See what dams in your state (if it happens to be NC, TX, or MO) have the potential for malfunction and potential loss of life.
Showing posts tagged natural disaster
Look for more massive fish kills in this area going forward.
A dead zone the size of the state of New Jersey is growing in the Gulf of Mexico, fueled by nutrient runoff from the swollen Mississippi River.
Scientists say it may become the largest dead zone ever.
Record setting flooding continues in Louisiana - CNN.com
Already on Sunday, waters in Vicksburg, Mississippi, had reached record levels of 56.2 feet , the weather service reported. This is well above the 43-foot flood stage, but still short of the forecasted crest of 57.5 feet on Thursday. Levels in Natchez, further south downriver, were two feet higher than the record set in 1937 on Sunday, but just under three feet shy of the 63-foot crest expected Saturday.
The weather service said the river was also cresting Sunday in New Orleans and Reserve, Louisiana, because of the spillway operations. At Reserve, the river was cresting at 28.2 feet, above the historic 1929 flood level of 26 feet. At New Orleans, however, the crest was 17 feet, about four feet below the historic level of 1922.
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Memphis, Tennessee (CNN) — The Mississippi River is cresting at Memphis, forecasters said Tuesday, as attention began turning to flooding concerns in Louisiana and Mississippi.
The slow passing of the bulge of water working its way from north to south along the Mississippi is only the beginning of the end of the siege for Memphis residents, who could be dealing with high water levels into June.
And the struggle is just getting started for residents of Mississippi and Louisiana, where the river is expected to rise over the next few days to levels unseen since 1927.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal predicted Tuesday that as many as 3 million acres of his state could be affected by the flooding.
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If that spillway is opened, Jindal predicted that roughly 2,500 people and 2,000 structures would be at risk directly inside the floodway. Another 22,500 people and 11,000 structures would be affected by backwater flooding, he said.
The faces of natural disaster and stories of survival - Alabama tornado victims
Air Elemental in Alabama ;)
Absolutely unreal footage shot on the University of Alabama campus of a mile-wide tornado inching toward downtown Tuscaloosa.
Tornadic supercell thunderstorms stretching from Texas to Tennessee have left widespread destruction and numerous casualties in their wake. Alabama has been hit the hardest, with at least 25 fatalities across the state, and an entire city in ruins.
The record-breaking storms are expected to move out of the area by midnight. Watch live reports on ABC 33/40 via Ustream.
[cnn / waka / nyt / video: @49foyamind49.]
(Source: thedailywhat)
Rumination on “The End of the World as We Know It”…
It’s happening every day. In Egypt, Libya, Wisconsin, Christchurch New Zealand, and now Japan. Defining events that signal the end of life as before, and the beginning of something dramatically different. So different that there are very definitive factors that could be quantified.
I’m not the first to say this and use a perspectivist, subjective interpretation of The End of the World as We Know It (TEOTWAWKI), but it’s true. When the Native Americans first met the white man on the sea shore of what would become North America, it was the end of the world as they knew it. When the United States invaded Iraq it was the end of the world as they knew it.
From this interpretation of a TEOTWAWKI event, even personal changes such as losing a job, a loved one, or our health qualify. Preparing for total Apocalypse is like preparing for a massive extinction event - who knows if it’s likely, possible, or even probable.
However, you can be awakened from a dead slumber to find your home has been picked up by a massive tidal wave.
We can’t control or prepare for everything. It’s not possible or healthy. We do the best we can, given the information and resources we have. If our luck/fate is such that we stand in the path of tsunami, then short of moving to the top of a mountain or to a safer place, which would fall under risk assessment and management, there’s not much else to be done.
We would be better served to think in “End of OUR world” terms; preparing for a local, individualized, situational Dramatic Change Event (DCE - you heard it here first).
My thoughts and best wishes are with the people of the world who are living in chaos and whose world has dramatically changed for the worst. Keep fighting, keep surviving, keep living…
Fema Region 6 (New Madrid Fault) offers earthquake preparedness tips and plans training exercises
DENTON, Texas -This year marks the 200th anniversary of the 1811 New Madrid earthquakes. In this bicentennial year, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 6 is encouraging residents to be prepared.
FEMA Region 6 is also working with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) to plan several events over the New Madrid Bicentennial Year that will highlight earthquake preparedness. These include the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut, an earthquake drill that will occur across the NMSZ on April 28, and National Level Exercise 2011 (NLE 11), a White House-driven, congressionally mandated exercise that will simulate the catastrophic nature of a major earthquake in the NMSZ. Thousands of government officials at the federal, state, local and tribal levels, members of the private sector, and the general public will participate in the May 16-19 NLE 11 functional exercise.
