Earthquakes

 EMSC     West Chile Rise
Apr 14 23:49 PM
4.9     33.0     MAP

GEOFON     West Chile Rise
Apr 14 23:49 PM
4.8     10.0     MAP

USGS     West Chile Rise
Apr 14 23:49 PM
5.0     10.1     MAP

EMSC     Eastern Turkey
Apr 14 23:44 PM
2.6     5.0     MAP

EMSC     Western Turkey
Apr 14 23:37 PM
2.6     11.0     MAP

EMSC     Western Turkey
Apr 14 23:36 PM
2.8     8.0     MAP

EMSC     Vanuatu
Apr 14 22:24 PM
4.7     10.0     MAP

USGS     Vanuatu
Apr 14 22:24 PM
4.7     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 22:06 PM
4.9     30.0     MAP

USGS     Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 22:06 PM
4.5     29.7     MAP

GEOFON     Off West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 22:06 PM
5.0     10.0     MAP

USGS     Vanuatu
Apr 14 22:05 PM
6.6     33.0     MAP

GEOFON     Vanuatu Islands
Apr 14 22:05 PM
6.4     10.0     MAP

USGS     Vanuatu
Apr 14 22:05 PM
6.5     8.7     MAP

EMSC     Vanuatu
Apr 14 22:05 PM
6.3     3.0     MAP

USGS     Washington
Apr 14 21:50 PM
2.7     5.8     MAP

GEOFON     Off West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 21:34 PM
5.1     10.0     MAP

USGS     Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 21:34 PM
4.4     14.6     MAP

EMSC     Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 21:34 PM
4.5     5.0     MAP

EMSC     Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 21:10 PM
4.9     30.0     MAP

USGS     Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 21:10 PM
4.9     28.7     MAP

GEOFON     Off West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 21:10 PM
4.7     10.0     MAP

EMSC     South Sandwich Islands Region
Apr 14 20:53 PM
5.5     30.0     MAP

GEOFON     South Sandwich Islands Region
Apr 14 20:53 PM
5.4     10.0     MAP

USGS     South Sandwich Islands Region
Apr 14 20:53 PM
5.5     18.3     MAP

EMSC     Kashmir-xizang Border Region
Apr 14 20:50 PM
4.1     38.0     MAP

USGS     Kashmir-xizang Border Region
Apr 14 20:50 PM
4.1     37.9     MAP

USGS     Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 20:35 PM
4.5     26.9     MAP

GEOFON     Off West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 20:35 PM
4.8     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 20:35 PM
4.5     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Western Sichuan, China
Apr 14 20:31 PM
4.9     40.0     MAP

USGS     Western Sichuan, China
Apr 14 20:31 PM
4.9     20.7     MAP

EMSC     Greece
Apr 14 20:19 PM
3.1     5.0     MAP

EMSC     Southwest Of Sumatra, Indonesia
Apr 14 19:26 PM
5.8     60.0     MAP

USGS     Sunda Strait, Indonesia
Apr 14 19:26 PM
5.9     49.0     MAP

GEOFON     Java, Indonesia
Apr 14 19:26 PM
5.8     63.0     MAP

USGS     Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 18:11 PM
4.4     27.2     MAP

EMSC     Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 18:11 PM
4.4     27.0     MAP

EMSC     Greece
Apr 14 17:52 PM
2.7     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Western Turkey
Apr 14 17:45 PM
3.2     25.0     MAP

USGS     Northern California
Apr 14 17:21 PM
2.8     25.9     MAP

USGS     Vanuatu
Apr 14 17:10 PM
4.8     50.3     MAP

EMSC     Vanuatu
Apr 14 17:10 PM
4.8     50.0     MAP

EMSC     Poland
Apr 14 16:54 PM
2.9     2.0     MAP

GEONET     Taranaki
Apr 14 16:29 PM
3.5     12.0     MAP

EMSC     Near East Coast Of Kamchatka
Apr 14 16:09 PM
4.1     100.0     MAP

USGS     Luzon, Philippines
Apr 14 15:53 PM
4.3     209.0     MAP

EMSC     Luzon, Philippines
Apr 14 15:53 PM
4.3     209.0     MAP

EMSC     Northern Xinjiang, China
Apr 14 15:45 PM
3.8     1.0     MAP

GEOFON     Poland
Apr 14 15:30 PM
4.1     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Poland
Apr 14 15:30 PM
3.3     2.0     MAP

