George Orwell
LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
6.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.0 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.0 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.2 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.0 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.3 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.1 TONGA
5.1 NEUQUEN, ARGENTINA
5.6 NEAR EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA
Yesterday -
8/14/10 -
5.2 PAPUA, INDONESIA
5.1 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.1 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
6.6 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.1 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.5 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.9 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.1 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.0 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.1 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
6.3 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.1 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.0 OFFSHORE SUCRE, VENEZUELA
5.3 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
8/13/10 -
7.2 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.1 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G
5.0 AZORES ISLANDS REGION
5.2 AZORES ISLANDS REGION
5.1 NORTHWEST OF KURIL ISLANDS
MARIANA ISLANDS, GUAM - An earthquake on Saturday morning was measured at a magnitude of 7.2 at about 7:19 a.m. at a depth of 2.9 miles. The earth quake was traced 230 miles west-southwest of Guam and 275 miles west-southwest of the Northern Mariana Islands. There was no news of injury. According to the reports there were no alerts issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center about the earth quake.
The media reports suggested that in case the earthquake had hit nearer to the populated areas, the threat and loss to the life and the harm to the property would have been exceedingly ruthless. What is more, is that if the earth quake had hit closer to the populated areas, rescue attempts and operations would have been held back due to the Mariana Islands’ far-flung location. There have been numerous aftershocks.
PAKISTAN - a 5 magnitude earthquake has hit Pakistan. Pakistan is in the middle of the WORSE MONSOON SEASON THEY HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED, one fifth of Pakistan is under water and there are now fears of food shortage amongst other things. (There are reports that one third of Pakistan is underwater but at the moment as we said we'll stick to one fifth until more information comes from the Pakistan government.) Now they experience a magnitude 5 earthquake as well. The earthquake was far from Islamabad but was close to Kalat and Dalbandin areas. The first case of cholera in Pakistan also have just come to light. The country is a disaster zone.
TROPICAL STORMS -
No current tropical cyclones.
The system once known as Tropical Depression Five may be known as tropical Storm, or even Category One Hurricane, Danielle by late today, peaking sometime later on Monday into Tuesday over New Orleans. (NOAA's site gives this system a 30% chance of developing into a tropical storm again in the next 48 hours.)
HEAVY RAINS, SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
Pakistan flood crisis raises fears of country's collapse - United Nations aid agencies have provided assistance to hundreds of thousands of victims of Pakistan's worst floods in decades but relief operations have yet to reach an estimated SIX MILLION people. The lives of 14 million people — eight per cent of the population — have been disrupted by one of the worst catastrophes in Pakistan's history. The floods, triggered by torrential monsoon downpours just over two weeks ago, engulfed Pakistan's Indus river basin and killed more than 1,600 people.
Villages have been wiped away. Some people only have a patch of land to stand on. Fresh downpours could bring more destruction, and displacement. The United Nations says the floods have affected about one-third of Pakistan, an area the size of a European country.
Pakistan's government, overwhelmed by the disaster, has been accused of being to slow to respond to the crisis with victims relying on the military and international aid agencies for help. Anger is spreading, raising the possibility that the government could face social unrest. Analysts say a military coup is unlikely because the army's priority is fighting Taliban insurgents and taking over during a disaster makes no sense. The economic costs are staggering, making it more diffIcult for the government to carry out strategic spending in former Taliban bastions to win public support.
Floods have roared down from the northwest to Punjab province to Sindh, where more flooding is expected. Sindh is home to Pakistan's biggest city and commercial hub Karachi. Floods have damaged mostly rural areas there, although concerns are rising that other urban centres are at risk.
RUSSIA - Cyclone halts water supply to Sakhalin's 32,000-people in Kholmsk. The city of Kholmsk has drinking water only from water tank vehicles specially sent to the city after a water supply system breakdown. The situation was caused by the cyclone that crossed southern Sakhalin from August 11 to 12. The precipitation in Kholmsk EXCEEDED A MONTH'S LEVEL. Twenty houses were flooded. A mud flow from local mountains got into the water intake system, halting the water supply.
HEALTH THREATS -
Tropical fruit cited in US typhoid fever outbreak - Frozen mamey fruit pulp is the probable cause of seven confirmed and two suspected cases of typhoid fever (Salmonella Typhi infections) in California and Nevada. Mamey, also called zapote or sapote, is mainly grown in Central and South America. Frozen mamey pulp can be bought in grocery stores throughout the United States, and packages have a shelf life of 2 to 3 years.
Epidemiologic evidence points to mamey fruit pulp produced by Goya Foods, Inc., Secaucus, N.J. The company recalled 14-ounce packages of the tropical fruit product on Aug 11. The product is distributed in retail stores in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington.
The company said it issued the recall because one package of mamey pulp collected in Las Vegas and tested by the Food and Drug Administration was found to contain Salmonella. A CDC official contacted could not say whether the specific outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhi had been found in any Goya product.
Typhoid fever is common in the developing world, but only about 400 cases occur in the United States annually, with about 75% of them in international travelers. The infection causes high and sustained fever, headache, constipation, malaise, chills, and myalgia, and it can be severe or fatal if not treated. It typically spreads through contaminated food or water.
