05:01:53	N 33° 54.000, W 49° 30.000	26	130	157	Hurricane II	15 °	14	988 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
02nd Sep 2012	12:00:00	N 43° 42.000, W 39° 36.000	Hurricane I	111	139	NOAA NHC
02nd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 39° 24.000, W 44° 24.000	Hurricane I	120	148	NOAA NHC
03rd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 48° 6.000, W 33° 42.000	Hurricane I	102	120	NOAA NHC

Leslie (AL12)

Atlantic Ocean

30.08.2012

01.09.2012

Hurricane I

295 °

102 km/h

120 km/h

5.79 m

NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	Leslie (AL12)
Area:	Atlantic Ocean
Start up location:	N 14° 6.000, W 43° 24.000
Start up:	30th August 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	664.99 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source
31st Aug 2012	04:48:01	N 14° 42.000, W 46° 48.000	30	83	102	Tropical Storm	280	12	1002 MB	NOAA NHC

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
01st Sep 2012	05:02:48	N 17° 24.000, W 52° 48.000	33	102	120	Hurricane I	295 °	19	999 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
02nd Sep 2012	12:00:00	N 21° 6.000, W 59° 24.000	Hurricane I	120	148	NOAA NHC
02nd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 19° 42.000, W 57° 24.000	Hurricane I	111	139	NOAA NHC
03rd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 22° 36.000, W 60° 54.000	Hurricane II	130	157	NOAA NHC
04th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 25° 0.000, W 62° 0.000	Hurricane II	130	157	NOAA NHC
05th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 26° 30.000, W 62° 30.000	Hurricane II	130	157	NOAA NHC
06th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 28° 0.000, W 62° 30.000	Hurricane II	139	167	NOAA NHC

……………………………………

31.08.2012

Technological Disaster

USA

State of Louisiana, [Lake Tangipahoa region]

Technological Disaster in USA on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 04:46 (04:46 AM) UTC.

Description

Lake Tangipahoa, a 450 to 500-acre lake at Percy Quinn State Park just north of the Mississippi state line, was swollen from Isaac’s rain, undermining a dam that, if it failed, would release the body of water into the Tangipahoa River that meanders down the parish’s length to Lake Pontchartrain. “That’s going to inundate an already flooded river,” said National Guard Col. Rodney Painting, the incoming commander of the Guard’s 225th Engineer Brigade who started his day helping oversee the evacuation of flooded areas in LaPlace and would end it in his native Tangipahoa helping oversee what appears to be the largest such effort in the state since Isaac made landfall Tuesday. Authorities in Mississippi tried to ease the pressure by releasing some of the water, an effort said to be working. Louisiana officials are taking no chances.State and parish officials called a mandatory evacuation for communities from Kentwood to Robert. If the dam breaks, the National Guard will go into the affected communities with high-water vehicles and small boats, “that we can get through the flooded woods or streets if we have to,” said Painter, who during the Isaac state of emergency has helped coordinate evacuation sites at Zephyr Field in Metairie and in Slidell before moving to Laplace and Amite. In the “controlled release” using spillways, the water from the lake flooded out into a sparsely inhabited area of Mississippi on Thursday afternoon, relieving pressure on a dam scoured by Hurricane Isaac that threatened to push water levels in the Tangipahoa River up to 17 feet in Louisiana. Officials believe the controlled release of waters through emergency spillways will allow the water level to stabilize and lessen pressure on the dam until crews can breach the edge of Tangipahoa Lake near McComb and drain another 8 feet of water.While the release is expected to protect communities on the north shore, officials in Mississippi said about 20 homes on their side of the state line will be flooded out and emergency crews conducted a door-to-door effort to warn residents to leave their homes. Meanwhile, a more massive effort was occurring miles downriver, as National Guard units and other state assets attempted to get 40,000 to 60,000 people out of their homes. Though the water level in the lake was dropping and Mississippi officials downplayed the seriousness of the dam’s condition, Gov. Bobby Jindal continued to urge residents to leave potential flood zones in Tangipahoa Parish Thursday night. “The worse thing that could happen is that people get a false sense of confidence and then if there be a breach overnight it would be a lot harder for people to evacuate,” Jindal said. From the Florida Parishes Arena, troops drove school buses to collection points, where they’re driving evacuees to evacuation shelters set up at schools. School buses have been brought in from as far as Avoylles Parish and Terrebonne Parish, each driven by soldiers. “I’ve already got buses on the road full of people,” said Lt. Col. Vincent Tallo.

About 200 coaches and school buses are being rushed to Tangipahoa, said First Sgt. Rufus Jones of 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, a Guard combat unit whose soldiers, all armed with M4 rifles, waited in the arena for missions that would likely would include security details. By Thursday night, Tallo said he expected 300 National Guard troops in the parish, assisting the evacuation. The National Guard received the mission at 10 a.m., Thursday, said Maj. Scott Slaven, who commands the 205th Engineer Battalion in Bogalusa. Troops and equipment are staged on both sides of the Tangipahoa River, Slaven said. At Pontchatoula High School, Darryl Holliday of Kajun Kettle Foods Inc., which has a state contract to feed evacuees, was told to brace for 2,000 people. At 6:30 p.m., none of the evacuees had reached the school on Louisiana 22. Holliday said he was told that 40 people were en route. Painter said the plan calls for keeping evacuees in Tangipahoa Parish. At the Florida Parishes Arena, employees of the state Department of Children and Family Services prepared to account for the evacuees with forms, in part designed to identify families.

The damage to dam prompted Parish President Gordon Burgess to order mandatory evacuations along the Tangipahoa River, which were carried out with the assistance of the state and National Guard units. The first reports of problems with the dam came into emergency operations officials at 8 a.m., when crews noticed two “sloughs” where dirt was sliding down the sides of the earthen structure, said Greg Flynn, spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Those sloughs are the first sign of a problem with the integrity of a dam, Flynn said. The damage was caused by rain from Hurricane Isaac, which raised the water level of the recreational fishing lake by several feet, said Richard Coghlan, Emergency Coordinator for Pike County. “The dam appears very stable at this time,” Coghlan said. Mississippi officials stressed that reports Thursday that the waters had breached or overtopped the dam were incorrect. Opening the spillways will bring the water level back to normal but could cause flooding in a wide, sparsely populated stretch of Mississippi. Coghlan said residents had been warned and were planning on leaving for at least a night.

Those homes would also have been flooded in the event that the dam failed, he said. Once the water level drops back to normal, a process that could take days, crews will dig a trench out of the lake with the intention of causing a more serious drop in the water levels, Coghlan said. That will allow maintenance crews to go in and repair the dam, he said. Louisiana state officials estimated that between 40,000 and 60,000 homes would take on some water should the river flood. Many of those were outside the mandatory evacuation zone, which extended one mile on either side of the Tangipahoa River from Kentwood to Robert. It was unclear on Thursday exactly how many people lived in that area or how many were evacuated by the end of the day.

………………………………………

US Flooded: Video of Isaac aftermath, houses in water up to roofs

Published on Aug 31, 2012 by RussiaToday

The area south of New Orleans has been plagued by flooding since Isaac sloshed ashore as a hurricane on Tuesday evening and pushed water over the 18-mile levee.
Aerial video footage shows dozens of homes surrounded by water up their rafters. The flood also unearthed caskets and uprooted trees at a local cemetery. The storm Isaac has been downgraded to a tropical depression, and the extent of the damage is becoming clearer. Crews set out in air boats in LaPlace and saw heavy mud and dirty water caking homes, street signs and trailers. They worked to save cows and other livestock from the debris. Evacuees from that town continue to be ferried by buses to various shelters. Many of them lost everything they owned except what they were able to carrying with them in the minutes before evacuating.

RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air

Today

Landslide

Philippines

Davao Oriental , Mati City

Landslide in Philippines on Saturday, 01 September, 2012 at 02:37 (02:37 AM) UTC.

Description

At least seven people are believed to have been killed after a landslide struck a gold-rush mountain community in the southern Philippines, the mayor of a nearby city said yesterday. Three days of heavy rains spawned the landslide on Thursday, which covered makeshift mining tunnels in a mountain area in Mindanao island, said Mati City Mayor Michelle Rabat. She said that a village chief in the isolated area told her by telephone that seven bodies had been recovered from the tunnels and the miners were digging to find more people believed buried. Other miners who descended from the mountains gave similar accounts, Rabat said. “Before the landslide, (a survivor) shouted to the people inside the tunnels to vacate the area. He saw three people running for their lives but it was too late. They were buried by the mudflow,” the mayor said. The gold-rich area has attracted thousands of small miners who tunnel into the side of the mountain despite the constant danger posed by landslides, quakes and collapsing tunnels, said Rabat. The area is so remote that it can only be reached through a lengthy motorcycle ride followed by an hour of hiking, making it difficult to determine the extent of the damage, she added. Military officials said soldiers had been dispatched to the affected area but they could not yet confirm any fatalities.

31.08.2012

Landslide

China

Province of Sichuan, [Liangshan prefecture]

Landslide in China on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 15:35 (03:35 PM) UTC.

Description

Ten people are dead and 14 others missing after a landslide hit a hydropower station in southwest China. Rescue work was under way at the site in Sichuan province’s Liangshan prefecture. Mud and stones began crashing down onto the station late Wednesday night and continued to fall into Thursday morning. The report did not say if anyone had survived the landslide and provincial officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Liangshan prefecture lies about 1,750 kilometers (1,100 miles) southwest of China’s capital Beijing.

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Radiation / Nuclear

Fukushima reactors briefly did not get enough coolant water: TEPCO

TOKYO , Kyodo

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said Thursday that the amount of water injected into the crippled Nos. 1 to 3 reactors temporarily dropped below the level regarded as necessary to keep the fuel inside cool.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the drop in the volume of the water did not affect the temperature of the reactor pressure vessels, while adding that the company is investigating the cause of the incident.

The utility known as TEPCO noticed that the three reactors were not getting enough water injection at 3 p.m. Thursday. Workers took measures to increase the water volume and they confirmed at about 4:30 p.m. that it recovered to the necessary level.

#Radioactive Japan: Head of The Ecosystem Conservation Society of Japan Says “People in Fukushima, Part of Kanto Including Tokyo, Should Not Marry” Because of Radiation Exposure

At a gathering of politicians from prefectural and municipal governments in Japan, the veterinarian head of a non-profit organization called “Ecosystem Conservation Society of Japan” told the audience, quite off-handedly,

People in Fukushima, Tochigi, Saitama, Tokyo, Kanagawa where the radioactive plume went by, should not marry because the deformity rate of their offspring will skyrocket.

To the outraged delegation from Fukushima City, he says,

Tough. They misquoted me on purpose, I was just talking generalities.

Generalities. So these days in Japan, citing specific locales and predicting specific events like deformity of babies is talking generalities.

So far, only the delegation from Fukushima City is outraged. The reactions from the rest of Japan are two types:

Oh someone finally spoke the truth, and he is the head of some non-profit organization (that must mean his intentions are good), so we should take it seriously; or
(Silence)

From Asahi Shinbun (8/29/2012; part):

福島市議会の佐藤一好議員らは２９日、記者会見し、公益財団法人・日本生態系協会の池谷奉文会長が東京電力福島第一原発事故の影響について話した７月の講演で「不適切な差別発言をし、容認できない」として、訂正を要求することを明らかにした。

Fukushima City Assemblymen including Mr. Kazuyoshi Sato held a press conference on August 29, and announced that they would demand the correction of the remark by Mr. Hobun Ikeya, head of a public interest incorporated foundation called “Ecosystem Conservation Society of Japan” during the lecture in July on the effect of the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident as “inappropriate and discriminatory, and cannot be tolerated”.

佐藤市議らによると、池谷会長は講演で「福島の人とは結婚しない方がいい」「福島では発がん率が上がり、奇形児が生まれる懸念がある」と述べたという。

According to Assemblyman Sato and others, Mr. Ikeha said in the lecture, “You’d better not marry anyone from Fukushima”, and “Cancer rate may rise in Fukushima, and deformed babies may be born”.

協会側の説明や記者が確認した録音によると、池谷会長は、福島のほか原発事故で一定の放射能汚染を受けた関東地方の県名をあげ、地域の地図を示しながら「放射能雲の通った地域にいた方々は極力結婚しない方がいいだろう」と発言。「結婚して子どもを産むと、奇形発生率がドーンと上がる」などと話した。

According to the explanation by the Society and the recording that our reporter listened to, Mr. Ikeya also mentioned several prefectures in Kanto region that have had certain levels of radiation contamination because of the nuclear accident. He pointed out to the map of the region, and said, “People who live in the areas where the radioactive plume went by should avoid marrying at all costs.” He further said “If they marry and have children, the rate of deformity in babies will skyrocket.”

池谷会長は朝日新聞の取材に、「被曝（ひばく）で遺伝子損傷と奇形児出産のリスクが高まることを訴えた」と説明。「一般論として私の見解を話した。差別する意図はなかった」と話した。

Mr. Ikeya responded to Asahi Shinbun and explained, “I wanted to emphasize the heightened risk of DNA damage and deformed babies due to radiation exposure. I discussed generalities, and had no intention of discrimination.”

講演は同協会が主催し、７月９日に東京で開催。全国の自治体議員らが参加し、福島市議会からは佐藤氏ら４市議が参加した。

The lecture was sponsored by the Ecosystem Conservation Society of Japan and held in Tokyo on July 9. Assemblypersons from municipalities throughout Japan participated, and four assemblymen including Mr. Sato from the Fukushima City Assembly participated.

More from Fukushima Minpo (8/30/2012; part):

日本生態系協会の池谷奉文会長（７０）が東京で開かれた講演会で、東京電力福島第一原発事故を受け「福島の人とは結婚しない方がいい」などと不適切な発言をしたとされる問題で、池谷会長は２９日、報道機関に対して講演記録の一部を公表した。

Regarding the remarks that have been condemned as inappropriate by Mr. Hobun Ikeya (age 70) of the Ecosystem Conservation Society of Japan in a lecture in Tokyo, Mr. Ikeya released part of the transcript of the lecture to the press on August 29.

文書には「福島ばかりじゃございませんで栃木だとか、埼玉、東京、神奈川あたり、あそこにいた方々はこれから極力、結婚をしない方がいいだろう」「結婚をして子どもを産むとですね、奇形発生率がどーんと上がることになる」とある。

According to the transcript, he said, “It’s not just Fukushima, you know, people in Tochigi, Saitama, Tokyo, Kanagawa, people who were there should not marry at all costs”, and “If they get married and have children, the rate of deformity in babies will skyrocket.”

協会によると、録音を書き起こした内容で、県内の各報道機関に送った。

According to the Society, the document is a transcript from the recording, and it has been sent to news organizations in Fukushima Prefecture.

福島民報社の取材に対し、池谷会長は発言内容を認めた上で「福島の人を差別するようなことは思っていない」と反論。これまでの取材に一貫して「発言していない」としていたことについては「差別発言ではないという意味だ」と答えた。

To Fukushima Minpo, Mr. Ikeya admitted that he had made these remarks, and argued, “I don’t think it’s discriminatory against people in Fukushima.” As to his insistence in the past that he hadn’t said anything like that, he answered, “I meant I hadn’t said anything discriminatory.”

池谷会長は現職の獣医師。「政策塾」は平成１５年から年一回ほどのペースで開き、今回が１２回目。毎回８０人から１００人程度の地方議員や議員を目指す市民らが参加しているという。昨年は東日本大震災の影響で中止となり、今回が震災後初の講演だった。

Mr. Ikeya is a practicing veterinarian. The “Policy” lecture has been given once a year or so since 2003, and it was the 12th this year. 80 to 100 politicians from municipalities and citizens who aspire to become politicians participate. Last year’s lecture was canceled due to the March 11 disaster, and this year’s lecture was the first since the disaster.

Accusation that Mr. Ikeya is discriminating against Fukushima is not really true, as Mr. Ikeya is saying the same for four other prefectures in Kanto.

Well at least Mr. Ikeya is a veterinarian, remotely qualified (I suppose) to comment on something medical. The only (human) medical experts who expressed outrage are so-called “government experts” (including Professor Noboru Takamura of Nagasaki University and Fukushima Prefecture Radiation Health Risk Management Advisor who spoke soothing words to Iitate-mura villagers right after the accident, and Professor Masahiro Fukushi of Tokyo Metropolitan University who measured radiation levels in meals with faulty germanium semiconductor detector for NHK program), which is taken by many net citizens on Twitter to mean Mr. Ikeya must be telling the truth.

Never mind that Mr. Ikeya’s expertise is with sick animals.

The Japanese government and government institutions and its experts have only themselves to blame for the deep distrust of anything that has to do with the government for an off-hand remark by a veterinarian to be taken seriously as the truth.

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Epidemic Hazards/ Diseases

New ‘Heartland’ Virus Discovered in Sick Missouri Farmers

Rachael Rettner, MyHealthNewsDaily Staff Writer

CREDIT: Tickvia Shutterstock

View full size image

Two men in Missouri who became severely ill after sustaining tick bites were found to be infected with a new type of virus, according to a study from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Both men were admitted to hospitals after experiencing high fevers, fatigue, diarrhea and loss of appetite. They were originally thought to be suffering from a bacterial infection, but doubts arose when they didn’t improve after being treated with antibiotics.

Further tests revealed their blood contained a new virus, which the researchers dubbed the Heartland virus. It belongs to a group called phleboviruses, which are carried by flies, mosquitoes or ticks, and can cause disease in humans.

CDC says 10,000 at risk of hantavirus in Yosemite outbreak

A visitor takes in the view of Upper Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park, California May 17, 2009. REUTERS-Robert Galbraith

In this undated handout from the Centers for Disease Control image library, this transmission electron micrograph (TEM) reveals the ultrastructural appearance of a number of virus particles, or “virions”, of a hantavirus known as the Sin Nombre virus (SNV). REUTERS-Cynthia Goldsmith-CDC-Handout

By Dan Whitcomb and Ronnie Cohen

LOS ANGELES/SAN FRANCISCO

(Reuters) – Some 10,000 people who stayed in tent cabins at Yosemite National Park this summer may be at risk for the deadly rodent-borne hantavirus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.