EMSC     Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 15:21 PM
5.5     30.0     MAP

GEOFON     Off West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 15:21 PM
5.4     10.0     MAP

USGS     Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 15:21 PM
5.3     14.7     MAP

USGS     Central Alaska
Apr 14 15:16 PM
2.7     105.4     MAP

GEOFON     Kuril Islands
Apr 14 15:13 PM
5.5     74.0     MAP

USGS     Kuril Islands
Apr 14 15:13 PM
5.6     63.8     MAP

EMSC     Kuril Islands
Apr 14 15:13 PM
5.5     60.0     MAP

EMSC     France
Apr 14 15:05 PM
2.9     2.0     MAP

USGS     Near The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan
Apr 14 15:04 PM
4.5     51.2     MAP

EMSC     Near East Coast Of Honshu, Japan
Apr 14 15:04 PM
4.5     51.0     MAP

USGS     Virgin Islands Region
Apr 14 14:21 PM
2.9     29.8     MAP

EMSC     Eastern Turkey
Apr 14 13:06 PM
3.0     26.0     MAP

EMSC     Western Turkey
Apr 14 12:43 PM
2.5     9.0     MAP

EMSC     Kyushu, Japan
Apr 14 12:39 PM
4.8     55.0     MAP

GEOFON     Ryukyu Islands, Japan
Apr 14 12:39 PM
4.8     10.0     MAP

USGS     Central Alaska
Apr 14 12:30 PM
2.8     8.2     MAP

USGS     Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 12:18 PM
5.1     14.4     MAP

GEOFON     Off West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 12:18 PM
5.3     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 12:18 PM
5.1     3.0     MAP

USGS     Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Apr 14 12:13 PM
2.6     6.3     MAP

USGS     Southern California
Apr 14 11:34 AM
2.7     7.2     MAP

EMSC     Poland
Apr 14 11:24 AM
2.6     10.0     MAP

GEOFON     Drake Passage     
Apr 14 10:56 AM     
6.2     10.0     MAP     

EMSC     Drake Passage     
Apr 14 10:56 AM     
6.2     10.0     MAP     

USGS     Drake Passage     
Apr 14 10:56 AM     
6.2     9.9     MAP     

EMSC     Near East Coast Of Honshu, Japan
Apr 14 10:51 AM
4.8     20.0     MAP

GEOFON     Near East Coast Of Honshu, Japan
Apr 14 10:51 AM
4.9     14.0     MAP

USGS     Near The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan
Apr 14 10:48 AM
4.7     24.3     MAP

EMSC     Near East Coast Of Honshu, Japan
Apr 14 10:48 AM
4.7     16.0     MAP

GEOFON     Near East Coast Of Honshu, Japan
Apr 14 10:48 AM
4.7     12.0     MAP

USGS     North Indian Ocean
Apr 14 10:08 AM
4.6     9.8     MAP

EMSC     North Indian Ocean
Apr 14 10:08 AM
4.4     2.0     MAP

GEOFON     Off West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 10:08 AM
4.6     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 09:34 AM
4.0     10.0     MAP

USGS     Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 09:34 AM
4.0     10.0     MAP

USGS     Near The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan
Apr 14 09:25 AM
4.8     29.5     MAP

EMSC     Near East Coast Of Honshu, Japan
Apr 14 09:25 AM
4.9     10.0     MAP

GEOFON     Near East Coast Of Honshu, Japan
Apr 14 09:25 AM
4.7     11.0     MAP

USGS     Puerto Rico Region
Apr 14 09:00 AM
3.3     38.2     MAP

EMSC     Caucasus Region, Russia
Apr 14 08:58 AM
3.5     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Central Italy
Apr 14 08:47 AM
2.4     6.0     MAP

USGS     Near The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan
Apr 14 08:46 AM
4.4     52.4     MAP

EMSC     Near East Coast Of Honshu, Japan
Apr 14 08:46 AM
4.4     52.0     MAP

GEOFON     Off West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 08:28 AM
4.4     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Eastern Turkey
Apr 14 08:22 AM
2.9     9.0     MAP

