Earth Changes

Coast Guard preps for possible Cascadia Subduction Zone quake

Kyle Spurr
The Daily Astorian
Wed, 27 Jan 2016 04:48 UTC

Anthony Kenne, chief of planning and force readiness with the U.S. Coast Guard Columbia River sector, speaks to members of the Coast Guard about available shelter and supplies at Fort Clatsop National Historical Park in Warrenton during a tsunami prepared

© AP
Anthony Kenne, chief of planning and force readiness with the U.S. Coast Guard Columbia River sector, speaks to members of the Coast Guard about available shelter and supplies at Fort Clatsop National Historical Park in Warrenton during a tsunami preparedness drill.

When the men and women of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River came to work Monday morning, they were told they had 20 minutes to reach Fort Clatsop.

In a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, 20 minutes is about all the time residents would get to find higher ground.

For the evacuation drill, about 100 members left their posts near the Astoria Regional Airport and ran 1.4 miles to the fort in Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, where the Coast Guard would set up an incident command center in an actual emergency.

Anthony Kenne, chief of planning and force readiness with the Coast Guard, said the guard was searching for a location that was relatively close, was out of the tsunami zone and had existing infrastructure.

The evacuation drill was staged the day before the 316th anniversary of what scientists believe was the last large Cascadia earthquake and tsunami on Jan. 26, 1700.

7.0 quake strikes Russia's far eastern Kamchatka

RT
Sat, 30 Jan 2016 03:50 UTC

A strong, deep 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula on Saturday, the US Geological Survey reported.

The quake hit 106 kilometers north of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, the capital city of Russia's Kamchatka Region.

The depth of the earthquake was reported at 153 kilometers. There have been no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties.

Meanwhile on social media, frightened witnesses posted descriptions of the strong tremors felt in the region.

Officials baffled by widening sinkhole in Rainier, Oregon

Tim Becker
KOIN 6
Fri, 01 Jan 2016 20:42 UTC

A widening sinkhole in Rainier has plenty of water running through it but no one knows where it's going — and it's costing ODOT about $10,000 a day to keep it from getting worse.

The sinkhole was spotted December 11, during the record-setting rainstorms that flooded parts of Oregon. It's affecting the back of Earth and Sun stove shop , and co-owner Jewel Forrest said the water is "just going somewhere and they're not sure where and how the damage, what it's really caused."

ODOT spokesperson Lou Torres told KOIN 6 News they cannot allow this to continue to happen. "We're going to have to do something."

Comment: This was just a little puddle compared to these two:

Two MASSIVE sinkholes swallow both sides of Highway 101 in Harbor, Oregon

Two MASSIVE sinkholes swallow both sides of Highway 101 in Harbor, Oregon

Elizabeth Chuck
NBC News
Fri, 29 Jan 2016 08:53 UTC

A huge sinkhole that won't stop growing has shut down a stretch of Highway 101 in coastal Oregon.

"It's massive. There's just no other way to describe it," Jared Castle, Department of Transportation spokesman for southwest Oregon, told NBC News.

The state closed down part of 101 in Harbor, Oregon, on Thursday night due to the sinkhole, which is the second sinkhole in as many months in the area. The first one opened on Dec. 13 in a restaurant parking lot next to the highway and, like Thursday's sinkhole, just kept growing. The two sinkholes "probably have now met," Castle said, creating one gaping hole in the highway. "It's a monster," he said. Officials did not know how big it was, but said its depth exceeds 60 feet.

There have been no injuries or evacuations, and officials have re-routed traffic to a detour that runs parallel to the highway, which Castle says will only add 5 or 10 minutes to drivers' commutes. The sinkholes formed after a series of heavy rains pounded the Oregon coast, causing a landslide north of Harbor and shutting down other highways due to debris flow.

Sinkholes and landslides frequently occur in the region because of the geology of the area, Castle said. "It's just part of the battle of having the Oregon Coast Highway located where it's at. It's a road built in a place where Mother Nature never intended for there to be a road," he said.

Comment: As you can see, it was actually two sinkholes, side-by-side!

These were the second and third such sinkholes in the area in recent months: Large sinkhole opens up in parking lot in Harbor, Oregon

And they're trying to tell folks the above one was a '1-in-20-year event'.

No folks, this 'aint normal.

Note also WHERE this happened... along the Cascadia Subduction Zone:

Cascadia fault line in North America: A now still and silent subduction zone where disaster awaits

Hundreds of dead seagulls found on Sea of Galilee beach, Israel

Sue Surkes
The Times of Israel
Thu, 28 Jan 2016 20:18 UTC

© Ramat Gan Safari
A poisoned seagull being treated at the wild animal hospital at the Ramat Gan Safari, January 28, 2016.

Hundreds of seagulls have been found dead on the Sea of Galilee's western shore, with an initial inquiry pointing to botulism poisoning.

Another 78 injured birds were given emergency first aid at the Tel Afeq National Park veterinary hospital's quarantine station in Tel Aviv, with some being tested to eliminate any suspicion that they may have contracted bird flu, the Walla website reported Thursday.