The CDC urged lab testing of patients who exhibit symptoms consistent with the lung disease, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, after a stay at the California park between June and August and recommended that doctors notify state health departments when it is found.

Two men have died from hantavirus linked to the Yosemite outbreak and four others were sickened but survived, while the CDC said additional suspected cases were being investigated from “multiple health jurisdictions.”

Most of the victims were believed to have been infected while staying in one of 91 “Signature” tent-style cabins in Yosemite’s popular Curry Village camping area.

“An estimated 10,000 persons stayed in the ‘Signature Tent Cabins’ from June 10 through August 24, 2012,” the CDC said. “People who stayed in the tents between June 10 and August 24 may be at risk of developing HPS in the next six weeks.”

Yosemite officials earlier this week shut down all 91 of the insulated tent cabins after finding deer mice, which carry the disease and can burrow through holes the size of pencil erasers, nesting between the double walls.

Park authorities said on Friday that they had contacted approximately 3,000 parties of visitors who stayed in the tent cabins since mid-June, advising them to seek immediate medical attention if they have symptoms of hantavirus.

Nearly 4 million people visit Yosemite, one of the nation’s most popular national parks, each year, attracted to the its dramatic scenery and hiking trails. Roughly 70 percent of those visitors congregate in Yosemite Valley, where Curry Village is located.

YOSEMITE LOGS 1,500 CALLS

The virus starts out causing flu-like symptoms, including headache, fever, muscle ache, shortness of breath and cough, and can lead to severe breathing difficulties and death.

The incubation period for the virus is typically two to four weeks after exposure, the CDC said, with a range between a few days and six weeks. Just over a third of cases are fatal.

“Providers are reminded to consider the diagnosis of HPS in all persons presenting with clinically compatible illness and to ask about potential rodent exposure or if they had recently visited Yosemite National Park,” the CDC said.

Although there is no cure for hantavirus, which has never been known to be transmitted between humans, treatment after early detection through blood tests can save lives.

“Early medical attention and diagnosis of hantavirus are critical,” Yosemite superintendent Don Neubacher said in a statement. “We urge anyone who may have been exposed to the infection to see their doctor at the first sign of symptoms and to advise them of the potential of hantavirus.”

Yosemite spokeswoman Kari Cobb said rangers have answered some 1,500 phone calls from park visitors and others concerned about the disease. But she said the outbreak had not triggered a wave of cancellations

“Right now it’s normal numbers for Friday,” she said. “There have been cancellations, but it would be grossly overstated to say they’re cancelling en masse. There’s quite a bit of people out there still. It’s still summer and a holiday weekend. It’s still the summer crowds.”

A national park service officials has said that public health officials warned the park twice before about hantavirus after it struck visitors. But it was not until this week that the hiding place for the deer mice carrying the virus was found.

Hantavirus is carried in rodent feces, urine and saliva, which dries out and mixes with dust that can be inhaled by humans, especially in small, confined spaces with poor ventilation.

People can also be infected by eating contaminated food, touching contaminated surfaces or being bitten by infected rodents.

(Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Todd Eastham and Lisa Shumaker)

Epidemic Hazard in USA on Wednesday, 29 August, 2012 at 15:48 (03:48 PM) UTC.

Description
In the first confirmed case of bubonic plague in Colorado since 2006, an Archuleta County resident has tested positive for the disease. The last human case in Archuleta County, which borders on New Mexico, was in 1998. It is believed that the person contracted the plague during a family outing in the Cimarrona Campground northwest of Pagosa Springs, but the investigation is ongoing, according to a news release from the San Juan Basin Health Department. The gender and age of the victim were not released, the paper reported. In 2006, Colorado had four cases of plague, all in La Plata County, Joe Fowler, a disease-control nurse with the San Juan Basin Health Department said. Most human cases of plague tend to occur in rural areas in two regions — northern Arizona and New Mexico and southern Colorado or in California, southern Oregon and western Nevada. One human case has been reported in New Mexico so far this year – in a 78-year-old Torrance County man who contracted the disease in May, in what state health officials called the nation’s first human plague case of the yea
Biohazard name:	Plague
Biohazard level:	4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:	Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Symptoms:
Status:	confirmed

Today

Epidemic Hazard

USA

State of California, San Francisco [SF State]

Epidemic Hazard in USA on Saturday, 01 September, 2012 at 02:34 (02:34 AM) UTC.

Description
A case of adult chicken pox has emerged at SF State. A school-wide email was sent out by Alastair K. Smith, MD to SF State students Aug. 31, saying that there is a student with a case of the chickenpox. Though the student infected does not live on campus, they were on campus August 27 and 29, visiting the Creative Arts building, Humanities building, Science building, Business building, Burk Hall and Bookstore during their infected stage. Varicella, commonly known as chickenpox, is a virus which symptoms include fever, tiredness, headaches and a rash that turns into itchy, fluid-filled blisters that scab after several days. Chickenpox is a condition that is spread by airborne particles, sweat and skin-to-skin contact. Scott Hongsweet, junior at SF State, had chickenpox when he was 4 years old, but is not concerned about the recent developments. “I’ve had chickenpox and it was like having bug bites all over your body,” said Hongsweet. “Though it was super itchy, I wouldn’t be weary of going to school if there was a person with chickenpox there, because the chances of me getting it are very slim.”The incubation period for chickenpox is 14 to 16 days and is infectious until five or six days after the onset of the rash, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection. Varicella carries the most complications for people over 15 years of age and under one year of age. Overall, it is estimated that adults account for 5 percent for reported cases of varicella but may carry the most risk, according to the CDC. SF State isn’t the only university in the bay area that has experienced a health scare among the student body. The University of California at Berkeley had a mumps scare during October where seven students were infected. Pregnant and immune-compromised people are at a high risk for infection, and persons who are not immune are suggested to get a dose of the varicella vaccine within three to five days of exposure. Smith addressed in the email to the school: “We are monitoring the situation carefully, and given that most persons have immunity through childhood exposure or vaccination, we do not expect a major outbreak on campus.” Beth Cross, junior at SF State, isn’t the least bit worried about chickenpox at her school. “I am not worried about the disease on campus…I am sure there are way worse diseases on campus,” said Cross.
Biohazard name:	Chickenpox
Biohazard level:	3/4 Hight
Biohazard desc.:	Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.
Symptoms:
Status:	confirmed

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Climate Change

Shading Earth: Delivering Solar Geoengineering Materials to Combat Global Warming May Be Feasible and Affordable

ScienceDaily (Aug. 29, 2012) — A cost analysis of the technologies needed to transport materials into the stratosphere to reduce the amount of sunlight hitting Earth and therefore reduce the effects of global climate change has shown that they are both feasible and affordable.

A cost analysis of the technologies needed to transport materials into the stratosphere to reduce the amount of sunlight hitting Earth and therefore reduce the effects of global climate change has shown that they are both feasible and affordable. (Credit: © mozZz / Fotolia)

Published August 31, 2012, in IOP Publishing’s journal Environmental Research Letters, the study has shown that the basic technology currently exists and could be assembled and implemented in a number of different forms for less than USD $5 billion a year.

Put into context, the cost of reducing carbon dioxide emissions is currently estimated to be between 0.2 and 2.5 per cent of GDP in the year 2030, which is equivalent to roughly USD $200 to $2000 billion.

Solar radiation management (SRM) looks to induce the effects similar to those observed after volcanic eruptions; however, the authors state that it is not a preferred strategy and that such a claim could only be made after the thorough investigation of the implications, risks and costs associated with these issues.

The authors caution that reducing incident sunlight does nothing at all to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, nor the resulting increase in the acid content of the oceans. They note that other research has shown that the effects of solar radiation management are not uniform, and would cause different temperature and precipitation changes in different countries.

Co-author of the study, Professor Jay Apt, said: “As economists are beginning to explore the role of several types of geoengineering, it is important that a cost analysis of SRM is carried out. The basic feasibility of SRM with current technology is still being disputed and some political scientists and policy makers are concerned about unilateral action.”

In the study, the researchers, from Aurora Flight Sciences, Harvard University and Carnegie Mellon University, performed an engineering cost analysis on six systems capable of delivering 1-5 million metric tonnes of material to altitudes of 18-30 km: existing aircraft, a new airplane designed to perform at altitudes up to 30 km, a new hybrid airship, rockets, guns and suspended pipes carrying gas or slurry to inject the particles into the atmosphere.

Based on existing research into solar radiation management, the researchers performed their cost analyses for systems that could deliver around one million tonnes of aerosols each year at an altitude between 18 and 25 km and between a latitude range of 30°N and 30°S.

The study concluded that using aircraft is easily within the current capabilities of aerospace engineering, manufacturing and operations. The development of new, specialized aircraft appeared to be the cheapest option, with costs of around $1 to $2 billion a year; existing aircraft would be more expensive as they are not optimized for high altitudes and would need considerable and expensive modifications to do so.

Guns and rockets appeared to be capable of delivering materials at high altitudes but the costs associated with these are much higher than those of airplanes and airships due to their lack of reusability.

Although completely theoretical at this point in time, a large gas pipe, rising to 20 km in the sky and suspended by helium-filled floating platforms, would offer the lowest recurring cost-per-kilogram of particles delivered but the costs of research into the materials required, the development of the pipe and the testing to ensure safety, would be high; the whole system carries a large uncertainty.

Professor Apt continued: “We hope our study will help other scientists looking at more novel methods for dispersing particles and help them to explore methods with increased efficiency and reduced environmental risk.”

The researchers make it clear that they have not sought to address the science of aerosols in the stratosphere, nor issues of risk, effectiveness or governance that will add to the costs of solar radiation management geoengineering.

Reference

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Solar Activity

2MIN News August 31. 2012: Quakes North and South. Sunspots

Published on Aug 31, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers

TODAY’S LINKS
China Supervolcano: http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2012-08/30/content_26383998.htm
Mississippi Flows Backwards: http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=3387#.UD-M2HP1uH8
England Rain: http://news.sky.com/story/978880/washout-wettest-summer-in-100-years
Isaac Threatens Dam: http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/08/30/us-storm-isaac-idINBRE87L0PH20120830
Moonwater: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/shackleton-ice.html

REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]

HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]

SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos - as seen from earth]

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT - as seen from earth]

Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI - as seen from the side]

SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it... trust me]

SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]

iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]

NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/

NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php

RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]

JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/

LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can't figure out what this one is for?]

BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]

TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]

GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]

RAIN RECORDS: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx

EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…

PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…

HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]

NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/

PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]

************************************************************************************************************

Space

Blue Moon Alert: See August’s 2nd Full Moon

OurAmazingPlanet Staff

Nearly full moon photographed by space station astronauts

Inspired by the nearly-full moon, space station astronauts used an 800 mm lens to study the craters and mare in this picture taken on Oct. 5, 2001.
CREDIT: NASA

View full size image

The night skies this week have been very bright thanks to the moon, and they’ll get brighter still on Friday as a blue moon rises above the horizon.

The moon won’t literally be blue-colored, of course; the name refers to the second full moon to occur in a single month.

Blue moons happen because our calendar months don’t line up exactly with the moon’s orbit. It takes the moon 29.5 days to wax and wane from full to new to full again. With the exception of February, months are longer than that, meaning that every so often the timing works out so there are two full moons in one month.

The first full moon of August 2012 graced night skies on Aug. 1; for most of the world, the second just squeezes in at the end of the month, with the moon becoming full at exactly 9:58 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (6:58 a.m. Pacific Standard Time).

Though a blue moon looks the same as any other full moon, the moon can actually appear to be colored under particular atmospheric conditions: Forest fires and volcanic eruptions can pump smoke and ash into the atmosphere, which can make the moon appear a bluish hue to those standing on the Earth’s surface.

This week’s blue moon will be the last until 2015, so take a look while you can!

For more skywatching information, check out sister site SPACE.com‘s Night Sky page.

Earth approaching objects (objects that are known in the next 30 days)

Object Name

Apporach Date

Left

AU Distance

LD Distance

Estimated Diameter*

Relative Velocity

(2012 LU7)

02nd September 2012

1 day(s)

0.1200

46.7

440 m – 990 m

8.16 km/s

29376 km/h

(2012 FS35)

02nd September 2012

1 day(s)

0.1545

60.1

2.3 m – 5.2 m

2.87 km/s

10332 km/h

(2012 HG31)

03rd September 2012

2 day(s)

0.0716

27.9

440 m – 990 m

10.33 km/s

37188 km/h

(2012 PX)

04th September 2012

3 day(s)

0.0452

17.6

61 m – 140 m

9.94 km/s

35784 km/h

(2012 EH5)

05th September 2012

4 day(s)

0.1613

62.8

38 m – 84 m

9.75 km/s

35100 km/h

(2011 EO11)

05th September 2012

4 day(s)

0.1034

40.2

9.0 m – 20 m

8.81 km/s

31716 km/h

(2007 PS25)

06th September 2012

5 day(s)

0.0497

19.3

23 m – 52 m

8.50 km/s

30600 km/h

329520 (2002 SV)

08th September 2012

7 day(s)

0.1076

41.9

300 m – 670 m

9.17 km/s

33012 km/h

(2011 ES4)

10th September 2012

9 day(s)

0.1792

69.8

20 m – 44 m

12.96 km/s

46656 km/h

(2008 CO)

11th September 2012

10 day(s)

0.1847

71.9

74 m – 160 m

4.10 km/s

14760 km/h

(2007 PB8)

14th September 2012

13 day(s)

0.1682

65.5

150 m – 340 m

14.51 km/s

52236 km/h

226514 (2003 UX34)

14th September 2012

13 day(s)

0.1882

73.2

260 m – 590 m

25.74 km/s

92664 km/h

(1998 QC1)

14th September 2012

13 day(s)

0.1642

63.9

310 m – 700 m

17.11 km/s

61596 km/h

(2002 EM6)

15th September 2012

14 day(s)

0.1833

71.3

270 m – 590 m

18.56 km/s

66816 km/h

(2002 RP137)

16th September 2012

15 day(s)

0.1624

63.2

67 m – 150 m

7.31 km/s

26316 km/h

(2009 RX4)

16th September 2012

15 day(s)

0.1701

66.2

15 m – 35 m

8.35 km/s

30060 km/h

(2005 UC)

17th September 2012

16 day(s)

0.1992

77.5

280 m – 640 m

7.55 km/s

27180 km/h

(2012 FC71)

18th September 2012

17 day(s)

0.1074

41.8

24 m – 53 m

3.51 km/s

12636 km/h

(1998 FF14)

19th September 2012

18 day(s)

0.0928

36.1

210 m – 480 m

21.40 km/s

77040 km/h

331990 (2005 FD)

19th September 2012

18 day(s)

0.1914

74.5

320 m – 710 m

15.92 km/s

57312 km/h

(2009 SH2)

24th September 2012

23 day(s)

0.1462

56.9

28 m – 62 m

7.52 km/s

27072 km/h

333578 (2006 KM103)

25th September 2012

24 day(s)

0.0626

24.4

250 m – 560 m

8.54 km/s

30744 km/h

(2002 EZ2)

26th September 2012

25 day(s)

0.1922

74.8

270 m – 610 m

6.76 km/s

24336 km/h

(2009 SB170)

29th September 2012

28 day(s)

0.1789

69.6

200 m – 440 m

32.39 km/s

116604 km/h

(2011 OJ45)

29th September 2012

28 day(s)

0.1339

52.1

18 m – 39 m

4.24 km/s

15264 km/h

(2012 JS11)

30th September 2012

29 day(s)

0.0712

27.7

270 m – 600 m

12.60 km/s

45360 km/h

1 AU = ~150 million kilometers,1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers

Source: NASA-NEO

……………………………………….

Effects of Einstein’s Elusive Gravity Waves Observed

Universe Today

by Jason Major

Two white dwarfs similar to those in the system SDSS J065133.338+284423.37 spiral together in this illustration from NASA. Credit: D. Berry/NASA GSFC

Locked in a spiraling orbital embrace, the super-dense remains of two dead stars are giving astronomers the evidence needed to confirm one of Einstein’s predictions about the Universe.

A binary system located about 3,000 light-years away, SDSS J065133.338+284423.37 (J0651 for short) contains two white dwarfs orbiting each other rapidly — once every 12.75 minutes. The system was discovered in April 2011, and since then astronomers have had their eyes — and four separate telescopes in locations around the world — on it to see if gravitational effects first predicted by Einstein could be seen.

According to Einstein, space-time is a structure in itself, in which all cosmic objects — planets, stars, galaxies — reside. Every object with mass puts a “dent” in this structure in all dimensions; the more massive an object, the “deeper” the dent. Light energy travels in a straight line, but when it encounters these dents it can dip in and veer off-course, an effect we see from Earth as gravitational lensing.

Einstein also predicted that exceptionally massive, rapidly rotating objects — such as a white dwarf binary pair — would create outwardly-expanding ripples in space-time that would ultimately “steal” kinetic energy from the objects themselves. These gravitational waves would be very subtle, yet in theory, observable.

Read: Astronomy Without a Telescope: Gravitational Waves

What researchers led by a team at The University of Texas at Austin have found is optical evidence of gravitational waves slowing down the stars in J0651. Originally observed in 2011 eclipsing each other (as seen from Earth) once every six minutes, the stars now eclipse six seconds sooner. This equates to a predicted orbital period reduction of about 0.25 milliseconds each year.*

“These compact stars are orbiting each other so closely that we have been able to observe the usually negligible influence of gravitational waves using a relatively simple camera on a 75-year-old telescope in just 13 months,” said study lead author J.J. Hermes, a graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin.

Based on these measurements, by April 2013 the stars will be eclipsing each other 20 seconds sooner than first observed. Eventually they will merge together entirely.

Although this isn’t “direct” observation of gravitational waves, it is evidence inferred by their predicted effects… akin to watching a floating lantern in a dark pond at night moving up and down and deducing that there are waves present.

“It’s exciting to confirm predictions Einstein made nearly a century ago by watching two stars bobbing in the wake caused by their sheer mass,” said Hermes.

