Monday, November 21, 2011

112111.9--Message for Today: Strong winds, rain storms and floods, fires, earthquakes

It's been 13 days since my last post here.  I have taken time, not that I have no information to post, but it is just getting complicated to decode the source materials.  And I don't want to post anything without putting enough energy to get what I wanted to publish.

Well, stronger earthquakes (specially in the north-east or eastern part of Europe), rain storms and floods, and winds are still not out of the woods.  People uprising continuous, and may not be controlled.  But there's something bigger that keeps coming up in the source materials that is very difficult to decipher, but it's related to some kind of "cycle" that shall be cut.  There are many cycles we follow; and since I don't have any definite answer, I just put this here hoping to give you something to think about, while I continue to find some answers.

Edited/updated today, 11/23/11, to add: "I'm afraid that the financial trouble in Europe shall increase and cannot be controlled."

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Magnitude-5.9 quake hits near Japan nuclear site

APAP – 6 hrs ago

TOKYO (AP) — A strong earthquake struck Thursday morning near the Japan nuclear power plant hit by a powerful tsunami earlier this year. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude-5.9 quake struck shortly before 4:30 a.m. local time. It hit 62 miles (101 kilometers) east of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. The quake struck at a depth of 23 miles (37 kilometers).

The quake struck 151 miles (244 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not immediately issue a tsunami alert.

Similar quakes have struck in the region since a March 11 magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami wiped out part of Japan's northeastern coast and left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing.

The March tsunami also touched off a nuclear crisis when it heavily damaged the Fukushima plant, forcing about 100,000 people to flee their homes. They still have no idea when they can return.

The region lies on the "Ring of Fire" — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim. About 90 percent of the world's quakes occur in the region.

http://news.yahoo.com/magnitude-5-9-quake-hits-near-japan-nuclear-200117256.html

Anonymous said...

Quake shakes southern Greek island

AP – 14 hrs ago

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Seismologists say an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 has struck the southern Greek island of Crete. There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at 2:17 p.m. (1217 GMT) on Wednesday, 111 kilometers (69 miles) south of the island's city of Iraklion and 423 kilometers (262 miles) southeast of the Greek capital, Athens.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center gave the preliminary magnitude as 5.5. Magnitudes given by different seismological centers often vary.
Greece is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, but most quakes are of small magnitude and rarely cause severe damage or injuries.

http://news.yahoo.com/quake-shakes-southern-greek-island-125403545.html;_ylt=AtQMQY5BQ3BsvEfr9i4MHFjyWed_;_ylu=X3oDMTRvOW5oMmFrBGNjb2RlA2dtcHRvcDEwMDBwb29sd2lraXVwcmVzdARtaXQDTmV3cyBmb3IgeW91BHBrZwNmYTc2MTU3MS02YzAyLTNkNWYtODFiMi1lZDRhYzYwYTIxODQEcG9zAzUEc2VjA25ld3NfZm9yX3lvdQR2ZXIDNWJkODhlZTAtMTVkMi0xMWUxLWI3YjctNWM4OTQzNmI5Y2My;_ylg=X3oDMTNhanJ0YW9tBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDYjllOTM4NzItMGZlYi0zYzMzLWE4ZTEtYTQ5N2I5ODM4MGE3BHBzdGNhdAN3b3JsZHxtaWRkbGUgZWFzdARwdANzdG9yeXBhZ2UEdGVzdAM-;_ylv=3

Anonymous said...

Strong quake rattles Bolivia

AFP – 21 hrs ago

A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake rattled Bolivia and was also felt in Peru and Chile, but the epicenter was deep underground and there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The US Geographical Survey said the quake's epicenter was 345 miles (556 kilometers) underground and located 37 miles south-southwest of Trinidad, the capital of Bolivia's northern Beni region.

The USGS initially gave the quake a 6.7 magnitude but later revised its reading down to 6.2 before raising it again later to 6.6.
The quake, which occurred at the beginning of the afternoon in Bolivia, was felt in major cities, including the capital La Paz in the west, Santa Cruz in the east, and Cochabamba in the center of the Andean nation, local media said.

Officials in neighboring Chile and Peru said the quake was also felt there, but again there were no reports of any significant consequences.