USGS     Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 08:15 AM
4.3     10.9     MAP

GEOFON     Off West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 08:15 AM
4.5     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 08:15 AM
4.6     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Central Turkey
Apr 14 07:51 AM
2.5     7.0     MAP

USGS     Oklahoma
Apr 14 07:35 AM
3.0     5.0     MAP

USGS     Central California
Apr 14 07:34 AM
2.6     6.7     MAP

GEOFON     North Indian Ocean
Apr 14 07:33 AM
4.3     10.0     MAP

USGS     North Indian Ocean
Apr 14 07:33 AM
4.3     10.0     MAP

EMSC     North Indian Ocean
Apr 14 07:33 AM
4.3     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Eastern Turkey
Apr 14 07:23 AM
2.6     12.0     MAP

EMSC     Poland
Apr 14 07:06 AM
2.6     10.0     MAP

USGS     Puerto Rico Region
Apr 14 06:41 AM
3.4     39.6     MAP

EMSC     Central Turkey
Apr 14 06:25 AM
2.5     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Fiji Region
Apr 14 06:23 AM
4.3     560.0     MAP

USGS     Fiji Region
Apr 14 06:23 AM
4.4     553.6     MAP

EMSC     Eastern Turkey
Apr 14 06:05 AM
2.4     31.0     MAP

USGS     Maharashtra, India
Apr 14 05:27 AM
4.3     11.1     MAP

EMSC     Maharashtra, India
Apr 14 05:27 AM
4.3     11.0     MAP

USGS     Puerto Rico
Apr 14 05:25 AM
2.7     27.8     MAP

EMSC     Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 05:23 AM
4.3     29.0     MAP

USGS     Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 05:23 AM
4.3     28.9     MAP

GEOFON     Off West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 05:23 AM
4.4     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Caucasus Region, Russia
Apr 14 05:20 AM
3.5     10.0     MAP

USGS     Virgin Islands Region
Apr 14 05:15 AM
3.4     23.7     MAP

EMSC     Eastern Turkey
Apr 14 05:13 AM
2.5     39.0     MAP

EMSC     Kepulauan Barat Daya, Indonesia
Apr 14 04:13 AM
4.3     160.0     MAP

USGS     Kepulauan Barat Daya, Indonesia
Apr 14 04:13 AM
4.3     160.4     MAP

USGS     Central Alaska
Apr 14 04:06 AM
2.5     33.0     MAP

EMSC     Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 04:03 AM
4.2     14.0     MAP

USGS     Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 04:03 AM
4.2     14.3     MAP

USGS     Kodiak Island Region, Alaska
Apr 14 04:03 AM
2.9     72.5     MAP

EMSC     Aegean Sea
Apr 14 03:56 AM
2.5     13.0     MAP

EMSC     Western Turkey
Apr 14 03:19 AM
2.4     18.0     MAP

EMSC     Eastern Turkey
Apr 14 03:13 AM
3.5     2.0     MAP

USGS     Baja California, Mexico
Apr 14 03:10 AM
2.8     12.7     MAP

EMSC     Western Turkey
Apr 14 02:49 AM
2.9     15.0     MAP

EMSC     Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 02:49 AM
4.2     15.0     MAP

USGS     Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 02:49 AM
4.2     15.0     MAP

GEOFON     Off West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 02:49 AM
4.2     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Albania
Apr 14 02:05 AM
2.7     24.0     MAP

EMSC     Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 02:04 AM
4.6     40.0     MAP

USGS     Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 02:03 AM
4.5     13.1     MAP

GEOFON     Off West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 14 02:03 AM
4.7     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Greece
Apr 14 01:43 AM
2.5     10.0     MAP

GEOFON     Northern Sumatra, Indonesia
Apr 14 01:29 AM
4.2     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Aegean Sea
Apr 14 01:00 AM
2.9     10.0     MAP