As of early last year NASA and ESA had a proposed mission called LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) that would have put a series of 3 detectors into space 5 million km apart, connected by lasers. This arrangement of precision-positioned spacecraft could have detected any passing gravitational waves in the local space-time neighborhood, making direct observation possible. Sadly this mission was canceled due to FY2012 budget cuts for NASA, but ESA is moving ahead with developments for its own gravitational wave mission, called eLISA/NGO — the first “pathfinder” portion of which is slated to launch in 2014.

The study was submitted to Astrophysical Journal Letters on August 24. Read more on the McDonald Observatory news release here.

Inset image: simulation of binary black holes causing gravitational waves – C. Reisswig, L. Rezzolla (AEI); Scientific visualization – M. Koppitz (AEI & Zuse Institute Berlin)

*The difference in the eclipse time is noted as six seconds even though the orbital period decay of the two stars is only .25 milliseconds/year because of a pile-up effect of all the eclipses observed since April 2011. The measurements made by the research team takes into consideration the phase change in the J0651 system, which experiences a piling effect — similar to an out-of-sync watch — that increases relative to time^2 and is therefore a larger and easier number to detect and work with. Once that was measured, the actual orbital period decay could be figured out.

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Mysterious Booms / Rumblings

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Biological Hazards / Wildlife

Deer disease outbreak suspected in C. Ind. county

GREENCASTLE, Ind. (AP) — Residents of a central Indiana county have reported nearly 100 dead deer in what wildlife officials believe might be a disease outbreak.

An Indiana Department of Natural Resources biologist says most of those dead deer have been found in southern Putnam County.

Biologist Dean Zimmerman tells the Banner Graphic ( ) that 17 counties around the state have had suspected cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease among deer, although Putnam County seems to have a large outbreak.

The illness is a viral disease transmitted by small flies that typically occurs during late summer and early fall. It doesn’t affect humans.

Zimmerman says the flies that carry the disease reproduce more successfully in dry weather and that it will take a killing frost to end the outbreak.

___

Information from: (Greencastle) Banner Graphic,

31.08.2012

Biological Hazard

Kyrgyzstan

[The area was not defined.]

Biological Hazard in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 15:37 (03:37 PM) UTC.

Description
The Kyrgyz Health Ministry said Friday five people had tested positive for anthrax. The five were among nine people who had been hospitalized in the central Asian country for anthrax-like symptoms in the past month, a health ministry spokesman said. Quarantine authorities had adopted counter-epidemic measures in the infectious disease-hit areas, where people as well as livestock had been given a vaccination against the bacteria, the spokesman said.
Biohazard name:	Anthrax
Biohazard level:	4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:	Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Symptoms:
Status:	confirmed

31.08.2012

Biological Hazard

Portugal

Municipality of Almada, [Costa da Caparica beaces]

Biological Hazard in Portugal on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 08:51 (08:51 AM) UTC.

Description
Three beaches in Costa da Caparica just south of Lisbon were closed to bathers over the weekend due to an abundance of Portuguese Man-of-War jellyfish like looking creatures in the sea after a child was stung, the Maritime Police (MP) said. Red flags were raised to warn beach-goers not to enter the water and any people who do not obey the prohibition may be fined by the authorities. According to Wikipedia, despite its outward appearance the Man of War is not a jellyfish, but a siphonophore, which differs from jellyfish in that it is not actually a single creature, but a colonial organism made up of many minute individuals called zooids. Its long tentacles are poisonous enough nevertheless and well kept away from. This follows the release of a video on sites such as Youtube and Sapo showing a large shark off the coast near Lisbon. According to the Coast Guard, there is no reason to be alarmed, as it was just a Basking Shark that eats plankton and krill. Basking sharks, as their name suggests, like to bask in the sun on the surface of the water and are quite inoffensive to humans. Élio Vicente from Zoomarine in the Algarve said Basking Sharks and Whale Sharks are common round the coast of Portugal, but offer no risk to swimmers. “The hot weather heats the deep water creating more algae drawing in more ‘vegetarian sharks’” he said. These creatures have been here for thousands of years without harming anyone, he added, they just get a bad reputation from the term ‘shark’.
Biohazard name:	Portuguese Man-of-War jellyfish invasion
Biohazard level:	0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:	This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:	confirmed

31.08.2012

Biological Hazard

Ukraine

Mykolaiv Oblast, Voznesensk [Zaporizhia region]

Biological Hazard in Ukraine on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 08:17 (08:17 AM) UTC.

Description
Out of the 36 patients, who underwent prophylactic treatment after identification of the anthrax hot bed in Zaporizhia region, currently two of them are remaining under supervision of physicians. “Today we can say that everything is fine with the people: out of 36 people, who received preventive treatment, only two are under the supervision of doctors now. They are a man and a woman from Voznesenka village, who had contacted the infected animal and were hospitalized immediately after the accident. Currently, they have no manifestations of disease, but to make sure that the health condition of these people is good, we should get the results of laboratory tests and withstand a certain period,” chief medical officer of Zaporizhia region Anatoly Sevalnev said. According to the deputy head of the Main Department for Veterinary Medicine in Zaporizhia region Serhit Dehtiarenko, the quarantine measures will continue until September 5.
Biohazard name:	Anthrax
Biohazard level:	4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:	Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Symptoms:
Status:	confirmed

31.08.2012

Biological Hazard

USA

State of New York, [Noyack Bay]

Biological Hazard in USA on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 05:38 (05:38 AM) UTC.

Description
Streaks of red tide – a toxic algal bloom that threatens both marine life – were clearly visible in Noyac Bay during a flyover on Thursday. Aerial photographer Jeff Cully captured images of red tide lining the shore at Long Beach. Red tide has appeared in Long Island waters every summer since 2004, Chris Gobler, Ph.D., told Patch earlier this month, when the algal bloom made its first showing of the year. Gobler, a Stony Brook Southampton School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences professor, said red tide typically appears in late August, but this summer it was detected in late July. The early arrival could be attributed to high temperatures this summer, he said. “This red tide is caused by the dinoflagellate, cochlodinium,” Gobler explained. “Cochlodinium is not a human health threat but is highly toxic to marine life. Fish exposed to dense cochlodinium blooms cannot survive more than one to six hours, depending on their size. We have had fish die at the Southampton marine lab when our intake system brought in red tide water.” After patches of red tide have passed through, pound net fisherman have found that catches have died off, he added. The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, thanks to $3 million in grants, announced Monday a plan to restore the health of another local bay, Shinnecock, by seeding eelgrass and shellfish beds in strategic areas where they are most likely to thrive. Shellfish filter algae from water, but their populations in Long Island waters have declined in recent decades, a trend marine sciences hope to turn around. If the effort proves successful, it could be implemented in other distressed bodies of water, both locally and around the world. Research demonstrates that algal blooms are made worse by an increased flow of nitrogen into the bays, from sources such as cesspools and fertilizers, Gobler said.
Biohazard name:	Red Tide
Biohazard level:	0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:	This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:

*************************************************************************************************************

Tags: 000 at risk of hantavirus in Yosemite outbreak, 2MIN News August 31. 2012: Quakes North and South. Sunspots, 7.6 Mww - PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION, 7.9 Mwp - PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION, 7.9 quake hits Eastern Samar, 8.1 Earthquake Philippines, Alaska, Ancient volcano discovered in Hong Kong, Antarctica, Anthrax, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Arizona, Armenia, Asia, Atlantic Ocean, Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Biological Hazard in Kyrgyzstan, Biological Hazard in Portugal, Biological Hazard in Ukraine, Biological Hazard in USA, Blue Moon Alert: See August's 2nd Full Moon, Bosnia And Herzegovina, Brazil, Bubonic Plague, California, CDC says 10, chickenpox, Chile): increased number of earthquakes as sign of reawakening, China, Colombia, Colorado, Cook Islands, Deer disease outbreak suspected in C. Ind. county, Earth approaching objects, Earthquake in Philippines, Ecuador, Effects of Einstein’s Elusive Gravity Waves Observed, El Salvador, Elevated Volcanic Activity and Information Releases, Epidemic Hazard in USA, Europe, Finland, Fixed Regional Tsunami Warning Cancellation in Philippine Islands, Florida, Forest / Wild Fire in Spain, Fukushima reactors briefly did not get enough coolant water: TEPCO, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Hawaii, Honduras, Hong Kong Discovers 140 Million Year-Old Supervolcano, houses in water up to roofs, Hurricane Ileana (EP09), Hurricane Kirk (AL02), Hurricane Leslie (AL12), Indiana, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kermadec Islands, Kiribati, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Landslide in China, Landslide in Philippines, LISS - Live Internet Seismic Server, Louisiana, Mali, Mariana Islands, Massachusetts, Mexico, Middle America, Missouri, MONGOLIA, Namibia, New 'Heartland' Virus Discovered in Sick Missouri Farmers, New Caledonia, New Mexico, New York., New Zealand, North America, Norway, Oregon, Pacific Ocean, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Part of Kanto Including Tokyo, Pennsylvania, Philippines, Poland, Portuguese Man-of-War jellyfish invasion, Puerto Rico, Radioactive Japan: Head of The Ecosystem Conservation Society of Japan Says "People in Fukushima, Reclus volcano (Patagonia, Red Tide, Republic of Kiribati, Russia, Samoa, Shading Earth: Delivering Solar Geoengineering Materials to Combat Global Warming May Be Feasible and Affordable, Should Not Marry" Because of Radiation Exposure, Solomon Islands, South America, South Dakota, South Pacific, Spain, Technological Disaster in USA, Tennessee, Texas, Thailand, Turkey, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United States, US Flooded: Video of Isaac aftermath, Venezuela, Volcano Activity in USA

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Earth Watch Report – Friday August 31st, 2012

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August 31, 2012

Earthquakes

RSOE EDIS

Date/Time (UTC)	Magnitude	Area	Country	State/Prov./Gov.	Location	Risk	Source	Details
31.08.2012 10:12:52	2.0	North America	United States	California	Cobb		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 10:12:52	2.0	North America	United States	California	Cobb		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 09:50:23	4.5	South-America	Chile	Libertador General Bernardo O?Higgins	Machali		EMSC
31.08.2012 09:40:33	4.6	South America	Chile	Libertador General Bernardo O?Higgins	Machali		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 09:50:50	2.4	Asia	Turkey	??rnak	Balveren		EMSC
31.08.2012 08:50:21	2.8	Europe	Greece	Peloponnese	Sperkhoyia		EMSC
31.08.2012 08:50:45	2.6	Asia	Turkey	Amasya	Dedekoy		EMSC
31.08.2012 08:51:13	2.3	Europe	Italy	Basilicate	Metaponto		EMSC
31.08.2012 08:10:37	2.4	North America	United States	California	Soledad		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 09:10:27	4.4	Asia	China	Guangdong Sheng	Shilong		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 09:51:10	4.4	Asia	China	Guangdong Sheng	Shilong		EMSC
31.08.2012 07:45:34	3.3	North America	United States	Alaska	Dry Creek		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 07:45:34	3.3	North America	United States	Alaska	Dry Creek		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 07:50:25	2.7	Asia	Turkey	??rnak	Koyunoba		EMSC
31.08.2012 07:17:19	2.4	North America	United States	California	Soledad		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 07:17:16	2.4	North America	United States	California	Soledad		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 07:18:22	4.3	North America	United States	Alaska	Stevens Village		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 07:18:22	4.3	North America	United States	Alaska	Stevens Village		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 07:50:52	4.1	North-America	United States	Alaska	Beaver		EMSC
31.08.2012 07:21:34	3.6	North America	United States	Alaska	Dry Creek		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 06:40:21	2.0	Asia	Turkey	Hatay	Gozene		EMSC
31.08.2012 08:51:35	4.1	Indonesian Archipelago	Indonesia	Aceh	Sabang		EMSC
31.08.2012 05:41:01	3.7	North America	United States	Alaska	Larsen Bay		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 05:03:45	2.0	North America	United States	California	Mettler		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 05:40:28	2.3	Asia	Turkey	Bursa	Kucukkumla		EMSC
31.08.2012 04:40:20	4.1	South-America	Argentina	Salta	San Antonio de los Cobres		EMSC
31.08.2012 04:41:36	4.1	Atlantic Ocean	Argentina	Salta	San Antonio de los Cobres		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 08:51:57	2.3	Europe	Greece	Crete	Pombia		EMSC
31.08.2012 04:05:54	2.1	North America	United States	Alaska	Petersville		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 03:41:07	4.4	South America	Bolivia	Potosí	Villa Alota		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 03:40:20	4.4	South-America	Bolivia	Potosí	Villa Alota		EMSC
31.08.2012 03:41:30	3.5	North America	United States	Alaska	Attu Station		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 04:41:15	2.4	Asia	Turkey	?zmir	Alacati		EMSC
31.08.2012 02:55:27	2.2	North America	United States	California	Brawley		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 02:50:30	3.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Ninilchik		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 03:40:43	4.9	South-America	Brazil	Estado de Pernambuco	Fernando de Noronha (Distrito Estadual)		EMSC
31.08.2012 03:00:27	4.9	South America	Brazil	Estado de Pernambuco	Fernando de Noronha (Distrito Estadual)		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 03:35:28	3.2	North America	United States	Alaska	Attu Station		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 02:40:20	2.4	Asia	Turkey	Burdur	Golhisar		EMSC
31.08.2012 02:40:42	2.1	Asia	Turkey	Elaz??	Kovancilar		EMSC
31.08.2012 01:42:38	4.0	Asia	Russia	Sakhalin	Vostok		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 01:40:20	4.0	Europe	Russia	Sakhalin	Vostok		EMSC
31.08.2012 01:35:29	4.6	South America	Ecuador	Guayas	Naranjal		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 01:40:57	4.6	South-America	Ecuador	Guayas	Naranjal		EMSC
31.08.2012 01:26:19	4.0	Middle America	Mexico	Sonora	Puerto Penasco		USGS-RSOE
31.08.2012 01:41:51	4.0	Middle-America	Mexico	Sonora	Puerto Penasco		EMSC
31.08.2012 01:42:12	3.0	Europe	Greece	Ionian Islands	Limni Keriou		EMSC
31.08.2012 00:40:20	2.2	Asia	Turkey	Van	Toyga		EMSC
31.08.2012 00:40:52	2.6	Europe	Greece	Ionian Islands	Limni Keriou		EMSC
31.08.2012 00:41:13	2.7	Europe	Greece	Peloponnese	Methoni		EMSC

…………………………………………

6.6 Mwb – JAN MAYEN ISLAND REGION

Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude	6.6 Mwb
Date-Time	30 Aug 2012 13:43:24 UTC 30 Aug 2012 12:43:24 near epicenter 30 Aug 2012 07:43:24 standard time in your timezone
Location	71.462N 10.723W
Depth	8 km
Distances	422 km (262 miles) ENE (70 degrees) of Ittoqqortoormiit (Scoresbysund), Greenld 937 km (582 miles) NNE (25 degrees) of REYKJAVIK, Iceland
Location Uncertainty	Horizontal: 13.9 km; Vertical 2.8 km
Parameters	Nph = 591; Dmin = 424.0 km; Rmss = 1.08 seconds; Gp = 40° M-type = Mwb; Version = 7
Event ID	us c000cb69

For updates, maps, and technical information, see:
Event Page
or
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

National Earthquake Information Center
U.S. Geological Survey
http://neic.usgs.gov/

30.08.2012

Earthquake

USA

State of California, [Imperial County]

Earthquake in USA on Monday, 27 August, 2012 at 03:20 (03:20 AM) UTC.

Back

Updated:	Thursday, 30 August, 2012 at 02:56 UTC
Description
The southern California town of Brawley has taken the unusual step of declaring a state of emergency after a swarm of earthquakes rattled nearly 20 mobile homes off their blocks and forced a slaughterhouse to close, the mayor said on Wednesday. It is uncommon for quake-hardy California cities to declare emergencies due to tremors, but Brawley mayor George Nava said the earthquake swarm is a unique case because it has lasted for days and caused millions of dollars in damage. The cluster of relatively small quakes, which are caused by water and other fluids moving around in the Earth’s crust, began on Saturday evening and climaxed the next day with a 5.5 temblor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The tremors were continuing on Wednesday and geologists say there have been hundreds in total.Nava said leaders in Brawley, a city of 25,000 residents south of the state’s inland Salton Sea and 170 miles (275 km) southeast of Los Angeles, declared a local emergency late on Tuesday. Officials with surrounding Imperial County made a similar declaration on Wednesday. Nineteen mobile homes were knocked off their blocks and their residents forced out, Nava said. The auditorium at Brawley Union High School has been damaged and closed off, and the National Beef slaughter plant in Brawley has been temporarily shut down due to damage, he said. Local businesses have suffered millions of dollars in losses from closures and from customers staying away, Nava said. But he could not give an exact account of quake-related losses. The Red Cross and local government agencies will offer services to residents on Friday and Saturday at a local center. The emergency declaration allows Brawley to receive more assistance from Imperial County, Nava said. At one point, about 10,000 residents in the city were without power, and the quakes have also caused water line disruptions, Nava said. “When you don’t have an AC or running water, it’s just not a good thing in this weather,” he said. Jeanne Hardebeck, research seismologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, said earlier this week that the cluster of quakes is not a sign that a larger temblor is imminent.

LISS – Live Internet Seismic Server

GSN Stations

These data update automatically every 30 minutes. Last update: August 31, 2012 08:19:06 UTC

Seismograms may take several moments to load. Click on a plot to see larger image.

