Initial investigations into the blast at the Grand Riviera Princess hotel suggest gas that exploded beneath the building was from a nearby swamp. "The report suggests an accumulation of gases produced by decomposing organic material in the subsoil, and this gas produced the explosion." The 676-room resort sits on a concrete platform on a swampy area near the beach - located in a region known as the Maya Riviera, about 90km (55 miles) from Cancun. Roughly 50-70% of those staying at the resort were Canadian. "Everyone said their hotel room shook. The glass at neighbouring restaurants all cracked and blew out. The tiki hut that was in the area, that was on fire." The blast left a crater in the ground about 1m (3.3ft) deep.
what mathematicians mean by infinity
is to contemplate the extent of human stupidity.**
Voltaire
LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
6.0 NEAR N COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA
Yesterday -
11/15/10 -
5.2 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
5.0 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
5.0 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
5.2 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Child of Krakatoa Volcano Active Every Five Minutes. Uninterrupted activity from Child of Krakatau volcano is causing continuous tremors. “There is a tremor every five minutes." The quake activities occur 600-900 times a day on average. There were a total of 811 quakes Sunday. The Child of Krakatau is still on level II alert. This is not harmful as long as the community follows regulations and do not approach the mountain within the radius of two kilometers. “So far, the status for Child of Krakatoa has not been raised, because the strength of the tremors is still fluctuating."
TROPICAL STORMS -
No current tropical cyclones.
SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
THAILAND - Continued floods across Thailand have brought the total number of deaths to 223 on Monday. The flooding hit the central and northeastern regions from Oct 10-Nov 14. 71 of the deaths were recorded in torrential floods in the South which were caused by a tropical storm and heavy rains. So far 39 provinces in the North and Northeast were affected by flooding and that although the situation has eased, flood conditions remain in 57 districts of 13 provinces. In the southern region, 12 provinces were hit by the tropical storm which triggered flash floods in the areas from Oct 30 through Nov 14. Among them, 46 districts of five southern provinces are still under floodwaters.
The Meteorological Department on Monday warned that the northeast monsoon which prevails over the South and the Gulf of Thailand will strengthen during Nov 15-17 and heavy rainfall is expected over the southern east coast with stronger winds and higher waves in the Gulf. In the Northeast, temperature is dropping 1-3 degrees Celsius due to the intense high pressure area from China which has covered upper Thailand and the South China Sea.
HEALTH THREATS -
RECALLS & ALERTS:
-Bravo Farms is recalling all Dutch Style Gouda because it may be contaminated with E. coli
-DPI Specialty Foods of Tualatin, OR is recalling Mauri Brand Gorgonzola cheese because it may be contaminated with Escherichia coli. Some Mauri Gorgonzola Cheese was sold at Costco.
-Orval Kent is recalling 23 products which contain fresh cilantro as a precautionary measure because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella.
-Baugher Enterprise, Inc, of Westminster, Maryland, is recalling all production of Baugher's Apple Cider because it may be contaminated with Escherichia coli