The strongest earthquake to strike Bolivia in modern times was an 8.2-magnitude temblor in 1994 that claimed five lives, according to the USGS, which monitors quakes worldwide and aggregates historical information.

http://news.yahoo.com/strong-quake-rattles-bolivia-052830525.html;_ylt=AilvY.YuAwzcQWrdtqGc273yWed_;_ylu=X3oDMTRvbGhtaHFqBGNjb2RlA2dtcHRvcDEwMDBwb29sd2lraXVwcmVzdARtaXQDTmV3cyBmb3IgeW91BHBrZwMxNDAxMmIzYi1lMGE4LTNmNjQtYTFjOS03ODk3ZGU3ZDkyYmEEcG9zAzYEc2VjA25ld3NfZm9yX3lvdQR2ZXIDNWU5YzI0ZTAtMTU5NC0xMWUxLTg2ZGItMWIxYzEzMmQzZDJm;_ylg=X3oDMTM1djRnZDVjBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDZmE3NjE1NzEtNmMwMi0zZDVmLTgxYjItZWQ0YWM2MGEyMTg0BHBzdGNhdAN3b3JsZHxldXJvcGUEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdlBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

Anonymous said...

30 November 2011 Last updated at 03:17 ET

Public sector strike set to be largest for a generation

Up to two million public sector workers are staging a strike over pensions in what is set to be the biggest walkout for a generation.

Schools, hospitals, airports, ports and government offices will be among sites disrupted, as more than 1,000 demonstrations are due across the UK.

The chancellor urged more talks, saying strikes would not achieve anything.

Unions object to government plans to make their members pay more and work longer to earn their pensions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15953806?print=true

Anonymous said...

Powerful Santa Ana winds sweep across Southland

Flights are diverted from LAX to Ontario, and power is knocked out in some Westside and San Gabriel Valley areas. A weather service official warns of 'explosive' fire conditions.

By Robert J. Lopez and Matt Stevens, Los Angeles Times

December 1, 2011

Fierce Santa Ana winds struck Wednesday evening, knocking out power to parts of Los Angeles International Airport and in several Westside and San Gabriel Valley neighborhoods.

The Los Angeles Fire Department and other agencies reported trees down throughout the area, including one that fell on a house on North Beverly Drive and took several power lines with it. It was unclear whether that incident caused the widespread outage.

At LAX, at least 20 flights had to be diverted to LA/Ontario International Airport and others were put in holding patterns, officials said.

The gusts have hit more than 40 knots, creating severe crosswinds for planes taking off and landing, said Ian Gregor, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman. Typically, pilots won't take off or land when winds are gusting at 25 to 30 knots, Gregor said.

In addition, the wind had strewn debris across two runways on the south side of the airport, causing officials to shut them for safety.

"We are trying to shoehorn a four-runway operation onto two runways," Gregor told The Times. "And add into that mix periodic strong crosswinds that prevent aircraft from taking off or landing, and you have a pretty interesting evening."

Earlier in the evening, lights were knocked out in the airport's terminals, as were baggage screening machines and arrival and departure signs. People were using cellphones to light their way as they walked through terminals.

"Everybody seems to be pretty patient," said Long Beach resident Jim Walters, who was in the Alaska Airlines terminal when the lights went out shortly after 7 p.m. Power was restored about an hour later.

A downed tree forced the California Highway Patrol to close all westbound lanes of the 210 Freeway near Berkshire Place in La CaƱada Flintridge. The heavy gusts also knocked out traffic signals as well as power for a time at KNX-AM (1070); the station's transmitter in Torrance was reportedly damaged. The station was streaming online only until it could return to the air.

Southern California Edison said it had about 25,500 customers without power Wednesday evening because of the winds. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported outages throughout its service area but did not have a number of customers affected.

The National Weather Service said the winds are expected to last through Friday, with gusts up to 80 mph in the mountains. The "significant event" caused the agency to issue red flag warnings for the region. A weather service spokeswoman said the wind system would create "explosive" fire conditions across Southern California.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said the department was deploying its "ready reserve fleet" about 8 p.m. Wednesday. The fleet of off-duty workers includes 18 additional engine units and six brush-patrol units.

"When it comes to fire weather, wind is king," Humphrey said. "We should be very concerned."