CU/ANWB, Willy Bob, Antigua and Barbuda

CU/BBGH, Gun Hill, Barbados

CU/BCIP, Isla Barro Colorado, Panama

CU/GRGR, Grenville, Grenada

CU/GTBY, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

CU/MTDJ, Mount Denham, Jamaica

CU/TGUH, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

IC/BJT, Baijiatuan, Beijing, China

IC/ENH, Enshi, China

IC/HIA, Hailar, Neimenggu Province, China

IC/LSA, Lhasa, China

IC/MDJ, Mudanjiang, China

IC/QIZ, Qiongzhong, Guangduong Province, China

IU/AFI, Afiamalu, Samoa

IU/ANMO, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

IU/ANTO, Ankara, Turkey

IU/BBSR, Bermuda

IU/CASY, Casey, Antarctica

IU/CCM, Cathedral Cave, Missouri, USA

IU/CHTO, Chiang Mai, Thailand

IU/COLA, College Outpost, Alaska, USA

IU/COR, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

IU/CTAO, Charters Towers, Australia

IU/DAV,Davao, Philippines

IU/DWPF,Disney Wilderness Preserve, Florida, USA

IU/FUNA,Funafuti, Tuvalu

IU/GNI, Garni, Armenia

IU/GRFO, Grafenberg, Germany

IU/GUMO, Guam, Mariana Islands

IU/HKT, Hockley, Texas, USA

IU/HNR, Honiara, Solomon Islands

IU/HRV, Adam Dziewonski Observatory (Oak Ridge), Massachusetts, USA

IU/INCN, Inchon, Republic of Korea

IU/JOHN, Johnston Island, Pacific Ocean

IU/KBS, Ny-Alesund, Spitzbergen, Norway

IU/KEV, Kevo, Finland

IU/KIEV, Kiev, Ukraine

IU/KIP, Kipapa, Hawaii, USA

IU/KMBO, Kilima Mbogo, Kenya

IU/KNTN, Kanton Island, Kiribati

IU/KONO, Kongsberg, Norway

IU/KOWA, Kowa, Mali

IU/LCO, Las Campanas Astronomical Observatory, Chile

IU/LSZ, Lusaka, Zambia

IU/LVC, Limon Verde, Chile

IU/MA2, Magadan, Russia

IU/MAJO, Matsushiro, Japan

IU/MAKZ,Makanchi, Kazakhstan

IU/MBWA, Marble Bar, Western Australia

IU/MIDW, Midway Island, Pacific Ocean, USA

IU/NWAO, Narrogin, Australia

IU/OTAV, Otavalo, Ecuador

IU/PAB, San Pablo, Spain

IU/PAYG Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands

IU/PET, Petropavlovsk, Russia

IU/PMG, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

IU/PMSA, Palmer Station, Antarctica

IU/POHA, Pohakaloa, Hawaii

IU/PTCN, Pitcairn Island, South Pacific

IU/PTGA, Pitinga, Brazil

IU/QSPA, South Pole, Antarctica

IU/RAO, Raoul, Kermandec Islands

IU/RAR, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

IU/RCBR, Riachuelo, Brazil

IU/RSSD, Black Hills, South Dakota, USA

IU/SAML, Samuel, Brazil

IU/SBA, Scott Base, Antarctica

IU/SDV, Santo Domingo, Venezuela

IU/SFJD, Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland

IU/SJG, San Juan, Puerto Rico

IU/SLBS, Sierra la Laguna Baja California Sur, Mexico

IU/SNZO, South Karori, New Zealand

IU/SSPA, Standing Stone, Pennsylvania USA

IU/TARA, Tarawa Island, Republic of Kiribati

IU/TATO, Taipei, Taiwan

IU/TEIG, Tepich, Yucatan, Mexico

IU/TIXI, Tiksi, Russia

IU/TRIS, Tristan da Cunha, Atlantic Ocean

IU/TRQA, Tornquist, Argentina

IU/TSUM, Tsumeb, Namibia

IU/TUC, Tucson, Arizona

IU/ULN, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

IU/WAKE, Wake Island, Pacific Ocean

IU/WCI, Wyandotte Cave, Indiana, USA

IU/WVT, Waverly, Tennessee, USA

IU/XMAS, Kiritimati Island, Republic of Kiribati

IU/YSS, Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, Russia

**********************************************************************************************************

Volcanic Activity

Earthquakes raise alert level at Alaska volcano

Alaska Dispatch

A series of small earthquakes which began Wednesday night and continued into Thursday near a long-dormant volcanic peak in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands has prompted researchers to raise the alert level for the Little Sitkin volcano.

The nearly 4,000-foot-high Little Sitkin volcano is named for the island where it resides, located in the Rat Islands in the Aleutian chain. The volcano has shown little activity since scientists have started observing it, with only three questionable eruptive events at the volcano since that time. The most recent eruption may have come in 1900, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

Still, the AVO page for Little Sitkin mentions there may have been a “cataclysmic eruption” on the island sometime after the last ice age, which ended more than 11,000 years ago.

Seismic equipment located near the volcano began detecting a “swarm of high-frequency earthquakes” at about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, the AVO reports. The earthquakes continued through the night into Thursday, prompting the alert level at the volcano being raised. The alert level is currently at yellow, which means that the “volcano is exhibiting signs of elevated unrest above known background level.” Additionally, aircraft traveling in the area are advised to exercise caution.

The volcano is located in a remote part of the Aleutians, about 35 miles northwest of the World War II outpost of Amchitka and 200 miles west of Adak.

Little Sitkin joins two other Alaska volcanoes, Iliamna and Cleveland, currently sitting at elevated alert levels.

Photos: Alaska volcanoes

Apr 02, 2012

Pavlof volcano and eruption plume on evening of Aug. 30, 2007. View is to the south. Plume height approximately 17-18,000 ft.

Chris Waythomas/Alaska Volcano Observatory photo

Previous Next

Iliamna, 130 miles from Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, was first elevated in March of this year following a continued increase in seismic activity.

“The current level of activity at Iliamna does not indicate an imminent or certain eruption,” a status update from the AVO said Thursday. “Seismic activity, along with gas emissions, appear to be declining gradually.”

Meanwhile, the oft-erupting Cleveland volcano which, like Sitkin, is located in the Aleutians, remains elevated as well. Cleveland has been upgraded a half-dozen times in since 2010 alone, and most recently erupted in June, when a pilot reported an ash cloud reaching up to 35,000 feet. Cleveland sits at a higher alert level than Iliamna or Little Sitkin, meaning the volcano still has a higher potential for eruption at any time.

For updates on these and other volcanoes across Alaska, visit the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

Contact Ben Anderson at ben(at)alaskadispatch.com

Today

Volcano Activity

USA

State of Alaska, [Little Sitkin Volcano]

Volcano Activity in USA on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 02:27 (02:27 AM) UTC.

Description

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Storms / Flooding

Active tropical storm system(s)

Name of storm system	Location	Formed	Last update	Last category	Course	Wind Speed	Gust	Wave	Source	Details
Ileana (EP09)	Pacific Ocean – East	28.08.2012	31.08.2012	Hurricane II	335 °	139 km/h	167 km/h	3.05 m	NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	Ileana (EP09)
Area:	Pacific Ocean – East
Start up location:	N 15° 30.000, W 107° 42.000
Start up:	28th August 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	579.81 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source
28th Aug 2012	04:45:33	N 15° 30.000, W 107° 42.000	19	74	93	Tropical Storm	290	15	1000 MB	NOAA NHC
29th Aug 2012	04:37:35	N 17° 0.000, W 111° 6.000	17	93	111	Tropical Storm	305	11	997 MB	NOAA NHC
30th Aug 2012	05:06:37	N 19° 6.000, W 113° 6.000	15	120	148	Hurricane I.	320	17	987 MB	NOAA NHC

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
31st Aug 2012	04:54:30	N 21° 12.000, W 114° 12.000	9	139	167	Hurricane II	335 °	10	976 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
01st Sep 2012	12:00:00	N 23° 6.000, W 117° 6.000	Tropical Depression	93	111	NOAA NHC
01st Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 22° 36.000, W 115° 48.000	Hurricane I	111	139	NOAA NHC
02nd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 23° 36.000, W 118° 18.000	Tropical Depression	74	93	NOAA NHC
03rd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 24° 18.000, W 121° 0.000	Tropical Depression	56	74	NOAA NHC
04th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 24° 30.000, W 124° 0.000	Tropical Depression	46	65	NOAA NHC
05th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 24° 30.000, W 126° 0.000	Tropical Depression	37	56	NOAA NHC

Kirk (AL02)

Atlantic Ocean

29.08.2012

31.08.2012

Hurricane III

335 °

157 km/h

194 km/h

5.49 m

NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	Kirk (AL02)
Area:	Atlantic Ocean
Start up location:	N 23° 54.000, W 45° 0.000
Start up:	29th August 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	498.10 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source
29th Aug 2012	04:44:17	N 23° 54.000, W 45° 0.000	19	74	93	Tropical Storm	280	15	1007 MB	NOAA NHC
30th Aug 2012	05:13:04	N 25° 54.000, W 48° 18.000	15	93	111	Tropical Storm	300	18	1002 MB	NOAA NHC

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
31st Aug 2012	04:48:39	N 29° 0.000, W 50° 42.000	19	157	194	Hurricane III	335 °	18	980 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
01st Sep 2012	12:00:00	N 35° 48.000, W 47° 54.000	Hurricane IV	176	213	NOAA NHC
01st Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 33° 0.000, W 50° 0.000	Hurricane IV	176	213	NOAA NHC
02nd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 38° 42.000, W 44° 30.000	Hurricane III	157	194	NOAA NHC
03rd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 46° 12.000, W 34° 18.000	Hurricane I	120	148	NOAA NHC
04th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 52° 0.000, W 20° 0.000	Tropical Depression	83	102	NOAA NHC

Leslie (AL12)

Atlantic Ocean

30.08.2012

31.08.2012

Tropical Depression

280 °

83 km/h

102 km/h

3.66 m

NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	Leslie (AL12)
Area:	Atlantic Ocean
Start up location:	N 14° 6.000, W 43° 24.000
Start up:	30th August 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	231.24 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
31st Aug 2012	04:48:01	N 14° 42.000, W 46° 48.000	30	83	102	Tropical Depression	280 °	12	1002 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
01st Sep 2012	12:00:00	N 17° 54.000, W 54° 24.000	Hurricane II	139	167	NOAA NHC
01st Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 16° 42.000, W 51° 42.000	Hurricane I	120	148	NOAA NHC
02nd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 19° 18.000, W 56° 48.000	Hurricane III	148	185	NOAA NHC
03rd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 22° 30.000, W 60° 30.000	Hurricane III	157	194	NOAA NHC
04th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 26° 30.000, W 61° 30.000	Hurricane III	157	194	NOAA NHC
05th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 29° 0.000, W 61° 30.000	Hurricane III	157	194	NOAA NHC

…………………………….

Death toll from S. Korea typhoon rises to 18

by Staff Writers
Seoul (AFP)

South Korean rescuers Wednesday recovered two more bodies near two wrecked Chinese fishing boats, bringing the confirmed death toll from a powerful typhoon to 18.

Typhoon Bolaven — the strongest to hit the South for almost a decade — left a trail of death and damage in southwestern and south-central regions of the country.

It drove two Chinese fishing ships aground early Tuesday off the southern island of Jeju, sparking a dramatic rescue operation.

Coastguards wearing wetsuits struggled through high waves and pulled a total of 12 people to safety, and six swam ashore. Eight bodies had been recovered as of Wednesday and seven were still missing, the coastguard in Jeju said.

Dozens of divers are involved in the ongoing search. The coastguard said in a statement it would make “utmost efforts” to account for all the missing.

Most of the other deaths, confirmed by the public administration ministry, were caused by wind gusts that toppled walls or roofs or blew victims off their feet.

Typhoon alerts covering most of the country were lifted as ferries and flights returned to normal and schools reopened. But South Korea is now on watch for another typhoon, Tembin.

Bolaven moved on to North Korea, damaging crops and toppling some 3,700 roadside trees, the North’s official news agency said. Human casualties were not reported.

In North Hwanghae Province, the typhoon deactivated television relay facilities and destroyed or damaged some 20 houses and public buildings, the agency said, adding that “a lot of houses and roads” were submerged in other provinces.

Bolaven crossed the Yalu border river into China early Wednesday.

In South Korea, the typhoon was the strongest since 2003 in terms of wind speed. A maximum speed of 214 kilometres per hour (134 miles per hour) was recorded at Mount Mudeung in the southwestern city of Gwangju.

Power cuts of five minutes or longer hit nearly two million homes, a record in the country, the public administration ministry said.

The storm toppled nearly 8,000 trees and damaged 42 ships or boats and 35 houses. A total of 6,418 hectares (15,852 acres) of farmland was damaged.

Typhoon Tembin, located about 350 kilometres northeast of the Taiwanese capital Taipei early Wednesday, is approaching South Korea at a speed of 20 kilometres an hour.

Situation in Braithwaite grim; flooding is massive

WDSU.com

The situation was bleak in some Eastbank Plaquemines Parish neighborhoods that were inundated by water as Hurricane Isaac pushed across the region.

Officials said an 18-mile stretch of levees was overtopped by water from the Mississippi River early Wednesday. The resulting flood brought as much as 10 feet of water to residential areas, early reports indicated.

The area includes a stretch from Braithwaite to White Ditch. Those communities were under a mandatory evacuation order because of safety concerns.

Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser told WDSU that the problem was limited to overtopping, and not a breach. He described the situation as “serious.”

The National Weather Service noted: “This will result in significant deep flooding in this area.”

The levee is not part of the federal Corps of Engineers protection system.

WDSU reporter Travers Mackel said flood gates were closed to contain the water. He said there was concern that some people were trapped in dangerous conditions.

In nearby St. Bernard Parish, trees blocked roadways, making driving nearly impossible.

More than 400,000 Entergy customers on the south shore were without power.

WDSU reporter Gina Swanson said water was encroaching on an evacuation shelter in Raceland, in Lafourche Parish.

Jefferson Parish reported flooding in Lower Lafitte and water levels in the bayou that were up two feet from Tuesday.

The Harvey and Belle Chasse tunnels were closed — a move that followed the shut-down of the Lake Pontchartrain Causevay Tuesday evening.

Several fires, including major ones in Gretna and Arabi, were also reported.

Armstrong International Airport was closed, with all flights cancelled.

Viewers Send in Video of Massive Waves and Wind

(MOBILE, Ala.) – While Louisiana appears to be taking the heaviest blow from Hurricane Isaac, there’s no doubt the storm is impact our stretch of the Gulf.

One viewer send in video of waves churning in Mobile Bay ripping up a dock, and a man in Pensacola uploaded video of driving wind and rain from his pool.

Thousands have been without power in Mobile County but crews have been out trying to make those repairs today.

Today

Technological Disaster

USA

State of Louisiana, [Lake Tangipahoa region]

Technological Disaster in USA on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 04:46 (04:46 AM) UTC.

Description

30.08.2012

Flash Flood

USA

State of Louisiana, [Plaquemines Parish region]

Flash Flood in USA on Thursday, 30 August, 2012 at 12:33 (12:33 PM) UTC.

Description

Officials rushed to evacuate more than 100 nursing home residents from Plaquemines Parish, an area with a reputation for weathering storms and perhaps the hardest hit by Isaac. In this hardscrabble, mostly rural parish, even the sick and elderly are hardened storm veterans. Other residents in the Riverbend Nursing and Rehabilitation Center were loaded into ambulances and taken to a nearby naval station. By midafternoon Wednesday, Isaac had been downgraded to a tropical storm. The Louisiana National Guard ceased rescue operations in Plaquemines Parish, saying it felt confident it had gotten everyone out. There were no serious injuries. National Guard spokesman Capt. Lance Cagnolatti said guardsmen would stay in the area over the coming days to help. By early Thursday, Isaac’s maximum sustained winds had decreased to 45 mph and the National Hurricane Center said it was expected to become a tropical depression by Thursday night, meaning its top sustained winds would drop below 39 mph. The storm’s center was on track to cross Arkansas on Friday and southern Missouri on Friday night, spreading rain as it goes.

30.08.2012

Flash Flood

United Kingdom

England, Milton [Staffordshire]

Flash Flood in United Kingdom on Thursday, 30 August, 2012 at 10:08 (10:08 AM) UTC.

Description

Torrential rain left motorists battling flooded roads and residents using sandbags to stem the flow of flash floods. And yesterday’s downpour means the county is on track to record one of the wettest Augusts in recent years as families rue the summer that never was. The rain – which hit Staffordshire during yesterday morning and afternoon – forced local authorities and members of the emergency services to attempt to combat a number of deep floods. Weather experts said yesterday’s adverse conditions mean the region is on course to have endured a worse summer than the previous year. Figures from the Met Office have revealed the first two weeks of August saw 36mm of rain fall in the county. In July the region was hit with 139mm. Yesterday’s downpour caused problems across the city, along with Newcastle and the Staffordshire Moorlands. Staff from Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s street cleaning team handed out sandbags to residents in Endon, Blythe Bridge, Stockton Brook and Brown Edge in a bid to tackle flooding. Firefighters were sent out to close off Endon’s Brook Lane after a flooded ford resulted in the area being deluged in 3ft high water. Crews from Leek and Endon also helped residents safely turn off their electricity and gas as water swept through the area. Last night motorists were being advised to avoid Brown Edge’s Breach Lane. A spokesman for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue said: “We’d urge people to monitor warnings given by the Environment Agency and to avoid driving in areas where there is localised flooding.”

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Epidemic Hazards / Diseases

‘Virtually Untreatable’ Tuberculosis Threat Rising, Study Finds

Makiko Kitamura and Adi Narayan

Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) — Almost half of tuberculosis patients who received prior treatment were resistant to a second-line drug, suggesting the deadly disease may become “virtually untreatable,” according to a new study.

Among 1,278 patients who were resistant to two or more first-line tuberculosis drugs in Estonia, Latvia, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and Thailand, 43.7 percent showed resistance to at least one second-line drug, according to a study led by Tracy Dalton at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings were published in the Lancet medical journal today.

About 1.4 million people died from TB, the second-deadliest infectious disease globally after AIDS, and 650,000 cases were multi-drug resistant in 2010, according to the World Health Organization. Rising infection rates prompted the U.K. to announce in May it will require pre-entry tuberculosis screening for migrants from 67 countries seeking to enter the country for more than 6 months.

“The global emergence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis heralds the advent of widespread, virtually untreatable tuberculosis,” the study authors said in the published paper.

Previous treatment with second-line drugs was the strongest risk factor for resistance to these drugs, the authors said.

Alcohol Abuse

The prevalence of drug resistance, which ranged from 33 percent in Thailand to 62 percent in Latvia, also correlates with how long second-line drugs have been available in each country.

South Korea and Russia had the longest histories of availability — more than 20 years — and the highest rates of resistance. In contrast, Thailand, Philippines and Peru, where second-line drugs were introduced 10 years ago or less, had the lowest resistance rates.

Unemployment, alcohol abuse and smoking were also associated with resistance to second-line injectable treatment across countries.

