Earth ChangesS


Nuke

Radioactive Material Found in Illinois

Jim Anderson
Illinois Radio Network
Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:19 UTC
radioactive symbol
© Unknown
Radiation believed to be from the nuclear plant disaster in Japan has been detected in Illinois.

The radioactive iodine similar to what was released in Japan was found in a grass clipping in the Joliet area by the Radiological Assessment Field Team, which regularly checks on vegetation, air, milk and eggs to determine if any radiation is leaking from Illinois' nuclear reactors.

In this case, the grass clippings were taken as part of a drill for the emergency plan at the Dresden nuclear power plant.

Once that grass sample tested positive for radioactive iodine, an air sample in Springfield was taken, which also detected the radioactive material.

Patti Thompson of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency says the levels are low: The amount of radiation would have to be 200,000 greater than what was detected to meet the regulatory limit for emission from a nuclear power plant.

Nevertheless, the state will now conduct more tests in other parts of the state.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Kashmir: Sixth Tremor Hits Valley in 11-days


Greater Kashmir
Sat, 02 Apr 2011 20:37 UTC
Kashmir Valley
© Opus88888 / WikipediaMarking the three regions of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir: Jammu, Kashmir valley and Ladakh.
Srinagar - A moderate intensity earthquake, sixth within a span of 11 days, was felt in Kashmir Valley on Saturday morning.

The Coordinator of Disaster Management Cell Kashmir, Aamir Ali said that an earthquake of magnitude 4.7 on Richter scale occurred at 0924 hours.

The jolt was epicentred in Xinjiang border in Ladakh-China at 36.5 degree north latitude and 70.9 degree east longitude, Aamir said in a statement.

The tremor follows one on previous night at 1900 hours when an earthquake of magnitude 4.9 was felt with epicentre at Hindukush Afghanistan at 36.54 N, 70.91E, the he said, adding that no damage was reported from any part of the Valley.
Read More...
Megaphone

Philippines: Stay away from Taal, Palace warns tourists and residents


GMA News
Sat, 02 Apr 2011 15:32 UTC
On Saturday, Malacañang appealed to residents and tourists to heed warnings by state volcanologists to keep away from the crater of Taal Volcano in Batangas, due to high carbon dioxide levels there.

Deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said tourists and residents should also heed the calls of local officials to evacuate once the need arises.

Cooperate with local officials on the ground (Inn such situations, our first appeal would be to heed the authorities in staying away from the volcano's crater. And those residents living at the foot of the volcano should heed village leaders' call to evacuate if the need arises)," Valte said on government-run dzRB radio.
Read More...
Igloo

Winter Storm Blankets New England


Wall Street Journal
Sat, 02 Apr 2011 15:21 UTC
Portland, Maine - An April Fools' Day storm brought heavy snowfall to parts of New England on Friday, giving thousands of kids a reprieve from school but also causing power outages and slippery driving conditions.

The storm was expected to last through the day Friday, dropping as much as a foot of snow around parts of northern New England.

Across coastal Maine and New Hampshire, snow covered road signs, blanketed the pavement and clung to trees, which drooped under the weight.

By late morning, falling tree limbs knocked out electricity for 30,000 homes and businesses in southern Maine and New Hampshire, officials said. Scores of cars and trucks slid off roads, but there were no reports of serious injuries.

National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Montgomery said the storm tracked farther east than some models predicted, sparing the region's most heavily populated areas of heavy snow.
Read More...
Radar

Trees Cocooned in Spider Webs After Flood


National Geographic
Sat, 02 Apr 2011 08:01 UTC
Image
© Russell Watkins, U.K. Department for International DevelopmentWebbed Trees
The giant spider webs in Sindh, Pakistan, sometimes stretched from tree to tree, as seen above in December 2010.

"Any kind of vegetation that was above ground was affected, literally every kind of tree and bush," Watkins said of the widespread spider webs.

While unusual, trees cocooned in spider webs are not unprecedented. Scientists have reported similar webs in other parts of the world, the tropics in particular. In 2007, for instance, a superintendent at Lake Tawokoni State Park in Texas discovered a giant spider web among the trees.

