A magnitude-4.0 earthquake rattled residents in northern Texas on Thursday evening. One of the most powerful quakes ever recorded in the region has fueled speculation that fracking is responsible for this seismic activity.
The earthquake, which struck near Venus, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southwest of Dallas, at 5:58 p.m., was the most powerful to strike the region since seismic activity began in November 2013. Since then, more than 50 tremors have rattled the region, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Earthquake clusters began to strike northern Texas in 2008. Since then, over 120 quakes have been reported in the region. Prior to that year, researchers say, a felt earthquake had not been reported in the area in nearly 60 years.
A series of tornadoes, including a major twister, touched down southwest of Oklahoma City on Wednesday, flipping cars and causing the escape of tigers and other animals from an exotic wildlife park, officials said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries but some structures were damaged as a storm system brought severe weather to several Great Plains states, officials said.
Tigers and other animals were able to briefly escape from the Tiger Safari park after a tornado struck the city of Tuttle, about 30 miles (48km) south-west of Oklahoma City, though they were recaptured without further incident, the Grady County Sheriff's Office said.
Residents of Tuttle had been warned to stay indoors by authorities after the escape.
Meanwhile passengers, visitors and employees at the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City were evacuated to a pedestrian tunnel for about 30 minutes as the storms moved through the area, the airport said on its Twitter feed.
The tornadoes flipped cars, downed power lines and snapped trees. Several roads were closed because of debris, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said.
Parts of Nebraska saw over 8 inches (200 mm) of rain in 24 hours yesterday, 07 May 2015. Storm and flood damage has been so severe that Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts declared a State of Emergency for the affected areas.
The Governor surveyed storm damage and flooding in Hebron, Deshler, Roseland, and near Lincoln via helicopter. Following the flight he said, "I have authorized an emergency declaration. At this time the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency is in contact with other state agencies and they are actively monitoring the situation and will provide assistance as needed."
"The good news is nobody was hurt and everybody is safe. Utility crews are out there working. We did have a power outage last night in about a third of the town. As we flew over the state, we saw more utility crews continuing to work to restore power to folks in Roseland."
Other affected areas include the town of DeWitt and the city of Fairbury, where 100s of people have been evacuated. The town of Crete saw 8.10 inches of rain fall in 24 hours. Salt Creek and Little Blue River are reported to be at flood stage at several points in the area.
One cattle smuggler and two cows were killed in lightning near the India-Bangladesh boundary in Dhubri district on Thursday night, with BSF personnel recovering the bodies on Friday.
BSF sources said troops posted in the Barmanpara border outpost, while returning after a night border domination duty noticed the body of man along with two cows about 500 metres inside Indian territory.
The deceased was later identified as Rahmat Ali (30), a resident of village Kalaichar Pokhura of the adjoining Kurigram district of Bangladesh. The halters of two cows that were also found lying by his side were still tied to the deceased's hand, BSF sources said.
The body was identified by local member of Indian village Barmanpara and was further confirmed by representatives of Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) posted at the Pakhurachar border outpost, who on learning about the incident came near the border and requested the BSF to hand over the body.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/lightning-kills-bangladeshi-smuggler-cattle-inside-indian-territory/#sthash.DX02bNbS.dpuf
Japanese authorities have closed part of a popular hot springs area to the public because of fears a volcano might erupt.
Increased earthquake activity at Mount Hakone prompted the Japanese Meteorological Agency to raise the alert level earlier this week to 2 on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the lowest.
The town of Hakone met on Thursday with tourism industry representatives who are concerned about the possible impact on business.
About 50 people who operate businesses in the restricted area were allowed to make a temporary visit to maintain their facilities and collect necessities, according to Japanese broadcaster TBS. It quoted a cafe owner saying he hopes the situation will be over soon.
The closed area includes Owakudani, a well-visited site where tourists can see steam emerging from vents in a crater from a past eruption. Both a section of a ropeway that passes nearby and trails to Owakudani have been closed.
Hakone, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Tokyo, attracts visitors from both Japan and overseas. Most of Hakone's other sights remain open.
The eruption of Mount Ontake in central Japan last September killed 57 people.
Multiple tornadoes injured at least 13 as they tore through the central United States on Wednesday destroying homes and felling trees amid heavy rains that triggered local flooding, US media reported.
At least 13 people were injured when a tornado tore through a mobile home park in Oklahoma City, CNN reported, quoting Susie Patterson of the Emergency Medical Services Authority in Oklahoma City.
The Weather Channel said at least 29 tornado sightings had been reported across the states of Kansas, Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma, where multiple homes were destroyed.
A Wood River Police Officer's five-year-old son was attacked by the family dog Wednesday afternoon.
The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the back yard of the officer's Wood River home. The dog was a 120 pound English Mastiff. The five-year-old was unconscious when emergency responders arrived at the house.
Officers say they were forced to put down the dog due to it's violent behavior. The boy regained consciousness before he was flown to a St. Louis Hospital. He was bitten multiple times and suffered lacerations to the lower portion of his body. Police did not release details on his condition tonight.
The US National Weather Service yesterday evening issued an unprecedented "flash flood emergency" for Oklahoma City after storms dumped record amounts of rain on Wednesday 06 May 2015.
A statement made by Oklahoma City government said that National Weather Service officials called Wednesday night's flood threat "deadly and dangerous," issuing a Flash Flood Emergency for the first time in central Oklahoma's history. The flood threat was expected to be ongoing from Wednesday night and into Thursday as rain continues and the watershed drains.
The storms and torrential rain were accompanied by several tornadoes in the region over the last 24 hours. Around 12 people have been reported as injured in the severe weather. Numerous roads have been closed, either as a result of floods or wind and storm damage.
In a statement last night, the government of Oklahoma City said:
"The primary threat Wednesday night is rising flood waters as rain continues. Reports of flooded roadways began coming in during the early evening, particularly in south Oklahoma City.
"As of 9:45 p.m., there were no confirmed reports of serious injuries in Oklahoma City, but emergency crews continued to canvass the City and respond to emergency calls."
Oklahoma Red Cross set up a shelters in affected areas for those who evacuated their homes. Oklahoma City Animal Welfare department was working on setting up emergency accommodation for any pets.
What is truth anyway? The truth is the essence of something, its natural state, something as it really is. It is really a quest for love, because to truly love something we must know it for what it really is. Perhaps we can sense in an unconscious way that there is a deeper truth to everything and everyone, and we are led to search for the truth about it, so that we can truly love it for what it really is.
- Joe Quinn
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They also want 7 odd Billion less people on the planet, we are the useless eaters carbon footprints they're planning on reducing.
Comment: Mother Nature is angry.