National Weather Service officials expressed similar alarm, calling this round of Santa Anas a "very strong" and "rare" event. They went as far as to compare the gusts with those that helped spread destructive wildfires in Southern California in 2007, including in Malibu and San Diego County.

"People who have been here 15 years, maybe every five to 10 years or so we might see an event like this," said weather service meteorologist Carol Smith. "If a fire were to get going, there's very little that would hold it back."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-winds-20111201,0,3189154.story?track=rss

Anonymous said...

2 December 2011 Last updated at 12:33 ET

Santa Ana winds cut power in western US

Hundreds of thousands of people have been left without power after 48 hours of ferocious winds across a swathe of states in the western US.

A state of emergency was declared in Los Angeles County, California as schools closed, trees were downed and lorries overturned on motorways.

Wind speeds slowed to around 60mph (97km/h) during the night on Thursday, and are set to ease further on Friday.

Annual Santa Ana winds in California blow from high mountains to the coast.

This year strong winter storm winds, moving east, are expected reach Oklahoma, Missouri and Indiana.

The National Weather Service high wind warning will remain in effect through much of the day on Friday.

The winds, reported to be the strongest in a decade, fanned fires in northern California and were said to have reached 123mph in Colorado.

More than 130 acres (53 hectares) of land in El Dorado County, California, were torched by wind-borne fire, the Sacramento Bee reports.
'Rather rare'

Latest figures suggest 270,000 people are still without power in southern California, according to the Associated Press news agency.

Davis County, California has issued a disaster declaration to access state funding and estimated $3.5m (£2.2m) worth of damage to infrastructure.

In Pasadena, 40 people were evacuated from their apartments after a tree crushed the roof of the building.

Daphne Bell, a Pasadena resident who has lived in the neighbourhood for 30 years, said: "This is the worst, the absolute worst. There were times it sounded like a freight train was roaring down my driveway."

Meteorologist Brian Edwards, with Accuweather, said: "It's one of the strongest events that I can remember. It's rather rare."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16010064?print=true

Anonymous said...

High winds leave thousands without power in California

By Alex Dobuzinskis | Reuters – 1 hr 18 mins ago

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - High winds returned to the Los Angeles area early on Saturday as over 100,000 homes and businesses lost power, due to fallen trees and other damage from an ongoing windstorm.

Southern California Edison said that at mid-afternoon it still had 73,600 customers affected by the outages, which were mainly concentrated along the San Gabriel Valley foothills east of Pasadena.

The area saw "near hurricane force winds" that caused flying debris to knock over power poles, said Edison spokesman Gil Alexander.

Unusually powerful winds first began striking the Los Angeles region on Wednesday night, in a storm that has raised concern among local fire departments about potential wildfires igniting and spreading at lightning speed.

By mid-morning on Saturday, wind gusts of 73 miles per hour were clocked atop a mountain near Acton, 30 miles northeast of Los Angeles, according to automated weather stations.

At other places of high elevation closer to the metropolis, wind speeds in the 35 mph to 45 mph range were more common.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department staged 290 additional firefighters to wildfire-prone areas.

The most immediate concern for officials and power providers was restoring electricity.

Early on Saturday, Southern California Edison had 103,000 homes and businesses without power in the areas it serves near Los Angeles, before it restored electricity to some of those customers, Alexander said.

Los Angeles itself was also hit by the outages, with about 17,000 customers of the Department of Water and Power still without electricity. The agency serves 1.4 million accounts.

The National Weather Service said a gentler wind pattern would develop later on Saturday, as a high pressure system builds over the region.

But the dry, seasonal gusts that have hit Southern California in recent days and are known locally as the Santa Ana winds will again develop on Monday and persist into Tuesday, the Weather Service said.

(Editing by Greg McCune)

Anonymous said...

8 December 2011 Last updated at 03:27 ET

Schools shut as severe winds hit Scotland

Hundreds of schools have been closed across Scotland as severe winds start to batter the country.

Gale force winds have already arrived in the Western Isles, and are expected to cause disruption across central and southern Scotland during the day.

The Scottish government's resilience committee has been meeting through the night to assess the changing situation.

Police are warning of the potential for serious travel disruption, with gusts of more than 80mph expected in places.

...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-16079849?print=true

Anonymous said...