This is one of the few studies that have followed patients with the multi-drug-resistant form of TB for several years, Justin Denholm, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, said in a phone interview.

Patients not taking their medicines properly is a major driver for resistance, said Denholm, who is studying TB transmission patterns in Australia’s Victoria state.

Individualized Treatment

The WHO’s current strategy for tackling TB is called Dots, short for “directly observed treatment, short course.” Under Dots, patients are required to show up at a clinic three times a week to be supervised when taking their medicine to be sure they complete the treatment.

“The reality is that this one-size-fits-all approach is a major part of what’s led to this drug resistance issue,” Denholm said. “I think individualized treatment is what we should be aiming for.”

Scientists are also researching new treatments. In a study published last month in the Lancet, researchers from Stellenbosch University in Cape Town said an experimental three- drug combination killed 99 percent of the bacteria within two weeks. As the combination doesn’t contain isoniazid or rifampicin, the two main medicines used against TB, it may also provide a much-needed weapon against drug-resistant strains, the researchers wrote.

China Survey

India and China, which have the world’s highest numbers of tuberculosis cases, weren’t included in Dalton’s study as they hadn’t begun pilot programs for increasing access to second-line drugs until after the study began.

In a 2007 national survey in China, 27 percent of multi- drug-resistant tuberculosis cases showed resistance to the antibiotic fluoroquinolone, according to the Lancet report. In India, a 2006 population-based survey in the western state of Gujarat reported fluoroquinolone resistance in 24 percent of cases.

The U.K. Border Agency this month began requiring TB screening for Indians applying for a settlement visa and will extend the rule to those obtaining a work visa from Sept. 10. The new requirement replaces screening at airports.

TB is at the highest level in 30 years in the U.K. In London, 84 percent of the 3,302 people infected in 2010 were foreign-born, according to the Health Protection Agency.

30.08.2012

Epidemic Hazard

USA

State of Colorado, [Cimarrona Campground, Archuleta County]

Epidemic Hazard in USA on Wednesday, 29 August, 2012 at 15:48 (03:48 PM) UTC.

Back

Updated:	Thursday, 30 August, 2012 at 03:20 UTC
Description
A camper near Pagosa Springs has contracted bubonic plague. The Durango Herald reports that the person contracted the plague during a family outing in the Cimarrona Campground. The San Juan Basin Health Department did not give the victim’s age or gender. Warning signs are being posted in the campground, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports an average of seven cases of plague each year across the country. Most human cases tend to occur in rural areas in the Southwest. Symptoms of plague begin two to six days after a person is bitten by an infected flea, rodent or cat. The plague can be successfully treated if diagnosed promptly.

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Climate Change

Thawing permafrost frees millions of tons of carbon: study

by Staff Writers
Paris (AFP)

A vast outcrop of the Arctic Siberian coast that had been frozen for tens of thousands of years is releasing huge carbon deposits as rising temperatures thaw parts of its coastline, a study warned Wednesday.

The carbon, a potential source of Earth-warming CO2, has lain frozen along the 7,000-kilometre (4,400-mile) northeast Siberian coastline since the last Ice Age.

But atmospheric warming and coastal erosion are gnawing at the icy seal, releasing about 40 million tonnes of carbon a year — 10 times more than previously thought, said a study in the journal Nature.

About two-thirds of the carbon escapes into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2) and the rest becomes trapped in higher layers of ocean sediment.

About half the carbon pool in soil globally is held in permafrost in the Arctic, a region that is experiencing twice the global average of climate warming, said the study led by researchers at Stockholm University.

Earlier this week, US scientists said the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean had melted to its smallest point ever.

The region covered by the Nature study, called Yedoma, is twice the size of Sweden but has been poorly researched because it is so remote.

The finding touches on a vicious circle, or positive feedback in climate parlance.

Under this, man-made warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels releases naturally-occurring stocks of CO2 that have been stored in permafrost since the last Ice Age, called the Pleistocene.

The released gases in turn add to global warming, which frees even more locked-up carbon, and so on.

“Thermal collapse and erosion of these carbon-rich Pleistocene coastline and seafloor deposits may accelerate the Arctic amplification of climate warming,” the paper warned.

The atmospheric leakage from Yedoma is equivalent to the annual emissions of around five million passenger cars, on the basis of average carbon output (five tonnes per year) of vehicles in the United States.

In a separate study also in Nature, researchers in Britain, the Netherlands and the United States used computer models to estimate there could be as much as four billion tonnes of methane under Antarctica’s icesheet.

Methane is 25 times more efficient at trapping solar heat than carbon dioxide.

Before it froze over, the region teemed with life whose organic remains became trapped in sediment later covered by ice sheets.

“Our modelling shows that over millions of years, microbes may have turned this old organic carbon into methane,” which could boost climate warming if released by icesheet collapse, the researchers said in a statement.

The collapse of the Antarctic icesheet is considered an extremely remote scenario by most climatologists, and some studies have suggested that parts of it could be thickening, due to localised increases in snowfall.

Related Links
Beyond the Ice Age

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Solar Activity

2MIN News August 30. 2012: Arctic Follow-Up, Buoy Events, Sun Awakening

Published on Aug 30, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers

TODAY’S LINKS
Arctic Ice Melt Follow-up: http://www.climatewatch.noaa.gov/article/2012/arctic-sea-ice-breaks-2007-reco…
Yosemite: http://www.kcra.com/news/Yosemite-officials-1-700-visitors-risk-disease/-/117…
What’s Visible on Stereo: http://stereo-ssc.nascom.nasa.gov/beacon/planets/
Isaac Images: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/slideshow

REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]

HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]

SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos - as seen from earth]

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT - as seen from earth]

Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI - as seen from the side]

SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it... trust me]

SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]

iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]

NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/

NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php

RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]

JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/

LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can't figure out what this one is for?]

BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]

TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]

GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]

RAIN RECORDS: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx

EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…

PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…

HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]

NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/

PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]

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Space

Earth approaching objects (objects that are known in the next 30 days)

Object Name

Apporach Date

Left

AU Distance

LD Distance

Estimated Diameter*

Relative Velocity

(2012 LU7)

02nd September 2012

2 day(s)

0.1200

46.7

440 m – 990 m

8.16 km/s

29376 km/h

(2012 FS35)

02nd September 2012

2 day(s)

0.1545

60.1

2.3 m – 5.2 m

2.87 km/s

10332 km/h

(2012 HG31)

03rd September 2012

3 day(s)

0.0716

27.9

440 m – 990 m

10.33 km/s

37188 km/h

(2012 PX)

04th September 2012

4 day(s)

0.0452

17.6

61 m – 140 m

9.94 km/s

35784 km/h

(2012 EH5)

05th September 2012

5 day(s)

0.1613

62.8

38 m – 84 m

9.75 km/s

35100 km/h

(2011 EO11)

05th September 2012

5 day(s)

0.1034

40.2

9.0 m – 20 m

8.81 km/s

31716 km/h

(2007 PS25)

06th September 2012

6 day(s)

0.0497

19.3

23 m – 52 m

8.50 km/s

30600 km/h

329520 (2002 SV)

08th September 2012

8 day(s)

0.1076

41.9

300 m – 670 m

9.17 km/s

33012 km/h

(2011 ES4)

10th September 2012

10 day(s)

0.1792

69.8

20 m – 44 m

12.96 km/s

46656 km/h

(2008 CO)

11th September 2012

11 day(s)

0.1847

71.9

74 m – 160 m

4.10 km/s

14760 km/h

(2007 PB8)

14th September 2012

14 day(s)

0.1682

65.5

150 m – 340 m

14.51 km/s

52236 km/h

226514 (2003 UX34)

14th September 2012

14 day(s)

0.1882

73.2

260 m – 590 m

25.74 km/s

92664 km/h

(1998 QC1)

14th September 2012

14 day(s)

0.1642

63.9

310 m – 700 m

17.11 km/s

61596 km/h

(2002 EM6)

15th September 2012

15 day(s)

0.1833

71.3

270 m – 590 m

18.56 km/s

66816 km/h

(2002 RP137)

16th September 2012

16 day(s)

0.1624

63.2

67 m – 150 m

7.31 km/s

26316 km/h

(2009 RX4)

16th September 2012

16 day(s)

0.1701

66.2

15 m – 35 m

8.35 km/s

30060 km/h

(2005 UC)

17th September 2012

17 day(s)

0.1992

77.5

280 m – 640 m

7.55 km/s

27180 km/h

(2012 FC71)

18th September 2012

18 day(s)

0.1074

41.8

24 m – 53 m

3.51 km/s

12636 km/h

(1998 FF14)

19th September 2012

19 day(s)

0.0928

36.1

210 m – 480 m

21.40 km/s

77040 km/h

331990 (2005 FD)

19th September 2012

19 day(s)

0.1914

74.5

320 m – 710 m

15.92 km/s

57312 km/h

(2009 SH2)

24th September 2012

24 day(s)

0.1462

56.9

28 m – 62 m

7.52 km/s

27072 km/h

333578 (2006 KM103)

25th September 2012

25 day(s)

0.0626

24.4

250 m – 560 m

8.54 km/s

30744 km/h

(2002 EZ2)

26th September 2012

26 day(s)

0.1922

74.8

270 m – 610 m

6.76 km/s

24336 km/h

(2009 SB170)

29th September 2012

29 day(s)

0.1789

69.6

200 m – 440 m

32.39 km/s

116604 km/h

(2011 OJ45)

29th September 2012

29 day(s)

0.1339

52.1

18 m – 39 m

4.24 km/s

15264 km/h

1 AU = ~150 million kilometers,1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers

Source: NASA-NEO

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Biological Hazards / Wildlife /Environmental Pollution

Today

Biological Hazard

Ukraine

Mykolaiv Oblast, Voznesensk [Zaporizhia region]

Biological Hazard in Ukraine on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 08:17 (08:17 AM) UTC.

Description
Out of the 36 patients, who underwent prophylactic treatment after identification of the anthrax hot bed in Zaporizhia region, currently two of them are remaining under supervision of physicians. “Today we can say that everything is fine with the people: out of 36 people, who received preventive treatment, only two are under the supervision of doctors now. They are a man and a woman from Voznesenka village, who had contacted the infected animal and were hospitalized immediately after the accident. Currently, they have no manifestations of disease, but to make sure that the health condition of these people is good, we should get the results of laboratory tests and withstand a certain period,” chief medical officer of Zaporizhia region Anatoly Sevalnev said. According to the deputy head of the Main Department for Veterinary Medicine in Zaporizhia region Serhit Dehtiarenko, the quarantine measures will continue until September 5.
Biohazard name:	Anthrax
Biohazard level:	4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:	Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Symptoms:
Status:	confirmed

Today

Biological Hazard

USA

State of New York, [Noyack Bay]

Biological Hazard in USA on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 05:38 (05:38 AM) UTC.

Description
Streaks of red tide – a toxic algal bloom that threatens both marine life – were clearly visible in Noyac Bay during a flyover on Thursday. Aerial photographer Jeff Cully captured images of red tide lining the shore at Long Beach. Red tide has appeared in Long Island waters every summer since 2004, Chris Gobler, Ph.D., told Patch earlier this month, when the algal bloom made its first showing of the year. Gobler, a Stony Brook Southampton School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences professor, said red tide typically appears in late August, but this summer it was detected in late July. The early arrival could be attributed to high temperatures this summer, he said. “This red tide is caused by the dinoflagellate, cochlodinium,” Gobler explained. “Cochlodinium is not a human health threat but is highly toxic to marine life. Fish exposed to dense cochlodinium blooms cannot survive more than one to six hours, depending on their size. We have had fish die at the Southampton marine lab when our intake system brought in red tide water.” After patches of red tide have passed through, pound net fisherman have found that catches have died off, he added. The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, thanks to $3 million in grants, announced Monday a plan to restore the health of another local bay, Shinnecock, by seeding eelgrass and shellfish beds in strategic areas where they are most likely to thrive. Shellfish filter algae from water, but their populations in Long Island waters have declined in recent decades, a trend marine sciences hope to turn around. If the effort proves successful, it could be implemented in other distressed bodies of water, both locally and around the world. Research demonstrates that algal blooms are made worse by an increased flow of nitrogen into the bays, from sources such as cesspools and fertilizers, Gobler said.
Biohazard name:	Red Tide
Biohazard level:	0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:	This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:

Today

Biological Hazard

Ireland

Multiple areas, [Beaches in Waterford and Cork, and Kerry]

Biological Hazard in Ireland on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 02:59 (02:59 AM) UTC.

Description
Portuguese men-of-war, which look like jellyfish and whose sting can cause severe pain and, in rare cases, death in humans, has been seen on beaches in Waterford and Cork, and may yet reach Kerry coasts. The Irish Water Safety organisation yesterday warned swimmers, surfers and other beach users that Portuguese men-of- war have been seen in Tramore, Ardmore, Inchydoney and Schull, and that there is a risk they may drift farther north. The invertebrate and carnivore creature is a siphonophore, which means it is made up of a colony of organisms working together. Its float is about 30cm long and 13cm wide and it has tentacles that can reach 50m in length. The stinging venom-filled nematocysts in the tentacles cause severe pain to humans, leaving whip-like red welts on the skin. A sting may lead to an allergic reaction. There can also be serious effects, including fever, shock, and interference with heart and lung function. Stings may also cause death, although this is extremely rare.
Biohazard name:	Portuguese man O War Jellyfish invasion
Biohazard level:	0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:	This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:

…………………………..

Japanese River Otter Declared Extinct

Tom Schueneman

Once a resident of rivers throughout Japan, the Japanese river otter hasn’t been seen for more than 30 years. Today, the otter was officially deemed extinct by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment. The unique species of otter was designated as natural monument in Japan as the first Japanese mammal to have survived into the Showa Era (1926-1989) before succumbing to extinction. Two species of Japanese bat and two species of wolves became extinct in the Meija Era (1868-1912).

Over-hunting for its fur combined with habitat destruction from human development drove the river otter to near extinction by the 1930s. By the late ’70s the river otter was added to the “Red List of Threatened Mammals of Japan” as critically endangered. The last official sighting of a Japanese river otter was in 1979 along the banks of the Shinjo River in Susaki, Kochi Prefecture.

An adult river otter grew to about 110 centimeters (43 inches) in length, including a tail of up to 50 centimeters (20 inches), sporting a thick, lush coat of fur and short webbed feet. The typical diet for a Japanese river otter consisted mainly of fish, crab and shrimp, but they also dined on eels, sweet potatoes, watermelons and beetles.

Hope after extinction?

Official survey records from the Ministry of the Environment indicate the river otter disappeared from the northern island of Hokkaido in the 1950s and on the main island of Honshu in the 1960s. In the early 1990s research teams assembled in Kochi Prefecture, located in the southwestern part of the island of Shikoku, to see if they could find evidence of surviving otters. In March 1992 the researchers found hair and excrement that was determined to have come from an otter — perhaps the last official evidence of a surviving Japanese river otter.

But Yoshihiko Machida, professor emeritus at Kochi University, isn’t quite ready to sound the death knell for the Japanese river otter, citing reports of confirmed otter droppings found as late as 1999:

“I think it is possible that they still exist, and I want to continue my investigations,” he said in response to the declaration of the otter’s extinction.

Hope springs eternal.

30.08.2012

Environment Pollution

United Kingdom

Scotland, North Sea, [Between Tartan Alpha platform and Galley field]

Environment Pollution in United Kingdom on Thursday, 30 August, 2012 at 11:44 (11:44 AM) UTC.

Description

An oil spill response spill vessel has been deployed to a North Sea field after oil started leaking from crack in a subsea pipeline. An estimated 13 barrels of oil have leaked from the pipeline which connects the Galley field to Talisman’s Tartan Alpha platform, 117 miles north-east of Aberdeen. The leak was first spotted last Friday. A spokesman for Talisman Energy said: “Talisman Energy (UK) Limited can confirm that following the identification of a crack in the production pipeline which connects the Galley field to the Tartan Alpha platform, flushing operations are being carried out using seawater to remove the production fluids from the pipeline. “This is being carried out in accordance with a plan developed by a specialist team and agreed with the Department of Energy and Climate Change, bringing the situation to a safe and timely resolution. All relevant authorities have been informed and are being kept updated.” He added: “Based on the investigatory and monitoring activity undertaken since we identified the issue on 24 August, we estimate the maximum total release to date is 88 barrels of fluids, of which approximately 13 would be oil and the rest water. “We take our responsibility to safeguard the environment very seriously and, as a precaution we deployed a spill recovery and containment vessel with oil spill response equipment on board, while monitoring the leak area by ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) on a round-the-clock basis. The oil spill response vessel will remain on station during subsequent remedial works. “In addition, we have established a regular programme of spotter plane flights to monitor the sea surface and placed a trained wildlife observer on a vessel at the site to monitor seabirds and marine life.”