EMSC     Aegean Sea
Apr 14 01:00 AM
3.1     8.0     MAP

USGS     Southern Alaska
Apr 14 00:52 AM
2.8     83.4     MAP

EMSC     Northern Sumatra, Indonesia
Apr 14 00:46 AM
4.6     40.0     MAP

USGS     Northern Sumatra, Indonesia
Apr 14 00:46 AM
4.5     24.9     MAP

GEOFON     Northern Sumatra, Indonesia
Apr 14 00:46 AM
4.2     10.0     MAP

USGS     Sulawesi, Indonesia
Apr 14 00:40 AM
4.4     35.0     MAP

EMSC     Sulawesi, Indonesia
Apr 14 00:40 AM
4.6     15.0     MAP

GEOFON     Minahassa Peninsula, Sulawesi
Apr 14 00:40 AM
4.7     10.0     MAP

2 earthquakes shake Gujarat, Maharashtra

The Indian Express

Agencies : Pune/Ahmedabad

Two earthquakes of mild intensity shook parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat today, but there were no reports of any casualty.

A quake measuring 5 on the Richter scale was experienced in parts of western Maharashtra at 10.50 am. Its epicentre was Goshatwadi village, about 10km from Koyana dam in Satara district, the Met office here said.

An aftershock of 4.4 magnitude was registered an hour later, it said. The Koyna dam, situated in a quake-prone region, is safe, officials said.

The tremors were also felt in several parts of Mumbai, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Pune, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts.

There were no reports of any damage to life or property, they added.

A quake, measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale, was felt at 8.55 AM in parts of Gujarat. The earthquake had its epicentre at Vamka taluka in Kutch, which is an active fault line, scientists at Institute of Seismological Research said.

An aftershock measuring 2.9 was also felt, they said.

Besides Kutch district, tremors were experienced in parts of Saurashtra region.

No loss of life or damage to property has been reported so far in Gujarat, officials said.

Among those who felt the tremors in Mumbai were megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who resides in suburban Juhu.

“Earthquake in Mumbai ! Did you feel it… I did.. .Shutters and building shook twice for few seconds,” Bachchan tweeted.

Earthquake Alert 6.2 Earthquake Drake Passage

Published on Apr 14, 2012 by MrHurricaneTracker

This 6.2 Earthquake was reviewd and has been posted by the USGS. This is a Earthquake Alert by MrHurricaneTracker. This earthquake was on the Ring of Fire and we are watching it real close due to the passed few days and earthquake activity. Stay tuned right here on MHTAlerts. The Earthquake location 57.588°S, 65.414°W

USGS reports 5.9 magnitude quake off western Java

(Reuters) – A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 struck offshore western Java in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait at a depth of 30.5 miles (49 km), the U.S. Geological Survey said on Saturday.

The USGS initially reported the quake as measuring 5.8 and a depth of 27.3 miles (44 km). It revised the location to 97 miles (157 km) south of T.Telukbetung in Sumatra, after first reporting it at 111 miles (178 km) west of Sukabumi in Java.

There were no immediate reports of damage or a tsunami warning from the quake, which was 109 miles (177 km) west-southwest of the capital Jakarta on Java.

(Writing by Eric Walsh)

  Asia Pacific News

Strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake rattles Vanuatu

Posted: 15 April 2012 0651 hrs

SYDNEY: A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the South Pacific island of Vanuatu on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, but there was no tsunami warning.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage either.

The quake struck at a relatively shallow depth of eight kilometres, around 150 kilometres south east of the capital Port Vila.

Vanuatu lies on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a zone of frequent seismic activity caused by friction between shifting tectonic plates.

The earthquake hit shortly after 9:00am (around 2200 GMT Saturday), USGS said.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued an information bulletin but no alert, saying “a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected and there is no tsunami threat to Hawaii”.

- AFP/de

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php

Short Time Event(s)
Upd.	Date (UTC)	Event	Country	Location	Level		Details
	14.04.2012	Extreme Weather	Saudi Arabia	Capital city, Riyadh
	14.04.2012	Biological Hazard	USA	State of Alaska, [Juneau area]
	14.04.2012	Extreme Weather	India	MultiStates, [States of Bengal and Kolkata]
	14.04.2012	Technological Disaster	Pakistan	State of Punjab, Gujranwala
	14.04.2012	Tornado	USA	State of Oklahoma, Norman

Red Flag Warning -FIRE WEATHER

LUBBOCK TX
AMARILLO TX
EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM
MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
 ALBUQUERQUE NM
GOODLAND KS

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Storms, Flooding

More  photos of the phenomenal  hailstorm  in the Texas  Panhandle on  Wednesday April 11th, 2012

Texas Hailstorm Leaves Panhandle Chest-High In Ice And Mud (PHOTO)

For over two hours Wednesday afternoon, cities in the Texas panhandle were hammered by a hailstorm that left quarter-sized balls of ice stacked chest-high in some areas, Time NewsFeed reports.