Strong earthquake rattles Mexico, two dead

ReutersBy Cyntia Barrera and Veronica Gomez | Reuters – 5 mins ago

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A powerful 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook Mexico on Saturday, killing at least two people, knocking out lights in parts of the capital and sending people rushing into the streets.

There were no immediate reports of severe damage or injuries in Mexico City but emergency services said one person was killed when a house collapsed in Iguala, a small city between the capital and the tourist resort of Acapulco.

Another person was killed when a rock fell on a small van on the Mexico City-Acapulco highway.

"I was dreadfully afraid, I thought it was never going to end," said Laura Gonzalez, who was drinking in a bar in the capital at the time of the quake, which lasted 40 seconds.

A severe earthquake in 1985 killed thousands of people and wrecked parts of Mexico City, and many residents live with the fear of a repeat.

"I was on the fifth floor when I felt it. It was a very strong shake," said Amor Lajud. "My dogs started barking. I just rushed out for the exit and got out.

Lajud lives in an apartment building in the fashionable Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City, which suffered serious damage in the 1985 quake.

Shoppers at a popular department store in the Condesa district rushed out to the street, some of them crying and shouting, and traffic lights were out at several intersections, causing traffic jams.

The epicenter of the quake was in the southwestern state of Guerrero, 28 miles from Iguala, and was 40 miles deep, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. It was felt in other states including Michoacan, Puebla and Hidalgo, local media reported.

"The most damage was in Iguala because the epicenter was very close to there," a spokesperson for Guerrero emergency services said.

Landslides had closed highways in the Pacific coast state but the duty fire officer in Acapulco said that while residents of the port city felt the earthquake, there were no reports of damage.

Power was knocked out in many districts of the capital and one building was evacuated, but Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said water services, the subway and the airport were working normally.

"The city center is fine, there are people skating on the ice rink," Mexico City emergency services spokesman Manuel Mondragon said of the winter entertainment set up in the central Zocalo square. "At the moment, there is no reason for concern."

A source from phone operator Telcel said services went out briefly in some sections of the city as the mobile network was overloaded with people trying to call family and friends.

State oil monopoly Pemex, which has few installations on the Pacific coast, said there were no reports of damage.

(Additional reporting by Adriana Barrera, Luis Rojas and Mica Rosenberg; writing by Krista Hughes; Editing by Kieran Murray)

http://news.yahoo.com/usgs-says-6-7-magnitude-quake-hit-southwest-020428745.html

Anonymous said...

14 December 2011 Last updated at 02:16 ET

Papua New Guinea hit by 7.1 magnitude earthquake

A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake has struck the Pacific state of Papua New Guinea, but no tsunami warnings have been issued.

The quake struck 89km (55 miles) from the second city of Lae, at a depth of 121km, said the US Geological Survey.

"It was very, very big," a hotel receptionist in Lae reportedly said.

There have been no reports of serious damage. Seismologists say the tremor is unlikely to trigger a tsunami as it hit deep underground and inland.

The quake, originally rated as 7.3-magnitude, wrecked displays in Lae's Foodmart shop and caused some damage to the ceiling, but "touch wood, nothing serious", manager Albert Martinez told Reuters news agency.

Dolly Kinibo, a receptionist at the Lae International Hotel, told the agency it was "very big".

"It lasted for two to three minutes. The whole building moved. The Christmas tree moved, we all moved, people are very shaken.

"There are no reports of injuries or damage, but our managers are checking," she said.

Clive Collins, a seismologist for Geoscience Australia, told AFP news agency the quake was unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

"That's the assessment on the basis that it's about 20km inshore and also it's about 120km deep and that's too deep really to cause any tsunami problems."

But Mr Collins said the quake could cause other problems for Wau, a town about 20km from the epicentre, and Lae.

"It's in a mountainous area so there may be issues of landslides and things like that, that's what's the main problem in that particular part of Papua New Guinea," Mr Collins said.

Papua New Guinea sits atop the seismically active "Pacific Ring of Fire".

Anonymous said...

'We've lost count of the missing': Desperate relief effort continues as death toll in Philippines flood rises

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 11:11 AM on 21st December 2011

The official death toll from last week's massive flash flooding in two southern Philippine cities topped 1,000 on Wednesday, while authorities said they lost count of how many more were missing in one of the worst calamities to hit the coastal region.