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Earth Watch Report – Thursday August 30th,2012

Filed under: Asteroids, Biological Hazard, Diseases, Earth Watch Report, Earthquakes, Extreme Weather, Fire - Forest/ Wild Fires, Flooding, Global Disaster Watch, meteors, Plagues, Radiation, Solar Activity, Space, Storms, Tornado — Leave a comment

August 30, 2012

Earthquakes

RSOE EDIS

Date/Time (UTC)	Magnitude	Area	Country	State/Prov./Gov.	Location	Risk	Source	Details
30.08.2012 10:46:02	4.3	North America	United States	Alaska	Atka		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 10:25:41	4.9	South America	Chile	Bío-Bío	Arauco		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 09:35:39	2.4	North America	United States	California	Weott		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 09:36:08	2.5	North America	United States	California	Yorba Linda		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 09:25:32	2.4	North America	United States	Alaska	Petersville		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 09:36:32	4.4	Indonesian archipelago	Indonesia		Mas		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 09:55:29	4.4	Indonesian Archipelago	Indonesia		Mas		EMSC
30.08.2012 09:20:28	5.2	Indonesian archipelago	Indonesia		Mas		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 09:56:02	5.3	Indonesian Archipelago	Indonesia		Mas		EMSC
30.08.2012 08:55:24	2.0	Asia	Turkey	Mu?la	Ula		EMSC
30.08.2012 08:15:26	2.0	North America	United States	California	Cobb		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 08:50:28	3.6	Caribbean	British Virgin Islands		Road Town		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 07:35:36	2.2	North America	United States	California	Ponderosa		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 07:50:26	2.5	Asia	Turkey	Mu?la	Datca		EMSC
30.08.2012 09:36:56	2.8	Caribbean	British Virgin Islands		Road Town		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 07:20:34	2.3	North America	United States	California	Yorba Linda		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 07:15:57	2.3	North America	United States	Alaska	Pedro Bay		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 07:10:53	2.5	North America	United States	Alaska	Tyonek		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 06:50:26	2.2	North America	United States	California	Brawley		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 06:45:19	2.5	Europe	France	Rhône-Alpes	Saint-Bonnet-le-Chateau		EMSC
30.08.2012 08:55:49	2.3	Europe	Albania	Dibër	Duricaj		EMSC
30.08.2012 07:50:48	2.5	Europe	Greece	North Aegean	Agios Dimitrios		EMSC
30.08.2012 07:52:00	3.4	Caribbean	British Virgin Islands		Road Town		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 07:05:35	3.4	Caribbean	British Virgin Islands		Road Town		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 05:25:47	4.9	South America	Peru	Ucayali	Campoverde		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 05:45:20	5.0	South-America	Peru	Ucayali	Campoverde		EMSC
30.08.2012 05:45:43	3.3	Europe	Greece	Peloponnese	Koroni		EMSC
30.08.2012 04:46:13	2.0	North America	United States	California	Brawley		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 04:35:46	2.3	North America	United States	California	Brawley		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 07:11:17	3.7	Caribbean	British Virgin Islands		Road Town		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 05:15:28	3.8	Caribbean	British Virgin Islands		Road Town		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 07:51:07	2.5	Asia	Turkey	Antalya	Kalkan		EMSC
30.08.2012 03:50:31	2.1	North America	United States	California	Brawley		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 04:25:43	3.8	Caribbean	British Virgin Islands		Road Town		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 03:35:29	2.5	North America	United States	California	Brawley		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 03:05:32	2.0	North America	United States	California	Westmorland		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 03:45:21	3.1	South-America	Chile	Atacama	Vallenar		EMSC
30.08.2012 03:45:43	3.9	South-America	Bolivia	Potosí	Villa Alota		EMSC
30.08.2012 04:45:20	4.4	Middle-America	Nicaragua	Chinandega	Jiquilillo		EMSC
30.08.2012 04:30:26	4.4	Middle America	Nicaragua	Chinandega	Jiquilillo		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 02:40:21	2.1	Europe	Italy	Emilia-Romagna	San Prospero		EMSC
30.08.2012 04:45:46	4.3	Middle-America	El Salvador	Usulután	Puerto El Triunfo		EMSC
30.08.2012 04:46:37	4.3	Middle America	El Salvador	Usulután	Puerto El Triunfo		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 08:56:11	3.3	Europe	Greece	South Aegean	Karpathos		EMSC
30.08.2012 02:40:47	2.3	Europe	Italy	Sicily	Saponara Villafranca		EMSC
30.08.2012 01:35:25	3.1	Asia	Turkey	Mu?la	Sarigerme		EMSC
30.08.2012 01:05:31	2.0	North America	United States	California	Brawley		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 01:00:29	2.5	North America	United States	California	King City		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 00:50:37	2.1	North America	United States	California	Pearsonville		USGS-RSOE
30.08.2012 00:35:40	4.2	Caribbean	British Virgin Islands		Road Town		USGS-RSOE

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Yorba Linda earthquake a likely aftershock from earlier cluster

The 4.1 earthquake that jolted Yorba Linda on Wednesday afternoon appears to be an aftershock of the cluster of quakes that hit the region earlier this month, seismologists said.

The jolted area included southeastern Los Angeles County, Orange County and the Inland Empire. The quake occurred in about the same location of an earthquake doublet, two 4.5 quakes that occurred on Aug. 7 at 11:23 p.m. and Aug. 8 at 9:33 a.m. The area was also hit by a 4.0 quake on June 14.

Wednesday’s quake, which hit at 1:31 p.m., was located near the center point of the magnitude-5.5 Chino Hills earthquake that reverberated through the Los Angeles Basin in the summer of 2008, U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones told The Times.

Wednesday’s quake appeared to be located in the “Yorba Linda trend,” a seismic area identified by Caltech geophysicist Egill Hauksson in 1990, that might be a buried fault.

Many who felt the quake said it was relatively mild.

At Vinjon’s Kennel in Yorba Linda, the quake hit just as Carisa Feeney, 22, was giving a bath to a year-and-a-half-old boxer mix. When the quake delivered its single strong jolt, the dog leaped up in the tub –- and both quickly ran outside.

“I’m pretty much covered in water,” Feeney said.

Nancy Ferguson, who owns SGO Designer Glass in Old Town Yorba Linda, said, “We had a big jolt, just for a few seconds, then everything just kind of swayed.”

Ferguson, who has hundreds of pieces of glass on display in her store, said she holds her breath every time there’s an earthquake. “But nothing fell over today, so we’re feeling pretty lucky,” she said.

It is unlikely that the earthquake swarm that has hit Imperial County with hundreds of quakes since the weekend is related to Wednesday’s quake in Yorba Linda, Jones said.

Southern California town declares emergency over quake swarm

LOS ANGELES

Aug 29 (Reuters) – The southern California town of Brawley has taken the unusual step of declaring a state of emergency after a swarm of earthquakes rattled nearly 20 mobile homes off their blocks and forced a slaughterhouse to close, the mayor said on Wednesday.

It is uncommon for quake-hardy California cities to declare emergencies due to tremors, but Brawley mayor George Nava said the earthquake swarm is a unique case because it has lasted for days and caused millions of dollars in damage.

The cluster of relatively small quakes, which are caused by water and other fluids moving around in the Earth’s crust, began on Saturday evening and climaxed the next day with a 5.5 temblor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The tremors were continuing on Wednesday and geologists say there have been hundreds in total.

Nava said leaders in Brawley, a city of 25,000 residents south of the state’s inland Salton Sea and 170 miles (275 km) southeast of Los Angeles, declared a local emergency late on Tuesday. Officials with surrounding Imperial County made a similar declaration on Wednesday.

Nineteen mobile homes were knocked off their blocks and their residents forced out, Nava said. The auditorium at Brawley Union High School has been damaged and closed off, and the National Beef slaughter plant in Brawley has been temporarily shut down due to damage, he said.

Local businesses have suffered millions of dollars in losses from closures and from customers staying away, Nava said. But he could not give an exact account of quake-related losses.

The Red Cross and local government agencies will offer services to residents on Friday and Saturday at a local center. The emergency declaration allows Brawley to receive more assistance from Imperial County, Nava said.

At one point, about 10,000 residents in the city were without power, and the quakes have also caused water line disruptions, Nava said.

“When you don’t have an AC or running water, it’s just not a good thing in this weather,” he said.

Jeanne Hardebeck, research seismologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, said earlier this week that the cluster of quakes is not a sign that a larger temblor is imminent. (Reporting By Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Tim Gaynor and Sandra Maler)

30.08.2012

Earthquake

USA

State of California, [Imperial County]

Earthquake in USA on Monday, 27 August, 2012 at 03:20 (03:20 AM) UTC.

Back

Updated:

Wednesday, 29 August, 2012 at 03:10 UTC

Description

An unusual swarm of hundreds of mostly small earthquakes has struck Southern California over the last three days and shaken the nerves of quake-hardy residents, but scientists say the cluster is not a sign a larger temblor is imminent. The earthquakes, the largest of which measured magnitude 5.5, began on Saturday evening and have been centered near the town of Brawley close to the state’s inland Salton Sea, said Jeanne Hardebeck, research seismologist for the U.S. Geological Survey. Scientists were monitoring the earthquake cluster, which continued on Tuesday, to see if it approaches the Imperial Fault, about three miles away. A destructive and deadly earthquake of magnitude 7.0 struck on that fault in 1940, she said. “We don’t have any reason to believe that the (earthquake) storm is going to trigger on the Imperial Fault, but there’s a minute possibility that it could,” Hardebeck said, adding that the swarm of quakes was not moving closer to that fault.The Brawley quake cluster, which is caused by hot fluid moving around in the Earth’s crust, is different than a typical earthquake, in which two blocks of earth slip past each other along a tectonic fault line. After that kind of an earthquake of magnitude 5.5 or above, there is a 5 percent chance a larger quake will follow, Hardebeck said. But she added the same kinds of probability estimates were not possible with earthquake clusters caused by the movement of hot fluid. “We understand them even less than we understand normal earthquakes,” Hardebeck said, adding that scientists do not know why a cluster of earthquakes will occur at one time rather than another. The swarm led to jangled nerves in Brawley, a town of about 25,000 residents 170 miles southeast of Los Angeles near the border with Mexico. “It’s pretty bad. We had to evacuate the hotel just for safety,” Rowena Rapoza, office manager of a local Best Western Hotel, said on Sunday. There were two earthquakes on Sunday afternoon, one with a 5.5 magnitude and one measuring 5.3, Hardebeck said. Those were the largest quakes in the cluster amid hundreds of others, she said.

In the past, earthquake clusters have gone on for as long as two weeks, Hardebeck said. Before this recent cluster in Brawley, the last swarm of this size to hit the area was in 1981, she said. Earlier this month, a pair of moderate-sized earthquakes both registering a magnitude 4.5 struck the California town of Yorba Linda within 10 hours of each other, but no damage was reported. Yorba Linda, the birthplace of the late President Richard Nixon, is 145 miles northwest of Brawley.

Earthquake in USA on Monday, 27 August, 2012 at 03:20 (03:20 AM) UTC.

Back

Updated:	Wednesday, 29 August, 2012 at 19:21 UTC
Description
Earthquake swarms continued Wednesday in Imperial County as the city of Brawley declared an emergency to deal with the damage. The swarm that began Sunday morning showed signs of slowing down Wednesday, with fewer quakes reported by the U.S. Geological Survey than on recent days. The magnitude of the quakes is also declining. There was scattered damage around Brawley, but officials have not yet compiled a full estimate of the costs. The Brawley City Council on Tuesday declared a local emergency, according to the Imperial Valley Press. More than 400 earthquakes greater than magnitude 1.0 have been recorded in Imperial County since Saturday evening, said U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Elizabeth Cochran. The largest were a 5.3 and a 5.5 about midday Sunday. Scientists say the reason is not fully understood, but there is a clue: Earthquake faults work much differently south of the Salton Sea than they do closer to Los Angeles. Take, for instance, the San Andreas fault as it runs through Los Angeles County. Itâs a fault where, generally speaking, two plates of the Earthâs crust are grinding past each other. The Pacific plate is moving to the northwest, while the North American plate is pushing to the southeast.South of the Salton Sea, the fault dynamic changes. The Pacific and North American plates start to pull away from each other, Cochran told The Times from her Pasadena office. (That movement is what created the Gulf of California, which separates Baja California from the rest of Mexico.) So Imperial County is caught between these two types of faults in what is called the âBrawley Seismic Zone,â which can lead to an earthquake swarm, Cochran said. The last major swarm was in 2005, Cochran said, when the largest magnitude was a 5.1. The largest swarm before last weekend’s occurred in 1981, when the biggest quake topped out at 5.8. Before that, there were swarms in the 1960s and 1970s. Brawley school officials told the Imperial Valley Press that Palmer Auditorium, a performance facility it manages with a local arts group, has been shut down after an inspection. âWe were told by engineers it needs to be shut down because there were huge structural damages,â school Supt. Hasmik Danielian told the paper. Crews would have a better idea of the total damage caused by the quakes in the coming days, said Maria Peinado, a spokeswoman for the Imperial County Public Health Department, but so far the list of affected structures includes about 20 mobile homes shifted from their foundations. The earthquakes also caused “cosmetic” damage to at least three buildings dating to the 1930s in downtown Brawley, said Capt. Jesse Zendejas of the Brawley Fire Department. A few displaced residents spent Sunday night at an American Red Cross shelter at the Imperial Valley College gymnasium, Peinado said.

Earthquake in USA on Monday, 27 August, 2012 at 03:20 (03:20 AM) UTC.

Back

Updated:	Thursday, 30 August, 2012 at 02:56 UTC
Description
The southern California town of Brawley has taken the unusual step of declaring a state of emergency after a swarm of earthquakes rattled nearly 20 mobile homes off their blocks and forced a slaughterhouse to close, the mayor said on Wednesday. It is uncommon for quake-hardy California cities to declare emergencies due to tremors, but Brawley mayor George Nava said the earthquake swarm is a unique case because it has lasted for days and caused millions of dollars in damage. The cluster of relatively small quakes, which are caused by water and other fluids moving around in the Earth’s crust, began on Saturday evening and climaxed the next day with a 5.5 temblor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The tremors were continuing on Wednesday and geologists say there have been hundreds in total.Nava said leaders in Brawley, a city of 25,000 residents south of the state’s inland Salton Sea and 170 miles (275 km) southeast of Los Angeles, declared a local emergency late on Tuesday. Officials with surrounding Imperial County made a similar declaration on Wednesday. Nineteen mobile homes were knocked off their blocks and their residents forced out, Nava said. The auditorium at Brawley Union High School has been damaged and closed off, and the National Beef slaughter plant in Brawley has been temporarily shut down due to damage, he said. Local businesses have suffered millions of dollars in losses from closures and from customers staying away, Nava said. But he could not give an exact account of quake-related losses. The Red Cross and local government agencies will offer services to residents on Friday and Saturday at a local center. The emergency declaration allows Brawley to receive more assistance from Imperial County, Nava said. At one point, about 10,000 residents in the city were without power, and the quakes have also caused water line disruptions, Nava said. “When you don’t have an AC or running water, it’s just not a good thing in this weather,” he said. Jeanne Hardebeck, research seismologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, said earlier this week that the cluster of quakes is not a sign that a larger temblor is imminent.

29.08.2012

Earthquake

British Virgin Islands

Atlantic Ocean, [Between 94 to 108 kilometers of the Road Town]

Earthquake in British Virgin Islands on Wednesday, 29 August, 2012 at 07:42 (07:42 AM) UTC.

Description
A total of 104 earthquakes were observed in the last four days, British Virgin Islands area. The smallest was M2.0 and the strongest quake was M4.8 on the Richter scale. The center of the earthquake at a distance of 94 to 108 kilometers and the depth were between 5 and 90 kilometers.

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

Today

Heat Wave

USA

State of South Dakota, [SD-wide]

Heat Wave in USA on Thursday, 30 August, 2012 at 03:25 (03:25 AM) UTC.

Description

South Dakota students are used to extreme cold and having classes called off because of winter blizzards, but the weather that caused their school day to be cut short Wednesday was intense for a different reason: the triple-digit temperatures. More than two dozen school districts across the state shut down early Wednesday as temperatures rose above 100 degrees, turning classrooms into saunas. “The major factor in the decision is the safety and welfare of students and staff members. It’s tough to learn in an environment when a room is 100 degrees,” said Eureka Superintendent Bo Beck, whose north-central South Dakota district joined others in dismissing students a few hours early because their classrooms lack air conditioning. Eureka and other districts have called off classes due to late-summer heat in past years, but school closures are more common in winter months when snow, frigid temperatures and howling winds make travel unsafe, Beck said. Scott Doering, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Aberdeen, said high temperatures Wednesday were expected to range from the low 90s in northeastern South Dakota to as high as 107 in the center of the state as a ridge of high pressure made the northern and central Plains area the nation’s hotspot.Some places in central South Dakota could break or come close to breaking records before temperatures start to drop to the 80s and lower 90s Thursday, Doering said. He said temperatures topping 100 sometimes persist in South Dakota, even into September. “It’s unusual, but not highly unusual,” he added, referring to Wednesday’s heat. Don Hotalling, superintendent for the Stanley County School District, said all students in Fort Pierre were being sent home at 1 p.m. because some classrooms are not air-conditioned. That problem will be solved after a new building is completed next year, he said. “With 106 degrees forecast for today, we knew it really was going to be miserable for some of the students,” Hotalling said. “With the humidity and the heat, it’s very uncomfortable. Not much learning is going to be going on later in the afternoon, when it gets hotter.” Stanley County eighth-grader Madison Bogue was happy her Fort Pierre school ended the day early. “It’s really awesome. It’s better than sitting in there all day,” the 13-year-old said. The district used fans to try to cool buildings Tuesday, when a lot of parents picked up their kids and took them home to beat the heat, Hotalling said. Staff encouraged students to drink plenty of water, but some students complained Tuesday of headaches, he said. Deputy state Education Secretary Mary Stadick Smith said she didn’t know how many schools were closing because of the heat, but at least two dozen schools from northeastern South Dakota to Rapid City in the west let radio and television stations know of early closures.

“Typically in South Dakota, schools are closed because of cold weather and blizzards that kind of thing, so it is a little unusual,” Stadick Smith said. Schools will not have to make up the missed time as long as they meet annual requirements for hours spent in classrooms, she said. The Rapid City Journal reported that schools in that city also were closing early because 15 of the 25 public schools do not have air conditioning. “When we start reaching temperatures above 90 degrees in classrooms, we have concerns as to trying to do something to relieve that stress on the teachers and the students that have been trying to work in those rooms,” Rapid City Area Schools Superintendent Tim Mitchell told the newspaper. Principal Robin Gillespie said teachers at Rapid City’s Wilson Elementary have been beating the heat with fans, low lights, water breaks and Popsicles. Many South Dakota residents seemed to take the heat in stride.

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Mustang Complex Fires in Idaho

Image Location

More in this Event (view all)

Left

Right

acquired August 28, 2012 download large image (3 MB, JPEG, 4000×5200)

acquired August 28, 2012 download GeoTIFF file (37 MB, TIFF)

acquired August 28, 2012 download Google Earth file (KMZ)

Sparked by lightning in July, the Mustang Complex fire had burned 149,828 acres (60,633 hectares) of rugged terrain near Salmon, Idaho, by August 29, 2012. The fire burned in steep, inaccessible terrain.