The gulls were subsequently transferred to the wild animal hospital at the Ramat Gan Safari, some of them in serious condition.

Botulism spores are commonly found in soil and water. They produce the botulinum toxin in conditions such as low oxygen and hot temperatures.

Lightning bolt kills 3 villagers in Zimbabwe

Luthando Mapepa
The Manica Post
Fri, 29 Jan 2016 19:35 UTC

A sombre atmosphere engulfed the Mutikwanda Village under Headman Chivhunze on Monday where three villagers were burnt beyond recognition after a lightning bolt struck a hut they were in.

Chipinge District police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Blessing Kadzuraumera, confirmed the incident which occurred around 3pm. He identified the victims as Tulani Dube (35), Adam Chivhunze (25) and a Mozambican national, Tichaona Sithole (14).

When The Manica Post visited the area on Monday, villagers were still struggling to put off the fire which had gutted the thatched hut where the late villagers and two survivors were sitting.

Member of National Assembly for Chipinge Central, Cde Raymore Machingura, also toured the scene and assisted the affected families with coffins and transport for burial.

Police from Chipinge Urban and a hospital ambulance reacted swiftly and took the two survivors to Chipinge District Hospital where they were treated and discharged on Tuesday.

Snow falls in Kuwait for 'the first time ever'

Middle East Eye
Fri, 29 Jan 2016 01:52 UTC

© Storm Centre
This photo from Kuwait this week probably shows hail, not snow. Even this, however, is extremely unusual for the hot desert country.

Snow fell on Kuwait on Thursday morning for the first time in the country's history, pictures sent to Middle East Eye show.

Footage sent to MEE showed snow flakes falling in the Gulf state, where temperatures have plummeted in recent days.

Comment: Kuwaiti meteorologists are claiming that hail, not snow has fallen in the country. However, the video evidence looks suspiciously like snow.

Bryde's Whale washes up on beach in Mumbai, India

Ankita Sinha
ndtv.com
Fri, 29 Jan 2016 15:49 UTC

The whale weighs around 20 tonnes.

A nearly 40-foot whale drew large crowds on Mumbai's popular Juhu beach on Friday until it was removed with the help of a crane. The whale, weighing around 20 tonnes, had washed up on Thursday night.

It was noticed by lifeguards and joggers who called the police.

A forest official assessed that the "Bryde's Whale" had been dead for two or three days.

"There are no wounds. A postmortem will be done and we will try to preserve its skeleton," said Makarand B Ghodke, conservator in the Mumbai Forest Department.

Sinkhole swallows man in Lititz, Pennsylvania

Wesley Robinson
pennlive.com
Tue, 26 Jan 2016 14:46 UTC

A 19-year-old Lititz man was taking out the trash when he suddenly found himself below the ground.

The unidentified man did not sustain any injuries after falling onto the sinkhole Tuesday morning on the 500 block of West Second Ave in Lititz, according to borough police. The road will be closed while public works staff fixes the issue, police said.

LancasterOnline.com reported that the man fell straight down into the sinkhole, which was about 15 feet deep. The man yelled for his mother, who was inside of the house and helped pull him out of the hole, police said.

The sinkhole was likely caused by a water main break, police said. Water flow has been shut off to the area while the sinkhole and main are repaired, according to the report.

Police said there are no concerns for the stability of nearby structures, according to the report.

Cold weather and heavy snowfall continues in Turkey; 2,500 roads closed, over 2 meter snowdrifts and minus 27 degrees Celsius recorded

Today's Zaman
Tue, 26 Jan 2016 13:40 UTC

Turkey grappled on Tuesday with cold weather and heavy snowfall that led to the cancellation of flights and ferries in İstanbul and that covered many provinces in the rest of the country, Cihan news agency reported on Tuesday.

The inclement weather caused a number of car accidents, and some schools were forced to close. Authorities warned drivers to take extra care due to the poor weather conditions.

Flights and ferries canceled in İstanbul

Snowfall hit İstanbul's higher elevations early on Tuesday and spread to the rest of the city by the afternoon. Teams from the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality and district municipalities salted the roads as a precaution against ice. Many İstanbul residents and visitors enjoyed the snowfall in historic areas such as Sultanahmet and popular tourism spots like Taksim Square.

Turkish Airlines (THY) and the İstanbul Ferry Lines (İDO) announced on Tuesday that certain flights and ferries were canceled due to the harsh weather conditions.

İDO canceled all its intra-city ferry services in İstanbul due to sea conditions. Some of the inter-city ferries, including the Kadıköy-Yenikapı-Bursa ferry and the Yalova / Kartal ferries, were also cancelled.

THY cancelled 143 flights to and from İstanbul and warned of further disruption in the coming days, as the city braces itself for heavy snow on Wednesday.

Pegasus Airlines, Atlasglobal and Onur Air also cancelled 22, 10 and six flights, respectively, due to the snow.