The latest tally showed a total of 1,002 people have been confirmed dead, including 650 in Cagayan de Oro and an additional 283 in nearby Iligan city, said Benito Ramos, head of the Civil Defense Office. The rest came from several other southern and central provinces.

A tropical storm swept through the area Friday night and unleashed flash floods in the middle of the night that caught most of the victims in their sleep.

The official death toll from last week's massive flash flooding in two southern Philippine cities topped 1,000 on Wednesday, while authorities said they lost count of how many more were missing in one of the worst calamities to hit the coastal region.

The latest tally showed a total of 1,002 people have been confirmed dead, including 650 in Cagayan de Oro and an additional 283 in nearby Iligan city, said Benito Ramos, head of the Civil Defense Office. The rest came from several other southern and central provinces.

A tropical storm swept through the area Friday night and unleashed flash floods in the middle of the night that caught most of the victims in their sleep.

Read more:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2077014/Philippines-flash-flood-2011-Death-toll-rises-officials-continue-relief-operation.html#ixzz1hD92gKT7

Anonymous said...

Small quakes shake SoCal, Central California
The Associated Press
Posted: 12/20/2011 09:13:54 AM PST
Updated: 12/20/2011 09:16:36 AM PST

ONTARIO, Calif. - A small earthquake has jolted Southern California east of Los Angeles.

The U.S. Geological Survey says in a computer generated report that the magnitude-3.6 quake struck at 12:32 a.m. Tuesday and was centered four miles southeast of Ontario and 38 miles east of Los Angeles.

An Ontario police dispatcher who doesn't want her name used says there were a few telephone calls from people feeling the quake but no one reported damages.

At 9:06 p.m. Monday, a magnitude-3.2 quake was reported in the Pinnacles National Monument area near the Central California community of Soledad.

Anonymous said...

Powerful quakes rock New Zealand's Christchurch

AFP – 33 mins ago

The earthquake-devastated New Zealand city of Christchurch was rocked by two powerful 5.8 magnitude tremors Friday, sending terrified residents onto the streets and forcing the airport to close.

The first quake struck at 1:58 pm (0058 GMT) as stores were packed with Christmas shoppers, turning their festive mood into panic as stock fell from shelves.

Local news media reported people fleeing in fear as the quake and a series of strong aftershocks rattled the city.

The second 5.8 quake came 70 minutes later as inner-city streets were gridlocked by people desperate to get home.

http://news.yahoo.com/powerful-quakes-rock-zealands-christchurch-033016584.html

Anonymous said...

Quake rattles New Zealand's Christchurch: USGS

Reuters – 8 hrs ago

(Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 struck close to the New Zealand city of Christchurch on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The quake was measured only about 14 km (9 miles) northeast of the city. It was another in a series of quakes that have rattled the city since a major earthquake killed almost 200 people there 10 months ago.

There were no immediate reports of a tsunami warning.

A quake of a similar magnitude was felt in the area on December 23, sending terrified residents from their houses but causing no casualties or major damage.

Christchurch, the largest city in New Zealand's South Island, is still recovering from a quake measuring 6.3 that killed 182 people in February and caused up to NZ$20 billion ($15.5 billion) in damage.

Large areas of Christchurch's business district are still off limits after the February quake, which toppled the city's famous cathedral, as well as shops, office buildings and homes.

New Zealand straddles the boundaries of the Indo-Australian and the Pacific tectonic plates and is hit by about 14,000 quakes every year, of which only a small number top a magnitude of 5.

(Editing by Paul Tait)

Anonymous said...

4.0 earthquake strikes in northeast Ohio

AP – 5 hrs ago

McDONALD, Ohio (AP) — Officials said Saturday they believe the latest earthquake activity in northeast Ohio is related to the injection of wastewater into the ground near a fault line, creating enough pressure to cause seismic activity.

The brine wastewater comes from drilling operations that use the so-called fracking process to extract gas from underground shale. But Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Jim Zehringer said during a news teleconference that fracking is not causing the quakes.

"The seismic events are not a direct result of fracking," he said.

Environmentalists and property owners who live near gas drilling wells have questioned the safety of fracking to the environment and public health. Federal regulators have declared the technology safe, however.