This natural-color satellite image shows thick smoke from the fires streaming northeast toward Montana. It was collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite on August 28, 2012. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS’s thermal bands, are outlined in red.

By August 23, more than 1,106,545 acres (447,803 hectares) had burned in Idaho—more than any other state except for Oregon. By August 29, more than 7,277,838 acres (2,945,236 hectares) had burned throughout the United States in what has proven to be one of the most severe wildfire seasons in the last decade.

Reference
Inciweb. (2012, August 29). Mustang Complex Fire. Accessed August 29, 2012.
National Interagency Fire Center. (2012, August 29). Year-to-Date Statistics. Accessed August 29, 2012.
National Interagency Fire Center. (2012, August 29). National Year-to-Date Statistics on Fires and Acres Burned by State. Accessed August 29, 2012.

Further Reading
Idaho Press-Tribune. (2012, August 29). Black Bear Cub Treated for Burn Injuries. Accessed August 29, 2012.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response. Caption by Adam Voiland.

Instrument: Aqua – MODIS

Today

Forest / Wild Fire

USA

State of Montana, [Near to Butte and Roscoe]

Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Thursday, 30 August, 2012 at 03:16 (03:16 AM) UTC.

Description

Crews dug in Wednesday against another round of Montana wildfires as evacuations were ordered ahead of blazes near Butte and Roscoe that authorities said threatened at least 130 houses. Searing heat set in across much of the drought-parched state, and gusting winds pushed flames through tinder-dry stands of timber and grasslands. The dangerous conditions prompted Gov. Brian Schweitzer to declare a statewide fire emergency. Eight large fires were burning on more than 73 square miles Wednesday, and more than 1,300 square miles already have burned in Montana this summer. Most of that destruction has been in the rain-starved eastern half of the state. Compounding residents’ woes are plumes of smoke pouring into mountain valleys from local fires and blazes in neighboring Idaho. The air quality has deteriorated most significantly in Hamilton, where it was listed as unhealthy by state officials. In Butte, Helena, Great Falls and Bozeman, officials downgraded the air quality to unhealthy for sensitive groups. About 10 miles south of Butte, the 19 Mile fire torched at least two homes and two outbuildings after growing to several square miles. Officials said the exact size was hard to determine because of all the smoke. Residents of the Whiskey Gulch and Friends Road area were told to evacuate Wednesday, after people living on Upper and Lower Radar Creek and Toll Mountain roads were advised to leave Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the fire, Mariah Leuschen with the U.S. Forest Service, said the evacuations covered roughly 150 people living in about 80 homes. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency put the figure higher – 275 people living in 103 homes, with another 100 to 110 houses put on pre-evacuation notice. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear. State officials sought and received federal help to pay for the effort against the fire. That authorizes FEMA to pay 75 percent of the state’s firefighting costs on the blaze, but does not provide assistance to individual homes or business owners.

29.08.2012

Forest / Wild Fire

USA

State of Oregon, [Malheur National Forest]

Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Wednesday, 29 August, 2012 at 09:41 (09:41 AM) UTC.

Description

A wildfire that broke out Tuesday afternoon in the Malheur National Forest spread to at least 2,500 acres before sundown, officials said. The fire ignited at about 2:30 p.m. near Parish Cabin Campground, about 10 miles east of Seneca. No injuries have been reported — as of late evening, the fire remained in the center of the forest and mainly was a threat to campgrounds and historic buildings in the immediate area, said Mike Stearly, information officer for Malheur National Forest. “It’s in some prime timber growth areas…the conditions are right,” Stearly said. He said the fire grew to between 2,500 acres and 3,000 acres through the afternoon and evening. Crews will be working through the night to fight the blaze, and spike camps have been set up. A Type 2 incident management team is coming in Wednesday morning, Stearly said. The goal is to hold the fire south of the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. Firefighters and the Grant’s County Sheriff’s Department evacuated Parish Cabin Campground. Evacuees included a number of bow hunters in the area for archery season, Stearly said. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

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Storms / Flooding / Tornadoes

Active tropical storm system(s)

Name of storm system	Location	Formed	Last update	Last category	Course	Wind Speed	Gust	Wave	Source	Details
Tembin (15W)	Pacific Ocean	19.08.2012	29.08.2012	Tropical Depression	15 °	83 km/h	102 km/h	6.71 m	JTWC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	Tembin (15W)
Area:	Pacific Ocean
Start up location:	N 17° 42.000, E 124° 36.000
Start up:	19th August 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	1,166.36 km
Top category.:
Report by:	JTWC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source
19th Aug 2012	05:28:29	N 17° 42.000, E 124° 36.000	9	56	74	Tropical Depression	190	11		JTWC
19th Aug 2012	10:11:34	N 17° 30.000, E 124° 48.000	6	83	102	Tropical Storm	135	9		JTWC
20th Aug 2012	05:16:05	N 18° 0.000, E 124° 48.000	6	139	167	Typhoon I.	360	9		JTWC
20th Aug 2012	10:35:24	N 18° 24.000, E 124° 54.000	7	176	213	Typhoon II.	15	9		JTWC
21st Aug 2012	04:48:23	N 20° 12.000, E 125° 18.000	13	213	259	Typhoon IV.	360	15		JTWC
21st Aug 2012	10:41:18	N 21° 0.000, E 125° 24.000	15	204	250	Typhoon III.	5	16		JTWC
22nd Aug 2012	10:16:00	N 22° 30.000, E 124° 12.000	9	167	204	Typhoon II.	310	15		JTWC
23rd Aug 2012	04:49:56	N 22° 30.000, E 123° 36.000	4	204	232	Typhoon III.	270	9		JTWC
23rd Aug 2012	10:42:38	N 22° 42.000, E 123° 6.000	9	194	241	Typhoon III.	295	15		JTWC
24th Aug 2012	05:23:44	N 22° 6.000, E 120° 30.000	19	185	232	Typhoon III.	245	19		JTWC
24th Aug 2012	10:05:02	N 22° 18.000, E 119° 48.000	13	111	139	Tropical Storm	285	17		JTWC
25th Aug 2012	05:19:01	N 22° 24.000, E 118° 6.000	13	139	167	Typhoon I.	260	17		JTWC
26th Aug 2012	05:24:20	N 21° 0.000, E 116° 54.000	7	157	194	Typhoon II.	155	14		JTWC
27th Aug 2012	04:54:48	N 20° 18.000, E 117° 36.000	11	157	194	Typhoon II.	125	19		JTWC
27th Aug 2012	10:50:55	N 20° 30.000, E 118° 6.000	9	148	185	Typhoon I.	90	15		JTWC
28th Aug 2012	04:53:36	N 23° 0.000, E 121° 54.000	28	102	130	Tropical Storm	35	19		JTWC
28th Aug 2012	10:29:05	N 24° 6.000, E 122° 42.000	26	102	130	Tropical Storm	30	19		JTWC
29th Aug 2012	04:47:41	N 27° 48.000, E 124° 0.000	22	83	102	Tropical Storm	10	19		JTWC
29th Aug 2012	10:39:33	N 29° 6.000, E 124° 6.000	24	93	120	Tropical Storm	5	21		JTWC

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
30th Aug 2012	10:50:31	N 34° 30.000, E 126° 30.000	43	65	83	Tropical Depression	25 °	0		JTWC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
31st Aug 2012	00:00:00	N 41° 42.000, E 131° 24.000	Tropical Depression	56	74	JTWC

Isaac (AL09)

Atlantic Ocean

21.08.2012

30.08.2012

Tropical Depression

325 °

74 km/h

93 km/h

0.00 m

NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	Isaac (AL09)
Area:	Atlantic Ocean
Start up location:	N 15° 12.000, W 51° 12.000
Start up:	21st August 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	2,761.47 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source
21st Aug 2012	10:45:53	N 15° 12.000, W 51° 12.000	31	56	74	Tropical Depression	270	12	1007 MB	NOAA NHC
22nd Aug 2012	04:54:04	N 15° 36.000, W 55° 36.000	30	65	83	Tropical Storm	275	16	1006 MB	NOAA NHC
23rd Aug 2012	05:06:43	N 15° 48.000, W 63° 0.000	31	74	93	Tropical Storm	270	22	1003 MB	NOAA NHC
24th Aug 2012	05:17:31	N 16° 42.000, W 68° 42.000	28	74	93	Tropical Storm	290	19	1001 MB	NOAA NHC
25th Aug 2012	05:21:33	N 17° 42.000, W 72° 30.000	22	111	139	Tropical Storm	310	15	990 MB	NOAA NHC
26th Aug 2012	06:01:20	N 22° 6.000, W 77° 12.000	28	93	111	Tropical Storm	305	19	997 MB	NOAA NHC
27th Aug 2012	04:49:08	N 24° 12.000, W 82° 54.000	22	102	120	Tropical Storm	285	19	993 MB	NOAA NHC
28th Aug 2012	05:00:18	N 27° 6.000, W 87° 0.000	17	111	139	Tropical Storm	310	19	310 MB	NOAA NHC
29th Aug 2012	04:56:03	N 29° 0.000, W 89° 42.000	13	130	157	Hurricane I.	310	17	968 MB	NOAA NHC

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
30th Aug 2012	10:48:30	N 30° 54.000, W 91° 36.000	13	74	93	Tropical Depression	325 °	0	983 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
31st Aug 2012	12:00:00	N 34° 54.000, W 93° 36.000	Tropical Depression	46	65	NOAA NHC
31st Aug 2012	00:00:00	N 32° 48.000, W 92° 54.000	Tropical Depression	56	74	NOAA NHC
01st Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 37° 18.000, W 93° 24.000	Tropical Depression	37	56	NOAA NHC
02nd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 39° 30.000, W 91° 18.000	Tropical Depression	28	37	NOAA NHC
03rd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 40° 0.000, W 87° 0.000	Tropical Depression	28	37	NOAA NHC
04th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 40° 30.000, W 83° 0.000	Tropical Depression	28	37	NOAA NHC

Ileana (EP09)

Pacific Ocean – East

28.08.2012

30.08.2012

Hurricane I

325 °

120 km/h

148 km/h

4.27 m

NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	Ileana (EP09)
Area:	Pacific Ocean – East
Start up location:	N 15° 30.000, W 107° 42.000
Start up:	28th August 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	434.23 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source
28th Aug 2012	04:45:33	N 15° 30.000, W 107° 42.000	19	74	93	Tropical Storm	290	15	1000 MB	NOAA NHC
29th Aug 2012	04:37:35	N 17° 0.000, W 111° 6.000	17	93	111	Tropical Storm	305	11	997 MB	NOAA NHC
29th Aug 2012	10:41:45	N 17° 36.000, W 111° 48.000	15	102	120	Tropical Storm	315	18	995 MB	NOAA NHC

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
30th Aug 2012	10:47:41	N 19° 42.000, W 113° 30.000	13	120	148	Hurricane I	325 °	14	987 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
31st Aug 2012	12:00:00	N 21° 30.000, W 115° 30.000	Tropical Depression	93	111	NOAA NHC
31st Aug 2012	00:00:00	N 20° 48.000, W 114° 42.000	Hurricane I	111	139	NOAA NHC
01st Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 22° 30.000, W 116° 30.000	Tropical Depression	74	93	NOAA NHC
02nd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 23° 30.000, W 119° 0.000	Tropical Depression	56	74	NOAA NHC
03rd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 24° 30.000, W 122° 0.000	Tropical Depression	37	56	NOAA NHC
04th Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 25° 0.000, W 125° 30.000	Tropical Depression	37	56	NOAA NHC

Kirk (AL02)

Atlantic Ocean

29.08.2012

30.08.2012

Hurricane I

310 °

102 km/h

120 km/h

5.79 m

NOAA NHC

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name:	Kirk (AL02)
Area:	Atlantic Ocean
Start up location:	N 23° 54.000, W 45° 0.000
Start up:	29th August 2012
Status:	Active
Track long:	248.65 km
Top category.:
Report by:	NOAA NHC

Useful links:

Past track
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave	Pressure	Source
29th Aug 2012	04:44:17	N 23° 54.000, W 45° 0.000	19	74	93	Tropical Storm	280	15	1007 MB	NOAA NHC
29th Aug 2012	10:42:14	N 24° 18.000, W 45° 18.000	15	74	93	Tropical Storm	290	16	1007 MB	NOAA NHC

Current position
Date	Time	Position	Speed km/h	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Category	Course	Wave feet	Pressure	Source
30th Aug 2012	10:48:04	N 26° 30.000, W 49° 0.000	17	102	120	Hurricane I	310 °	19	997 MB	NOAA NHC

Forecast track
Date	Time	Position	Category	Wind km/h	Gust km/h	Source
31st Aug 2012	12:00:00	N 30° 36.000, W 50° 48.000	Hurricane I	120	148	NOAA NHC
31st Aug 2012	00:00:00	N 28° 36.000, W 50° 30.000	Hurricane I	111	139	NOAA NHC
01st Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 33° 18.000, W 49° 42.000	Hurricane II	130	157	NOAA NHC
02nd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 39° 24.000, W 43° 42.000	Hurricane III	148	185	NOAA NHC
03rd Sep 2012	00:00:00	N 47° 6.000, W 34° 54.000	Hurricane II	130	157	NOAA NHC

30.08.2012

Tropical Storm

USA

State of Louisiana, [Southern Region]

Tropical Storm in USA on Wednesday, 29 August, 2012 at 07:29 (07:29 AM) UTC.

Description

Nearly 100,000 homes and businesses lost power after Hurricane Isaac landed in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana later Tuesday, local media reported. And among the homes and businesses being left without power, near half are in Orleans Parish, the reports said. Utility companies in the southwestern U.S. state on Tuesday morning started bringing in extra crews to help restore power in case strong winds bring down power lines. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu warned residents about the dangers of approaching downed power lines. “These are serious threats, as I have said many times, which can cause fatalities,” Landrieu said. State authorities have mobilized more than 4,100 troops, with 680 of them in Orleans Parish. A further 35,000 troops and almost 100 aircraft are available for mobilization, according to reports on the website of NOLA.com. The troops are assisting with the setting up of evacuation shelters, including a “mega-shelter” with about 2,500 cots in the inland city of Alexandria. Some 300 soldiers will work as bus drivers in Metairie, supporting the state departments of transportation and education. At a press conference on Tuesday, Luisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said the State National Guard posted 23 liaison teams with local governments, adding that 13 communications teams will deployed in the region, along with 921 security vehicles, 531 high-water vehicles, 40 aircraft and 74 boats.

29.08.2012

Tropical Storm

USA

State of Louisiana, New Orleans

Tropical Storm in USA on Wednesday, 29 August, 2012 at 19:36 (07:36 PM) UTC.

Description

In New Orleans, streets were flooding and up to 85% of residents were without power, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said. “One of the great challenges with this storm … is that it’s going so slowly … which means that it’s going to hover over us,” he told the Weather Channel on Wednesday morning. “The longer the rain and the greater the wind … (that) continues to concern us. That wind is really, really heavy, which is why it’s important you stay inside.” “We’re asking people to be patient,” he said. New Orleans, devastated by Katrina seven years ago to the day, was reporting 60-mph winds and drenching rains. Landrieu said about 1,000 National Guard troops are positioned in the city, working with police, firefighters and standing by for rescue operations. The historic French Quarter that forms the heart of New Orleans’ tourism industry appeared to have dodged the worst of Isaac. Downed tree limbs, minor flooding at intersections and a brief electrical outage overnight were the main problems confronting the residents who stayed , and stayed mostly indoors. “Honestly, man, it’s just been rain,” said Huggington “Huggy” Behr, manager of Flanagan’s Pub on St. Phillips, which stayed open through the night and served “about a dozen” patrons. “To us, we’ve seen the worst, so it’s business as usual.”

29.08.2012

Tropical Storm

USA

State of Mississippi, [Southern region]

Tropical Storm in USA on Wednesday, 29 August, 2012 at 19:35 (07:35 PM) UTC.

Description

Southern Mississippi was still feeling the effects of the storm but emergency management officials along the coast said they got through the night relatively unharmed. No injuries or deaths were reported overnight in the coastal counties of Hancock or Harrison, which were two of the hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago. The biggest worry overnight from Hurricane Isaac? “We’re in the process of picking two people up who got stranded by the water and they’re scared,” Hancock County Emergency Management Director Brian Adam said Wednesday morning. With sustained winds throughout the region topping out at about 40 mph, the main concern remains flooding from a constantly driving storm surge and what is expected to be prolonged rainfall for several days. In Harrison County, the rising waters knocked a boat off its moorings. County Emergency Management Director Rupert Lacy said the boat slammed into Popps Ferry Bridge, forcing officials to shut it down until crews can inspect the integrity of the bridge. The bridge is one of two connecting Biloxi from the mainland, but Lacy said it could be a long time before an inspection can be done. “We cautioned our public safety employees … that you don’t need to be out there if the winds are too high,” Lacy said.

……………………………..

Twelve dead. 10 missing as typhoon pounds S. Korea

by Staff Writers
Seoul (AFP)

Twelve people were killed and 10 were missing after a strong typhoon pounded South Korea Tuesday, uprooting trees, sinking ships and cutting power to almost 200,000 homes.

By early evening Typhoon Bolaven — the strongest to hit the South for almost a decade — had moved to North Korea, which is still struggling to recover from deadly floods earlier this summer.

Hundreds of flights in the South were grounded, ferry services were suspended and schools in Seoul and several other areas were closed.

Bolaven left a trail of death and damage in southwestern and south-central regions of the country, although it was little felt in central parts of Seoul.

Off the southern island of Jeju, the storm drove two Chinese fishing ships aground early Tuesday, sparking a dramatic rescue operation.

Coastguards wearing wetsuits struggled through high waves and then used a line-launcher to fire ropes to one ship, a coastguard spokesman said. The other boat broke apart.

Rescuers saved 12 people while six swam ashore, but 10 crew members are still missing, the spokesman said. Five bodies were recovered.

In the southern county of Wanju, a 48-year-old man was killed by a shipping container flipped over by gale-force winds, the public administration ministry said.

An elderly woman was crushed to death when a church spire collapsed onto her house in the southwestern city of Gwangju, while another elderly woman was blown off the roof of her home in the western county of Seocheon.