The deluge began around 3:30 a.m. Over the next few hours, fast-moving hailstones pummeled the area north of Amarillo, Tex., which had lately been sitting in mud and dust due to a lack of precipitation, according to the news organization. The hail mixed with the mud and dust to create four-foot high mounds that shut down a major highway for the next 18 hours.

Read Full Article Here

Hailstones the size of golf balls in East China

Published on Apr 12, 2012 by PROVOKEDRAGE

Towns in East China’s Fujian Province have been devastated by hailstones the size of golf balls. . Report by Katie Lamborn

http://provokedrage.webnode.com

Tornado Warning &Tornado Watch

TOPEKA KS
WICHITA KS
DES MOINES IA

HASTINGS NE
NORMAN OK

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

DES MOINES IA
NORTH PLATTE NE
HASTINGS NE
DODGE CITY KS

Flash Flood Warning

DES MOINES IA
NORTH PLATTE NE
OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA

Flood Warning

LITTLE ROCK AR
LAKE CHARLES LA
NEW ORLEANS BATON ROUGE LASHREVEPORT LA
KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
SPRINGFIELD MO
ST LOUIS MO

High Wind Warning

MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
ALBUQUERQUE NM
EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM

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Solar Activity

2MIN News Apr14: ’100 Tornados Possible’ & Quake Watch

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Mysterious Booms / Rumblings

San Diego Earthquake Mystery Today April 13 Denied as Sonic Boom

LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – A San Diego “earthquake” mystery today Friday April 13, 2012 has been denied as a sonic boom. San Diego residents reported an earthquake like event at 8:38 am to 9 am PST today. While a light San Diego neighboring earthquake did happen this morning, there was no sonic boom from MCAS Miramar, officials tell news.

Earlier today, local news erroneously reported that there wasn’t an earthquake at the time. But USGS does confirm to news that a neighboring earthquake did strike around that time. But the quake wasn’t substantial. And it wasn’t precisely in San Diego either.

Read Full Article  Here

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Wildlife / Radiation

Study: Wildlife survive nuclear accidents
by Staff Writers
Portsmouth, England (UPI) Apr 11, 2012

disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

Radiation from nuclear accidents such as Chernobyl and Fukushima may not present as much of a threat to wildlife as previously thought, British researchers say.

Earlier studies on the impact on birds of the catastrophic nuclear accident at Chernobyl in Russia in April 1986 have been put in doubt by new research, the University of Portsmouth reported Wednesday.

The findings by Portsmouth researcher Jim Smith and colleagues from the University of the West of England are likely to also apply to wildlife at Fukushima in Japan following its nuclear disaster in 2011, the university said.

“I wasn’t really surprised by these findings — there have been many high profile findings on the radiation damage to wildlife at Chernobyl but it’s very difficult to see significant damage and we are not convinced by some of the claims,” Smith said.

“We can’t rule out some effect on wildlife of the radiation, but wildlife populations in the exclusion zone around Chernobyl have recovered and are actually doing well and even better than before because the human population has been removed.”

Previous studies had suggested radiation affected bird populations following the Chernobyl disaster because it damaged to birds’ antioxidant defense mechanisms, but the new research found the birds’ antioxidant mechanisms could easily cope with radiation at density levels similar to those seen at Chernobyl and Fukushima.

The researchers said their finding would likely apply to other forms of wildlife as well.

“We would expect other wildlife to be similarly resistant to oxidative stress from radiation at these levels,” Smith said.

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Articles of Interest

Summer temperature variability may increase mortality risk for elderly with chronic disease

by Staff Writers
Boston, MA (SPX)

Although heat waves can kill in the short term, the authors say, even minor temperature variations caused by climate change may also increase death rates over time among elderly people with diabetes, heart failure, chronic lung disease, or those who have survived a previous heart attack.