Zehringer said four injection wells within a five-mile radius of an already shuttered well in Youngstown will remain inactive while further scientific research is conducted.

A 4.0 magnitude quake Saturday afternoon in McDonald, outside of Youngstown, was the 11th in a series of minor earthquakes in area, many of which have struck near the Youngstown injection well. The quake caused no serious injuries or property damage, Zehringer said.

Thousands of gallons of brine were injected into the well daily until its owner, Northstar Disposal Services LLC, agreed Friday to stop injecting brine into the earth as a precaution while authorities assess any potential links to the quakes.

Michael Hansen of the Ohio Seismic Network said Saturday that more quakes are possible, most likely small ones, until the pressure at the fault line has been completely relieved.

The temblor Saturday appeared to be stronger than others, which generally had a magnitude of 2.7 or lower. Some residents reported feeling trembling farther south into Columbiana County and east into western Pennsylvania.

Area residents said a loud boom accompanied the shaking. It sent some stunned residents running for cover as bookshelves shook and pictures and lamps fell from tables.

A few miles from the epicenter, Charles Kihm said he was preparing food in his kitchen when he heard a noise and thought a vehicle had hit his Austintown home.

"It really shook, and it rumbled, like there was a sound," said Kihm, 82. "It was loud. It didn't last long. But it really scared me."

There are 177 similar injection wells around the state, and the Youngstown-area well has been the only site with seismic activity, the department said. Zehringer said that to shut down all of the wells because of seismic activity near one would be an overreaction.

Patti Gorcheff, who lives about 15 miles from the epicenter, said her dogs started barking inexplicably Saturday and the ornaments on her Christmas tree began to shake. Her husband thought he heard the sound of some sort of blast.

"This is the biggest one we've had so far," said Gorcheff, a North Lima resident who has raised concerns about quakes and drilling-related activity in the region. "I hope this is a wake-up call."

Anonymous said...

Magnitude 7.0 quake his Japan, no tsunami warning

AP – 3 hrs ago

TOKYO (AP) — A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 earthquake hit off the shores of Japan's southern Pacific island.

The Meteorological Agency says the offshore quake Sunday struck about 370 kilometers (230 miles) below the sea surface. The agency said there was no danger of a tsunami. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Northeastern Japan was devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11 that left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing. Japan, which lies along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," is one of the world's most seismically active countries.

Anonymous said...

Earthquake Rocks Areas in Siberia

December 28, 2011

An earthquake has damaged dozens of buildings in a city in southwestern Siberia, but no injuries or deaths have been reported.

The epicentre of the 6.7 magnitude quake was about 60 miles east of Kyzyl, capital of the Russian republic of Tuva, which borders Mongolia.

The municipal services in Kyzyl said today that 31 multi-story apartment buildings, a school and a plant that provides hot water and heat suffered cracks and other damage. The plant was still operating.

The Emergencies Ministry said 3,500 people were provided temporary shelter.

After the quake struck yesterday evening, mines in the coal-mining region of Kemerovo were evacuated as a precaution, but work resumed Wednesday afternoon.

Anonymous said...

3.9-magnitude quake hits off SoCal coast

From wire service reports
Posted: 01/03/2012 09:17:41 AM PST
Updated: 01/03/2012 09:21:39 AM PST

PASADENA - A small earthquake struck in the Pacific off the Southland coast today, according to a preliminary report from the U.S Geological Survey.

The 3.9-magnitude temblor hit at 6:18 a.m. at a depth of around 10.5 miles, its epicenter four miles east of San Nicolas Island and 50 miles west- northwest of San Clemente Island, according to a computer-generated USGS report.

Anonymous said...

01/05/12

Quake hits Dominican Republic, no reported damage
AP – 12 hrs ago

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — A 5.3-magnitude earthquake has struck the southern coast of the Dominican Republic without causing any reported damage or loss of life.

Local rescue officials and the U.S. Geological Survey say the earthquake struck at 5:35 a.m. local time Thursday, and its epicenter was six miles deep (10 kilometers) in Ocoa province, 34 miles (55 kilometers) west of the capital of Santa Domingo.

Rescue official Juan Manuel Mendez says his group has not received reports of damages or of people hurt and has not issued any tsunami warning. Mendez says there were reports of hundreds of frightened people rushing out of their houses in various cities, including Santo Domingo.

