The oil did not, in fact, fortuitously disappear into thin air: "Local officials dispatched a dive team to a barrier island off of southeastern Louisiana's Plaquemines parish to scan the sea floor for oil. The team, however, could barely see the sea floor, due to the current murky state of the area waters. But when the divers returned to shore, they made a rather remarkable discovery: tiny holes that burrowing Hermit crabs had dug into the ground effectively became oil-drilling holes. When the divers placed pressure on the ground near the holes, oil came oozing up. So, basically, questioning where the oil has gone is the exact same thing as looking at the shoes attached to the ends of your legs and wondering if your feet have disappeared."
A video report seems to confirm the outrage among Gulf residents who contend it's far too early for BP to scale back its cleanup campaign as it shows the oil oozing out of Louisiana's coastal land. "It's [like] Jed Clampett's oil. All we need is the theme song to 'The Beverly Hillbillies.' " Additionally,they found thick, heavy crude underground after digging a few feet with a shovel. "I would have never thought that this oil would be this deep underground." (video)
we are left with open arms, outstretched hands,
ready for something new and better.**
Molly Guthrey
LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.3 FIJI REGION
Yesterday -
8/5/10 -
5.2 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 MYANMAR
5.3 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.4 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.6 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 07E was 134 nmi WSW of Acapulco, Mexico.
Tropical storm COLIN was 368 nmi SSW of Hamilton, Bermuda.
PHILIPPINES - After leaving at least three people dead and forcing the closure of key roads in northern Luzon, tropical depression “Domeng" weakened into a low-pressure area as it exited the country Thursday. Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration continued to monitor a low-pressure area (LPA) east of Luzon that may intensify into another cyclone. "There is a big chance it will intensify into a cyclone because it is still at sea and is gathering strength." If the LPA intensifies into a cyclone, it will be codenamed “Ester," the fifth cyclone to enter Philippine territory this year. There is a 60-percent chance the LPA can become a cyclone in 48 hours. PAGASA’s 11 p.m. Thursday advisory indicated Domeng was on its way to the South China Sea. Both the LPA and the weakened Domeng are expected to continue to enhance the southwest monsoon and bring rains over the country particularly the western section. Aside from leaving three people dead, Domeng also caused closure of key roads in Cordillera. Roads in Mountain Province and Benguet were particularly affected by “Domeng."
Tropical Storm Colin strengthened over the Atlantic Ocean and may pass to the west of Bermuda within two days, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Colin, which weakened below tropical storm status earlier this week, was 470 miles (760 kilometers) south of Bermuda at 8.30 p.m. local time. The storm had sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (95 kph) and was traveling north-northwest at 20 mph. The Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for Bermuda, indicating winds as high as 73 mph are expected in coastal areas within 36 hours. The storm is forecast to strengthen and slow as it passes to the west of the island. Environment Canada Hurricane Centre issued a map showing Colin passing south of Newfoundland on Aug. 10.
Tropical storms that reform after weakening aren’t “all that unusual, though it doesn’t happen every year." Two recent examples are Tropical Storm Bonnie in 2004 and Tropical Storm Lili in 2002. Lili went on to become a Category 4 Hurricane and hit Louisiana. Bonnie reconstituted itself as a tropical storm before entering the Gulf of Mexico and making landfall in Florida.
The U.S. yesterday reduced its forecast for the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season to 14 to 20 named storms, down from 14 to 23, because of less activity than expected in the first two months of the season. Eight to 12 of those storms are expected to grow into hurricanes with winds of 74 miles per hour or greater, and four to six may become major systems with winds of 111 mph or more.
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES, between 2 and 3 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, in the tropical Atlantic Ocean, combined with a cooling of the Pacific and optimal wind conditions off Africa, are creating everything needed for an active season. There are 11 named storms, those with winds of 39 mph or more, during an average hurricane season, according to the National Hurricane Center. The most active season on record was 2005 with 28 storms, followed by 1933 with 21. If 20 storms form this year, it would be the third most- active season on record.
HEAVY RAINS, SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
KASHMIR - Flash floods kill 44 in Leh, the main town in India's trans-Himalayan Ladakh region. Dozens are missing. Some 3500 metres above sea level, Leh is surrounded by high-altitude desert and heavy rainfall is uncommon. The floods had effectively cut Leh off by road, washing away sections of the main highways. The floods tore through parts of the town during the night, damaging houses and government buildings. Rescue operations were still underway, as the search continued for the missing, with Indian troops called in to help with the relief efforts.