New research from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) suggests that seemingly small changes in summer temperature swings-as little as 1 degrees C more than usual-may shorten life expectancy for elderly people with chronic medical conditions, and could result in thousands of additional deaths each year. While previous studies have focused on the short-term effects of heat waves, this is the first study to examine the longer-term effects of climate change on life expectancy.

The study will be published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“The effect of temperature patterns on long-term mortality has not been clear to this point. We found that, independent of heat waves, high day to day variability in summer temperatures shortens life expectancy,” said Antonella Zanobetti, senior research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health at HSPH and lead author of the study. “This variability can be harmful for susceptible people.”

In recent years, scientists have predicted that climate change will not only increase overall world temperatures but will also increase summer temperature variability, particularly in mid-latitude regions such as the mid-Atlantic states of the U.S. and sections of countries such as France, Spain, and Italy. These more volatile temperature swings could pose a major public health problem, the authors note.

Previous studies have confirmed the association between heat waves and higher death rates. But this new research goes a step further. Although heat waves can kill in the short term, the authors say, even minor temperature variations caused by climate change may also increase death rates over time among elderly people with diabetes, heart failure, chronic lung disease, or those who have survived a previous heart attack.

The researchers used Medicare data from 1985 to 2006 to follow the long-term health of 3.7 million chronically ill people over age 65 living in 135 U.S. cities. They evaluated whether mortality among these people was related to variability in summer temperature, allowing for other things that might influence the comparison, such as individual risk factors, winter temperature variance, and ozone levels. They compiled results for individual cities, then pooled the results.

They found that, within each city, years when the summer temperature swings were larger had higher death rates than years with smaller swings. Each 1 degrees C increase in summer temperature variability increased the death rate for elderly with chronic conditions between 2.8% and 4.0%, depending on the condition.

Mortality risk increased 4.0% for those with diabetes; 3.8% for those who’d had a previous heart attack; 3.7% for those with chronic lung disease; and 2.8% for those with heart failure. Based on these increases in mortality risk, the researchers estimate that greater summer temperature variability in the U.S. could result in more than 10,000 additional deaths per year.

In addition, the researchers found the mortality risk was 1% to 2% greater for those living in poverty and for African Americans. The risk was 1% to 2% lower for people living in cities with more green space.

Mortality risk was higher in hotter regions, the researchers found. Noting that physiological studies suggest that the elderly and those with chronic conditions have a harder time than others adjusting to extreme heat, they say it’s likely these groups may also be less resilient than others to bigger-than-usual temperature swings.

“People adapt to the usual temperature in their city. That is why we don’t expect higher mortality rates in Miami than in Minneapolis, despite the higher temperatures,” said Joel Schwartz, professor of environmental epidemiology at HSPH and senior author of the paper.

“But people do not adapt as well to increased fluctuations around the usual temperature. That finding, combined with the increasing age of the population, the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions such as diabetes, and possible increases in temperature fluctuations due to climate change, means that this public health problem is likely to grow in importance in the future.”

** How to Prepare For an Earthquake **

By Eddie Sage on 14 April 2012

One of the most frightening and destructive phenomena of nature is a severe earthquake and its terrible aftereffects. An earthquake is the sudden, rapid shaking of the earth, caused by the breaking and shifting of subterranean rock as it releases strain that has accumulated over a long time.

For hundreds of millions of years, the forces of plate tectonics have shaped the earth, as the huge plates that form the earth’s surface slowly move over, under and past each other. Sometimes, the movement is gradual. At other times, the plates are locked together, unable to release accumulated energy. When the accumulated energy grows strong enough, the plates break free. If the earthquake occurs in a populated area, it may cause many deaths and injuries and extensive property damage.

While earthquakes are sometimes believed to be a West Coast occurrence, there are actually 45 states and territories throughout the United States that are at moderate to high risk for earthquakes including the New Madrid fault line in Central U.S.

The 2011 East Coast earthquake illustrated the fact that it is impossible to predict when or where an earthquake will occur, so it is important that you and your family are prepared ahead of time.

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