Anonymous said...

09/07/12 11:40 PM

80 dead in China quakes; rescue efforts hampered
By SCOTT McDONALD | Associated
Press – 2 hrs 30 mins ago

BEIJING (AP) — Blocked mountain roads were hampering rescue efforts after twin earthquakes struck southwestern China and killed at least 80 people, leaving officials worried Saturday that the death toll could rise further.
More than 100,000 residents were evacuated after Friday's quakes toppled thousands of houses and sent boulders cascading across roads in a remote mountainous area along the borders of Guizhou and Yunnan provinces.
The damage was preventing rescuers from reaching outlying towns, and communications were disrupted after the midday quakes hit in a region of small farms and mines where some of China's poorest people live. Weather forecasts Saturday said there was a chance of rain over the next three days, which could hamper rescue work.
But there was some good news, with state television reporting that four babies had been born in temporary hospitals set up since the quakes hit.
The first magnitude-5.6 quake struck just before 11:30 a.m. Friday and was followed by an equally strong quake shortly after noon, joined by dozens of aftershocks. Though of moderate strength, the quakes were shallow, which often causes more damage.
The state-run Xinhua News Agency said Saturday that 80 people had died in the quakes. It said earlier that hundreds had been hurt, but did not immediately give a new injury toll Saturday.
Hardest hit was Yiliang County, where all but one of the deaths occurred, according to the Yunnan provincial government's official website. Another 730 people in the area were injured, Xinhua said. Yiliang's high population density, flimsy building construction and landslide-prone hillsides were blamed for the relatively high death toll.
China Central Television showed roads littered with rocks and boulders and pillars of dust rising over hilltops from the landslides. One image taken just as one quake struck showed people running out of a supermarket as the ground shook.
Other footage showed villages of blue tents being set up for the evacuated, as well as hundreds of people crowding into a school athletic field in Yiliang's county seat, a sizable city spread along a river in a valley.
Though quakes occur in the area frequently, buildings in rural areas and China's fast-growing smaller cities and towns are often constructed poorly. A magnitude-7.9 quake that hit Sichuan province, just north of Yunnan, in 2008 killed nearly 90,000 people, with many of the deaths blamed on poorly built structures, including schools.
Xinhua quoted Yunnan's civil affairs department as saying Friday's quakes destroyed 6,650 houses and damaged 430,000 others. Besides the 100,000 residents already evacuated, another 100,000 were in need of relocation, the department said.
"The hardest part of the rescue will be handling traffic," Li Fuchun, head of Luozehe township in Yiliang, was quoted as saying by Xinhua. "Roads are blocked and rescuers have to climb mountains to reach hard-hit villages."
That included a village near a zinc mine in Luozehe. "It is scary. My brother was killed by falling rocks," miner Peng Zhuwen told Xinhua. "The aftershocks struck again and again. We are so scared."
The government has sent thousands of tents, blankets and containers of water into the area, and the Red Cross spokesman for East Asia, Francis Markus, said 2,000 quilts, 2,000 jackets and 500 tents were being rushed to the area, which is largely inhabited by members of the Yi ethnic minority.
He said the use of light construction materials would likely create far more injuries than deaths.

Anonymous said...

Landslides, floods kill 29 in Vietnam: media
Reuters – 2 hrs 59 mins ago
HANOI (Reuters) - Landslides and floods in Vietnam have killed at least 29 people in recent days as heavy rain soaks northern and central areas, state media and the government said on Saturday.
More rain was forecast to strike the flood-hit Nghe An province and authorities were getting people out of dangerous areas, the government said.
In one incident, 16 people were killed in landslides while they were going to tin mine on Friday in the mountainous northern province of Yen Bai. Another person died in hospital, the Defence Ministry-run People's Army newspaper said.
The affected provinces are far from the Central Highlands coffee belt. Rice production in the Mekong Delta is also not affected. Vietnam is the world's second largest coffee producer and comes second after Thailand in rice exports.
Vietnam, parts of which are densely populated and low-lying, is regularly battered by heavy weather and floods during the rainy season.
An average of 430 people were killed each year by natural disasters between 2007-2011 in Vietnam, with property losses estimated at 1 percent of gross domestic product, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told a conference on food security and climate change in Hanoi on Thursday.