A workman fell from the roof of a hospital in the southwestern port of Mokpo. At Imsil county in North Jeolla province, a 51-year-old man died while clearing toppled trees.

In Yeongkwang county west of Gwangju, a 72-year-old man suffered fatal head injuries when his house wall collapsed. At Buyeo city in South Chungcheong province, a woman aged 75 died after falling due to strong winds.

A 77,000-tonne bulk carrier broke in two off the southeastern port of Sacheon but no casualties were reported, the public administration ministry said.

The transport ministry said all 87 sea ferry services had been halted. A total of 247 flights — 183 domestic and 64 international — have been cancelled since Monday.

The typhoon — packing winds of 144 kilometres (90 miles) per hour at one time — brought heavy rain and strong winds to southern and western areas. It toppled street lights and signs, shattered windows, uprooted trees and tore off shop signs.

The National Emergency Management Agency said 197,751 homes in Jeju and the southwest and south-central regions lost power.

A total of 83 people, mostly in the southwest, were evacuated from their homes and taken to shelters. Some 21 homes were damaged.

The US and South Korean armed forces called a temporary halt to a large-scale joint military exercise that began last week.

After sweeping up the Yellow Sea to the west of South Korea, Bolaven made landfall in North Korea in the early evening.

The impoverished nation is already struggling to recover from a devastating summer drought, followed by floods which killed 169 people, left about 400 missing and made 212,000 people homeless, according to official figures.

Weather officials said Typhoon Tembin was also threatening the Korean peninsula, and was forecast to be some 200 kilometres west of Jeju early Friday.

Hurricane Isaac pounds Louisiana, water pours over levee

By Rick Jervis, USA TODAY

NEW ORLEANS – Hurricane Isaac pounded Louisiana with heavy rains and damaging winds Wednesday as forecasters said the storm surge and serious flooding will likely continue through the night.

USA TODAYHurricane Issac landed at 3:15 a.m. EST just west of Port Fourchon, about 60 miles south-southwest of New Orleans.

USA TODAY

Hurricane Issac landed at 3:15 a.m. EST just west of Port Fourchon, about 60 miles south-southwest of New Orleans.

Isaac was still maintaining Category 1 hurricane strength, but just barely, with sustained winds of 75 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported. It was located directly over Houma, La., which is about 45 miles southwest of New Orleans.

The storm was crawling to the northwest at just 6 mph. It is expected to weaken to a tropical storm later Wednesday.

Widespread flooding was reported in New Orleans and other coastal cities.

One of the worst hit areas was Plaquemines Parish, about 50 miles southeast of New Orleans, where water spilled over a levee. Isaac passed directly over the region of marshland, fishing towns and marinas, peeling off roofs and flooding some areas.

The northern part of the parish is ringed in by the area’s hurricane protection system of fortified levees and floodwalls. But stretches of it on the east bank of the Mississippi River and further south lie outside the protection system, making it vulnerable to storm surge and flooding, Parish Councilman Kirk Lepine said.

Isaac came up the western edge of the parish, lashing at the area with powerful winds and storm surge, Lepine said.

“It came in at the worse scenario we can imagine,” he said. “There’s nowhere for that water to go than here.”

Rescue efforts were focused Wednesday in the small enclave of Braithwaite, on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish. Sheriff Deputies there were conducting rescue missions of residents trapped in homes, as flooding from Isaac overtook the area, said Trooper Melissa Matey, a Louisiana State Police spokeswoman.

Braithwaite was under a mandatory evacuation order prior to Isaac but some residents chose to stay, she said.

Early Wednesday, state police troopers were escorting National Guard troops with high-water vehicles down to that area to help in rescue efforts, state police spokesman Capt. Doug Cain said. Many of the roads in the area had become impassable.

Flanked by marshes and water, low-lying Plaquemines Parish has been repeatedly hit by disasters – from Katrina to Gustav to the 2010 BP oil spill, Cain said. Isaac late Tuesday passed directly over the area, pummeling the parish with powerful winds and a strong storm surge.

“The geography of it makes it vulnerable,” Cain said. “But talk about a resilient people. They’ve been through this before, and they’re going to make it through this one.”

Isaac also forced the closures of major roadways throughout the area, including US 90 at the Jefferson Parish/St. Charles Parish line, the causeway over Lake Pontchartrain and LA-73 south of Plaquemines, he said.

Besides dealing with downed trees across roadways from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, state police also encountered residents who may have underestimated the storm, he said. Troopers kept busy throughout the night with highway accidents, broken down cars and several DWI arrests.

“People aren’t adhering to the warnings,” Cain said. “Today, we’re really encouraging people to shelter in place.”

The Federal Amergency Management Agency has staged supplies throughout the south in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas and South Carolina. At Mississippi’s Camp Shelby, FEMA has 54 generators and 256,000 ready-to-eat meals. At Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, FEMA has 1.2 million meals, 2,134 cots and 3,800 tarps.

Volunteer organizations such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army can provide 65,000 hot meals a day in Louisiana, FEMA said in its daily briefing report.

So far the 350 miles of levees and floodwalls surrounding and meandering through New Orleans were holding back storm surge water as designed early Wednesday, city spokesman Hayne Rainey said. The city had not received any reports of levee breaches or calls for rescues, he said.

Early reports from Isaac’s effects were far different from the events that unfolded around Hurricane Katrina— which slammed the region seven years to the day and led to levee breaches and mass flooding of the city. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rebuilt the levee and floodwall system in the New Orleans area to be much stronger at a cost of $14.45 billion.

“All reports are indicating the federal levees protecting the city of New Orleans are holding,” he said.

The storm landed at 3:15 a.m. ET just west of Port Fourchon, about 60 miles south-southwest of New Orleans, said the National Hurricane Center.

Isaac, upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane midday Tuesday, first touched land in Plaquemines Parish, about 90 miles southeast of New Orleans on Tuesday evening before heading back over the Gulf of Mexico.

Because it is moving so slowly, the storm system could dump up to 20 inches of rain in some areas. The hurricane center said Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana could see peak surges of 12 feet.

In New Orleans, streets were flooding and up to 75% of residents were without power, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said.

“One of the great challenges with this storm … is that it’s going so slowly … which means that it’s going to hover over us,” he told the Weather Channel on Wednesday morning. “The longer the rain and the greater the wind … (that) continues to concern us. That wind is really, really heavy, which is why it’s important you stay inside.”

“We’re asking people to be patient,” he said.

New Orleans, devastated by Katrina seven years ago to the day, was reporting 60-mph winds and drenching rains. Landrieu said about 1,000 National Guard troops are positioned in the city, working with police, firefighters and standing by for rescue operations.

More than 470,000 homes and businesses have lost power, including 156,000 in New Orleans and 162,000 in the New Orleans suburbs, Entergy reported.

The company, which serves most of southern Louisiana, said its crews would begin restoring power as soon as sustained wind speeds fall below 30 mph.

“We expect outages to last several days,” the company said on its storm center website. “Severe weather conditions are expected across Louisiana and Mississippi through early Thursday morning.”

Officials in coastal Alabama were heading out Wednesday morning to assess damage from the storm.

“Right now, we are compiling our assessment teams,” said Paula Tillman, spokeswoman for the Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency. “As soon as it gets good and daylight, we’ll be sending them out.”

Some roads along the coast were closed because of flooding. “Those are down in those lower areas near Fort Morgan, right in the beach area,” Tillman said. “Those roads are pretty typical for flooding.”

At 6:30 a.m. central time, there had been no reports of injuries or deaths from the storm in Alabama. In Baldwin County, which includes the resort communities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, 243 people were in two county evacuation shelters.

In Mobile, there was virtually no evidence of storm impact.

Officials were warning residents that flooding from storm surges and heavy rainfall expected with the storm could still pose a threat.

Southern Mississippi still has a long way to go before Hurricane Isaac moves past, but emergency management officials along the coast say they got through the night relatively unharmed.

No injuries or deaths were reported overnight in the coastal counties of Hancock or Harrison, which were two of the hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago.

The biggest worry overnight from Hurricane Isaac?

“We’re in the process of picking two people up who got stranded by the water and they’re scared,” Hancock County Emergency Management Director Brian Adam said Wednesday morning.

With sustained winds throughout the region topping out at about 40 mph, the main concern remains flooding from a constantly-driving storm surge and what is expected to be prolonged rainfall for several days.

In Harrison County, the rising waters knocked a boat off its moorings. County Emergency Management Director Rupert Lacy said the boat slammed into Popps Ferry Bridge, forcing officials to shut it down until crews can inspect the integrity of the bridge. The bridge is one of two connecting Biloxi from the mainland, but Lacy said it could be a long time before an inspection can be done.

“We cautioned our public safety employees…that you don’t need to be out there if the winds are too high,” Lacy said.

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Isaac’s eye wall to pass ‘right over’ sinkhole

Hurricane Isaac
By: Deborah Dupre

Isaac 50 miles south of Sinkhole

Credits:

Google Maps

Although Hurricane Isaac‘s path has shifted a small degree, officials state Monday morning that all advisories released by the Assumption Parish Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Service remain, to expect the eye wall of Isaac to pass “right over” the parish, home of Louisiana’s giant sinkhole. Hard rains are causing concerning flooding of low-lying areas and power outages.

“Please note that as predicted, this update still shows 75 mph winds in Assumption parish at 1:00 p.m. today,” officials reported at 5:45 a.m. Wednesday.

“The track has shifted a bit; however, all advisories released by the Assumption Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness remain.”

Tuesday evening, Assumption Parish officials state that the latest update put the track of Hurricane Isaac‘s eye wall “right over Assumption Parish.”

A hurricane’s eye wall is located just outside of the eye. The eye wall is where the most damaging winds and intense rainfall is found.

The eye is typically the most calm location. It passes a vulnerable area in the hurricane path before the worst damage hits, thus the cliche, “The calm before the storm.”

“By 6:00 a.m., we should be experiencing tropical storm force winds,” officials advised.

“At noon, the forecast shows we will experience the strongest winds as the forecast predicts the eye wall to be right over us at that time,” the parish alert stated.

Up to 20 inches of rain could pound the already vulnerable giant sinkhole in Louisiana.

Rains were anticipated to make “flooding of low lying areas a concern,” WAFB reports Wednesday.

Isaac’s core is expected to pass over the sinkhole area west of New Orleans with winds close to 80 mph.

Winds could gust up to 100 mph at times.

“The hurricane is expected to gradually weaken, but only after dumping 7 to 14 inches of rain across the state, with some places receiving up to 20 inches,” reports Associated Press Wednesday morning.

Jeff Morrow with the WAFB Storm Team says that high winds will also cause widespread power outages, and “if that happens find the battery operated radio and tune to Tiger Country 100.7 FM as we will be simulcasting our advisories there.”

Katrina haunts thousands of residents

In New Orleans, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said evacuations would not be ordered and told residents to prepare carefully and ride it out. Nevertheless, Monday and Tuesday, traffic was bumper to bumper heading out of New Orleans.

In those vehicles were people too hurt and fearful to risk unpredictability of high waters and no power at home, with only hours away from the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

By midafternoon Tuesday, 400 residents of Plaquemines Parish, where Isaac made landfall southeast of New Orleans, were calling a hurricane shelter in Belle Chasse home.

Arriving on the eve of Hurricane Katrina’s seventh anniversary, Isaac is the first hurricane to hit Louisiana since Ike in 2008.

Everything reminds you of Katrina. When the wind howls, I think of Katrina. I don’t think of Isaac,” explained CNN iReporter Eileen Romero, a student in New Orleans who survived Katrina in 2005 but lost everything during it.

Romero still lives in New Orleans, in a different neighborhood and in a house built in 1908.

After going out Tuesday to take photographs, she said, “I am not seeing people real concerned to be honest. I think there is a false sense of security.

“Everybody talks about how we party all the time. When hurricanes are coming, people have hurricane parties.”

Many residents of public housing apartments never returned after 2005.

“Where are the people who lived here prior to Katrina?” she asked. “I don’t think they have a place to come back to.”

Assumption Parish officials ordered a mandatory evacuation. Monday morning, officials there ask that people who remained in the area to “please abide by the curfew and remain sheltered in place.”

Sources: CNN, Assumption Parish Police Jury, Associated Press, ABC News

Storm Surge in USA on Wednesday, 29 August, 2012 at 14:25 (02:25 PM) UTC.

Description

Isaac inundated low-lying areas along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday as hurricane-driven water rose several feet in some spots while thousands waited out the storm in shelters. Officials in Hancock and Harrison counties extended curfews until 9 a.m. to keep off roads until after the high tide passes at around 8 a.m. Harrison County emergency management director Rupert Lacy said the storm surge coupled with the high tide could lead to more extensive flooding. Lacy said coastal rivers also were beginning to rise from the rainfall. More than 15,000 people remained without power in coastal areas.

29.08.2012

Flash Flood

United Kingdom

Scotland, Edinburgh

Flash Flood in United Kingdom on Wednesday, 29 August, 2012 at 19:42 (07:42 PM) UTC.

Description

A flood warning has been issued for the Capital after torrential rain battered the city this afternoon. Thunder and lightning storms were accompanied by the heavy rains at around 2.30pm. Environmental Agency SEPA issued a flood alert and warned that standing water was likely to pose a hazard to drivers and urged travellers to check the Traffic Scotland website before setting out. A spokesman for SEPA said: “ Due to the showery nature of the rainfall, it is difficult to predict which areas are most at risk, however, the overall risk is expected to decline during the early hours of Thursday morning.”

Today

Flash Flood

USA

State of Mississippi, Pearlington

Flash Flood in USA on Thursday, 30 August, 2012 at 02:54 (02:54 AM) UTC.

Description

Mississippi wildlife officers and National Guard soldiers rescued at least 75 people from Isaac’s flooding Wednesday in Hancock County, including an 88-year-old man who had a stroke as the storm dumped heavy rains on his isolated neighborhood in Pearlington, near the Louisiana state line. The stroke victim was the last person brought out of the neighborhood, about 7:30 p.m. CDT, and Mississippi National Guard 1st Sgt. William Maddox said the man’s house is about six miles off the main thoroughfare, U.S. Highway 90. Rescuers spent hours trying to reach him, attempting with several vehicles. A paramedic waded through chest-deep water to get to the house, and then guided a large military truck to the man. Maddox said the man appeared to be in stable condition and was taken care of by paramedics at the scene. It was not immediately clear whether the man would be taken to a hospital. With a steady rain falling, wildlife officers used small motorboats to rescue at least two dozen people in Pearlington, including several members of an extended family. More than a dozen National Guard soldiers also helped with the rescues, as did ambulance crews and other emergency responders.One of those plucked from a rural neighborhood that had become a lake was 63-year-old Dianne Burton. She told The Associated Press that she and members of her extended family didn’t leave before Isaac because they didn’t expect so much water. She has lived there 46 years and said the only other time the area flooded was during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “Everything is under water. We picked up the furniture and stuff, as much as we could. I can’t believe it. The road and everything was dry yesterday,” Burton said after officers deposited her, her 82-year-old mother, her 46-year-old disabled daughter and two grandchildren, ages 10 and 12, safely on dry land. Those rescued were put onto school buses and were taken to shelters on higher ground. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said Wednesday afternoon that officers from the state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks had rescued at least 58 people in Hancock County, which borders Louisiana. The rescue of Burton, her relatives and at least 20 other people was happening at the same time Bryant was doing a press briefing in Gulfport, and his initial figures didn’t include them.

Today

Flash Flood

United Kingdom

England, Egremont [Cumbria]

Flash Flood in United Kingdom on Thursday, 30 August, 2012 at 07:19 (07:19 AM) UTC.

Description

Parts of Cumbria have been hit by flash flooding after a night of heavy rain. The west of the county appears to have been worst affected, with police and fire crews reporting cars partially submerged in the Egremont area. About 20 elderly residents were moved to an emergency shelter at Egremont Market Hall, after a power cut. Cumbria Fire Service said it received more than 100 calls for help, mainly involving requests for sandbags. Forecasters say the rain is now easing. Northern Rail services between Whitehaven and Barrow have been cancelled after a landslip near St Bees and some roads are only passable with care because of debris left by floodwaters. A spokesman for Cumbria Police said drains were unable to cope with the amount of water after the River Ehen and several becks in the Egremont area burst their banks. The Environment Agency said one flood alert remained in force for the River Ehen in Copeland. The police spokesman said: “We started getting calls from about 1am, mainly from people concerned that water was coming into their homes and asking for sandbags.”We also had calls from the fire and ambulance services asking for our assistance in reaching some areas and had to close some roads for a time. “The Egremont and Middletown areas appear to have had the worst of it.” Emma Jane Taylor said floodwater began entering her St Bees home shortly before midnight. She said: “We’ve had heavy rain here before, but it’s never been this bad before. “I alerted some neighbours, but within 30 minutes it was through my front door and coming up through my floorboards. “It’s lifted the block paving from my grandmother’s house nearby and was also coming through her French windows. “We just hope the rain doesn’t come back because the drains are full to the top and wouldn’t be able to take any more.” Wasdale Mountain Rescue volunteers also assisted the fire service to pump out several properties in the Egremont area. Earlier this week the rear of a four-storey house house in Egremont collapsed into the River Ehen after heavy rain.

Today

Tornado

USA

State of Mississippi, Ocean Springs

Tornado in USA on Thursday, 30 August, 2012 at 03:32 (03:32 AM) UTC.

Description

A tornado touched down in an Ocean Springs neighborhood about 7:30 p.m. tonight, the Jackson County Emergency Management Agency said. While EMA officials said that initial reports indicated that the tornado knocked down trees and power lines, at least one witness told the Mississippi Press that at least one house was reported damaged. Two houses on East Simmons Bayou in Gulf Park Estates have sustained damage, according to Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd who is en route to the scene. Byrd said there were no injuries reported. “There’s extensive damage at two houses,” Byrd said. “There’s a roof off one house and a shed was taken away from another one. We have deputies on the scene assessing the situation. In addition to the tornado, Jackson County emergency officials announced waterspouts have been spotted at Miss. 57 and I-10, headed northeast.

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Radiation

Sinkhole radiation 15 times over limit. Residents urged to record health signs

New York Guard training for dirty bomb attack

Credits:

Ng.mil

New York Guard training for dirty bomb attack