Christchurch quake: What you need to do when a quake hits- NZ Herald News
* Expect aftershocks. Each time one is felt, drop, cover, and hold on.
* Check yourself first for injuries and get first aid if necessary before helping injured or trapped persons.
* Assess your home or workplace for damage. If the building appears unsafe get everyone out. Use the stairs, not an elevator and when outside, watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines. Stay out of damaged areas.
* Look for and extinguish small fires if it is safe to do so. Fire is a significant hazard following earthquakes.
* Listen to the radio for updated emergency information and instructions.
* Do not overload phone lines with non-emergency calls.
* Help people who require special assistance - infants, elderly people, those without transportation, families who may need additional help, people with disabilities, and the people who care for them.Mental health workers are asking those who experience mental health issues to make contact.
The New Zealand Transport Agency says the main roads out of Christchurch city are open but the Lyttelton Tunnel remains closed. Motorists should use extreme caution and should only drive if they have to.In Southland, the 111 service has been restored.
Christchurch Airport is still closed pending an inspection of the runway.
KiwiRail services out of the city have been halted.
All Countdown supermarkets in the Christchurch area are closed.
California Disaster scenario highlighted - San Bernardino County Sun
One more reason you couldn’t Pay me to move to the west coast.
YUCAIPA - Although most Californians picture a devastating earthquake when they think of a natural disaster, massive flooding is just as much of a danger, according to a recent scientific presentation.
A presentation on the ARkStorm scenario, a disaster simulation, was given Friday at the Yucaipa Community Center.
Lucy Jones, the chief scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Multi-Hazards Initiative in Southern California and a nationally known expert on disaster preparation, talked about what would happen if a catastrophic storm system hit Southern California.
“One-quarter of homes would be flooded,” Jones hypothesized. “It would cause almost a trillion dollars in damages.”
ARkStorm is a scientifically plausible, hypothetical storm scenario developed by the USGS to show natural disasters and their effects, and what the public can do to prepare.
The simulation is patterned after the massive storms that struck California in 1861-62, flooding the Sacramento Valley, Los Angeles Basin, Orange County and the Mojave Desert.
According to the East Valley Water District, which sponsored the event, storms of the same magnitude as the 1861-62 system are projected to become more frequent as a result of climate change.
Read more: http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_17440047#ixzz1Ef0Re5yS
Christchurch earthquake: 'Dead bodies lying around' - NZ Herald News
Simply horrible. My heart goes out to them. Reading this article is like watching one of the disaster movies; so many horrible things happening and everyone in shock. There’s much more that I didn’t include here. Read the full story.
Residents are reporting bodies lying in the streets of Christchurch following this afternoon’s magnitude 6.3 earthquake.
Police said fatalities had been reported at several locations and that two buses had been crushed by falling buildings. Christchurch mayor Bob Parker has declared a state of emergency.
Christchurch resident Jaydn Katene told the Herald: “We’ve had friends in town call us and say there are just bodies lying around; lots of dead bodies outside shops just lying there just covered in bricks.
“When it hit we were knocked to our feet. Everything in the house fell down, nothing was left still standing. There’s more damage than the first earthquake, the roads are completely torn up; sewage coming up and flooding. It’s crazy.”
“The elderly are all crying. The next-door neighbours around us were all bawling their eyes out, it was horrible. People can’t get out of their houses,” said Mr Katene.
“We’ve seen cars halfway sunken into the road. We’ve heard there’s a bus which is sunken halfway into the road just around the corner.
“Buildings are half-collapsed everywhere.
“It smells horrible. The roads are packed with cars. There aren’t enough police or ambulances. Houses are all collapsing. It’s pretty shocking; a total warzone.”
N.Z. quake causes massive damage, many deaths in Christchurch -
Here’s a great ticker update page about the quake in NZ. When it comes to prepping, this is a great example of what to prepare for and what the results would be like.
Updated at 9 p.m. ET: All flights have been grounded in New Zealand while officials assess the national air-traffic control system in Christchurch, the New Zealand Press Association reports. Planes are landing, however.
New Zealand Telecom says some of its phone networks have been badly damaged.
Updated at 8:39 p.m. ET: Police report that two city buses were crushed by falling debris and that “multiple” buildings have collapsed, leaving people trapped, Radio New Zealand reports. The city’s main hospital is being evacuated.
Updated at 8:07 p.m. ET: The Press reports “massive damage” and injuries in Christchurch, where people are reportedly trapped in downtown buildings and houses.
Witnesses said there are certain to be deaths.