Watkins said he didn't know which type of spider was responsible for the tree cocoons in Sindh. But in the case of Lake Tawokoni, scientists determined that dozens of spider species were spinning the communal webs.
Read More...
Question

Mysterious equine illness spreads in Australia: Increasing numbers of horses displaying unusual neurological symptoms

Emma Pritchard
The Daily Examiner
Sat, 02 Apr 2011 06:06 UTC
Image
© Unknown
Hold your horses. It hasn't arrived in the Clarence Valley - yet but increasing numbers of horses displaying unusual neurological symptoms across three states have prompted the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) to caution all owners.

In NSW alone there have been 87 confirmed cases of the unidentified illness.

While tests conducted by the NSW Department of Industry and Investment have ruled out Hendra virus, AVA president Dr Barry Smyth believes the illness may be the result of a mosquito-borne disease.

"Diseases associated with mosquitoes are very uncommon in normal years," he said.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Unseasonal Heavy Rain Floods Thailand


Earth Observatory
Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:37 UTC
Thailand Floods
© Earth Observatory, NASANASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using near-real-time data provided courtesy of TRMM Science Data and Information System at Goddard Space Flight Center.
Normally the end of March brings dry weather to tropical Thailand. In 2011, however, a powerful storm settled over the Malay Peninsula, bringing up to 1,270 millimeters (50 inches) of rain in little over a week. The intense rain flooded 8 provinces, killing 13 and affecting 842,324 people as of April 1, said the government of Thailand.

This image, made from the Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis based on data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, shows rainfall for March 23 - 30, 2011. Rainfall totals range from 200 millimeters (8 inches) to more than 1,200 millimeters (47 inches) across the Malay Peninsula. TRMM measured the most rain immediately south of the city of Surat Thani.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

US: Collapsing Roads Lead to Emergency Declaration


KRCRTV
Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:17 UTC
Collapsing Road
© KRCRTV
Oroville, California -- Butte County has declared a local emergency after saturated soil caused the ground to literally slide out from under two of the county's roads.

Oro Quincy Highway and Bardees Bar Road have been closed since Tuesday when public works crews discovered sections of the road had developed cracks and started to drop.

Once the declaration is approved by state and federal officials the county will be eligible to receive funding for the repairs which could total more than half a million dollars.

Nobody has been stranded by the closure of the roads.
Read More...
Cloud Lightning

Thirteen Dead in Vietnam Rockslide


AFP
Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:16 UTC
Image
© AFP/Vietnam News AgencyA victim is seen buried in rubble after a rockslide at a stone quarry in Yen Thanh district, north-central province of Nghe An, Vietnam, on April 1. At least 13 people were killed and several others trapped beneath large boulders after the rockslide.
At least 13 people were killed and several others trapped beneath large boulders after a rockslide at a quarry in Vietnam, an official said Friday.

Troops were helping the rescue efforts but the chances of survival for the five missing "is very low," said Ho Duc Phuoc, chairman of the provincial People's Committee, the local government.

"The search is very difficult because there are several huge rocks and we have had to mobilise soldiers to help," Phuoc said.

The accident happened when hundreds of tonnes of rock fell onto workers at Len Co quarry in Nghe An province, north central Vietnam, a district policeman told AFP, refusing to be named.

"Continuous rains over the past few days might have been the reason for the rockslide," he said, adding that hundreds of rescuers had joined the search for the remaining victims.
Read More...
Cloud Lightning

US: Tornadoes, Storms Bruise Tampa Bay Area

Neil Johnson and Ray Reyes
The Tampa Tribune
Fri, 01 Apr 2011 06:12 UTC
Image
About 40 planes were damaged at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.
Small planes in St. Petersburg and Lakeland were flipped and scattered like toys.

Trucks toppled over on roads, and cargo containers at the Port of Tampa fell like a child's set of wooden blocks.

Somehow, a large trampoline from a Riverview home went airborne, snagging on a tree branch and hanging there like a holiday ornament.

Everyone knew about Thursday's forecast: A swath of thunderstorms was bearing down on the Tampa Bay area and the threat of tornadoes would hover over the region for most of the day.

No one expected this.

"I was rattled out of my brains," said Karen Scheidt, who saw sycamores and oaks snap near her Temple Terrace home. "I'm all jiggly all over still."

Damage from Thursday's massive storm was spread over a wide region. No county in West Central Florida was spared from flooding, road closures, downed electrical lines, wind damage and power outages. Dozens of homes and businesses were seriously damaged, particularly along Interbay Boulevard in South Tampa and in a small neighborhood in Progress Village.
Read More...